Who WE Are: Emily Falcon

Emily Falcon has been Colonial’s Chief Financial Officer for eight years, but she has spent 20 years working in public service. Falcon has managed billions of dollars of education funding for the State of Delaware. She has served as a Legislative Assistant in the Delaware Senate, Policy Advisor to Governor Ruth Ann Minner, Senior Fiscal and Policy Analyst for the Office of Management and Budget and the Finance Director at the Delaware Department of Education. These roles helped prepare her for the job that she’s found most fulfilling- joining Colonial in 2013. “Colonial has given me the opportunity to really focus on so many things about which I’m passionate. Good financial stewardship is critical to making sure that every student can get the most out of their educational experience. And when we are doing what’s best for our students, that investment translates into a stronger community that can thrive and grow.”

Falcon’s public service career bagan through an AmeriCorps program called Public Allies, a ten-month apprenticeship in leadership development and non-profit management. During her first week working at a non-profit in Wilmington, the attacks of 9/11 happened. The non-profit sector nationwide suffered tremendous financial hardship over the next months as donations were diverted to support the relief and recovery efforts in New York. “I saw the difference that good financial management made in keeping the doors open for organizations that were providing critical community services. I realized there were ways to make a difference in a community even if you weren’t ‘on the front lines’ as a service provider,” she says.

Falcon realized she also wanted to make an impact in her community for personal reasons as well. Having come out early in college, Emily has been an outspoken advocate in the LGBT community for over two decades. She has served on the Boards of Delaware Pride and Philadelphia’s Equality Forum. In 2004, Falcon became the first openly LGBT person to represent Delaware at a national political convention when she was selected as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. She has also been part of the fight for obtaining equal rights for the LGBT community in Delaware having lobbied the General Assembly for both the non-discrimination bill that passed in 2009 and marriage equality legislation. She and her wife Jennifer and their triplets were even featured in a commercial to gain support for the marriage bill. Falcon brings this passion for advocacy to the equity and anti-racism work that Colonial has undertaken. “We have the opportunity to change the odds for all kids who are marginalized and discounted. What an organization invests time and money in reflects what they value. Colonial has made a very real commitment to the work of dismantling systems of oppression and I’m incredibly proud to be a part of that work!”