Cortney Gumbleton has joined TechFW as Assistant Director.
The Assistant Director works with the Executive Director Hayden Blackburn to define and execute the strategic plan and vision of the organization, and is someone passionate about being connected and immersed in the entrepreneurial community, helping support, build and grow it. As Assistant Director, she will lead marketing and operations team members.
“Cortney is a highly motivated, self-starter who makes creative and significant contributions to everything she is involved with, a results-driven achiever with exemplary planning and organizational skills, and has the ability to handle multiple projects at once,” Blackburn said. “She will be an incredible social networking asset, community representative and developer of business partnerships.”
Gumbleton most recently was Founder, Co-Owner and Managing Partner of Locavore (commercial kitchens and event center). Previous to that, she was Executive Director of The Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation, where she implemented Texas’ first peer-to-peer suicide prevention program for youth, called Hope Squad. Additionally, she created the Hope Initiative, which trained thousands of community members with the tools to save a life.
“After reading the job description, I knew my skills would be an excellent fit,” she said. “With Locavore, I’ve spent the last few years strongly involved with the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Fort Worth and feel called to further support local entrepreneurs through the incredible work TechFW is doing.
“The majority of my professional career I’ve spent working in groups to identify community
problems and utilizing critical thinking to strategize and develop action-oriented solutions. I have been fortunate to develop community partnerships and cultivate relationships that advanced our mission through their philanthropic generosity.”
She earned her Bachelor of Science – Social Work – from Texas Christian University, her Master of Science – Social Work: Community & Administrative Practice – from the University of Texas at Arlington, and has two years of study at TCU on her Doctor of Education – Higher Educational Leadership. She also has a certificate for Women’s Entrepreneurship from Cornell University.
Gumbleton was honored in 2019 as a Fort Worth Business Press 40-Under-40, in 2020 and 2021 by UTA as a MAVS 100 Top Business, has been a Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year Finalist, and won the 2018 Fort Worth Business Plan Competition.
In the community, she is a TechFW MCrew mentor; a Sparkyard Advisory Board member; a board member with The Welman Project, Amphibian Stage Productions and Women’s Policy Forum of Tarrant County; on the Chef’s Committee of the Fort Worth Food and Wine Festival; and a 2019 graduate of Leadership Fort Worth.
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