Shelby Kiernan

Shelby Kiernan has diverse work experience spanning over several years. Shelby began their career in 1993 as a Press Office Assistant for the United States Senate. Shelby then worked as a Therapist Trainee at Catholic Charities in 1994, followed by a role as a Social Worker at the San Diego Center for Children from 1995 to 1997. Shelby then joined the University of California San Diego as an Academic Advising Coordinator from 1997 to 1998.

In 1998, Shelby transitioned to ESPN, where they served as a Sales and Marketing Coordinator until 1999. After that, they worked independently as a Marriage and Family Therapist from 1999 to 2002, specializing in counseling children and adolescents with Type I diabetes.

In 2000, Shelby joined the University of Denver and held various roles, including Senior Academic Advisor/Tutoring Coordinator, Assistant Director-Academic Advising, and Career Counselor. During their time at the University of Denver, they developed programs, advised students, and built relationships with employers to develop internships for students.

From 2007 to 2012, Shelby worked at the Colorado Department of Higher Education, where they served as the Director of Outreach and later as the Director of Postsecondary Relations/Trainer for CollegeInColorado. Their responsibilities included strategic planning, budget management, event coordination, partnership building, and increasing postsecondary user traffic to the website.

Shelby then joined Colorado Access in 2012 as the Care Management Entity Program Director until 2015. In this role, they successfully designed and implemented a provider model to improve the quality and cost of care for Medicaid children and youth with serious emotional disturbances.

From 2015 to 2023, Shelby held the role of Director of Integrated Care/Practice Transformation at Colorado Access. Shelby designed, implemented, and managed the organization's first Integrated Care program, aiming to enhance Medicaid members' access to behavioral health services through their primary care medical home. Shelby also led cross-enterprise collaborative teams, developed strategic plans, and created new processes for collecting and analyzing integrated care data.

Most recently, Shelby Kiernan has been working at Colorado Access as the Director of Provider Services and Support, a role they assumed in January 2021.

Shelby Kiernan has a strong educational background with a focus on psychology and counseling. Shelby completed their Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and English at the University of Wyoming from 1990 to 1993. Following this, they pursued a Master of Arts degree in Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling at the University of San Diego from 1993 to 1995. Prior to their time at the University of Wyoming, Shelby also studied at the University of Northern Colorado in 1989-1990, specializing in Psychology and Business.