We have an exciting year ahead of us, and I cannot be more thrilled to have Tara Dunn as my co-pilot and Leadership Foundation board chair as we continue to give people the tools they need to get engaged – and lead – for the common good.

Tara, president of HighMark Law, has been a force in our community and truly embodies Colorado’s entrepreneurial spirit.

“I love that in Colorado, we do business differently. We attribute our region’s successes to Colorado’s Civic DNA™. It is so rewarding to be in a business community with a shared sense of how we approach our work and how important the outcomes can be for our region,” Tara said.

In 1994, Tara and her former husband Brian opened Denver’s Great Divide Brewing Company, which she helped run for 11 years. Called the “Brewery Den Mother,” for Tara, business and beer went hand in hand (something she and I have in common). She helped co-found the state’s first craft beer trade organization, the Colorado’s Brewers Guild. Tara left the beer business to practice corporate law and is now the president of a boutique corporate law firm, High Mark Law.

Tara has had a significant impact on the Leadership Foundation. She has served on our board since 2012 and has participated in Colorado Experience, Leadership Denver and Leadership Exchange trips – always asking what is next when it comes to her leadership journey.

Tara places a high value on listening to our community and making sure every voice is heard. She brings different perspectives to the table and I’m excited to see where her leadership takes us this year.

Meet our 2017-18 board of directors 

Join me in welcoming Tara and all of our new board members. I also want to thank Darren Markley, market leader of U.S. Bank Private Wealth Management, for his leadership this past year along with our entire board.

Dan Lewis is the executive director of the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation