Heather Keen: Playing the game

Heather Keen isn't one to watch sports on TV.

"I prefer to be playing," she said.

Same thing with life. The 30-year-old isn't much for standing on the sidelines and watching others have all the fun. She dives in, headfirst, and finds out just what she can do - which seems to be pretty much what she sets her sights on.

Keen is director of programs and community outreach at the Human Rights Education Institute. She's also on the board of directors for United Way of Kootenai County, she helped create Kootenai County Young Professionals and she's about to earn her MBA from the University of Idaho.

Before she arrived in North Idaho in 2007, she spent time in Washington, D.C., where she started out as a legislative intern, and wound up a legislative assistant offering policy advice to Colorado Congressman Joe Hefley.

When the Post Falls resident landed her job with HREI last year, it was her first paid position with a nonprofit.

She loves it.

"I just think it's really important to enjoy what you do," Keen said. "Otherwise, it's not really worth doing.

She loves to hike and backpack into the great outdoors, has run a marathon and last August completed her first half Ironman.

"I finished and I didn't die," she said, smiling. "Those were my two goals. Finishing and not dying."

As director of programs and community outreach, what do you do?

A little bit of everything. We're a small staff. My focus is on creating all the education programs that we work on here at HREI, a lot of building relationships with K-12, working a lot with the school districts, Lakeland, Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene, to make sure we're supplementing their human rights curriculum in the schools. They're already doing a great job but we want to be as supportive as we can.

I also do the community programs and forums that we offer to the general public. I work with the media and other nonprofit organizations and try to create partnerships.

What is your current exhibit at HREI?

We're exploring Gandhi's life, and the seven social sins, plus the eighth that his grandson added, how they relate to everyday life here in Idaho, how they're relevant to us today.

We had nine local artists that helped us out. They each got a social sin and interpreted what they saw. They all used different mediums.

How did you wind up here?

I have wanted to work with nonprofits for a while. I've done the government thing, I've done the private sector thing. I really see a lot of value in doing something that helps the local community. My aim was to get into the field of nonprofit work. I actually ended up at HREI through my master's program. I decided to write a paper on HREI. I met Dan (LePow, executive director) shortly after I finished my first paper and he offered me a job.

It's a great fit for me because I get to build a lot of relationships with businesses, which is kind of something I'm good at building relationships with business and nonprofit organizations. I really like the collaboration and partnerships that we can explore. I also think education is huge. Any way I can help on that front, is important.

What did you write your paper on HREI about?

The first paper was an overview of how they came to be, their funding, what their programs are, what kind of impact they're having on the community. The one I'm presenting Saturday for my degree is on a forward looking plan. What does HREI look like as we move forward? Are we providing the right programs? Are we able to show we've had an impact on the community, in a positive way? Are we able to measure that? Then of course the funding piece of it. How are we paying for these programs that do provide a lot of value to the community?

What kind of influence have you found that HREI has had here?

I think a lot of the value we provide, K-12, we focus heavily there. We find that a lot of times children are much more open to the ideas and concepts of acceptance and celebrating diversity. In terms of the broader community, just really providing a location for dialogue for human rights and dialogue about different issues, starting that discussion and creating an awareness so we can hopefully transition from awareness about diversity to ideally celebrating diversity.

Do you think HREI can have a bigger influence?

I do. Obviously the fact that the community saw a need for it and went about creating such an institute sends a big message to the world that Aryan Nations and things like that are not going to be tolerated here, and the community as a whole sees value in each and every individual.

I think we can provide a bigger impact and reach more audience. And that's what we're trying to do.

On other notes, you helped create Kootenai County Young Professionals. How did you become involved there?

When I was in D.C. I helped create a nonprofit and when I moved here in 2007, I met up with Luke Malek and some other young professionals. We're really just working on helping to be a resource to the community. Organizations like Jobs Plus are going out and recruiting businesses, we're showing that there is an active young professionals community here and that employees that come with the businesses will have a resource, a social network base of support.

How hard is it to get your MBA?

There are no words to describe. It's a process. The program is the executive MBA program through the University of Idaho. It's nice it's here in town, it's in Coeur d'Alene. It's an intensive program, three days a month. So we go from 7:30 in the morning to 6 o'clock at night. And then in between you've got class work and assignments and readings and things to keep up. It's a great program. It goes by fast.

What drives you?

My parents raised me that way. I've always been active, played sports, music in high school, always going in 18 different directions. I actually manage my time better if I'm busy.

What's ahead for you?

I'm not sure I'll commit to an Ironman. I'd love to run a nonprofit, or see myself being involved in the nonprofit community for a long time.

How have you been so successful?

Find the thing that you like to do and go after it. I've learned a lot of things that I don't enjoy doing, and I don't do them anymore.

Date of birth: Feb. 22, 1981

Education: Bachelor's degree in political science from Colorado State University; MBA, University of Idaho

Family: Husband, Jason

Number of hours on average you sleep in a night: As many as possible.

Hobbies: Hiking, backpacking, triathlons.

Favorite book: I've only read text books for the past two years.

Favorite type of music: I enjoy it all.

Best advice you ever received: Find something that you love and do that.

One person who most influenced your life: My parents. They raised me with a good work ethic, strong morals and taught me to respect other people.

Quality you admire most in a person: Drive

Favorite vacation spot: Backcountry near Banff