Life & Work with Christopher Colón of Youngstown, Ohio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Colón.

Hi Christopher, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Christopher Colón, and I am a community builder, nonprofit leader, and proud son of Youngstown, Ohio. My life story is rooted in resilience, identity, and service. I am a Puerto Rican man with ancestral ties to the Taíno people of Puerto Rico and the Welsh countryside, and those roots have always helped shape how I see the world. My journey has been marked by both struggle and purpose. I was raised in difficult circumstances that included poverty, instability, and childhood trauma, but those experiences also gave me grit, empathy, and determination. Instead of letting hardship define me, I chose to turn adversity into fuel and build a life centered on helping others and creating opportunities where they did not exist before.
I attended Youngstown State University and graduated in 2004 with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. During my time there, I founded the International Spanish and Latin American Student Organization (ISLA), which was one of my first opportunities to bring people together around culture, connection, and belonging. It was also during those years that I discovered my deeper calling to community service and systems change. I learned early on that leadership is not about titles—it is about seeing people who are often overlooked and helping them recognize their own value and potential.
Over the next two decades, I built a career that reflected both hustle and heart. I worked in social work, serving vulnerable populations in nursing homes and care settings, where I developed compassion, patience, and emotional intelligence. Later, I transitioned into marketing and relationship-building roles, where I sharpened my communication skills and learned how to inspire trust, mobilize resources, and connect people across different sectors. Through every chapter of my life, I stayed deeply connected to Youngstown and committed to helping my community rise.
That commitment eventually led me to co-found Thrive Mahoning Valley, where I now serve as Executive Director. Thrive is an organization dedicated to welcoming newcomers, advancing inclusion, and helping revitalize the Mahoning Valley through diversity, belonging, and opportunity. Under my leadership, Thrive has grown into one of the region’s most dynamic emerging nonprofits. We have helped newcomers access jobs, transportation, and support systems; distributed bicycles to adults all over the Mahoning Valley; created bilingual resource guides; fed over 4000 people; hosted a year-round farmers’ market; partnered with employers on inclusive workforce practices; hosted cultural celebrations and civic conversations; and connected our region to the national Welcoming America movement.
My leadership style is energetic, relational, and deeply human. I believe in meeting people where they are, making them feel seen, and helping them believe in what is possible. I am as comfortable speaking at public events as I am sitting with a family in crisis, collaborating with business leaders, mentoring staff, or working behind the scenes to make something happen. I care deeply about belonging, economic inclusion, and the future of legacy cities like Youngstown.
Outside of my public work, I am a devoted husband and father of three sons. My family is my greatest source of pride and motivation. I carry a deep love for culture, food, travel, and community. I am also a passionate Las Vegas Raiders fan who enjoys bringing creativity and spirit to game days. But beneath all of that is a man who has fought hard to become who he is—a person committed to breaking cycles, creating joy, and leaving the world better than he found it.
Today, I see myself as proof that where you start does not determine where you can go. From a child navigating hardship to a man leading transformational work in his hometown, my story is still being written. At its core, it is a story about resilience, growth, and lifting others as I climb.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Some of my greatest strengths were forged through some of the hardest chapters of my life. My journey has never been a straight line, and much of who I am today was shaped by struggle, loss, uncertainty, and the decision to keep going when it would have been easier to quit.
My childhood was marked by trauma, instability, and emotional pain. I grew up in an environment where addiction, hardship, and inconsistency were present realities. Both of my parents struggled with drugs and alcohol, which created wounds that affected our family deeply. As a child, I often had to navigate circumstances no young person should have to carry. There were times when safety, stability, and emotional support felt out of reach. Those early experiences left scars, but they also gave me resilience, awareness, and empathy for others who come from difficult beginnings.

As a teenager, I made mistakes of my own. Like many young people trying to find identity and direction without a clear roadmap, I had moments of poor judgment, restlessness, and choices that could have sent me down the wrong path. I was searching for belonging, trying to make sense of pain I did not yet know how to process. Thankfully, I was able to learn, grow, and begin charting a better course for my life.

One of the deepest losses I have ever carried was the death of my mother. at the age of 42 Her life was complicated, and so was our relationship, but loss does not become easier simply because things were imperfect. Grieving her meant grieving not only the person she was, but also the possibilities of what could have been. Her passing forced me to confront pain, family history, and the generational struggles that shaped so much of my early life.

Throughout many seasons, I also felt the absence of strong family support. There were times when I had to build myself up without the kind of safety net many people take for granted. I often had to rely on my own determination, relationships I built along the way, and faith that I could create something better. That lack of support made many roads harder, but it also taught me independence, perseverance, and how to become a support system for others.

Professionally, my path was not always clear. I experienced career uncertainty, transitions, and moments of wondering where I truly belonged. I worked in different fields, learned through trial and error, and sometimes had to reinvent myself. There were seasons of doubt, financial stress, and questioning whether my efforts would amount to something meaningful. But each chapter gave me skills, perspective, and the confidence to keep evolving.

One of the most defining challenges of my life was raising one of my sons on my own for a significant season. Being a single father required sacrifice, maturity, patience, and strength. I had to be provider, protector, nurturer, disciplinarian, and role model all at once. There were pressures, long days, and moments of exhaustion, but also immense love and purpose. Fatherhood demanded that I grow into the man I wanted my son to see.

There were also quieter struggles—self-doubt, healing from trauma, learning how to trust, navigating relationships, trying to break unhealthy cycles, and carrying the pressure of wanting more for myself and my family while not always knowing how to get there. Many battles were invisible to others.

Yet through all of it, I kept moving forward. My struggles did not destroy me; they developed me. They taught me compassion, grit, leadership, humility, and gratitude. They are part of my story, but they are not the end of it. I became the kind of man I needed when I was younger—and that may be one of my greatest victories.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am the co-founder and Executive Director of Thrive Mahoning Valley, a nonprofit organization focused on welcoming newcomers, strengthening belonging, and helping revitalize the Mahoning Valley through inclusion, connection, and opportunity. My work sits at the intersection of community development, leadership, economic inclusion, cultural bridge-building, and systems change. At the core of what I do is helping people and communities see possibility where others may only see division or decline.
I specialize in relationship-building, community engagement, and turning ideas into action. I have a gift for bringing together people from different backgrounds—business leaders, immigrants, civic institutions, residents, nonprofits, and public officials—and helping them find common ground. I understand how to build trust across cultures, communicate vision, and create momentum around meaningful work. I also specialize in creating welcoming ecosystems for newcomers, helping organizations become more inclusive, and identifying practical solutions to barriers such as transportation, language access, and workforce connection.
I am also known for being a builder. I do not just talk about problems—I create responses. Whether that means launching programs, organizing events, connecting people to jobs, developing partnerships, helping families in crisis, or creating systems where none existed before, I have built a reputation as someone who gets things moving. I know how to take an idea and turn it into something real.
People know me for my energy, charisma, authenticity, and heart. I bring passion into rooms. I can speak with conviction, connect with everyday people, and make others feel seen and valued. I am not a distant or overly polished leader—I am real, accessible, and deeply invested. I care about people, and they can feel that. I also bring cultural pride and perspective as a Puerto Rican man leading in a region where diverse leadership matters.
What I am most proud of is not titles or recognition—it is impact. I am proud of helping build Thrive Mahoning Valley into an organization that has changed lives. I am proud of helping newcomers feel welcomed, helping families gain transportation and employment, creating opportunities for others, and contributing to a more hopeful future for my region. I am proud of becoming a father who shows up, a husband who cares deeply, and a man who broke cycles that could have continued for generations.
I am also proud that I did not let where I started determine where I finished. Coming from childhood trauma, instability, and limited support, I built a life of purpose. That means a lot to me.
What sets me apart from others is that I combine lived experience with leadership ability. I understand struggle personally, but I also know how to operate professionally. I can relate to people who feel overlooked while also sitting at tables with executives and decision-makers. I have both hustle and heart. I know how to dream big, but I also know how to grind through difficult realities.
I also bring courage. I am willing to start things others only talk about. I am willing to put myself out there, take risks, and lead without guarantees. Many people wait for permission or perfect conditions—I have learned to build anyway.
Ultimately, what sets me apart is that I am not motivated only by success for myself. I want progress for others. I want my children, my community, and people who come after me to inherit something better. That kind of purpose changes how a person leads.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
If I were speaking to those just starting out, I would tell them this:
Do not let your starting point define your ceiling. Where you come from matters, but it does not have to limit where you are going. Some people begin life with resources, stability, and guidance. Others begin with chaos, pain, and confusion. Both paths are real, but neither determines your final destination. Your story is still being written.
I would tell them to be patient with themselves. Growth rarely happens in a straight line. You will make mistakes, lose confidence, choose the wrong path sometimes, and have seasons where nothing makes sense. That does not mean you are failing—it means you are learning. Too many people quit because they think struggle means they are off course. Often, struggle is part of the course.
I would tell them that relationships matter more than they realize. Skills are important, but trust, character, and how you treat people will open more doors than talent alone. Build genuine relationships. Be dependable. Follow through. Help others when you can. The way you make people feel becomes part of your reputation.
I would tell them not to be ashamed of humble beginnings or hard jobs. Every chapter can teach you something if you let it. Some of the jobs that feel small in the moment are building discipline, people skills, resilience, and perspective that will serve you later. Nothing is wasted if you learn from it.
I would tell them to learn how to communicate. The ability to speak clearly, listen deeply, tell your story, and connect with others is one of the most valuable skills in life. Many people are talented but unseen because they never learn how to communicate their value.
I would tell them to heal while they build. Unaddressed trauma, anger, insecurity, and pain can sabotage opportunity. Success without healing often feels empty or unstable. Work on yourself emotionally, mentally, and spiritually while you pursue goals. Strength is not pretending nothing hurt you; strength is facing it and growing anyway.
I would tell them to stop waiting for perfect timing. Perfect conditions rarely come. Many opportunities are built in imperfect moments. Start before you feel fully ready. Learn while moving.
What I wish I would have known when I was coming up is that confusion in your early years is normal. Not everyone has a clear path at 18 or 25. Some people bloom later because they had more to overcome. I wish I had known that I did not need to compare my timeline to anyone else’s.
I also wish I would have known that confidence can be built. I used to think some people were simply born sure of themselves. In reality, confidence often comes from surviving hard things, keeping promises to yourself, gaining competence, and learning that setbacks do not destroy you.
I wish I had known that boundaries matter. You cannot save everyone, carry everyone, or keep everyone happy. Sometimes growth requires distance from unhealthy dynamics, even when it is painful.
I wish I had known that leadership is less about status and more about service. The people who truly make a difference are often the ones quietly solving problems, lifting others, and staying consistent when no one is applauding.
Most of all, I wish I had known that my past did not disqualify me. The things I was ashamed of, the struggles I came through, and the pain I carried would one day become sources of empathy, wisdom, and strength.
So my advice is simple: keep going, stay teachable, protect your character, heal your wounds, and build something bigger than yourself. Your beginning is only the introduction, not the conclusion.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thrivemv.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivemahoningvalley/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThriveMahoningValley/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ctennantygt/