On September 24, 2015, five game-changers of the city of Denver gathered to give career advice to 150 attendees of “View From the Top: Breaking Boundaries,” a ULI Colorado program presented by the Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI). Kelly Brough (Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce), Jennifer Jasinski (Rioja, Bistro Vendome, Euclid Hall, and Stoic & Genuine), Josh Sampson (The Big Wonderful), Diane Barrett (City and County of Denver) and Kate Iverson (Transit Oriented Development, RTD) discussed the challenges they have faced and lessons learned, followed by a question-and-answer session.

The Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI) of ULI Colorado hosted this inaugural event at Redline Arts Gallery in North Denver. Similar events have been hosted around the country by WLI, but this is the first, and we hope not the last, for Colorado ULI. Black Creek Capital was the generous title sponsor.

Andrea Karp of Black Creek, Michael Leccese, Executive Director of ULI Colorado, and Wendi Birchler, Principal at Norris Design and co-chair for the WLI committee, gave welcome speeches. Chris Frampton, Managing Partner of East West Partners Denver, was the moderator for the event.

“Being successful is not about who you know, but who you are,” says Kelly Brough, President and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, the first speaker of the event. Brough began her talk by characterizing herself as “one tough chick,” a description she earned from growing up with two brothers in a small town in Montana. Her varied career path, which included everything from plowing snow at Denver International Airport to being Chief of Staff for Mayor Hickenlooper, led her to where she is today. Key themes for her were resilience, authenticity and loyalty.

“Surround yourself with people who share your vision and who also challenge you” was a lesson from Jennifer Jasinski, the second speaker, Executive Chef and Co-Owner of four restaurants in downtown Denver: Rioja, Bistro Vendome, Euclid Hall Bar + Kitchen, and Stoic & Genuine. With only 15% of U.S. chefs being women, Chef Jasinski is an exception in the culinary world.  After over a decade working with Wolfgang Puck, she moved to Denver, where her name and reputation did not precede her. She wanted to see if she could make it on her own merits. Together with her business partner, Beth Gruitch, they opened Rioja in 2003 and have since added three more restaurants, changing the concept with each new restaurant.

“It’s all about fun” was Josh Sampson, Creator of The Big Wonderful’s message. While new to Denver, Josh has already revolutionized the way small businesses operate here. On moving to Denver, Mr. Sampson found that the city did not have a central market or gathering place. Inspired by his passion for urban farming, Josh founded The Big Wonderful at Sustainability Park, a three-acre at 25^th and Lawrence in Curtis Park. This new community gathering space promotes sustainable living and small business through this weekly, culinary, zero-waste market that includes: a farmer’s market, outdoor cafes, live music, and an outdoor market for handmade and local goods from nearly 50 vendors.

“She didn’t ‘break’ boundaries, but pushed, stretched and moved them” describes the fourth speaker, Diane Barrett, Chief Projects Officer for the City and County of Denver. Mrs. Barrett spoke about growing up in the South in the 1960’s. There she developed traits that she carries with her today as keys to her career: manners, civility in discourse, grace, and a learned belief in collaboration. After being a lawyer for nearly 25 years, she retired from the active practice of law and was appointed Chief Projects Officer by Mayor Hancock in 2011. She oversaw the redevelopment of the Denver Union Station and currently works on all development and redevelopment projects in Denver, including the region-wide FasTracks project and all related transit-oriented development.

“Learn to ask why” says Kate Iverson, Manager of Transit Oriented Development for Regional Transportation District (RTD) and the final speaker of the event. A child of two academics, Kate grew up with the belief that to do anything well, you need to study it, so study she did.  Today, Ms. Iverson has a B.A. in Art History from Williams College, an M. Arch. from Yale University School of Architecture, and a J.D. from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. After working as an architect and a lawyer, she found her way the RTD, where she utilizes all of her knowledge to manage their Transit-Oriented Development pilot program. Ms. Iverson reinforced that the asking of questions, especially why, has made her better at her job.

The five talks were followed by a question-and-answer session led by Frampton. Questions ranged from discussing their greatest failures to work/life balance to technology. While some speakers seemed more integral to ULI than others, all five speakers imparted great wisdom about their careers which apply to all industries (and genders).

— Jenni Lantz, John Burns Real Estate Consulting, with Shawn Dressel, McWhinney