Finding your passion – your why – is a goal many strive towards. Genia Herndon found it during her Impact Denver program.

 “[ID] helped me clarify my ‘why’ – a vision of purpose and focus,” said Herndon, associate vice chancellor of access and enrollment for University of Colorado Denver.

Herndon was named this year’s Outstanding Impact Denver Alum– nominated this spring by a fellow alum, Herndon was selected by a committee including last year’s Outstanding ID Alum Kelly Underell.

“I am incredibly grateful to receive this award, especially knowing the caliber of ID alumni,” Herndon said. “To be among this prestigious group of community game changers and alumni is in itself a great honor.”

Since graduating from ID in 2009, Herndon has focused on P-12 public education with pathways to post-secondary education. She also was a founding member of Women’s Initiative Advisory Board for City Year and a governor-appointed board member for Colorado Student Leadership Institute.

Herndon believes that “as leaders we have the opportunity to be part of someone’s success story.” She’s committed to investing in the growth and success of others.

That sense of responsibility is a critical piece of Colorado’s Civic DNA. Those values, Herndon says, are “at the very core of who I am and how I approach life.”

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