Every spring, the Colorado Business Journal honors 40 outstanding local professionals under age 40 for their business success and community contributions. In March of this year, these four past CU Denver students have been recognized for their contributions to their organizations and the Denver community.
Raymael Blackwell, Denver
Raymael Blackwell is currently a program officer at the Community First Foundation and has created and led mentoring programs for students in the Denver public school system. He is also an active member of the newly formed CU Denver SPA GOLD Board.
Robert Henry Franklin, Broomfield
Robert Franklin II is the Diversity, Health Equity & Inclusion Program Manager for Children’s Hospital Colorado and has been active in associations including the Denver Mayor’s Youth Commission, the Colorado Public Health Association, the Denver Afterschool Alliance, the Aurora Health Alliance, the Colorado Center for Nursing Excellence, and the Family Leadership Training Institute.
Jared A Quintana, Denver
Jared Quintana is the Creative Director of Elevation Creation Marketing in Denver overseeing web development, video production, design resources, administrative support, and creative direction for national corporations and local non-profits. He is active in multiple community organizations and provides consulting for several Colorado-based start-ups.
Travis Leiker, Aurora
Travis Leiker is a Senior Director of Development and Philanthropic Advisor at the University of Colorado. Travis leads a team of professionals, overseeing strategic efforts to secure investments in CU’s education, healthcare, and diversity priorities. He recently completed a $3.25 million fundraising initiative benefiting diversity scholarships at the School of Medicine and honoring the School’s first Black graduate—Charles Blackwood, MD (1947). Beyond his professional duties, Travis remains active in the community. He is past president of the NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado (now Cobalt Advocates). And today, he is president and executive director of Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods (C.H.U.N.). The organization is Denver’s largest and oldest registered neighborhood advocacy group focused on the city’s most vexing issues. In this role, Travis works to bring diverse constituents together to help guide Denver’s urban planning including parks preservation, building coalitions to support the homeless population, and promoting socioeconomic justice at all levels of the city.