Katie Fazal

On a winter break from college, sitting in Julie and Dennis’ kitchen, Julie asked me “So, what are you going to do with your life?” I felt the sudden urge to have a good answer and started rambling about something with kids and art and outdoors. Julie said “No shit! Do you know what I do?” At the time she was the Executive Director at Caldera. She told me she could get me an interview for a summer job there, but I’d have to get the job myself.

Fast forward to me, sitting in my very first real interview, feeling all kids of nervous. I was sitting across from Kirsten Kilchenstein and Julie bursts into the room, initially easing my nerves. Only seconds later, she pulls my very curly hair out of my ponytail and up into the air and then lets it fall back down to my shoulders and says to Kirsten, “doesn’t she just have the most gorgeous hair?!” I’m not exactly sure what happened next because I blacked out from embarrassment. But somehow, I got a summer job and have continued a 19 year long relationship with Caldera.

Julie never stopped asking those important questions, making sure her love was known with words and actions and definitely never let the rules of formality hold her back.