KieAnn Brownell, President, Metro Denver Sports Commission
Leadership Denver Class of 2001

Thanks to the incredibly diverse nature of her Leadership Denver (LD) class, KieAnn Brownell was able to grow an entrepreneurial opportunity from her LD year.

“My dream upon entering LD was to bring the Winter Olympic Games to Denver,” Brownell said. “Because of Leadership Denver I met Rob Cohen, who shares a similar dream, and before my class graduated I was started down the path to making my dream happen.”

Today, Rob Cohen is the executive chair of the Metro Denver Sports Commission, for which Brownell serves as president. Brownell describes herself as a “serial entrepreneur” who was the first woman elected president of the Colorado Chapter of the Young Entrepreneur’s Organization.

In keeping with the mission of the Metro Denver Sports Commission, “To create a legacy of economic and social vitality through sport,” Brownell values leadership that focuses on communal rather than personal gain. Consequently, she is very proud of Denver leadership for our history of bipartisanship.

As she recalled her LD experience, Brownell named Joe Blake (the president and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce) as exemplifying that bipartisanship. In describing Blake, whom she first met during Leadership Denver, Brownell said that it is no big secret that he is Republican and an advocate for business, but he also seems to be “the first one to reach across the party aisle, year in and year out.” Brownell cited the resolution of fall’s ‘Poison Pill’ ballot amendments (which many feared could cripple the state’s business economy) as an example of Joe Blake’s leadership leading to communal benefit.

“Denver has become a model of bipartisan cooperation and we need that to continue,” Brownell said. “As we all watch our country being torn apart by partisan politics and leaders who put party above country, we need to learn from their failures. In Denver we have had tremendous success by putting our community first. The challenges of the future will no doubt require the same spirit of collaboration and sense of commitment to community.”

Brownell takes that same broad-based view of the skills leaders need to successfully make “all boats rise.” She sees the ability to negotiate as the most critical skill, but by “negotiating” she does not mean “getting the biggest bang for your buck, but being able to negotiate a win-win.” Keeping with that metaphor, Brownell said, “It is impossible to raise the water level in just one part of the lake to make just your boat rise. At a time when the water levels are communally low, let’s all hope for some rain.”

Interviewer: Andra Wilkinson, University of Colorado-Boulder Graduate, Presidents Leadership Class, 2009

Joseph Padilla, Captain, Denver Police Department
Leadership Denver Class of 2006

Captain Joe Padilla of the Denver Police Department fits the adage that there is no single Leadership Denver “profile.” Padilla brought a different perspective to his LD class because of his law enforcement experience and his unique view of the needs of Denver.

A Denver native who grew up with three siblings in a single-parent home, Padilla was always looking for positive role models during his childhood. Today, family ties and his desire to continually seek opportunities to expand his horizons brought him to LD: His brother Rick Padilla was a member of the LD class of 1996 and encouraged Padilla to apply.

As much as Padilla appreciated learning during each of his class sessions, he found it even more interesting to see the particular topics’ effects on his classmates. As a public sector employee and leader, Padilla took the opportunity to share his experiences with the class.

“When I would talk about what I see on the job, jaws dropped and some people were pretty shocked,” he says.

Padilla’s classmates used him as a sounding board when discussing topics such as law enforcement, local government and diversity issues. In turn, he shared observations and experiences that are near and dear to his heart. He is currently the commander of the Traffic Operations Bureau and was previously the command officer in charge of the Juvenile and Gang Bureaus. He was also the command officer in charge of the Denver Police Department’s Traffic and Transportation sections for the Democratic National Convention.

He believes LD helps give everyone the level playing field they deserve to demonstrate their talents and abilities. Padilla is proud of the city and credits the Denver Police Department with giving him the opportunity to prove himself and build his career. He is a board member for the Pioneer Leadership Program at the University of Denver and in 2008 attended the 235th session of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va.

As his career has progressed, Padilla realized the importance of communicating with community and business leaders. Involving these leaders in decisions affecting our communities greatly enhances relationships in developing safe and energetic neighborhoods.

“We need leaders with vision and a commitment to the city and its unique qualities to help our community succeed,” he says. “Leadership Denver goes a long way toward that. Then, it’s up to all of us to do what is right.”

In any endeavor, Padilla hopes people will step up to leadership without worrying about fitting the “profile” in Leadership Denver – or in life. “You don’t know until you try it… whatever it is.”

Interviewer: Kate Oravez, Qwest Communications, LD Class of 2001

Letty Bass, Executive Director, Chambers Family Fund
Leadership Denver Class of 1992

It’s all about women and kids.

From her early professional experience teaching first grade when she was just 21 years old through her work over the past dozen years as executive director of Chambers Family Fund, Letty Bass has dedicated her life to helping women and children and, through them, our community.

Chambers Family Fund invests in organizations that help women become economically self-sufficient, enhance the early care and education of children, strengthen democratic values and enrich arts and culture. Under Bass’s direction, the foundation has worked to promote expanded opportunities for women and children throughout Colorado and assisted organizations in several Western states.

Bass is a graduate of Leadership Denver’s (LD) 1992 class. “I loved the diversity of my classmates and the quality of the participants,” she recalls. “It is that quality which has allowed me to build lasting relationships with people from all walks of life.”

She noted that her LD experience was even more exciting because it was a time when Denver International Airport and large-scale mass transit were being planned for the metro area. “From Leadership Denver, I received a ‘big picture’ viewpoint about who really makes Denver work,” she said. “That was especially helpful, because Denver is uniquely shaped by its people and the quality of its leadership stemming from the relationships of the public and private sector.”

Among her LD classmates were some individuals who inspired Bass in her own career and volunteer efforts. They included Anne Warhover, former director of the Downtown Denver Partnership and current president of the Colorado Health Foundation, because she brings a dimension of fun to her work, and volunteer Alice Kelly, who inspired Bass with her work with the League of Women Voters and her commitment to the city and its causes.

Today, Bass recognizes that the City of Denver faces significant challenges, such as a lack of fiscal flexibility. She sees promise, however, in early childhood education — a cause in which she believes strongly.

“When I taught, I quickly realized how important the first five years of a child’s life really are,” she said. “Early education is the best investment we can make.”

Interviewer: Gloria Neal, CoLours TV and Denver Woman Magazine, Leadership Denver Class of 2009

Richard Lewis, Owner, RTL Networks, Inc.
Leadership Denver Class of 2006

Richard Lewis has spent his life fighting for his dreams, and he believes Leadership Denver (LD) demonstrates that any individual can do the same.

Lewis, a graduate of the LD class of 2006, has worn many hats during his career, from serving 17 years in the U.S. Air Force to pursuing an MBA and a master’s degree in computer science to serving on numerous community boards to founding his own multimillion-dollar IT consulting company.

He clearly remembers his first day in the LD program, however. “Listening to the accomplishments and resumes of my classmates-to-be, I thought, ‘Are you kidding me? If half of these people left town I think the city could possibly implode,’” he recalls. “As the day went on, I started feeling more and more comfortable; and by the end of the year, these classmates were like family, with whom I could discuss even the most difficult of subjects.”

Building that unity was key to Lewis’ LD experience. “Finishing the Leadership Denver program is like giving someone a new lens, through which one observes a city in a completely different way,” he explains. “I look at Denver and no longer see a Swiss watch. I see gears, springs, crystals and precision motion; and I can also see scratches, scars, wear and tear and sometimes the need for a new band. But the larger question is, how do I see myself and my fellow alums? Are we consumers who just want to talk about what we like and don’t like about the watch, or are we servants, who look to do what we can to fix the defects and polish and promote that which is good? [LD] inspired me to get involved in this city at higher level and reinforced within me a sense of responsibility to attempt to make a difference.”

That modest sense of being a servant to the greater good is a hallmark of Lewis’ career and his aspirations for Denver’s future. “One of the things I learned in Leadership Denver is that there is no special anointing, or sacred ceremony that deems someone eligible to volunteer or lead,” he observes. “Denver, like many cities, is in need of more individuals who believe they can make a difference. … Many volunteers and leaders in our country and in our city don’t deploy themselves because they don’t feel empowered to do so. We just need more people who believe things can be better and who are willing to step into the ring.”

Interviewer: Jessica Wisner, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Leadership Alliance Class of 2009

David Card, President, Escuela de Guadalupe
Leadership Denver Class of 2004

What do a leader and a camera have in common? Focus. David Card, the president of Escuela de Guadalupe, a dual-language school in Denver, knows that maintaining focus while broadening one’s lens ultimately determines success for both individuals and organizations.

“Leadership requires a lot of faith,” Card explained. “I have seen that in many organizations, there is always this constant pressure to satisfy short term goals and provide fast results. Leaders need to understand that sometimes it is necessary to have patience and hope for the future.”

Card has goals for the future, nevertheless. Fortunately for Denver, he says, there are many strong leaders in the public school system. However, across the country, Card sees a need for quick change.

Kristin Waters, a fellow classmate in the LD Class of 2004 and principal of Denver’s Bruce Randolph School, was an inspiration for Card. Due to her leadership and willingness to serve as a catalyst in shifting the paradigm in public education, Card witnessed the necessity of taking risk and “going against the tide.”

“Escuela de Guadalupe is small and nimble. It is difficult for our tiny school to make a big impact on the public. It takes people like Kristin Waters to question the system and consider various ways to face obstacles.”

Today, Card is a leader as well as a concerned citizen. As such, he remembers that his favorite Leadership Denver Day was one focused on the economy. Tom Clark of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce supplied a new reality: Businesses do not choose to locate in Denver because of the education system, and without these businesses, the community suffers.

This topic related to Card’s position as president of this inner-city school. Being an educational leader among a variety of business leaders, Card was always aware that all the leaders in his class were there to implement change and learn together.

Card believes leadership itself is an abstract and mysterious concept. Great leaders, he said, have an altruistic motivation, one that senses the ultimate goals of the group.

Additionally, leaders must have a “broad lens” in order to see the big picture. Awareness of one’s talents and gifts, combined with the energy to create change—no matter how much adversity and resistance is present—will determine success. “Every educational opportunity can be a leadership opportunity,” he said.

Interviewer: Dan Van der Vieren, Regis University, Colorado Leadership Alliance Student

Leanna Clark, Senior VP of Corporate Communications, IMA Financial; Executive Director, IMA Foundation
Leadership Denver Class of 2000

William Butler Yeats famously wrote that “Education is not the filling of a pail. It is the lighting of a fire.” One Leadership Denver (LD) graduate whose LD education turned into a brilliant blaze is Leanna Clark, who has been an entrepreneur, small-business owner and community trustee during the past decade.

“LD absolutely ‘turned the light on’ for me with regard to my community involvement efforts,” Clark remembers. “It helped me focus on where I could make a difference and have the greatest impact. For me this has been public education. Education Day, and the terrific background we received on public education as part of LD, helped me determine that this was the area where I wanted to concentrate in terms of my work to give back to the Denver community.”

As a result of LD’s lighting that particular fire, since graduating from LD in 2000, Clark has served on the DPS Commission for Secondary School Reform, Mayor Hickenlooper’s Leadership Team for Early Childhood Education, DPS’ “A+ Committee,” her own children’s school’s Collaborative School Committee, and as board chair for the Public Education and Business Coalition. “I owe my ability to make an impact in this important area to my experience in LD,” Clark said.

For 12 years, Clark was principal and co-owner of a leading Denver public relations firm, Schenkein. At the end of 2008, she sold her ownership in Schenkein to more actively pursue her involvement with Project C.U.R.E., an international nonprofit based in the Denver area that delivers medical supplies and equipment to more than 120 nations worldwide. Early in 2009, Clark joined IMA Financial — founded by CEO Rob Cohen, an LD alumnus — to oversee the risk-management company’s marketing operations as well as its philanthropic foundation.

Clark urged fellow and future LD graduates to turn their LD experience into a passion for lifelong learning. She has followed her own advice. “The connections I made through LD affect me each and every day.  I formed lifelong friendships during my LD class and count my closest friends as fellow LD grads,” she said. “In addition, as a small business owner, LD provided me with a built-in network of contacts.  There’s no better conversation starter than, ‘I’m an LD grad and know you are as well…’ to build bridges and open doors.”

Interviewer: Jessica Wisner, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Leadership Alliance Class of 2009

Taryn Edwards, Vice President, Hensel Phelps Construction Company
Leadership Denver Class of 2006

Taryn Edwards, a 2006 graduate of Leadership Denver (LD), still takes inspiration from the relationships she built during the program.

Edwards credits the program with helping her and her classmates to create a real dialogue on change. To help current class members find the same dynamic, Edwards advised, “Be prepared to lead and let your opinion be known. Challenge the current thinking process. You will find often that there will be others in your group who feel the same way.”

Today, Edwards’ LD relationships still touch her. “I can still call any of my classmates to bounce ideas off of,” Edwards says. “All of us had a similar perspective and drive focused on our community and leadership within the community. This focus and drive was magnified throughout the year when our class focused on issues and project synergy.”

The class learned, Edwards said, just how much a group can accomplish — and in her opinion, that’s what makes the program so powerful.

In addition to the lasting relationships whose seeds were planted in LD class days, Edwards believes Leadership Denver established her philosophy of how important it is to have many perspectives, and to avoid the easy reflex of being locked within one’s own views.

“The sum of the parts is greater than the whole,” she remembers. “It made me realize how much bigger the end result can be.”

While she recognizes that Denver, like the nation, faces many challenges at this time, Edwards also believes Denver is at an exciting turning point.

“Denver is at the threshold of being one of the greatest cities socially and economically. We have the makings, with our position in green energy, bioscience, aerospace and a jewel of an airport, to strategically position ourselves in national markets,” she said. “We also lead in our community leadership. Our leaders need to be able to take risks in order to position our community for the next two decades. The standard way of doing business does not work anymore. Understanding our past in order to utilize the lessons moving forward is critical.”

Leadership Denver, Edwards believes, produces the perfect mix of leaders who will be able to accomplish much.

“Since there is such a great cross section from all industries represented, issues can be looked at from all angles,” Edwards said. “Every year’s group will find a rhythm and strength that will open up a whole new view for all of its members. This view or thought usually is much greater than that of one single individual.”

Interviewer: Emma Watson, University of Northern Colorado, Colorado Leadership Alliance Class of 2009

Nancy McCallin says she might not have found her way to the Denver Metro Chamber Board of Directors without Leadership Denver, because the experience took her beyond her close community of economists and bankers, where she was most comfortable.

Back in 1990, McCallin had no idea of the role she would play in shaping public policy and the state’s budget. She says she was simply honored to have been nominated to join the 1990 class of Leadership Denver by her boss Bernie Hart at Wells Fargo Bank. She joined classmates such as Marjorie Gart, Cynthia Evans, and Dr. Reginald Washington.

McCallin, now president of Colorado’s 13 community colleges, figures she never would have met people from so many walks of life had it not been for the “wonderful diversity” of her 1990 class. For as a professional economist, she stuck to the numbers.

McCallin worked for two Governors, Romer and Owens, doing budgeting and forecasting. And it was Governor Bill Owens who gave her “the toughest job she ever loved” as his state budget director for six of the eight years of his administration.

She credits that wide exposure from Leadership Denver to different people and perspectives for helping her succeed in that position, especially during the leaner times that required balancing priorities that had real impact on people’s lives.

In fact, her most memorable moment was around public policy, when her class learned about the Poundstone Amendment. McCallin is a Colorado native, but many in her class were not and most were unaware of the significant impact of the 1974 Poundstone Amendment, which ended the ability of the City of Denver to annex new areas without a supporting vote of those in the areas to be annexed. The amendment shaped what we think of as the Metro area, impacted school desegregation in Denver Public Schools and now impacts Denver’s suburbs.

McCallin believes that today’s Leadership Denver participants still need the same critical thinking abilities and open-mindedness as they move into community leadership, but technology has intensified the demands on today’s leaders. She believes modern leadership is “all about adapting in an environment that moves much more quickly than in 1990.”

The young people being trained in today’s community college system mirror that need for adaptability and benefit from the technological advantages in today’s world, she said. They learn welding in mobile labs, take paramedic training in simulated environments and have many course offerings online, even soldiers deployed to Iraq can finish their education and training when in 1990, a deployment meant educational postponement.

McCallin was also featured in the Denver Post’s 9 to Watch for 2009.

Interviewer: Monique Lovato, Xcel Energy Foundation, LD Class of 2009

Carey Macdonald Wirtzfeld, Senior Director, Qwest Foundation
Leadership Denver Class of 1999

Carey Macdonald Wirtzfeld says Leadership Denver took her to the “next level.”

The former public relations and legislative affairs director for a major telecommunications company has since changed directions, now managing Qwest’s efforts in giving, volunteerism and community outreach.

She says it was the impact of participation in Leadership Denver that changed her life’s path.

When LD ’99 started, Carey Macdonald Wirtzfeld was the manager for public relations and legislative affairs at Qwest.  Given her job, it’s no surprise that LD’s Politics Day held special memories of old court chambers and exposure to interesting policy leaders.  After moving from Washington D.C. and the Brookings Institution in 1996, Leadership Denver seemed the perfect way for Carey to understand her new community and to learn how to get engaged, she says.

Wirtzfeld, mother of two-year-old James and one-year-old Peter and her husband (LD Class of ’98), already are setting the example for their young children in what it means to be engaged in their community.  Since LD ’99, Wirtzfeld has moved on at Qwest to become the Director, Qwest Corporate Social Responsibility.

Wirtzfeld  has helped Qwest to deliver more than 1 million volunteer hours through its employees and retirees, focused heavily on pre-K to 12 education issues.  After her efforts in LD ’99, she has gone on to serve on the boards of Metro Volunteers, the Telecommunications History Group and the Mile High United Way.

The people and the relationships made an amazing impression on her – “they were wonderful people from a broad spectrum of the community who were inspirational as a group and individually.”  Many of these friendships have stood the test of time and continue to inspire Wirtzfeld as she sees those friends succeed in their career and in their support of metro Denver.

LD ’99 gave Wirtzfeld a greater sense of where to engage in the community and how to be successful in that engagement.  The effort was a significant time commitment, but she worked through her heavy travel schedule to make it work.

As she looks at Denver and all of its successes, what stands out are the leaders who see the big picture and who understand the importance of making personal connections.  “It’s not always about needing new programs, it’s often about leveraging the resources we already have and bringing those results to the next level.  The Leadership Foundation’s efforts with the college leadership program are a great example of stewardship of already existing efforts.”

In her 12 years in Denver, Wirtzfeld says she is proud of the stewardship the city has seen from long-time philanthropists and committed leaders and she is excited about the stewardship beginning to develop under a new generation of leaders who have stepped up to meet new challenges.

Leadership Denver was a great experience for Wirtzfeld – “it is one of the only opportunities you get to sit and think about your community with really smart classmates who challenge your thinking.”

Interviewer: C. Travis Webb, BKD, LLP, Leadership Denver Class of 2009

Greg Geissler, Director of Development, American Red Cross Mile High Chapter
Leadership Denver Class of 1985

Launching Denver’s public art program was only one masterwork in Greg Geissler’s career portfolio — and Leadership Denver had a role in helping him create a variety of influences on the city’s palette over the last two decades.

In 1982, the City of Denver recruited Greg Geissler to establish its first municipal arts agency.  At the time, Geissler was on a career trajectory that would likely have taken him around the nation to enhance other cities’ arts programs. In 1985, however, Leadership Denver solidified Geissler’s commitment to the Denver community and expanded his vision of community service. As a consequence, Denver has benefited from a quarter century of Geissler’s leadership.

Geissler initially served Denver under Mayor William McNichols, Jr., under whom Denver became the last of the nation’s major cities to create a municipal arts agency. When Federico Peña was elected mayor the next year, he appointed Geissler to continue leading a far more robust and well-supported arts program for the city.

Following Mayor Peña’s two terms in office, Geissler briefly left Colorado to create another arts program in Missouri, but he quickly realized not only that his heart was in Colorado, but also that his interests had broadened, and he wanted to contribute to the community more holistically. He returned to Colorado to lead the Governor’s Commission on National and Community Service under Gov. Roy Romer. Following a statewide “listening campaign,” Geissler focused the Commission’s 1,000 full-time and part-time AmeriCorps volunteers on projects related to literacy, mentoring and the development of good citizenship for children and youth. Geissler continued this work under Gov. Bill Owens for a time, and subsequently worked for a faith-based organization raising money for the organization’s human service programs. Geissler then re-connected with another Leadership Denver alumna, Christine Benero, LD ’05, who recruited Geissler to serve in his current role as the Director of Development for the American Red Cross Mile High Chapter.

In addition to his professional service to the community, Geissler has a long history of volunteer work. He is a past chair of Metro Volunteers, Colorado Alliance for Arts Education, National Philanthropy Day in Colorado and Americans for the Arts. He has also served on the boards of Colorado Youth Corps Association, Colorado Bright Beginnings and St. John’s Cathedral vestry.

Geissler also volunteered as the Chair of the Leadership Denver Class of 2004, helping select topics and speakers, and working all year with the class on each of their days.

Geissler credits Leadership Denver with inspiring a mindset that opened him up to possibilities and opportunities. He became more inquisitive about the areas in which he could engage people in civic life and contribute to the community. As a result, he explains, “the lens, the prism, became much broader.” Geissler reflects, “It is wonderful to have a legacy that is permanent: being touched by people and touching people.” No one’s work speaks more to that observation than Geissler’s does.

Interviewer: Claudia Brett Goldin, Colorado Attorney General’s Office, LD Class of 2009