Welcoming Clayton Gonzales, CWEE’s First Chief Program Officer

The CWEE Board of Directors and staff team are delighted to welcome Clayton Gonzales! Clayton is an experienced leader who brings to CWEE a background in mental health counseling and training, as well as extensive expertise in nonprofit program design, development and implementation, always with an eye on data-driven program improvement.

Clayton comes to CWEE from Urban Peak, where he served for 12 years in roles including Director of Programs and Director of Strategic Initiatives. Urban Peak’s mission, to ignite the potential in youth to exit homelessness and create self-determined, fulfilled lives, has many parallels and interconnections with CWEE’s work to help career seekers start and grow successful and family-supporting careers.

“Across all his professional roles, Clayton centers his approach around what he refers to as ‘a relentless focus on belonging.’ His commitment to identifying and taking on oppressive systems as well as a deep awareness and understanding of his own role in those same systems, make Clayton a uniquely compassionate and capable leader,” says Elizabeth Robertson, CWEE’s Chief People Officer. “Clayton’s passion for supporting individuals and families and increasing access to quality employment and educational opportunities shines brightly, and we are thrilled to have him join team CWEE.”

Clayton is admired as a compassionate, committed and collaborative team leader. As a former therapist and mental health trainer, Clayton is well-versed in the strengths-based and trauma-informed approaches that are core to CWEE’s own philosophy and growing mental health program. At Urban Peak, Clayton developed and oversaw workforce development and training programs, as well as the continuous evaluation, optimization and improvement of the same programs.

This experience will lend itself well to Clayton’s role at CWEE, which will be responsible for program strategy and design and implement effective participant-facing programs.

The Chief Program Officer (CPO) is an important new leadership role for CWEE, and Clayton comes on board at an exciting time for CWEE with the evolving development of our hybrid employment training and career preparation program. The CPO role will ensure that career seekers have a consistent and high-quality experience in CWEE’s program that is grounded in motivation-driven practice, equity, and is responsive to labor market and other external conditions. The Chief Program Officer will also work closely with CWEE’s Director of Organizational Wellness to ensure a trauma-informed lens across all programmatic policy and practice decisions.

Prior to his tenure at Urban Peak, Clayton was a clinical mental health therapist, supporting children in foster care, as well as leading training and therapy groups with youth and families. Clayton holds a master’s degree in counseling and a bachelor’s degree in religious studies, both earned from Regis University. Clayton was also a member of the Army National Guard.