Meet ethnie
Hi there, I’m Ethnie Treick, a dedicated community volunteer, and advocate invested in our community, and passionate about helping make a positive impact with others in the community.
As a young adult, my dad was electrocuted while working on a job in road construction. He ended up losing his right hand, and spending six months in the Mayo Clinic Burn Unit. He went on to put himself through college and law school, and then spent his entire career fighting on behalf of injured workers who were struggling in our community. That accident changed the trajectory of his life, and it deeply impacted mine.
My mom, an educator, taught some of the least resourced, marginalized kids at an elementary school in Rapid City, SD, where I grew up.
My values of hard work, community, and resilience were formed through the experiences of my dad and mom and they raised me and my sisters to have empathy and care about others in our community.
That’s why I’m running to represent Colorado’s House District 52.
I know what’s possible when we have leaders who really listen, stand up for those who are struggling, and bring bold action to our toughest issues.
After earning a bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a master's degree from the University of Nevada, Reno, I worked for Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota and Governor Jim Doyle of Wisconsin. I then moved back to Colorado for a career in media relations, government affairs and community advocacy. I represented Xcel Energy at the Colorado Capitol for six legislative sessions, advocating for sustainable, clean energy policies to promote environmental justice including the Renewable Energy Standard, Clean Air Clean Jobs Act and Community Solar Gardens. During that time, I also served on the Green Jobs Colorado Advisory Council and the Advisory Board of the Renewable Energy Development Infrastructure Project.
In 2014, I made the decision to leave my career to take care of our young family, following the difficult 2013 delivery of my second son.
I nearly died in childbirth. That trauma, and the knowledge that my boys nearly lost their mom, completely changed my focus. I wanted nothing more than to give them more of what they almost lost…more time with me.
Since we moved to Fort Collins in 2015, I have balanced taking care of our boys with volunteering in ways that support our community members’ resilience, learning, and opportunities to thrive.
I’m a regular volunteer helping women get back into the workforce by providing clothing and accessories for work or school through the Fort Collins Career Closet.
During the 2022 election, I successfully led the Fair Council Pay campaign to increase City Council pay in Fort Collins, ensuring our leaders are fairly paid for their work. The increase helps make it more viable for people with less personal economic resources to run for and hold local office, which means we are working toward a more diverse elected leadership.
I volunteer for the Poudre School District (PSD), serving on the PSD District Advisory Board and the Parent Teacher Student Organization and School Accountability Committee at my younger son’s school.
I also volunteer with the Center for Work, Education and Employment, which helps single parents receiving assistance to prepare for and find a career.
I have served on the City of Fort Collins Human Services and Housing Funding Board, the Board of the Larimer County Democrats, and in leadership for the Junior League of Fort Collins and Colorado BlueFlower Fund.
My dad died a couple years ago, following a brief battle with an aggressive form of cancer. My mom, sisters and I were able to care for him in his last days at home. It was one of the most shattering experiences we’ve gone through as a family. I wish he were still with us, but his legacy lives on in all of us.
I run the business my parents started in the mid-1990s, which we’ve expanded to include investments in multi-family real estate in South Dakota. My husband, Kyle, is co-owner of Eyecare Associates, an independently-owned optometry practice that's been serving Fort Collins residents for more than 100 years.
I love my community, and I am dedicated to representing our values, unique priorities and challenges at the Capitol with integrity.
Together, we can make a positive impact.
