PLC Alumni Newsletter - The September 2026 Edition
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Fall Retreat
Fall Retreat at Camp Tumbleson Lake brought together all four active PLC cohorts for the second consecutive year — a milestone that speaks to how far our community has come. With so many new faces from the 2026 cohort, it was inspiring to watch instant friendships form and cross-cohort bonds strengthen over just a few days. On Friday of retreat weekend, the new cohort took their windy mountainous bus ride up to camp, unknowingly forming lifelong friendships. On Saturday, the rest of the cohorts joined the new faces in a day of shared meals and exciting activities, such as the ropes course, climbing wall, and infamous lake obstacle course. The Board of Advocates sat with current PLCers for lunch, creating a natural opportunity for connection and reconnection. It's a perfect example of what PLC does best: bridging professional development and inspiration with the human connection that makes it all worthwhile. This exciting continuation of PLC tradition was only made possible through incredible contributions like yours.
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PLC Student Events
We're now five weeks into the semester, and PLC student events are in full swing. The 2026 Cohort is settling into what the program is all about, and the full PLC community has shown up to welcome them — new relationships and opportunities are already taking shape.
Last week, the Service Team returned to , a pay-what-you-can restaurant sustained by the donations and volunteer time of people like our own. The team also joined the Buffalo Bicycle Classic, running a support stop stocked with food and resources for racers who supported the scholarship fundraiser.Ìý
On Monday, the Connections Team held their firstÌýElevated Professional Development workshop, focusing on frameworks of career goals and actionable networking strategies. Teams across PLC FLEXD (previously student staff) are working hard to continue providing the abundant opportunities for professional development and community building that define our program.
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Alumni Spotlights
Eileen Bennett
Our first spotlight this month features Eileen Bennett, who has built a career grounded in a simple passion: growing each day so she can brighten the lives of those around her. Eileen currently teaches Special Education at Compass Academy and joined the Board of Advocates this year.
Eileen began her time at CU as an International Affairs major. While she picked up valuable skills along the way, her true calling, education, had actually been with her since the third grade. It was through the Presidents Leadership Class that she found a tight-knit community amid the chaos of a booming undergraduate population. Eileen joined the recruitment and selection team, driven by a desire to make the program more inclusive. She personally emailed every school in Colorado to spread the word, and her efforts helped her team bring in a record number of PLC applicants, proof that the outreach paid off.
After graduating, Eileen was accepted into Teach for America (TFA), a nonprofit that places new teachers in high-need areas for a minimum two-year commitment. She served as an Education Specialist in the Bay Area from 2019 to 2021. The experience felt unfamiliar at first, but it pushed her to grow a little more each day for the students who needed her. She describes TFA as her transformative introduction to professional life, much like PLC had been for her undergraduate years.
In her current role at Compass Academy, Eileen teaches two of her own classes focused on social-emotional learning and personal advocacy, helping students on IEPs build the confidence to make their own decisions about their education. She also floats between 6th through 8th grade humanities classrooms, supporting students throughout their day and working closely with other teachers to make sure accommodations and modifications are put into practice effectively. For Eileen, showing up for her students and building real relationships with them matters far more than any academic content ever could.
Eileen's advice for the PLC community is simple: stick to your values and pursue what you love. She lives that advice out daily, and as she puts it, "being a leader isn't about climbing the ranks. It's about having commitment to things that are bigger than yourself."
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David Davenport
This month's next spotlight shines on a familiar face in the Board of Advocates. David Davenport, our BOA Secretary, has been engaged as a PLC alum since graduation. He's stayed deeply rooted in the community that shaped him — showing up, giving back, and paying forward everything the program gave to him.
David majored in Computer Science during his undergrad years, but it was PLC that pushed him out of his bubble. To him, it was the best way to explore the rest of campus, crediting the program for connecting him with peers whose perspectives were wildly different from his own. One lesson that stuck with him was that, in the IT world, everyone's quick to ask, "Can we do it?" David learned to ask a better question — "What impact will this have?" That shift in thinking, he says, traces directly back to PLC's grounding in the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and a community built for real reflection.
That mindset has carried him through an impressive career. David spent 19 years at IBM, climbing from developer to Senior IT Specialist, where he built analytics and measurement tools used across more than 140 countries. From there, he moved to CoBank as Senior Manager of Technology and Data Innovation, shifting his focus toward rural America and farming communities. That path led naturally to his current role as a Business Intelligence Consultant at Farm Credit of Southern Colorado, where a smaller team and client base have made for a working environment David describes as far more personal than anything before it.
Beyond his accomplishments, David is keenly aware that there’s more to life than a resume. He's a firm believer in balance and staying conscious of what actually matters. To him, that means 32 weeks of bowling league a year, regular karaoke nights, and gaming. His current focus in life is to continue prioritizing the things that bring him joy and meaning.
His advice for the PLC community is all about engagement. Whether you're a current student or an alum, you get out of this program exactly what you put into it. For alumni, that means giving your time and talent to the next generation. For current students, it means leaning into the network around you. He believes that the connections formed in PLC are some of the most valuable things to carry you into a meaningful career and life.
