A Lifelong Learner’s Journey: Claire Noble’s Long, Strange Trip to Government Communications

From the Air Force to 17 years as a stay-at-home mom to a key role in Eagle County, Claire’s diverse experiences and commitment to learning led her to the Certified Public Communicator Program

Note: This is the second in a Good Government Files series on the Certified Public Communicator® program.

Claire Noble’s career path is anything but conventional. From serving in the Air Force, where she was first introduced to the high standards and rigorous expectations of professional life, to living abroad for over a decade, Claire’s journey is a testament to her commitment to lifelong learning and public service.

After years of honing her skills in various capacities around the world — including the demands of being a full-time mom — Claire found her calling in the picturesque yet demanding environment of Eagle County, Colorado. Nestled in the rugged beauty of the Rockies, Eagle County is more than just a recreational haven (it’s home to Vail Resorts) — it’s a community grappling with the complexities of rapid growth, affordable housing challenges, and the need for effective, transparent communication. It’s here that Claire took on the role of public communicator, driven by a passion for responsive, personal communication.

Claire Noble

But Claire’s journey didn’t stop there. Recognizing the increasing complexity of her role and the growing needs of her community, Claire sought to deepen her expertise through the Certified Public Communicator® (CPC) program. CPC not only reinforced her commitment to strategic planning but also sparked a new understanding of the critical role that public input plays in government communication.

A review of the comprehensive strategic communications plan for Eagle County that Claire developed at CPC shows how her unwavering commitment to public service and professional development. The plan is not just about telling the county’s story; it’s about listening to its residents, responding to their needs, and helping the county move forward to achieve its goals of supporting a thriving workforce, creating a resilient and diversified economy, and protecting the mountain ecosystems that define the community.

About that career path

Claire’s long and winding road to public communications began with a degree in government/international studies from the University of Texas at Austin (🤘), where she was in the Air Force ROTC. Upon graduation, she enlisted in the Air Force and went to intel school at Goodfellow AFB in San Angelo, Texas.

“My whole point of going into the Air Force was really to get a master’s degree,” Claire said. “And that’s what I did. I was in for about six years, and at that time I lived in Texas, New Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Japan in six and a half years.

“But I really think that choice to go in the military and … being an officer for my first professional job was probably one of the best life decisions I made. Because it was just a great introduction to the professional world, because the standards in the military are so high and the expectations are so high, and your fellow officers are incredibly talented but also incredibly ambitious, so they really push you.”

Claire credits the Air Force with instilling in her a mindset of “lifelong learning.” In addition to her bachelor’s degree, she earned two master’s degrees — one from Troy University in 1996 and another from City University of Hong Kong in 2012.

After leaving the Air Force, Claire landed a consulting gig at KPMG Peat Marwick in Washington, D.C., and later took on a training role for the District of Columbia. There, she met her (now-ex) husband, who was offered a job in China.

“I was always up for an adventure,” she says. “Never thought I’d be going back overseas. And I thought I was going to go to China for about two years, and I end up staying overseas for another 16 years.”

Claire held diverse roles in China, including positions in training, marketing, and editing, before transitioning to become a full-time mom. Here’s how she describes the latter “job” experience on her LinkedIn profile.

During my time as a housewife, I had the privilege of experiencing the birth of one child and the adoption of another. One experience was physically intensive, the other bureaucratically intensive. I became a spokesperson and advocate when my child was diagnosed with a disability, increasing public awareness and contributing to empathy and understanding in my community. As a room parent at an international school for several years, I learned how to work with a diverse, multinational group of parents in a way that was collaborative and respectful. I took the opportunity to pursue an advanced degree at an international university, earning an MFA in Creative Writing. As a result, my short form writing earned critical acclaim. I also wrote a memoir currently available on Amazon.com. In one crazy tangent I tried stand-up comedy and did not suck at it. Yes, people actually laughed with me, not at me. Having children does not automatically make someone a better person, but it does have the capacity to enlarge worldview, expand empathy, strain patience and from that crucible, forge a better version of oneself. I like to think my years as a housewife did just that.

Returning to the United States, Claire and her family settled in Colorado. After 17 years as a housewife, re-entering the workforce felt daunting.

“I thought, nobody’s going to hire me,” she said. “And the first job I applied for was to work as a co-host on Good Morning Vail. I don’t want to seem super arrogant, but I was watching it, thinking, ‘I could do that.’ When I saw that they had advertised a position, I auditioned for it and I got the, ‘Yeah, don’t call us, we’ll call you.’ And two or three months later, they were like, super desperate. And they’re like, hey, would you want to come in and work for us? Probably only be about two days a week. And, like, within two weeks, I think I was working five days a week.”

Her daughter asked her how she liked the job. “I’m so miserable right now,” she admitted. “She asked, ‘Why are you doing it?’ and I said, ‘Because that’s what happens when you take a new job and do something totally new, outside your comfort zone.’”

Setting an example for her daughter was important, Claire says.

“I just really needed her to see me try hard things,” she said. “I needed to see her to see me, like, maybe even try something and fail but then get back up.”

Claire was later approached by the Vail Symposium, a nonprofit similar to TED Talks, to serve as its program director. She loved the work, but after four years, she craved a new challenge. She saw a job listing with Eagle County for a public relations manager/public information officer.

“Even though I’d never done that before, I felt like I had all the requisite skills to do that job,” she said. “And so, I essentially convinced them of that. And I’ve been here for the last two and a half years.”

As public relations manager, she writes almost all the news releases for the county and answers questions from the public that come in through the website. That’s become one of the favorite parts of her job.

“I typically answer those emails within minutes of them arriving,” she said. “And so, if you’ve ever sent an email to a government agency or a company, there are companies I’ve never even received a response back from. And I wanted to make sure that if a resident reached out or a visitor, they would get a response. And it wouldn’t be just a form. It would be something super friendly. Like somebody writing in, saying, ‘Hey, we need to talk to somebody in the clerk’s office because we want to get a marriage license. We’re getting married.’ They’re going to get an email from me and the first thing it’s going to say is, ‘Congratulations!’ You know, like, it’s going to connect with them.”

That personal touch, which includes having her name and photo in her email signature, is a hallmark of Eagle County government she said.

About Eagle County and its government culture

Before she went to work for the county, Claire had always been impressed anytime she had an interaction with the local government, which serves a population of 54,000.

“They were super friendly … and always had things dialed in,” she said. “Now that I’m part of it, I still think it’s an extremely well-run government. Most of our department heads or elected officials have been recognized by their peers and have won awards. They’re really good at what they do. The people of Eagle County are well-served by them.”

The plan: A focus on improving public input

Even high-performing organizations can improve, and in Eagle County, stepping up citizen engagement is a priority.

“One of my goals is on developing a more robust architecture for public input,” she said. “And this was like, one of the big epiphanies of the (CPC) program for me … I thought my job was to tell the story of the Eagle County government. I didn’t realize that half of my job was supposed to be listening to the public.”