{"id":24486,"date":"2024-12-10T00:52:58","date_gmt":"2024-12-10T07:52:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/nonprofit-focused-on-service-industry-workers-in-southwest-colorado-names-new-leader\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T22:55:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T04:55:00","slug":"nonprofit-focused-on-service-industry-workers-in-southwest-colorado-names-new-leader","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/nonprofit-focused-on-service-industry-workers-in-southwest-colorado-names-new-leader\/","title":{"rendered":"Nonprofit focused on service industry workers in Southwest Colorado names new leader"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Emilia
Emilia Majewski will step in for Blaine Bailey as executive director of In the Weeds, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the mental health and well-being of restaurant and hospitality workers in Southwest Colorado. Bailey announced he was stepping down in October. (Courtesy of In the Weeds)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

In the Weeds, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the mental health and well-being of restaurant and hospitality workers in Southwest Colorado, has appointed Emilia Majeski to take the place of Blaine Bailey as its executive director.<\/p>\n

Before stepping into the role, Majeski spent a year serving as a program manager for the organization. Her experience from her work with the nonprofit was an essential quality that founder and former executive director Blaine Bailey prioritized when selecting his successor.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was always part of the plan,\u201d Bailey said in a news release. \u201cFrom the start, I wanted to build something sustainable that could live beyond me. Emilia has shown time and again that she\u2019s not only capable but also passionate about leading this organization into its next chapter. I couldn\u2019t ask for a better person to take the wheel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prior to joining In the Weeds, Majewski worked in behavioral health at San Juan Basin Public Health, where she focused on supporting youths and young adults in La Plata and Archuleta counties. Her role included facilitating the La Plata County Suicide Prevention Collaborative and leading local initiatives to prevent substance use.<\/p>\n

According to the organization\u2019s news release, Majewski was selected for the role because of her commitment to improve community health and her background in the health care industry, aligning with the organization\u2019s efforts to address mental health challenges in the hospitality and restaurant sectors.<\/p>\n

Through its programs, In the Weeds addresses substance use prevention, provides workforce development opportunities, and creates a sustainable and healthy restaurant community.<\/p>\n

In the Weeds began in 2020, at a time when Bailey said the COVID-19 pandemic worsened mental health challenges in the industry, leaving many workers uncertain about job security and struggling to make a living with reduced hours.<\/p>\n

Bailey emphasized the importance of selecting a candidate with nonprofit experience and a deep understanding of In the Weeds\u2019 mission.<\/p>\n

In an October interview with The Durango Herald<\/em>, he explained that it was crucial to find someone capable of expanding the organization beyond his own abilities, noting that he lacked both postsecondary education and prior nonprofit experience when he took on the role.<\/p>\n

Majewski earned a degree in Public Health from DePaul University in Chicago, with minors in Sociology and Psychology. She then moved to Denver to further her education at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus School of Public Health, where she obtained a Certificate in Public Health.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are committed to continuing Blaine\u2019s legacy of advocating for the restaurant and hospitality industry,\u201d Majewski said in the release. \u201cOur goal is to ensure that workers have access to the resources they need to thrive, while also providing tools for businesses to grow and succeed. By tapping into creative funding sources and fostering connections within the community, we can create a more resilient and vibrant hospitality industry in Southwest Colorado.\u201d<\/p>\n

Majewski was unavailable for an interview Monday.<\/p>\n

Under Majewski\u2019s leadership, the nonprofit will remain dedicated to providing resources for mental health, substance use recovery and professional development, the news release said.<\/p>\n

Majewski is also focused on fostering connection through social events like \u201cGrill & Chill,\u201d which offer industry workers a chance to network.<\/p>\n

One of Majewski\u2019s top priorities will be enhancing workforce solutions, including assisting workers with job searches and supporting Spanish-speaking employees through the organization\u2019s bilingual coordinator.<\/p>\n

This initiative will address language barriers and provide training on topics such as harm reduction, setting boundaries, effective communication and wellness, with the goal of supporting employees and employers.<\/p>\n

tbrown@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Majewski was program manager at In the Weeds before becoming its executive director<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24487,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[431,314,28,475,450],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-24486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-business-general","tag-downtown-durango","tag-headlines","tag-la-plata-county-colorado","tag-restaurant-and-catering"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24486","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24486"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24486\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78550,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24486\/revisions\/78550"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24487"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24486"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=24486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}