COLORADO FORUM NAMES KELLY FLENNIKEN NEW PRESIDENT

Flenniken to take the reins from 37-year President & CEO, Gail Klapper

DENVER—The Colorado Forum, one of the state’s most respected and influential civic organizations, today announced that Kelly Flenniken will become its new President. Flenniken currently serves as the executive director of Colorado Counties Inc. and has a career spanning public, private and NGO roles in policy, government affairs, K-12 education, economic development and parks and open space spanning Colorado’s West Slope, I-70 Mountain Corridor and Front Range.

“Kelly is the right leader at the right time to help the Colorado Forum develop its next chapter of impact,” said Barbara Baumann, chair of the Colorado Forum’s governance committee and president of Cross Creek Energy. “As a Colorado native who has lived and worked throughout the state, she possesses the right understanding of what and who makes Colorado so unique. Her deep experience in many of the issues on which the Forum focuses will be invaluable.”

Flenniken will follow Gail Klapper, a fourth-generation Colorado native who is broadly revered for her ability to get the right decision makers into a room and build consensus in a completely nonpartisan manner. Klapper is credited with giving voice to, and forging results around the Forum’s unwavering commitment to bettering Colorado.

Flenniken was selected from a, national search that attracted more than 70 applicants. The Forum’s search committee was chaired by Baumann and included Bruce Alexander (retired from Vectra Bank), Jandel Allen-Davis (Craig Hospital), Tom Gougeon (Gates Family Foundation), Rebecca Love Kourlis (former Colorado Supreme Court justice), Dave Ryan (The Anschutz Foundation), Ted White (Fennemore) and Dave Younggren (retired from Gary Community Ventures).

“I’ve long admired the Colorado Forum’s commitment to bringing people together to tackle Colorado’s toughest challenges with open minds, a willingness to listen and a focus on what’s best for our state,” said Flenniken. “I believe meaningful progress starts with understanding different perspectives and finding common ground, even when the issues are complicated and the stakes are high and I’m deeply honored to have the opportunity to lead the Forum, and also I’m mindful of the remarkable legacy I’m stepping into.”

I have long admired the Forum’s ability to leave politics and business at the door and take an objective and learning-first approach to understanding all sides of our state’s most pressing issues in order to apply collaboration, consensus and persistence to achieve what is best for Colorado and all Coloradans,” said Flenniken. “I am honored and humbled to be entrusted with the opportunity to collaborate with the members and staff to help the Colorado Forum address the next generation of challenges and opportunities facing Colorado.”

Flenniken will assume her new role on November 2, 2026. Klapper will stay with the Forum through the end of the year to ensure a thoughtful and thorough onboarding and transition.

Among Flenniken’s first priorities will be getting to know and learning from the Forum’s 80 members and three other staff. Simultaneously, she will lead the organization’s active efforts on issues including: Agriculture; Broadband; K-12 Education; Healthcare; Local Media; Water; and Wildfire Mitigation.

“Kelly possesses a keen ability to coalesce diverse stakeholders around ideas that are in the best interest of Colorado. She makes friends easily,  listens carefully and brings people alive with enthusiasm to do good work for the state,” Klapper said. “These traits will serve her well as she leads the Colorado Forum into the next phase of its efforts to envision and advance creative, long-term solutions to some of the state’s most intractable problems.”

About The Colorado Forum

The Colorado Forum’s invitation-only membership of 80 recognized leaders from across Colorado’s business, civic and nonprofit communities provides a nonpartisan, informed, objective voice on critical public policy issues facing the state. The Forum works closely with local, state and federal governments as well as nonprofit organizations and businesses to affect positive change.