The Excellence in Leadership Luncheon is dedicated to celebrating leadership, marking the completion of the ELP fellows’ journey, and welcoming them into the ELP alumni group.
Attended by over 150 alumni and executive leaders from each campus and System Administration, the ELP Luncheon celebrates the leadership achievements of our ELP community and cultivates a community of leaders throughout CU. The event features a keynote address on a relevant leadership topic and the presentation of the Excellence in Leadership Award, recognizing one ELP alumni for their impact as a leader within the University of Colorado community. The luncheon will also be the culminating event for the current cohort as they graduate and are welcomed into the alumni community.
Event details
Date: Friday, April 4, 2025
Event Time: 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Check-In: 11 - 11:30 a.m.
Location: The Benson Hotel Ballroom
13025 E. Montview Blvd., Aurora, CO 80045
Invitations are sent to current ELP cohort members, alumni and campus leaders.
Keynote Address - Leadership: A Tale of Teams
Ann Schmiesing, vice chancellor and executive vice provost for academic resource management (VC-ARM) and professor of German at CU Boulder, will deliver this year’s keynote. Schmiesing draws on her background as a literary historian and her experience in various administrative roles to explore the qualities of effective and engaged leadership teams. Schmiesing offers insights into forming successful teams, sustaining team momentum during crises, addressing frictions within and across teams, and enabling teams at all levels to appreciate their vital role in advancing the the University of Colorado’s mission.
This year's event will be held in The Benson Hotel.
Past award recipients
2023 Winner
Ruth Ellen Kocher
University of Colorado Boulder
2021 Winner
Sharon Matusik
University of Colorado Boulder
2019 Winners
Regina Kilkenny
University of Colorado Denver
2018 Winner
Megan Bell
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
2017 Winners
Brenda J. Allen
University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus
Penina Axelrad
University of Colorado Boulder
2016 Winner
Sandy Hicks
University of Colorado System Administration
2015 Winner
Thomas Christensen
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
2014 Winner
Patricia Rankin
University of Colorado Boulder
2013 Winner
Diane Sieber
University of Colorado Boulder
2012 Winner
Steve Zweck-Bronner
University of Colorado Sytsem Administration
2011 Winner
Garrison Roots
University of Colorado Boulder
- View the presentation (PDF) of site-specific art created by Professor Roots.
- Professor Roots passed away in December 2011, shortly after receiving the award.
2010 Winner
Laura M. Argys
University of Colorado Denver
2009 Winner
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 |