Board Members

Colleen Walker, Chief Executive Officer
Auraria Higher Education Center
Chief Executive Officer
303-556-3291 • E-mail
In July 2019, Colleen Walker was named the Chief Executive Officer of the Auraria Higher Education Center. In this unique role, Walker oversees the strategy and operations for Colorado’s largest higher education campus. Collectively, the Auraria Campus serves 45,000 students, faculty, and staff of the Community College of Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and the University of Colorado Denver in downtown Denver. Previously, she served as Vice President for University Partnerships at Academic Partnerships, a major global online services provider in higher education. In Dallas, Walker served as the Eugene McDermott Chief Executive Officer for the Perot Museum of Nature and Science (read more)

Marielena (Marie) DeSanctis
Community College of Denver
President
303-556-2413 • E-mail
Dr. Marielena (Marie) DeSanctis officially began her term as president of CCD on January 15, 2021. Dr. DeSanctis is a distinguished scholar who has led academic, equity, and innovation programs in various roles. Previously, she served as the Provost & Senior Vice-President, Academic Affairs and Student Services of Broward College. Dr. DeSanctis has more than 22 years of experience in education, including classroom teaching, curriculum development, instructional design, learning assessment, and progressive leadership roles in both K-12 and higher education. She has also served as High School Assistant Principal and Principal, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, and Central Campus President and Vice-President of Student Affairs. (read more)

Ann Schmiesing
University of Colorado Denver
Interim Chancellor
Ann Schmiesing was appointed to serve as interim chancellor of CU Denver beginning August 2024. In her permanent role at CU Boulder, Schmiesing is the vice chancellor and executive vice provost for academic resource management (VC-ARM) and a professor of German. As VC-ARM, she is responsible for academic resource strategy and analysis in support of the university’s mission as a comprehensive public teaching and research institution. She assumes a strategic initiative and critical liaison role with the various directorates in the division of Strategic Resources and Support, and she oversees the Graduate School, Continuing Education, CU Boulder Online, and research infrastructure. (Full Bio)

Kate Barton
Governor Appointee
Downtown Denver Partnership
Senior Vice President, Executive Office and Special Projects
1515 Arapahoe #100, Denver, CO 80202
303-571-8202 • E-mail
Kate oversees the management of the Executive Office including marketing and communications and public policy for the Partnership. In addition, Kate manages the Partnership’s work to foster a culture of entrepreneurship in Downtown Denver. She serves as the Executive Office liaison to board members and key stakeholders, manages the administrative functions of the President’s Office, and oversees an array of organizational special projects and programs. (read more)

Jerry Glick
MSU Denver Board of Trustees Appointment
Columbia Group
Trustee
Jerry is the Managing Partner of Columbia Group LLLP, which is a Denver based real estate development company. Development activities range from adaptive re-use projects in Lower Downtown Denver, to affordable housing, and some of Denver’s first loft apartments. Examples include the Studebaker Building, comprised of thirty-three low to moderate income apartments and commercial spaces, 1500 Market Street, an award-winning building coupled with two adjoining historic building renovations, and the Campus Village Apartments on the Auraria Higher Education campus (read more)

Rollie Heath
State Board of Community Colleges & Occupational Education Appointment
Former Senator, Colorado
Former Colorado State Senator Rollie Heath graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a juris doctor degree from the University of Wisconsin. He then served in the U.S. Army for 23 years, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve in 1983. His extensive private sector career included 17 years in senior management with Johns Manville Corporation. In 1988, he co-founded Ponderosa Industries, Inc., and served as President/CEO until 2001. He founded the Rocky Mountain World Trade Center in 1988, and was its first chair. He ran as the Democratic Party’s nominee for Governor of Colorado in 2002. He was elected to his first term in the Senate in 2008, and was re-elected for another four-year term in 2012. Senator Heath was elected Senate Majority Leader in 2013, and was elected the Assistant Senate Minority Leader in 2014. He currently serves on the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education and the state’s Venture Capital Authority Board.

Angie Rivera-Malpiede
Governor Appointment
NETC
President/CEO
Angie Rivera-Malpiede brings a wealth of experience and dedication to community service, with a robust background in transportation, public relations, and advocacy. She currently serves as the Vice President of the Foundation for Sustainable Urban Communities and President/CEO of Northeast Transportation Connections (NETC), a nonprofit that provides transportation solutions to northeast Denver. In her roles, she has been instrumental in promoting sustainable transportation and ensuring that all community members, particularly those from diverse and low-income backgrounds, have access to safe, affordable mobility options. (read more)

Paul Washington
Governor Appointment
IMA Financial Group, Inc.
Executive Vice President
1705 17th Street
Suite 100
Denver, CO 80202
303.534.4567 • E-mail
As executive vice president of IMA Financial Group, Paul Washington is a highly respected business and civic leader with over 30 years of experience in senior operating roles for both commercial and public sector entities. Paul brings deep expertise in business strategy & execution; managing a P&L; finance; M&A; law; economic development; and corporate governance. Paul previously served as the Market Director for JLL, an international Fortune 500 commercial real estate services firm with over 90,000 employees worldwide (read more)

Lesley Smith
Regent, University of Colorado
IMA Financial Group, Inc.
University of Colorado Boulder
Smith graduated from the University of California Santa Barbara, then earned a Ph.D. at the University of Maryland. While writing her dissertation, she became the first woman aquanaut in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s underwater research habitat, Aquarius. Only a few women worked at the University of Maryland’s marine labs, and Smith was the only one selected to join the aquanaut team, where she lived underwater and conducted research on coral reefs for a week (read more)


Victor J. Delgado
SACAB Representative