Home / Interviews / Richard Lewis
Inspiring Citizens to ‘Step Into the Ring’
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
July 23rd, 2009 at 9:27 pm
Rich, I loved the watch analogy! Inspiring as always. Stay in touch.
Sherry