Leadership

Governor Jared Polis

Jared Polis is an entrepreneur, education leader, public servant, and Colorado native. He started his first business, American Information Systems, while in college out of his dorm room. By the time he was 30, he launched three successful companies, including ProFlowers, one of the world’s leading online flower retailers. Jared’s pioneering role in the internet economy earned him an “Entrepreneur of the Year” distinction from Ernst and Young.

Following these business successes, Jared committed himself to making sure other Coloradans had the opportunity to pursue their dreams. He co-founded Techstars, a startup accelerator that mentors entrepreneurs from all walks of life, and Patriot Boot Camp, which helps veterans start their own small businesses after coming home from their service.

In addition to his career as an entrepreneur, much of Jared’s adult life has been focused on improving public education. He served six years on the State Board of Education, where he worked to raise pay for teachers and reduce class size for students. He also founded several public charter schools for at-risk youth, and served as superintendent of one of them, the New America School, which helps immigrants earn their high school diploma.

Most recently, Jared served as the U.S. Representative for Colorado’s Second Congressional District, which stretches from Larimer County and the Wyoming border, to the Central Mountains at the heart of Colorado’s tourism economy, to Boulder and the U.S. 36 high-tech corridor. During his time in Congress, the Center for Effective Lawmaking ranked Jared the most effective member of Colorado’s House delegation due to his success working across the aisle to improve Colorado’s schools, protect public lands, and support startups and small businesses.

Jared and his partner Marlon, and their two children are all avid Rockies fans.

Chief Economic Recovery Officer and Executive Director Pat Meyers

Patrick Meyers is a graduate of the University of Colorado (Denver) and the University of California (Hastings) School of Law. He served in the U.S. Navy Submarine Service from 1978-1984.

While at Hastings, Pat served as a clerk and intern for the U.S. Attorney’s Office (Civil and Criminal Division) and Department of Justice Antitrust Division, San Francisco. After graduating from law school, Pat clerked for the Hon. Justice William Erickson of the Colorado Supreme Court, and thereafter was an attorney with Moye Giles in Denver. He specialized in franchise, appellate, and transactional law. Pat was a Special Assistant Attorney General representing the State of Colorado in criminal appeals from 1992 through 1994. He has written numerous articles and has taught various continuing legal education courses.

In 1993, Pat was elected as a director for the Quiznos sandwich chain, then a public company. In 1997 Pat started the general counsel’s office at Quiznos, and subsequently became an owner of the company until January 2012. Pat served at various times as the head of Quiznos Legal, Finance, Administration, IT and HR. Pat subsequently became a Partner, Managing Director and the Chief Legal Officer for Consumer Capital Partners. Pat was an owner of CCP’s newest venture, Smashburger until the chain’s sale in 2018, and up until October 2016 was a director for CCP, as well as a board member for Smashburger and chair of the CCP and Smashburger audit committees. Pat also served on the compensation committees of both companies and the investment committee for CCP.

In December 2017, Pat was appointed the Chief of Staff to Colorado’s Governor John Hickenlooper and served in the role until the Governor’s term ended in 2019. Pat was a Senior Advisor to now Sen. Hickenlooper and was a board member of his Senate campaign. Pat was Chief Operating Officer of Gov. Hickenlooper’s U.S. Presidential Campaign.

In March 2020 Pat was appointed the Constrained Medical Supply Team Leader for the State of Colorado’s Covid Innovation Response Team, where he led the team obtaining PPE and other medical supplies for the State. In 2021, Pat was awarded the Colorado Governor’s Citizenship Award for his work on the Covid Response Team.

In March 2021, Pat was appointed by Governor Polis as the Executive Director of the Office of Economic Development and International Trade and as the Chief Economic Recovery Officer for the State of Colorado.

Pat has previously served or is serving on the Commissioning Committee for the USS Colorado, Board of Advisors for Quest Hospitality Ventures, as a trustee for the University of California (Hastings) Foundation, the Downtown Denver Partnership Board, the advisory board of The Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship, and as an H.B. Meek Executive in Residence at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, the University of Colorado (Boulder) Parent Leadership Society Board and as a Trustee for the University of Colorado Foundation. Pat and his twin daughters are also directors of the Meyers Family Foundation.