Nearly 500 people joined the Board of Directors on Wednesday, October 4, for the “All in!” celebration at the Seawell Ballroom at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. If you were among them, we're delighted you were there. If you couldn’t make it, here’s what you missed.
The evening began with a social hour with music from Peneplain Jazz.
At 7 p.m., Governor Jared Polis delivered in-person greetings, followed by a recorded welcome from jurisdiction host City and County of Denver Mayor Mike Johnston.
Emcee Makenzie O’Keefe of CBS Colorado kept the program moving at a lively pace, including greetings from executive director Douglas W. Rex and Board chair Steve Conklin, council member from Edgewater.
Winners included:
Way to Go Champion Award
Rising Star: Scott Gutshall
Employer Champion: City of Longmont
Commuter of the Year: Brandon Figliolino
Distinguished Service Award
Metro Vision Award
Housing: Clara Brown Commons and Crossing Pointe
Recovery and resiliency: Marshall Fire Recovery
After chair Conklin honored immediate past chair Kevin Flynn (council member, City and County of Denver) and recognized previous chairs, attendees waited expectantly for the announcement of the 46th recipient of the John V. Christensen Memorial Award, whose identity is a secret until the gala.
The 2023 John V. Christensen Memorial Award honoree is Herb Atchison, former City of Westminster mayor.
Check out the 2022 Awards celebration
Scroll through the Flickr album from the 2023 awards celebration.