The Chief Executive Officer oversees the management, planning, and development of land and property, as well as the shared services and campus-wide operations for the Auraria Campus.
Colleen Walker has spent her career driving transformative change at the intersection of education, science, and leadership development. She has served as CEO of the Auraria Campus since 2019, bringing a wealth of experience in strategic growth, operational excellence, and mission-driven innovation. With over 45,000 students, faculty, and staff, the Auraria Campus is Colorado’s largest college campus and the unique home to the Community College of Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and the University of Colorado Denver.
A dynamic and visionary leader, Colleen is committed to fostering a collaborative and inclusive campus environment that seamlessly integrates into Denver’s physical, intellectual, cultural, and economic fabric. Under her leadership, Auraria has experienced unprecedented growth and transformation. She has secured over $100 million in capital construction and infrastructure improvements, revitalizing the campus environment and driving forward innovative projects. Additionally, she has procured over $22 million in grants and soft-dollar funding to support scholarships, workforce housing, historic preservation, sustainability programs, and infrastructure enhancements. Colleen leads a dedicated team of more than 400 dedicated professionals who support the dynamic needs of this thriving campus.
Numerous groundbreaking achievements mark Walker’s leadership at Auraria:
Previously, Walker served as the Eugene McDermott Chief Executive Officer of the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, where she led the operational transformation of the newly built institution. Under her leadership, the museum made groundbreaking strides, including acquiring a nearly complete Columbian mammoth skeleton, “Ellie May,” and launching the Kosmos Energy STEM Teacher Institute and the Dell TECH Truck. Walker hosted the first U.S. visit from National Geographic World Explorer Dr. Lee Berger, unveiling his South African discovery of Homo naledi, a newly identified species in the human family tree. She also spearheaded the museum’s first self-curated exhibition, The Eye of the Collector, which attracted over 100,000 visitors and earned unprecedented media attention.
Before her tenure at the Perot Museum, Walker served as CEO of Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas, where she successfully unified three separate councils into a single, high-impact organization. She was pivotal in shaping the national strategy for 21st-century Girl Scouting and launched a capital campaign that reimagined a historic South Dallas camp into a STEM Center of Excellence. This pioneering model has since been adopted nationwide by Girl Scouts of the USA. In 2012, she orchestrated the country’s largest Girl Scouts Centennial celebration at the State Fair of Texas, marking 100 years of empowering young women.
Walker’s passion for STEM education and leadership development began early. She founded Engineers of Dreams, a nonprofit that fosters math and science literacy among fourth- through ninth-grade students, focusing on young women. Through this initiative, she reached over 60,000 students across Texas, Colorado, and Louisiana, designing an innovative multimedia educational program and engaging with 175 schools.
A distinguished academic achiever, Walker holds a bachelor’s degree in architectural engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder and earned her MBA from Harvard University, where she was awarded the prestigious Horace W. Goldsmith Fellowship for her contributions to the nonprofit sector.
Her leadership extends beyond her executive roles—she serves on the Downtown Denver Partnership Board. She has also served on the Board of Trustees for the National Endowment for Financial Empowerment (where she was Chair and Vice-Chair) and was a national board member of the Miss America Foundation.
Walker’s impact has been widely recognized—she has been named one of the Top 25 Female Business Leaders in Dallas by the Dallas Business Journal, honored as Woman of the Year by the Women’s Council of Dallas, and recognized as one of the Most Powerful Dallas Business Leaders by D CEO.
Zach Hermsen is the Chief Financial Officer for the Auraria Higher Education Center. Before joining the AHEC Executive Team, Hermsen worked as Vice President of Tax Credit Financing at S.B. Clark Companies, a national, women-owned public finance consulting firm based in Denver. Prior to joining S.B. Clark, Hermsen worked at Emily Griffith Technical College, serving as Director of Business Services from 2011 to 2014, Sr. Director of Finance & Operations/CFO, 2014-2019, and Vice President of Finance & Operations/CFO beginning in 2019. Prior to joining Emily Griffith, Hermsen worked in various roles at IBM from 1999 to 2011, including Finance Manager for IBM Global Services and Senior Finance Manager for IBM Integrated Technology Division. He received eight management recognition awards for outstanding work at IBM and was also in the IBM Top Talent Program and was inducted into the prestigious One Hundred Percent Club. He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of New Mexico and an MBA from the University of Colorado Leeds School of Business. As an undergraduate, Hermsen was a 3-time All-WAC Scholar-Athlete.
Skippere “Skip” Spear is the General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer for the Auraria Higher Education Center. Skip joined the AHEC team after spending 17 years representing the people of Colorado as a Senior Assistant Attorney General with the Colorado Department of Law. At the Department of Law, Skip’s practice focused on higher education, government law, civil rights, construction, and litigation. In the Higher Education Unit of the Department, Skip provided legal representation to all of Colorado’s public colleges and universities both inside and out of the courtroom. Prior to entering public service, Skip practiced complex litigation at a private law firm for seven years. Skip holds a bachelor’s degree from The Johns Hopkins University, with double majors in Anthropology and Writing Seminars, and a juris doctorate from the University of Denver College of law. Skip is passionate about providing affordable and quality higher education opportunities to everyone in Colorado. Skip brings this passion to the AHEC team in his role supporting the various constituents of the Auraria Campus.
Lulu Lantzy is the Chief Activation Officer for Auraria Campus. Having dedicated her career to mentoring and elevating the next generation, Lulu is excited to connect Auraria Campus to the community and help create a robust learning environment. Prior to Auraria, Lulu was a part of the Emily Griffith Tech College Executive Team. As the head of partnerships and innovation, Lulu oversaw successful implementation of current and prospective employer engagement initiatives and leveraged industry partnerships to connect students to the Colorado workforce.
An entrepreneur at heart, Lulu ran her first business when she was a sophomore at the University of Michigan. While working multiple jobs to pay for school, she started a summer business employing 6 people and successfully turned enough profit to pay for the rest of her education. She was hooked on the exhilarating feeling of building something from scratch and launched several successful construction companies straight out of college. Lulu joined the Entrepreneur’s Organization in 2006 as one of its youngest members. Inspired by the mentors who deeply impacted her journey, Lulu became the Executive Vice President of the largest student entrepreneurial bootcamp in the US, mentoring hundreds of undergrads through their business ventures.
Deeply committed to the Denver community, Lulu was a Techstars mentor and currently serves on the board of the Asian Chamber of Commerce, Girls Inc, Civic Center Conservancy and the Women’s Chamber of Commerce. In recognition of her leadership, Lulu was named Denver Business Journal’s 40 under 40, Titan 100 and the Women’s Chamber’s Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Business.
She enjoys hiking and is always in search of the best mochi donut in Colorado. Always one to push herself outside her comfort zone, she hiked from Switzerland to Italy with Virgin Strive to help raise money for Big Change.
Carl Meese is the Director of Campus Planning for the Auraria Higher Education Center (AHEC). Meese has been a planner for the campus for over 10 years. In addition to general campus-wide planning, he also leads Capital Project Planning, the Sustainable Campus Program, Design Review Boards, and the Campus Planning Committee. By supporting and advancing the strategic plan, mission, and goals of each institution on campus, Meese works to enhance the quality and use of space for the entire Auraria Campus community. He facilitates and administers the implementation of the Auraria Campus Master Plan with on-campus constituents, as well as off-campus stakeholders, including local and state governmental units and neighborhood groups. He ensures individual development plans integrate with the Campus Master Plan and provides expert guidance to the institutions as they develop their planning models.
Before working for AHEC, Meese received undergraduate degrees in Mathematics and Urban Design/Architectural Studies at New York University and a Master of Arts Degree in Community and Regional Planning with an Urban Design concentration at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.
Meese spent time as a planner for a large architecture and planning firm in New York City where he worked on many high-profile urban developments and mixed-use projects. In Denver, Meese participates on the Public Realm Council and the Mobility Council of the Downtown Denver Partnership. He is a certified planner with the American Institute of Certified Planners through the American Planning Association, a member of the Society for College and University Planning, and is a full member of the Urban Land Institute.
Liz Mendez is the Chief Operations Officer at AHEC. Prior to joining the AHEC team, Liz worked at Denver Public Schools for close to 20 years – most recently as the Executive Director of Enrollment and Campus Planning leading teams in operations, project management, and planning work at DPS. Liz made the move to district central support after working as a school teacher, school counselor and assistant principal in a variety of settings. Liz holds a bachelor’s degree from University of Colorado Boulder in Biology, an Administrative Leadership certificate/license from University of Colorado Denver and a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from California State University in Sacramento. Liz is passionate about urban public education and the critical role of facility operations in students’ success from Kindergarten through higher education.
Jason Mollendor is the Auraria Campus Police Department (ACPD) Chief of Police.
Since 2001, Mollendor has held a variety of positions for the Auraria Campus Police Department, including patrol, investigations, and command. In his new role, he will be responsible for overseeing the safety of nearly 38,000 students and 5,000 faculty and staff members who come to the Auraria Campus each year.
During his 22-year tenure with the ACPD, Mollendor has become highly trained in the safety and protection of campus life. He is well-versed in compliance with the Clery Act, Title IX regulations, and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). In recent years, Mollendor has been recognized as an ally by the Auraria Campus LGBTQIA+ Center and the Phoenix Center and was awarded a “Lifesaving Medal” for supporting a student in crisis. He also has participated in the planning and execution of several high-profile campus events, including the Democratic National Convention and two on-site visits from sitting U.S. Presidents.
Mollendor also boasts extensive training beyond his role as Chief of Police. He held secret security clearance from the FBI for his work with the Joint Terrorism Task Force. Additionally, he was deputized as a Special Deputy U.S. Marshal for his work on the Adam Walsh Task Force, where he served as a Defensive Tactics Instructor for 14 years. Mollendor is a Peace Operations Specialized Training (POST) certified firearms instructor, has an advanced certification in dignitary protection, and serves as a member of both the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators. He also served two terms as the vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #28.
A true advocate for growth through education, Mollendor serves as a lecturer at the University of Colorado Denver School of Public Affairs. The Colorado native earned his Associate of Applied Science from Northeastern Junior College, a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Criminology from MSU Denver and a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from CU Denver.
