Colorado Leadership Stories

Water connects Colorado's communities, landscapes, and livelihoods. Few understand those connections better than Alan Salazar, CEO and manager of Denver Water and a longtime public servant whose career has touched nearly every corner of the state.In this episode of Colorado Leadership Stories, Alan joins Boettcher Foundation President and CEO Katie Kramer to reflect on his Colorado roots, decades of public service, and the relationships that have influenced his approach to leadership. He also discusses the growing challenges of drought and water scarcity, sharing why collaboration across communities is essential to Colorado's future.Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora or wherever you get podcasts!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Colorado Leadership Stories, 2022 Boettcher Fellow and self-described “job collector” Shelby Rockwell shares how her connection to Wray has shaped her entrepreneurial path and commitment to strengthening her community.Shelby takes us inside the Space, a nonprofit arts hub she helped revive after experiencing its impact firsthand as a teenager. She reflects on launching her first business in high school and how her passion for civic engagement has guided the many roles she’s taken on since. Through it all, Wray remains at the center of her story: the place she chose to return to and invest in for the future, both for her family and her community.Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora or wherever you get podcasts!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What makes a place feel like it truly belongs to its community? In this episode of Colorado Leadership Stories, Boettcher Foundation President and CEO Katie Kramer sits down with Jeanne Gang, renowned architect and founding partner of Studio Gang, to explore how thoughtful design can strengthen communities and connect people with the natural world.Through the lens of the Boettcher Foundation’s 2026 theme, Power of Place, Jeanne shares the thinking behind her work in Colorado, including Populus and the transformation of Civic Center Park’s historic Greek Theater. The project is especially meaningful to the Foundation, whose connection to the park stretches back more than a century and continues through support of the Civic Center Next 100 planning effort and a $150,000 grant for the Colorado 150 Pavilion project. Jeanne also reflects on designing for the future and how listening, curiosity, and collaboration shape her approach to leadership.Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora or wherever you get podcasts!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For Dominic DeSanti, leadership lessons started in the passenger seat of his dad’s old Chevy pickup, riding across the fifth-generation family farm he now leads in Pueblo.In this episode of Colorado Leadership Stories, the 2005 Boettcher Scholar digs into the realities of farming in Colorado, from navigating drought to building a stronger identity around the Pueblo chile. Along the way, Dominic shares what generations on the same land have taught him about adapting to change and investing in the future of Colorado agriculture.Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora or wherever you get podcasts!To learn more about DiSanti Farms, visit https://www.facebook.com/DiSantiFarms/.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Colorado Leadership Stories, Colorado State Fair General Manager Andrea Wiesenmeyer takes us behind the scenes of a tradition deeply connected to Pueblo and generations of Coloradans. She reflects on the fair as a gathering place where people from across the state come together, make memories, and celebrate the agriculture, traditions, and sense of community that make Colorado distinct. Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora or wherever you get podcasts!The Colorado State Fair takes place Aug. 28 to Sept. 7, 2026. Learn more and purchase your tickets here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.