Leader
of the Year Winners

Besnette leads Metropolitan State as the college's Vice President of Institutional Advancement. At the school, she works to drive home the power of a college degree and the need for more access to higher education. [ more... ]

Christine Benero, a Littleton native, loved working in Washington, D.C. It had to help that she scored what many people would consider a dream job. Christine was the head of our country's Domestic Peace Corps programs. So effective, she held the position under the Clinton and then Bush administration. [ more... ]

Willie Shepherd is co-founder and chairman of the law firm Kamlet Shepherd & Reichert. Willie practices in the areas of Environmental, Regulatory and Administrative, Land Use and Zoning, and Commercial Litigation. Since founding Kamlet Shepherd six years ago at age 33, Willie has worked on dozens of projects that have changed the landscape of Denver Business. [ more... ]

Monica Pleiman is Chairman and CEO of Optimum Management Services, Inc., the parent company of Optimum Management Systems LLC (OMS). OMS is a consulting, technology, and outsourcing firm that has grown from $40,000 in revenues and 4 employees in 1998 to $6.5 million in revenues and over 90 employees in 2004. [ more... ]

Chad McWhinney is President and CEO of McWhinney Enterprises, which he co-founded with his brother Troy and father Derek in 1990. He is responsible for establishing and implementing the company's mission, vision, and core values. [ more... ]

Kathie Novac, a native of Colorado, earned her Master of Science in Management from the University of Colorado at Denver, and has an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from the University of Colorado at Boulder. As an undergraduate, Kathie was a member of the Presidents Leadership Class and a Boettcher Scholar. [ more... ]

Doug Price, a native of Colorado, obtained a Bachelor of Science in Buisiness from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1978. In recognition of his leadership potential and service to the community, Doug participated as a scholar in the CU Presidents Leadership Class. [ more... ]

Annette Quintana, a native of Colorado, obtained her Bachelors Degree in Chemical Engineering from Colorado State University. Of both Native American and Hispanic heritage, Annette received the Dean's Award for Leadership during her undergraduate studies. [ more... ]

Joseph Serna is president of the Rocky Mountain Indian Chamber of Commerce (RMICC) and is founder and President of Serna Enterprises, Inc., a Hopi Indian owned printing business with offices in Denver and on the Hopi Reservation. [ more... ]

Robert Cohen, President of Insurance Management Associates of Colorado (IMAC), is a Kansas native who graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with degrees in Risk Management and Finance. [ more... ]