ENGAGING LEADERS TO STRENGTHEN OUR COMMUNITY Leadership is an activity, not a title or position. In the community, you see it in action when people are engaged for the common good. This year, the Leadership Foundation stepped up its efforts to engage others and invest in opportunities that will strengthen our community. › Challenging our participants to grow their impact. This year members of our Impact Denver, Leadership Denver and Leadership Exchange programs took on 29 community projects — the most in our history — channeling their passion into specific needs brought to us by the community. You’ll read more about some of those projects in the pages that follow. › Engaging our alumni. Alumni from the past 40-plus years helped us launch The Network powered by Southwest, an online community where they can build connections, share ideas and increase their civic impact. Our Leading Colorado luncheon rallied the largest audience ever to support the Emerging Leaders Scholarship Fund. And, we owe special thanks to the members of our Alumni Advisory Council, who are bringing their best insights, ideas and enthusiasm to this important work. › Advancing Colorado’s Civic DNA.™ We have made significant progress on a new leadership skills program based on the values of Colorado’s Civic DNA – inclusivity, collaboration, shared vision, responsibility and leadership. We continue to explore the gaps in those values, and how we can close them while passing on Colorado’s Civic DNA to the next generation of leaders.
› Going intercontinental. This past year, we explored the innovative work of one of the nation’s most vibrant communities: Salt Lake City. In 2017, we made our first intercontinental leap in the 27 years of Leadership Exchanges — to Munich — where we continued to challenge ourselves while building a shared vision for our future. › Refreshing our look. You also may have noticed that we’ve updated our own logo and look because we want to reflect the energy and passion of our entire leadership community. As you look back on the year with us, we hope you’ll see we’re making great strides to give leaders the tools they need to get engaged – and lead – for the common good.
Best regards, DAN LEWIS, Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation Executive Director
DARREN MARKLEY, 2016-17 Board of Directors Chair and U.S. Bank Market Leader