What would it take to make Colorado the best state to raise a child and sustain a healthy, thriving family in? To find out, the Institute’s Ascend program launched the new Children and Families Health and Human Services Fellowship for 20 leaders in the field, including experts in policy, early childhood, and trauma-informed care as well as the state directors of Medicaid and other public-health initiatives. These Fellows head up health and human services systems in five rural and urban counties—serving 1.4 million Coloradans—and steward more than $1.2 billion in public resources. Fellows met in Aspen last May for the first of four forums. “This investment in leaders in rural and urban counties across the state is a smart way to strengthen the systems that serve our communities,” Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper said of the program. “We look forward to seeing the impact this inaugural class will have on Colorado children and families.” The Fellowship is made possible through a grant from the Ben and Lucy Ana Walton Fund of the Walton Family Foundation.