Castle Pines Chamber Events Director Whitney Shank
Bringing the party to the party
By Kathy Fallert; photos courtesy of Whitney Shank
The Shank family loves their sports (pictured from left to right) Payton, Whitney, Thomas, JT and Jon. Whitney is the events director for the Castle Pines Chamber of Commerce and has been with the Chamber for more than four years.
Colorado native and Castle Pines resident for nearly 17 years, Whitney Shank intended on being a stay-at-home mom until her kids were grown. After planning a lot of events for her kids’ elementary school, her name was mentioned to the Castle Pines Chamber of Commerce when they were looking for an events director. “It never crossed my mind to go back to work at that time,” recollected Shank. “But the Chamber was a perfect fit for me. It allowed me to do what I love (event planning) and still have time to be with my family.”
Shank and her husband, Jon, have been married for 19 years and have three children: JT (16) is a junior at Rock Canyon High School (RCHS), Payton (15) is a freshman at RCHS, and Thomas (12) is in sixth grade at Rocky Heights Middle School.
Before becoming a mom, Shank taught kindergarten in the Cherry Creek School District. Shank remarked, “I loved being a teacher, but being a mom is definitely the best job I have ever had!”
In her free time, Shank enjoys playing golf and tennis. Mostly her kids keep Shank busy, spectating as they are all involved in sports themselves. Shank remarked, “My favorite thing to do in my free time is to watch my kids play sports. It brings me so much joy to watch them do what they love to do.”
Whitney Shank,
Castle Pines Chamber of Commerce Events Director
The Chamber puts on four large community events each year, which keeps Shank on her toes: Food Truck Frenzy, Vino in the Village, Party in the Park and Race Through the Pines. In addition, there are several smaller events to plan and organize as well.
Shank explained, “This year we are partnering with the City of Castle Pines to bring back a fall festival to the community. This event will be held in conjunction with Trick or Treat Street but will include a huge block party with fun for the entire family. We are also teaming up with the City to bring a three-week winter wonderland event to Castle Pines. These festivities will all be held at The Ridge golf course and will include a tree lighting event with fireworks, a lighted walking path, Santa brunch, a movie night and much more.”
“I have to say, the best part about working at the Chamber is getting to connect our local businesses with our community,” Shank added. “It brings me so much joy to hold these large events and to see the community come out to support local commerce. Being able to do this job in the community where I live makes it even better. We have so many wonderful businesses and business owners here in Castle Pines, and it is a true pleasure to get to work alongside them every day to make Castle Pines an amazing place to live and work.”
