Total money raised: $11,217. Kaaoush has also loaned her campaign $20,000.
Total expenditures: $27,119.23
Kaaoush has spent much of the money she raised or borrowed on advertising, primarily mailers and flyers.
Career: Kaaoush spent four years as a communications specialist with the U.S. Army and, more than a decade later, five years working for the Department of State in Qatar, according to her LinkedIn profile. She currently works as a real estate agent and has served on the Superior Town Council since 2022.
Endorsements: Boulder Progressives, Boulder Area Labor Council, Communications Workers of America (CWA), Colorado Working Families Party, Moms Demand Action, CU Regent candidate Kubs Lalchandani, state Sens. Julie Gonzales and Janice Marchman, Rep. Kenny Nguyen, Longmont Mayor Susie Hidalgo-Fahring, Superior Mayor Mark Lacis, Sister Carmen Community Center CEO Suzanne Crawford and city councilmembers from across Boulder County. Read the full list.
Questionnaire
1. Why do you want to serve as Boulder County treasurer?
I am running for Boulder County treasurer because this is a time for protectors. The treasurer’s role is not just about managing money. It is about understanding how public funds support our schools, fire districts, local governments and the people who rely on them every day.
I am concerned that the next few years may bring significant financial challenges for many families. My experience in finance, housing and disaster recovery has shown me how quickly people can find themselves struggling and how important it is to have leaders who understand both the systems and the human impact behind them.
I want to ensure Boulder County’s funds are managed responsibly while expanding education and outreach efforts that help residents better understand available resources, navigate financial hardship, and avoid foreclosure whenever possible. My background is uniquely aligned with protecting both our public resources and the people they serve.
2. What past professional, financial or management experience has prepared you for this role?
My degree is in business, and my background is in finance and management. Those experiences closely align with the responsibilities of the Treasurer’s Office, which requires not only financial oversight but also strong leadership and customer service.
As a U.S. diplomat, I led a multi-storefront operation in an active conflict zone. I managed budgets, revenue, procurement, staffing, labor compliance and international supply chains where service interruptions were not an option. During my tenure, I doubled revenue and established an investment portfolio designed to ensure long-term financial sustainability.
I also bring more than 20 years of experience in real estate and property management, giving me firsthand knowledge of lending, property taxes, delinquency and foreclosure.
Additionally, I kept millions of dollars in Boulder County during the Marshall Fire recovery, where I helped residents navigate insurance and tax implications. I also worked to get a Federal Disaster Tax bill passed to prevent fire survivors from being taxed on their settlement funds.
3. How would you describe your leadership and management style?
My leadership style is rooted in servant leadership, developed through military service and reinforced throughout my career as a diplomat, manager and community leader. At its core, I believe leadership is about focusing on people first. When people have the tools, support, and trust they need to succeed, the entire organization performs better.
In many of my leadership roles, I inherited teams whose members had spent years, and sometimes decades, doing the work. They often knew the systems, challenges, and opportunities far better than I did on day one. My role was not to arrive with all the answers. It was to listen, learn, remove obstacles, advocate for resources, and create an environment where they could do their best work.
I believe teams figure out very quickly whether a leader is there to support them or simply manage them. I strive to be accessible, honest and willing to work alongside my staff when challenges arise. That approach has allowed me to build strong relationships with many of the people I have led over the years.
If you take care of your people, support their success, and hold everyone accountable to a common mission, good outcomes tend to follow for staff, the organization and the public we serve.
4. Current Treasurer Paul Weissmann has said that one of the most important parts of the job is keeping staff happy. What managerial experience do you have, and how have you fostered positive and productive workplace cultures in the past?
Throughout my career, I have managed teams in a variety of settings, from running customer facing operations in Jordan to serving as a department head in Qatar supporting American families overseas, and helping manage budgets and operations for the Naval ROTC program at CU Boulder. Many of these roles took place in high-pressure environments where morale directly affected performance, retention, and service delivery.
The military and diplomatic environments taught me that effective leadership requires understanding when people need accountability and when they need encouragement, and support.
I also understand from Treasurer Weissmann that the Treasurer’s Office is often where people turn when they are frustrated, scared or angry about a financial situation. Staff are the front-line voice of the office and can absorb emotions that have little to do with them personally. As a leader, I see it as my responsibility to be a shield and a sponge for those situations, protecting staff while ensuring they feel supported.
At the same time, residents deserve an office where they feel comfortable bringing those concerns. When people face financial hardship, they should be met with empathy, professionalism and respect. I bring strong emotional intelligence, which will allow me to support staff while ensuring the public feels heard, understood and well-served.
5. Some aspects of the treasurer’s role are unique to the office and difficult to learn before taking office. How would you approach getting up to speed in your first year of the job?
One advantage of this position is that the election is decided several months before the new treasurer takes office. If elected, I intend to use that time wisely by shadowing Treasurer Weissmann, attending training already scheduled for 2026, and learning as much as possible about the office before my first day. My goal would be for Day 1 to feel less like a starting point and more like a continuation of an intentional transition.
After taking office, I would spend significant time learning from the staff who operate the office every day. Many have decades of experience and possess the institutional knowledge that makes the office successful. Understanding their work, challenges and perspectives will be critical to becoming an effective treasurer.
Treasurer Weissmann has also been clear that it takes roughly a full year to experience the complete cycle of responsibilities and truly understand the role. I think that is an important reminder to approach the position with humility, and patience. My focus will be on learning continuously, asking good questions, and building on the expertise already present within the office while ensuring stability for both staff and the public.
6. What sets you apart as a candidate, and why will this make you a better treasurer?
My experience puts me at the intersection of finance, leadership and housing. Throughout my career, I have been directly responsible for budgets, operations, personnel, investments and long-term financial planning. I have not simply advised budget directors; I have served as the budget director, COO and CEO responsible for results.
I also bring more than two decades of experience in real estate, which has given me a front-row seat to the financial realities families face when buying homes, navigating lending requirements, falling behind on payments, or facing the possibility of foreclosure. Those experiences have shown me that financial hardship is rarely the result of a single decision rather the result of life events, changing economic conditions and systems that can be difficult to navigate.
That perspective is particularly valuable because the treasurer also serves as public trustee. Understanding the mechanics of foreclosure is important, but understanding what families are experiencing when they enter that process is equally important.
Finally, I have extensive experience stepping into existing organizations and leading experienced teams while respecting the expertise already in place. I believe I am the only candidate who brings this combination of operational finance, executive management, housing expertise and real-world crisis management experience.