At the Leadership Foundation, we educate and inspire people who want to make a difference as leaders in our community.
Inspiration is why we partner with 9NEWS to select a Leader of the Year who embodies the values of Colorado’s Civic DNA™: inclusivity, collaboration, leadership, shared vision and responsibility.I’m pleased to announce to you first our 9NEWS Leader of the Year finalists:
Luis Benitez, vice president of government affairs and global impact for VF Corporation. An alum of Leadership Denver (LD) 2009, Benitez works to ensure everyone has access to the outdoors and the health benefits it creates. He has scaled Mount Everest six times – and on his first expedition guided the first blind hiker to summit the world’s tallest peak. He then led the state’s Outdoor Recreation Industry Office and now represents some of the outdoor industry’s most iconic brands at VF Corporation. He has served on the Town Council in Eagle, Colorado, helped create the nonprofit Trekking For Kids and is a founding partner of Soldiers to Summits, connecting veterans to the outdoors.
Jerome Davis, regional vice president of Xcel Energy – Colorado. An alum of Colorado Experience (CE), LD 2002, Leadership Exchange (LEX) and Legacy Denver, Davis leads from behind the scenes, creating big impact. He is the visionary behind Xcel’s Day of Service, which has contributed more than 71,000 volunteer hours from 24,000 people across Colorado over the last nine years. He’s passionate about promoting our state as a destination for events like the World Cup, and he gives his time to countless organizations, including the Colorado Health Foundation, Denver Chapter of the American Association of Blacks in Energy, the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation and VISIT DENVER.
Tasha Jones, senior director of marketing and community relations for Brookfield Properties. An alum of LD 2012, LEX and CE, Jones is driven to help people get closer to their dreams. And she does that by leveraging her network to create more connections across the community for good. As a dedicated mentor and supporter of organizations like The Challenge Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado and the Colorado “I Have A Dream” Foundation, she builds relationships that inspire and empower future leaders.
We ask you, our leaders in the community – our alumni, our B:CIVIC members and Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce members – to select the 9NEWS Leader of the Year. This is a great responsibility, and we know you’ll work to engage more people in this conversation.
You’ll have opportunities to get to know these exceptional leaders in advance of Leading Colorado on March 12 – where we’ll announce the 9NEWS Leader of the Year live. Join us for a conversation with the finalists, moderated by Denver Business Journal Publisher Kevin Pitts, on Jan. 29. We look forward to seeing you there.
Dan Lewis is the executive director for the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation.
