Standing for justice together.

Join us today in our efforts to advance racial equality.

Three years have passed since the murder of George Floyd and the launch of the CEO Pledge. The world continues to experience turmoil, and we must not slow or cease our efforts to fight racism. We must maintain the same sense of urgency and intensity that began three years ago.

As Colorado business leaders, we have an opportunity to recommit to make changes at our organizations and to define our role.

We believe that we must champion what’s right and stand for justice. We have been taking this time to really listen – and learn – and determine steps we can take as leaders. We believe we owe it to our employees, our clients and shareholders and to each other – as human beings – to help make our businesses and communities real examples of inclusivity and equality. We are acutely aware that some of our companies are still in the beginning stages to address systemic inequalities and the need for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs and true partnerships with communities of color. Regardless of where we are on the journey, we do know the difference between right and wrong.

It is with this in mind that we hope you will renew your commitment or join us for the first time in solidarity to stand up and act against racial injustice. Together we can serve as active allies and not bystanders. We will advocate for the fair and equal treatment by our criminal justice and economic systems. Together we can confront inequality and demand diversity, equity and inclusion in all that we do.

CompaniesUnitingAgainstRacism_Together_ListenLearnLead_FINAL-ai

Standing for justice together.

Join us today in our efforts to advance racial equality.

Three years have passed since the murder of George Floyd and the launch of the CEO Pledge. While many companies continue to actively engage in DEI initiatives, the reality is that many organizations are reducing their commitment. This vital work is falling from the headlines.

We, as business leaders, have an opportunity to recommit to make changes at our organizations and to define our role.

We believe that we must champion what’s right and stand for justice. We have been taking this time to really listen – and learn – and determine steps we can take as leaders. We believe we owe it to our employees, our clients and shareholders and to each other – as human beings – to help make our businesses and communities real examples of inclusivity and equality. We are acutely aware that many of our companies are still in the beginning stages to address systemic inequalities and the need for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs and true partnerships with communities of color. Regardless of where we are on the journey, we do know the difference between right and wrong.

It is with this in mind that we hope you will renew your commitment or join us for the first time in solidarity to stand up and act against racial injustice. Together we can serve as active allies and not bystanders. We will advocate for the fair and equal treatment by our criminal justice and economic systems. Together we can confront inequality and demand diversity, equity and inclusion in all that we do.

We ask that you join us today in our efforts to advance racial equality,

as a unified coalition of Colorado CEOs standing against racism, by signing this online pledge.

Together, we can foster a more inclusive society. We will work to identify, remove, and/or overcome any barrier that reinforce racial bias or racism in society, business, or government.

Portrait of cheerful businesswoman smiling at the meeting

The Pledge

We understand that words are just that, and we will be measured by our actions. By committing to this cause, you agree to join our efforts to:

Listen

Listen to understand the needs of your internal and external stakeholders and work together to advance equity

Learn

Educate yourselves and educate and equip your employees to advance equity in the workplace

Lead

Improve practices for recruiting, hiring and advancing diverse employees in your company
Encourage diversity in our partnerships and business relationships, and encourage your partners and vendors to embrace diversity in their workforce
Donate funds to support organizations addressing racial injustice and advancing equity
Vote and encourage your employees to vote
Actively work with and support minority-owned businesses in your community
Create/Execute a supplier diversity policy
Join and partner with community-based organizations advancing racial equity

We will all be held accountable in making changes. Six months from now, each of us will report on our actions; that information will then be shared with all involved.

Conflict is hard, but the only way we know to deal with it is to confront it directly – not out of anger or to defend our actions, but out of a desire to improve, to be better, to make change.

This isn’t somebody else’s problem – this is our problem.

With your help and by standing together, we can lean into our courage.

Sincerely,

Robert Cohen

Chairman & CEO
IMA Financial Group

Kourtney Garrett

President & CEO
Downtown Denver Partnership

JJ Ament

President & CEO, Denver Metro
Chamber of Commerce

Ramonna Robinson

Founding Partner
GFM | CenterTable

Paul Washington

Executive Vice President
IMA Financial Group

Jandel Allen-Davis

President & CEO
Craig Hospital

*We understand companies might not be able to take all the action steps and encourage companies to take as many action steps as feasible.

QUESTIONS? Please contact IMA’s manager of corporate social responsibility, Kynnie Martin »

2020 Colorado Companies and CEOs who have taken the pledge

Mark Cornetta, President & General Manager, 9NEWS
Qaisar Khan, MD, FACC, FSCAI, Interventional Cardiologist, Endovascular Medicine, Advanced Heart and Vein Center
Melissa Rosas, President, Apex Design
John Hayes, Chairman, President & CEO, Ball Corporation
Raju Patel, Senior Vice President; Market Executive & Denver Market President, Bank of America
Sarah Hogan and Cori Streetman, Principals, Barefoot PR
Jeff Ronsse, Managing Partner, BKD CPAs & Advisors
Rich Benenson, Managing Partner, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
Art Aaron, President & COO, CAA ICON
Dan Kobler Partner, Campfire Digital
Walt DeHaven, Vice President and General Manager, CBS4
John Roble, President, Mountain States, Cigna
Crissy Fanganello, President & CEO, City BuildHer
Paul Collier, Founder & Principal, Coeffect
Ted Ott, President, Colorado Barricade Co.
Everette Freeman, President, Community College of Denver
Julie Klein, Principal, Confluence Sustainability
Joe Conroy, Chairman & CEO, Cooley
Jandel Allen-Davis, President & CEO, Craig Hospital
Ashley Matuska, Owner, Dashing Maids
Kristin Lentz and Chad Williams, Managing Partners, Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP
Helen Drexler, President & CEO, Delta Dental of Colorado
Pamela Meade, President and CEO, Designs for Learning
Chris Frampton, Managing Partner, East West Partners
Traci Lounsbury, CEO & Owner, Elements
Pip Cousins, Principal & Co-Founder, Elevate Momentum
Pete Dignan, Principal, Ever Better, PBC
Bruce Fowler, Managing Director, Fairfield and Woods P.C.
Dustin Whistler, Principal, Forte Commercial Real Estate
Shanda Vangas, Principal, Fourth Wave Strategies, LLC
Chris Harrison, CEO, FullContact
Lisa Beauchamp, President, Global Security Solutions
Mary Keith Floyd, Principal, Goodbee & Associates
Brad Preber, CEO, Grant Thorton, LLP
Laura Love, Founder & Chief Cultural Officer, GroundFloor Media | CenterTable
Sue Reilly, President, Group14 Engineering, PBC
Peter Arch, General Manager, Gymshark USA
Sylvia Young, President & CEO, HealthONE
Kathy Holmes, President, Holmes Consulting Group
Kirsten Benefiel, CEO, HSS
Robert Cohen, Chairman & CEO, The IMA Financial Group
Erica L. Tarpey, Director, Ireland Stapleton Pryor & Pascoe
Mark Reilly, West Regional President, JE Dunn Construction
Paul Washington, Market Director of the Rocky Mountain Region, JLL
Drina Quintana, Owner & Founder, JunkyFunk Designs LLC
Aaron Clark, Founder & CEO, Justice Reskill
Sam Kasparek, Managing Partner, Kairoi Residential
Michael Ramseier, Regional President, Kaiser Permanente
Gretchen Rosenberg, President & CEO, Kentwood Real Estate
Andy Roberts, Managing Partner, Kittredge Ventures
Mike Bearup, Denver Officer Managing Partner, KPMG
Doug McNeill, CEO, Laradon
Mark Beese, President, Leadership for Lawyers
John Wetenkamp, Director of Operations, LoDo District, Inc.
Nancy Kristof, Owner and President, Message Matters
Janine Davidson, Ph.D., President, Metropolitan State University of Denver
Gavin Hattersley, CEO, Molson Coors Beverage Company
Gene Hodge, Vice President, General Manager, Mortenson Denver
A. Gray Clark, President, Muller Engineering Company
Martha Weidmann, Co-Founder & CEO, NINE dot ARTS
John Couzens, President, Rocky Mountain Region, Northern Trust
Bob Deibel, President & Owner, OfficeScapes Group
K.J. McCorry, President, Officiency, Inc.
Jim Johnson, Shareholder, Otten Johnson Robinson Neff + Ragonetti PC
Joel Christensen, Founder & CEO, Parkwell
Vince DeRose, President and CEO, PEAK Resources, Inc.
Dax Craig, Co-Founder & President, Pie Insurance
Phil Kalin, President and CEO, Pinnacol Assurance
Justin Pless, Founder & Attorney, Pless Law Firm
Ryan Beiser, Regional President, PNC
Jennifer Evans, Office Managing Partner Denver, Polsinelli
Ellen Valde, Denver Office Managing Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Les Sweeney, CEO, Professional Assist Corporation
Jesus Salazar, Co-Founder, President & CEO, Prosono
Dan Igoe, Partner, Pure Brand
Mark Windhager, Founder & CEO, RedPeak
Alison Oyler-Mitsch, Owner, Refresh Studios
Rhys Duggan, Principal, President and CEO, Revesco Properties
Kirk Mielenz, CEO, RevGen Partners
Rick Kinning, Chairman, CEO & President, RK
Richard Lewis, Founder & CEO, RTL Networks, Inc.
Walter Isenberg, Co-Founder, President & CEO, Sage Hospitality Group
Lydia Jumonville, President & CEO, SCL Health
Lora Ledermann, Founder, CEO & Creative Director, Scream Agency
Rusty Brown, Principal, Semple Brown Design
Susan McFaddin, President, Seven Generations, LLC.
Binh Diep, General Manager, Denver, Slalom
Robert Niichel, Founder & CEO, SmartTab
Gary Kelly, Chairman of the Board & CEO, Southwest Airlines
Keith Porter, Principal, SPA Risk LLC
Kristin Friedman, President, Sportsfan and Sock Em’
Stan Clauson, Principal & President, Stan Clauson Associates, Inc.
Bruce O’Donnell, Principal, STARBOARD Realty Group
Kate Lyda, Principal, Staro Insights
Navin Dimond, Founder, President & CEO, Stonebridge Companies
Charles Woolley II, President, St. Charles Town Co.
Lori Fox, Maren Stewart and Tamra Ward, Principals, Taloma Partners
Tim Bradley, CEO, Teatulia Organic Teas
Chris Woods, Founder & CEO, Terrapin Care Station
Rich Harris, President, The Harris Law Firm, P.C.
Alex Cooper, Founder & Executive Director, The IronCEO
Lisa Jasper, Co-Founder and CEO, Thought Ensemble
Richard Rogers, Regional President, Travelers Insurance Southwest Region
Hassan Salem, Head of Commercial Banking, U.S. Bank
Steve Rendle, Chairman, President & CEO, VF Corporation
Nancy Lindo, Owner, Viewfinder Photography
Keith Lobis, SVP, Region Bank President, Wells Fargo Bank
Carla Dore, President & CEO, Workplace Resource
Chris Cabrera, Founder & CEO, Xactly Corporation
Ben Fowke, Chairman of the Board & CEO, Xcel Energy
Mike Zoellner, Managing Partner, ZF Capital

2020 Community organizations that have taken the pledge

Carina Martin, CEO & Founder, A Precious Child
Gino Greco, Regional CEO, American Red Cross of Colorado & Wyoming
Linda Groah, MSN, RN, CNOR, NEA-BC, FAAN, Executive Director & CEO, AORN
Noel Ginsburg, Founder & CEO, CareerWise Colorado
Lindsay Lierman, Executive Director, CASA of Adams & Broomfield Counties
Cris White, Executive Director & CEO, Colorado Housing and Finance Authority
Renny Fagan, President & CEO, Colorado Nonprofit Association
Mike O’Donnell, Executive Director, Colorado Lending Source
Frannie Matthews, President and CEO, Colorado Technology Association
Maria Fabula, President & CEO, Community Resource Center
Erin Atwell, CEO, Community Shares of Colorado
Janice Sinden, President & CEO, Denver Center for the Performing Arts
Kelly Brough, President & CEO, Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce
Lorii Rabinowitz, CEO, Denver Scholarship Foundation
Tami Door, President & CEO, Downtown Denver Partnership
Sean Sweeney, President & Founder, Flag Steward
Erin Pulling, President & CEO, Food Bank of the Rockies
Elycia Cook, President & CEO, FRIENDS FIRST
Leanna Clark, CEO, Girl Scouts of Colorado
Heather Lafferty, CEO and Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver
John McMurtry, Executive Director, Lake County Community Fund
Beale Tejada, Board President, Lincoln Hills Cares Corporation
Sandra Mann, PsyD, CEO, Maria Droste Counseling Center
Teva Sienicki, CEO, Metro Caring
Christine Benero, President and CEO, Mile High United Way
Joanne Kelley, CEO, Philanthropy Colorado
Burke Fishburn, Executive Director, Posner Center for International Development
Cindy Eby, Founder and CEO, ResultsLab
Bob Adwar, President, River Deep Foundation
Rob Smith, CEO, Rocky Mountain MicroFinance Institute
Colleen Kazemi, Executive Director, Social Venture Partners Denver
Javier Alberto Soto, President & CEO, The Denver Foundation
Michael Leccese, Executive Director, Urban Land Institute Colorado
Sue Glass, President & CEO, YMCA of Metro Denver

Frequently Asked Questions

Our headquarters are located in another state, can our senior-most local executive sign the pledge?

Yes, we welcome the participation of local branches.

What is the timeline?

Companies that sign the pledge will be asked to report their commitments to action in a year. Actions do not need to be completed in the one-year timeframe. We are encouraging companies to devise/refine their commitments to action within that time frame.

Do we have to be able to demonstrate that we’re taking all the actions on the list, at this time, in Colorado?

Companies are pledging to listen, learn and lead in addressing racism. We understand companies may not be able to pledge to take all the action steps outlined and execution of the pledge will vary by company. Companies are encouraged to commit to as many of the actions, as feasible, and a minimum of one action per category (listening, learning, leading) that aligns with your company’s goals and progress to date. This work is a journey and will take years to implement strategically.

How will the commitments be reported?

There will not be an individual scorecard or report published, by company. Our goal is to celebrate the collective commitments (roll-up trends) and highlight a few best-in-class stories. (e.g. The details of each pledge will not be published). The pledge content will also guide the resource development we work with partners to provide the community to support those goals.

History of the CEO Pledge

We want to extend our gratitude to B:CIVIC and the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation for hosting the impactful anti-racism initiative now known as the CEO Pledge during its first years of inception. B:CIVIC’s commitment to fostering a workplace that actively promotes equity and racial justice is an example of community leadership. As we continue on this journey, let’s remember that every action matters. Anti-racism work is an ongoing process, and the contributions made by B:CIVIC and the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation play a vital role in shaping a better future for all.