Her Story
About Heather
Heather Hanson, M.A., MLIS, is an Applied Anthropologist, Librarian, facilitator, researcher, and founder of Building Bridges LLC. With more than a decade of experience working alongside families, communities, and public systems, she has dedicated her career to helping organizations reimagine how they engage with children and families through collaboration, research, and lived experience leadership.
Heather's work lives at the intersection of anthropology, systems transformation, and human connection. She believes lasting change happens when the people most impacted by systems are trusted as partners in designing them. Through facilitation, participatory research, strategic planning, and relationship building, she helps organizations move beyond traditional approaches to create solutions that are equitable, practical, and grounded in the experiences of the communities they serve.
As Founder and Principal Consultant of Building Bridges LLC, Heather partners with government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and cross-sector collaboratives to strengthen prevention, advance equity, and build family-centered systems. She serves as Co-Chair of the Reimagining Colorado Child Welfare Steering Committee and has helped lead statewide initiatives including Colorado's 211 Warm Line Pilot, the Colorado Partnership for Thriving Families, Foster America, Thriving Families Safer Children, Casey Family Programs, and the Story of the System Project.
Heather holds a Master of Applied Anthropology from Mississippi State University, where she focused on structural violence and systems change, and a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Denver with an emphasis in qualitative research. Throughout her career, she has been recognized for her ability to bring together diverse perspectives, foster authentic collaboration, and translate complex challenges into meaningful action.
At the heart of Heather's work is a simple belief: lasting systems change begins with relationships. By creating spaces where curiosity, trust, and shared leadership can flourish, she works to ensure families are not only heard but empowered to help shape the systems that affect their lives.
Core Focus Areas
- Systems transformation and organizational change
- Family and lived experience leadership
- Participatory research and qualitative inquiry
- Facilitation, coaching, and collaborative leadership
- Child welfare prevention and community partnerships
- Advocacy, storytelling, and narrative change
- Building equitable, family-centered systems
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Heather
01What do you attribute your success to?
Heather attributes her success to curiosity, resilience, and the belief that meaningful change is possible when people come together to create solutions. She has learned not to accept "no" as the final answer, but instead to approach challenges with curiosity, humility, and a commitment to finding new pathways forward.
Rather than believing she has all the answers, Heather believes the strongest solutions emerge when people with different experiences build relationships, learn from one another, and co-create a shared vision. Her own lived experiences have shaped her perspective, reinforcing the importance of listening deeply, creating spaces where people feel valued, and recognizing that those closest to the challenges are often closest to the solutions. Above all, Heather believes her success is rooted in staying connected to her purpose: building bridges between communities and systems so that lasting change is created with people, not simply for them.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice Heather has received is to never stop imagining what is possible. Holding onto curiosity, creativity, and a willingness to question "the way things have always been done" has shaped both her leadership and her career.
Much of her work focuses on helping people reimagine systems alongside the communities they serve. She believes meaningful change begins with the courage to envision something different and the humility to build it together. When we allow ourselves to dream, ask better questions, and remain open to new perspectives, we create space for solutions that may never have been possible otherwise.
That advice continues to guide her every day: stay curious, keep imagining, and never lose sight of the possibility that systems can change for the better.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Heather encourages young women entering the field to protect their humanity as fiercely as they protect their passion. The work of improving systems can be incredibly meaningful, but it can also be challenging. Staying connected to empathy, curiosity, and the reasons you chose this work in the first place is essential.
She also encourages emerging leaders to trust the value of their perspective. Ask questions, listen deeply, build relationships, and don't be afraid to respectfully challenge assumptions. Some of the most meaningful change begins when someone is willing to imagine a different way forward.
Above all, Heather hopes young women remember that they don't have to have all the answers. Leadership isn't about having the loudest voice—it's about creating space for others, learning continuously, and having the courage to build solutions together.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Heather believes one of the biggest challenges in her field is helping systems move beyond long-standing assumptions and embrace new ways of working alongside the people they serve. Meaningful change requires more than new policies or programs—it requires shifts in relationships, power, trust, and the willingness to question familiar ways of thinking.
At the same time, she sees tremendous opportunity. Across the country, there is growing recognition that the people closest to the challenges are also closest to the solutions. By creating spaces where lived experience, communities, researchers, and system leaders can learn from one another, it becomes possible to move beyond fixing individual problems and begin redesigning systems that help families thrive.
Heather believes the future of systems change is rooted in relationships, curiosity, and the collective courage to imagine—and build—a better way forward.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Heather is guided by the values of integrity, curiosity, transparency, and relationships. She believes that how we accomplish change is just as important as the change itself, which means leading with honesty, listening deeply, and treating people with dignity and respect.
In both her work and personal life, Heather strives to understand the broader ripple effects of decisions and how they impact individuals, families, communities, and systems. She believes the strongest outcomes emerge when people feel seen, valued, and empowered to share their perspectives.
Rather than centering herself, Heather is passionate about creating spaces where others can lead, contribute, and grow. She believes trust, shared leadership, and genuine collaboration are the foundation for meaningful and lasting change.
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