Each year, we host a luncheon and lecture at Denver's Brown Palace Hotel to honor the Excellence in Leadership Award winner.

Hosted by the Office of the President, the event recognizes an ELP alumnus who has shown exemplary leadership at the University of Colorado. The luncheon provides alumni an opportunity to reestablish connections, attend a leadership lecture, and congratulate this year’s award recipient.

 

Past award recipients

2023 Winner

Ruth Ellen Kocher
University of Colorado Boulder

 

 

 

 

2021 Winner

Sharon Matusik

Sharon Matusik
University of Colorado Boulder

 

 

 

2019 Winners

Regina Kilkenny
University of Colorado Denver

 

Kelly Fox
University of Colorado Boulder

 

 

 

 

 

 

2018 Winner

Megan Bell

Megan Bell
University of Colorado Colorado Springs


2017 Winners

Brenda Allen

Brenda J. Allen
University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus 


Penina Axelrad

Penina Axelrad
University of Colorado Boulder 


2016 Winner

Sand Hicks

Sandy Hicks
University of Colorado System Administration


2015 Winner

Thomas Christensen

Thomas Christensen
University of Colorado Colorado Springs


2014 Winner

Patricia Rankin

Patricia Rankin
University of Colorado Boulder


2013 Winner

Diane Sieber

Diane Sieber
University of Colorado Boulder


2012 Winner

Steve Zweck-Bronner

Steve Zweck-Bronner
University of Colorado Sytsem Administration


2011 Winner

Garrison Roots

Garrison Roots
University of Colorado Boulder

 


2010 Winner

Laura Argys

Laura M. Argys
University of Colorado Denver


2009 Winner

Barbara Gaddis

Barbara A. Gaddis
University of Colorado Colorado Springs


Past keynote speakers

Year Speaker Lecture
2023 Dr. Stefanie Johnson, CU Boulder's Center for Leadership Academic Director and Associate Professor of Organizational Leadership and Information Analytics. We See You at CU – How Leaders Can Bolster Belonging
2022 CU Innovations Executive Director Kimberly Muller, Esq, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Innovation and Leadership Lessons That Will Shape the Future
2019 Lauren Casteel, president and CEO, The Women's Foundation of Colorado Reflections
2018 Pam Shockley-Zalabak, Ph.D., president of CommuniCon Inc., UCCS chancellor and professor of Communication Emerita  Building Trust in Turbulent Times
2017 Laura Stack, president and CEO, The Productivity Pro, Inc.  Doing the Right Things Right: How the Effective Leader Spends Time
2016 Paul Gibbons, author, speaker and consultant Complicated or Complex: Two Practical Tools
2015 Roxane White, president and CEO of the Nurse-Family Partnership National Service Tough Calls: Making Evidence-Based Decisions
2014 Richard D. Krugman, MD, vice chancellor for Health Affairs for the University of Colorado Denver and dean of the University of Colorado School of Medicine Staying Cool in Jobs Where People Only Turn Up the Heat
2013 Dr. Joseph F. Coughlin, Ph.D., director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology AgeLab Three Retirement Questions to Plan a New Life Today
2012 Dr. Cynthia Stevenson, superintendent of Jefferson County Public Schools Chaos, Ambiguity, Uncertainty ... How Can You Not Love Leadership!
2011 Col. Kathleen Harrington, permanent professor and head of the English and Fine Arts Department, United States Air Force Academy (USAFA)
Leadership in the Military
2010 Dr. Thomas J. Noel, professor of history and director of Public History, Preservation and Colorado Studies at the University of Colorado Denver How Colorado's Movers and Shakers have Faced Leadership Challenges
2009 James S. Voss, University of Colorado Boulder scholar in residence and Roubos chair Leadership in Challenging Environments