UCCS alumna and current mayor of Woodland Park Kellie Case has made her mark in the world through perseverance, adaptability and a commitment to community. Her success has not come without challenges, though.
“I lost my father when I was eight,” Kellie explained. “Just before my thirteenth birthday, I moved from Montrose, Colorado to Amarillo, Texas. I cried for a month.”
The change meant leaving an area where her family had lived for decades. Kellie is a fifth-generation native Coloradan from the southwest part of the state. Her father’s great-grandfather homesteaded on the Uncompahgre River south of Montrose in 1879.
Despite the upheaval, she graduated high school in Texas and began her college journey at Amarillo College, initially pursuing pre-law.
But one class changed everything.
“I took an accounting class, and it was just so easy,” she said. “It was intuitive.”
After earning her Associate of Applied Science, Kellie transferred to Texas Tech to pursue her accounting degree.
“I had a little too much fun,” she explained. “I failed statistics and I didn’t do well so they suggested it would be a good idea if I just didn’t come back. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do. I was twenty years old.”
It was then that Kellie moved to Colorado Springs to work for her brother’s plumbing business. When the economy slowed in the 1980s, she found herself without work. Through the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA), she received grants and support to return to school.
This would be her first round of studies at UCCS.
“I finished my accounting degree in three semesters,” she said proudly. “I qualified for all the Pell grants and the JTPA then paid for my training.”
Kellie’s hard work landed her a role as an internal auditor for the City of Colorado Springs. Though she narrowly missed passing the CPA exam, Kellie didn’t let that stop her.
“I missed everything by like one or two points,” she said. “I had studied for four months. And they wanted a whole bunch of money for me to come back and take it again.”
Instead, she again turned to UCCS where she earned a master’s degree in finance. She said her time at the school helped her thrive academically and professionally.
Kellie’s career in public finance culminated in her role as Finance Director and Treasurer for Woodland Park from 1997 to 2014. After leaving city government, Kellie pivoted to real estate, earning her license in 2015.
“I’ve been one of the top producers in my office every year,” she noted.
But her attention to the city’s financial health never waned. When she saw the city’s savings drop from $1.7 million to just $110,000, she became a vocal advocate at council meetings.
“I was that pain that we all dread seeing come to the podium,” she laughed.
In 2018, Kellie decided to run for City Council.
“I had a unique skill set to bring, that was more than just pointing fingers,” Kellie explained.
She won and has served ever since—first as a council member, then mayor pro tem, and now as mayor, elected in April 2024.
Her service extends beyond city government. Kellie sits on the executive board of the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments, managing aging and transportation funds across three counties.
She’s also served on nonprofit boards supporting “dogs, animals, kids, and old people,” including a decade with the Ute Pass Symphony Guild.
Reflecting on her time at UCCS, Kellie emphasizes the value of collaboration and communication.
“You hate all those group projects, but it really is a valuable lesson,” she said. “More brains are better than one. You don’t believe it when you’re there; you think it’s such a pain. But there’s a reason. In hindsight, I see the value of all that stuff.”
She also praises UCCS’s balance of academic rigor and personal connection.
“It brings a high-level school that competes with top universities but still has that small-town feel,” she said. “You know your professors. You’re not just a number.”