Who We Are
Colorado business leaders unlocking for homegrown talent.
The “American Dream” is broken. Only 50% of children born in the 1980s are expected to earn more than their parents, compared to 90% of children born in 1940.
Coloradans face barriers to prosperity. 1 in 4 households lives below the self-sufficiency standard though nearly 90% of those households include someone working full-time.
There is an imperative to invest in local talent. A decade ago, 1 in 12 people relocating within the U.S. moved to Colorado. By 2023, that number dropped to just 1 in 120.
- Chetty et al., Fading American Dream, 2017, equality-of-opportunity.org
- Colorado Center on Law and Policy, “Overlooked & Undercounted: Coloradans Struggling to Make Ends Meet in 2019,” March 2022, https://selfsufficiencystandard.org/colorado/
- Common Sense Institute, “Colorado’s Population Rising at a Fraction,” February 1, 2024, https://www.commonsenseinstituteus.org/colorado/research/infrastructure/colorados-population-rising-at-a-fraction
Meet Our Members
Membership in Colorado Thrives means more than adding your name to a list. It means committing to join forces with peer CEOs and senior leaders of Colorado companies to tackle our state’s talent challenges head-on. We believe when Coloradans thrive, Colorado thrives.
CEO and Executive Leader Council
Steven A. Cohen
Co-Chair, Colorado Thrives
Co-President and Co-Chief Operating Officer,
The Anschutz Corporation
Jim Rechtin
Co-Chair, Colorado Thrives
CEO, Humana
Valeria Alberola
Board Member, Clarivate
Board Member, Vantage
Jandel Allen-Davis, M.D.
President and CEO,
Craig Hospital
Dan Caruso
Managing Director,
Caruso Ventures
Founding CEO/Chairman of Zayo Group
Sureel Choksi
President and CEO,
Vantage Data Centers
Mike Fries
CEO,
Liberty Global
Andrew Gaasch
President,
CommonSpirit Health Mountain Region
Jonathan Gear
Former CEO,
Clarivate
Ivo Jurek
CEO,
Gates Corporation
Jim Kelley
Founding Partner, Vestar Capital Partners and Managing Partner, The Colorado Impact Fund
David Layton
CEO,
Partners Group
Bryan Leach
Founder and CEO,
Ibotta
Kirsten Lynch
Strategic Advisor,
Vail Resorts
Rob Painter
President and CEO,
Trimble Inc.
Javier Rodriguez
CEO,
DaVita Inc
Rachel Romer
Executive Chair,
Guild
David Sadoff
Senior Partner and Managing Director,
Boston Consulting Group
Bijal Shah
CEO,
Guild
Kent Thiry
Founder, Colorado Thrives
Former Chair and CEO,
DaVita Inc.,
Co-Founder,
Thiry-O’Leary Foundation
Talent Council
Marisa Alexander-Daspit
Chief People Officer,
Ibotta
Greg Boothroyd
Vice President, HR Business Solutions,
Vail Resorts
Alana Brandes
Chief People Officer,
Guild
Shannon Dierenbach
Chief Human Resources Officer,
Xanterra Travel Collection
Patricia Elias
Chief People and Culture Officer,
Vantage Data Centers
Micah Gurard-Levin
Director, Community Impact,
Liberty Global
Jessica Hergenreter
Chief People Officer,
DaVita
Amy King
Chief Human Resources Officer,
Denver Health
Lindsay Luth
Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer, Private Equity and Co-Head Sustainability,
Partners Group
Gwendolyn Montgomery
EVP CHRO,
Gates Corporation
Julie Strittmatter
Chief Human Resources Officer,
CommonSpirit Health Mountain Region
Amie Staudenmaier
CHRO/VP People and Culture,
Craig Hospital
Melissa Uribes
Vice President, People Enablement
Trimble Inc.
Our Partners
We recognize that transformative change requires collaboration. We cannot achieve our goals alone. Our work depends on partnerships with education, training, and community organizations across the state who understand the evolving needs of the Colorado workforce. Join us to create pathways and solutions that prepare homegrown talent for good jobs.
Education to Employment Alliance
Colorado Thrives is a proud member of the Education to Employment Alliance. Representing all 64 Colorado counties and thousands of member companies from diverse sectors, geographies, and sizes, the Alliance unites and coordinates efforts to strengthen Colorado’s workforce.
National Talent Collaborative
While we are focused on Colorado, we partner with other business groups across the nation through the National Talent Collaborative. As a partner in this group, we share insights, learn from successes, and amplify the collective impact.
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