The Region 9 Economic Development District of Southwest Colorado (Region 9 EDD) is pleased to announce that Claire West has joined the team as the Project Coordinator for the SouthWEST Opioid Response District (SWORD).

West grew up in Southeast Alaska before returning to her Southwest Colorado roots and Fort Lewis College. Her professional background is in university development – specifically as a program coordinator and donor relations specialist. She has worked for CSU Pueblo, Tufts Medical School, and Harvard University where she collaborated with diverse groups to execute large-scale development campaigns.

“Both of my parents work in behavioral health and my boyfriend is a paramedic, so it is clear to me how much our community needs help addressing the opioid crisis,” said West. “When I saw this position, it sounded like a great fit. I see this job as being a mediator of sorts – someone who can digest different points of view and recognize the commonalities between them. I think we all want to live in healthy communities where we are safe and supported, especially when life feels difficult. For the last several years I’ve worked in fundraising and development, so was intrigued by the funding allocations aspect of this work as well.”

West will be responsible for the implementation of priority projects of the SWORD Council which oversees the region’s opioid settlement dollars.  You can reach Claire at clairejwest@gmail.com and learn more about SWORD at https://region9edd.org/sword.