Blog
Stay up to date with stories about our work and our Leadership Foundation alumni.
How A Student Leader Is Using Her Voice To Fight For Social Justice
For Neda Kikhia what matters most is simple: it’s all about the community. Neda Kikhia The University of Denver senior was recently named the 2016 Student Leader of the Year by the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation and the Boettcher Foundation at the Colorado Leadership Alliance summit in January. With her involvement in Public Achievement, the Pioneer Leadership Program and [...]
9NEWS Leader Of The Year Finalist Lafferty Helps Families Find A Place To Call Home
One of Heather Lafferty’s favorite places is her home. In the Denver metro area Lafferty, executive director and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver, is bringing communities together to ensure everyone has a safe place to call home. Under Lafferty’s direction, Habitat’s housing production has tripled in comparison to the previous two decades. Not only does Habitat serve [...]
9NEWS Leader Of The Year Finalist Mitchel Connecting Vets With Community
Visionary, veteran and “militant” fundraiser, Michael Mitchel, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 1 executive director and commander, is bridging the gap between veterans and the community. “VFW Post 1 creates a place where veterans are never alone. There is camaraderie among the members,” Mitchel said. “Personally, what I am most proud of is how members step in for each [...]
9NEWS Leader Of The Year Finalist Ross Advocates For Equity And Education
Dr. Ryan Ross is on a journey to battle education inequity in Colorado. “I want everyone to have the opportunity to change his or her stars in life,” he said. Ross isn’t a stranger to forging a better future. As a teenager in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood, he took the city bus over 15 miles a day for weeks in [...]
3 Ways Scholarships Are Changing Denver Leaders
Kenneth Crowley understands the power of a scholarship. It’s part of the work he leads at the Crowley Foundation, preparing high school students for college and adulthood, where he serves as executive director. When he learned about the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation’s flagship program Leadership Denver, his mentor told him it would change his life. But, as a single-income [...]