Leadership Douglas County
Leadership Douglas County was established in 1999 by the Castle Rock Chamber.
LDC’s goals are to inspire participants in the work they do; strengthen them and the organizations they serve; and facilitate a heightened sense of community connection to encourage individuals to take positions of civic and organizational leadership in the community.
EDUCATING EMERGING LEADERS AND VOLUNTEERS IN DOUGLAS COUNTY
Leadership Douglas County (LDC), a program of the Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce, is committed to ensuring the continuity of knowledgeable and effective leadership in Douglas County. Today, Douglas County is the geographic center of Colorado and provides a blend of quality lifestyle and business environment.
LDC was created to ensure our community would continue to identify, educate, and motivate current and emerging leaders to improve Douglas County through personal and collective commitment. LDC seeks motivated, capable men and women from diverse professional backgrounds and supports best practices in setting standards of excellence.
LDC EXPECTATIONS
The program creates an expectation of servant leadership and builds in real opportunities to teach knowledge and skills through a monthly, day-long program, held on the first Wednesday of each month, October through June in various locations throughout the county.
Each month explores a different regional topic and also includes a leadership development segment. Upon graduation, participants become the planning committee for the upcoming year’s class, applying their own program experience, as they complete their second year of participation as alumni in the LDC program.
SESSION TOPICS
Session topics throughout the year include:
- Education
- Public Safety
- Open Space and History
- Fire and Emergency Services
- Economic Development
- Healthcare
- Social Services
- Government
- Community Resources
- Arts and Culture
- Team-building elements and skills training throughout.
LDC Alumni Testimonial
PARTICIPATION REWARDS
For the Participant, LDC will:
- Offer rigorous and relevant learning, with the opportunity to apply new knowledge and skills
- Broaden participants’ knowledge of the community
- Challenge participants to examine their leadership style, values, and impact
- Increase the strength and effectiveness of our community leaders
- Equip participants to respond to the challenges of the community today and into the future
- Provide opportunities for direct contact with influential people, businesses, and service organizations
2026/27 Class Participants
| Deborah Burley HCA HealthOne Sky Ridge |
Karley Fidani Fidelis Wealth Advisors |
Lori Gerlits Castle Rock Chamber |
Adrienne Graves Harmony Neurocare |
Jennifer Graves Arapahoe Community College - Sturm Collaboration Campus |
Angela Hager City of Lone Tree |
| Hayley Hall Douglas County Clerk & Recorder |
Beth Jauquet Primalized Health Consultants |
Felicia Jenkins LIV Sotheby’s International Realty |
Dixie Kozinski Douglas County Assessor's Office |
Tereza Lewis Douglas County Elections |
Jami Lopeman Mountain Bear Electric LLC |
| Felipe Marquez Wind Crest by Erickson Senior Living |
LaTonya Paddock New Padd Group CO Realty |
David Sapienza Douglas County School District |
Sheridan Seymour AdventHealth Castle Rock |
Brooke Spain Town of Parker |
Kelsey Thiessen Aging Resources of Douglas County |
| Jake Veith Rocky Mountain Rubicon |
Johnny Vigil Owen-Ames-Kimball |
Jeffrey Wenzel CR Fire Rescue Department |
|||
Programming Committee
| Carrie Abramowitz Help & Hope Center |
Shelley Becker JDB Ventures, LLC |
Aaron Block The Cove Concierge Medicine |
Melissa Bloodworth Douglas County Sheriff's Office |
Jonathan Bonkoski Mortenson Construction |
Sarah Corboy Highlands Ranch Community Association |
| Cheryl Griffin Castle Country Assisted Living |
Cody Heath Park St. Storage |
Lisa Hinton AdventHealth Castle Rock |
Michael Hupf Folkestad Fazekas Barrick Patoile, PC |
Kat King Sterling Ranch Community Authority Board |
Cecil Lopeman Mountain Bear Electric LLC |
| Heather Lunde City of Lone Tree |
Kirsten Swanson-Moore DC Community Foundation |
Shannon O'Brien Castle Rock Senior Activity Center |
John W Reffel IV JLS Landscape & Sprinkler, Inc |
Grace Reinis Douglas County Sheriff's Office |
Sarah Roberts Engel&Volkers |
| Christina Teng Mortgage Lender & Volunteer |
Katie Van Horn Douglas County School District |
Daniela Vital Erickson Senior Living Wind Crest |
Hollen Wheeler The Castle Pines Connection |
Carmen Zambrana Douglas County Clerk & Recorders Office |
Shanie Zimmerman Brookside Inn Skilled Nursing Facility |
In 2023, the Leadership Douglas County Alumni was established to provide opportunities for participants who have successfully completed the Leadership Douglas County Program. With over 400 graduates, the Alumni Program provides the opportunity to:
- Establish a professional networking.
- Reconnect with classmates.
- Give back to the community by continuing to provide quality leaders.
- Continue to grow in leadership through educational programming.
- Provide scholarships for future Leadership Douglas County participants.
Benefits of the LDC Alumni Program:
- Monthly LDC Alumni Newsletter – Updates on the current class and alumni news.
- Access to the LDC Alumni online directory.
- Exclusive invitations to quarterly events and socials, including:
- Alumni Annual Social
- Graduation Ceremony Invitation
- Partnering with LDC & Tours for Teachers – Opportunities to participate as a speaker for upcoming programs.
- Sponsorship Opportunities
Special Thanks to our Sponsors!
