Home / Interviews / Donna Boreing
Finding a personal mission
Donna Boreing, CEO, Austen Grace Enterprises, LLC
Leadership Denver Class of 2005
Donna Boreing came to Leadership Denver (LD) looking for a focus point.
“There are so many issues in the community, and I felt like I was dividing my time,” she remembers. “I needed to identify the one issue that was for me the issue that implies, if we as a community do not work on this, all else fails.”
She found her cause on Poverty Day in October of 2004. The site visits and the stories of the residents inspired her commitment to work on the far-reaching issues of homelessness. Donna currently serves as Chair of the Community Appeals Advisory Board for Denver’s Road Home; the 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness in Denver. “That was my ‘aha’ moment — when I found my pipeline to make a difference,” she said. “I remember it vividly.”
Boreing first learned about Leadership Denver from Caz Matthews, her boss at the time. “The concept was overwhelming,” said Boreing. “You can’t really learn about community issues just by reading about them or seeing them on the news. It’s an osmosis issue, and Leadership Denver gives you the opportunity to see, hear and experience the issues our community faces firsthand.”
Born and raised in Michigan, she arrived in the Rocky Mountain region over 20 years ago as an executive with WellPoint & Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. She remembers being immediately impressed with how open and accepting Denver was.
LD offered that same openness. As for many others, the connections and friendships were among the most powerful impacts of the LD experience for Boreing, who feels that LD provides an “exponential strengthening of our community and its leadership with every class that graduates.”
Those connections have supported Boreing through transitions in her career, as she retired from WellPoint & Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield (WABCBS) in April 2008 and dedicated herself to improving the health and well-being of women of all ages by founding Rejuvenate Fitness Center & Spa for Women. In addition, she has continued her mission to serve the community as a board member for Easter Seals of Colorado and the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation.
She encourages current and future class members to “take risks, speak out and learn from the diversity of the class. Everyone brings such rich views and experiences to the discussions. The learning is priceless.”
Boreing offers one final piece of advice for future LD participants: “Take advantage of the happy hours. The discussions get even richer – and so do the friendships!”
Interviewer: Denise King, Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation, Leadership Denver Class of 2003
