At the Leadership Foundation, we educate and inspire people who want to make a difference as leaders in our community.

Inspiration is why we partner with 9NEWS to select a Leader of the Year in our region who embodies the values of Colorado’s Civic DNA™: inclusivity, collaboration, leadership, shared vision and responsibility.

Since 1999, 9NEWS has recognized outstanding leaders in the community. This year, 9NEWS has again partnered with the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation – an affiliate of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce that educates and inspires people who want to make a difference as leaders in the community – to select and honor the next 9NEWS Leader of the Year.

We are pleased to announce the three finalists are:

  • Anthony Aragon, senior advisor of community affairs for the Agency of Human Rights & Community Partnerships for the City and County of Denver. An alum of Leadership Denver 2018, Anthony has dedicated his time to countless community organizations, from serving on boards including the VISIT DENVER Foundation to throwing Denver’s PrideFest for the past 16 years.
  • Dr. Nita Mosby Tyler, chief catalyst and founder of The Equity Project and founder of the HR Shop. Nita chose to leave the corporate world in order to focus on building community through conversations about diversity, equity and inclusion. She is a member of the Denver chapter of The Links and is president-elect of the Denver Foundation board of trustees. She also has given hundreds of hours to the Leadership Foundation, speaking with Leadership Denver program participants about diversity and inclusivity.
  • Andrew Schmidt, founding partner of Core Contractors, Roofing Systems. This Leadership Denver 2015 alum and Leadership Foundation board member has spent the last two years working to bring an innovative, self-sustaining, two-year vocational training school to Denver that helps men and women break the cycles of addiction and crime. He experienced The Other Side Academy firsthand on the Leadership Exchange to Salt Lake City; The Other Side Academy Denver is set to open in January 2019.

The 2019 9NEWS Leader of the Year will be announced live at the Leadership Foundation’s Leading Colorado luncheon on March 14, 2019. This event recognizes exceptional leadership in the community while raising scholarship funds to support emerging leaders who want to further develop their skills and use them to make the community better for all.

“Our three finalists are making a real impact on our communities,” said Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation Executive Director Dan Lewis. “They each embody the values of how we work in Colorado, what we call Colorado’s Civic DNA™ – collaboration, inclusivity, shared vision, leadership and responsibility.”

Community leaders helped select this year’s finalists. In 2019, Leadership Foundation alumni, as well as members of their new partner, B:CIVIC, and their longtime partner, the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, will have the opportunity to vote to select this year’s winner.

“These business and community-minded leaders understand what it takes to make an impact. We can’t wait to see who they select,” said 9NEWS President and General Manager Steve Carter.

Voting will officially open Feb. 5, 2019. Join us for a panel conversation with the finalists, moderated by the Denver Business Journal, on Feb. 5.