Since 1999, 9NEWS has recognized outstanding leaders in the community. This year, 9NEWS has again partnered with the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation – an affiliate of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce that educates and inspires people who want to make a difference as leaders in the community – to select and honor the next 9NEWS Leader of the Year, who will be named live at the Leadership Foundation’s Leading Colorado luncheon on Thursday, March 14.
The 9NEWS Leader of the Year finalists are: Anthony Aragon, Dr. Nita Mosby Tyler and Andrew Schmidt. They each embody the values of Colorado’s Civic DNA™: inclusivity, collaboration, leadership, shared vision and responsibility. Inclusivity, in particular, is a critical component to community leadership in Colorado – and this year’s three finalists all model inclusivity in different ways.
Get to know Tyler – a frequent Leadership Foundation collaborator, notably as day chair of Leadership Denver’s Inclusivity Day – in her own words:
Career: Chief Catalyst and Founder of The Equity Project and The HR Shop
Community: We’re so lucky in Colorado that we’re in a state that has so many wonderful organizations. I’m chair of the board of a community foundation, The Denver Foundation, and I sit on The Bonfils-Stanton Foundation.
Leading with Colorado’s Civic DNA: Inclusivity is an interesting word for me and I do think it’s a complicated word. My definition of inclusivity is it is what you do with your diversity. It’s about honoring, valuing and leveraging the diversities, skills, abilities, knowledge and talents of other people.
What drives her: I left the very thing that I’d worked up to my whole career (a c-suite role at a major hospital) to start The Equity Project with the sole purpose of traveling our country, working with organizations, systems and communities on the advancement of dialogue around these very complicated words of diversity, inclusion, equity and equality. I feel very proud that I’ve created a system where people can be exactly who they are and thrive.
Seeing leadership in everyone – and getting them to see it, too: One of our requirements in our leadership roles is to advance leadership in other people. I love talking about power and reminding people that power goes beyond the title they hold. Whatever the case, people have power that comes from different places.
Leadership Foundation alumni, as well as members of their new partner, B:CIVIC, and their longtime partner, the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, will have the opportunity to vote to select this year’s winner. Cast your vote between Feb. 5 and March 11 at denverleadership.org/vote.
