DRCOG presented its highest honor, the John V. Christensen Memorial Award, to Cathy Noon for her leadership of and advocacy for the City of Centennial, and for her outstanding track record of regional collaboration. The award was
presented during DRCOG’s annual awards celebration May 3 at the Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center.
Noon was twice elected Mayor of Centennial with her second term ending in 2018. And while that may be the pinnacle of her public involvement in her city’s history, the story really began years earlier. Cathy, an entrepreneur at heart, started a business, prophetically known as Centennial Container in the 1980s. In 1999 her family moved to a new neighborhood, Chaparral, in what was then unincorporated Arapahoe County. She quickly became involved in her new community and when neighbors were looking for someone to spearhead a development campaign, Cathy volunteered. What began as an effort to distribute flyers grew into a two-year campaign culminating in a vote to form a new community. When votes were tallied a remarkable 77% favored the new community’s formation.
Her dedication didn’t end there, though, as just six years later she worked to ensure Centennial became a home-rule municipality and chaired the 21-member group to establish the city’s charter. In 2009 Cathy successfully ran for mayor of the community she helped bring into existence. Her accomplishments as mayor include the completion of multiple major roadway projects, including the widening of East Arapahoe Road, the development of the award-winning Centennial Park, and the creation of the Centennial Innovation Team which helped facilitate the installation of fiber infrastructure.
“It’s hard to even think about the City of Centennial, without immediately thinking of Cathy Noon”, according to Douglas Rex, executive director of DRCOG, “and she’s also played an important role in serving the entire region, as a collaborative voice on our board, as well as our advisory committee on aging.”
The John V. Christensen award is given in honor of the Arapahoe County Commissioner who was one of the founders of DRCOG. And this year, the award comes home to honor someone who leaves a legacy of service to Centennial, Arapahoe County and the entire region.
