Colorado Business Committee for the Arts (CBCA) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that has been forging inspiring partnerships between business and the arts since 1985 through year-round advocacy, research, training and arts engagement efforts.

As a champion of artists, cultural organizations and creative industries, CBCA advances Denver and Colorado as a cultural hub and validates the arts as an integral part of our regional economy. CBCA also demonstrates that art is smart for business by providing the business community with access, exposure and visibility for their investment in the arts.

Mission

CBCA advances Colorado’s creative economy by connecting business and the arts.

Vision

CBCA envisions a Colorado where arts and business are integrated to catalyze and build strong and vibrant communities.

Core Values

  • Collaboration: Arts and business enhance one another. Fostering partnerships between them helps strengthen our communities.
  • Creativity: Encouraging new, different and innovative ideas is necessary for our community to grow.
  • Education: Civic and business leaders, as well as the people they serve, should understand and advocate for the importance of the arts.
  • Inclusiveness: The arts are for all Coloradans. All forms of creative expression are valuable.
  • Cultural Vitality: The arts are an indispensable part of our community and economic development, as well as our day-to-day lives.

Inclusivity Statement

As an organization that respectfully lives at the intersection of arts and business, we are on a journey toward building community and belonging for all. We commit to an inclusive and equitable approach to everything we do. We believe that appreciating individuals with different backgrounds, identities and experiences fosters growth for everyone.

History

In 1984, Denver developer John Madden, Jr. brought together a distinguished, forward-thinking group of Colorado business leaders who believed in the importance and value of arts and culture. They were inspired by David Rockefeller’s national Business Committee for the Arts, which was formed in 1967 by a group of business leaders committed to demonstrating corporate social responsibility through supporting the arts. Under this model, CBCA was created in 1985 with the mission to educate, motivate and recognize business support for and participation in the arts in Colorado.

CBCA was originally founded with a strong focus on the inherent benefits of nonprofit arts on the business community with services and programming primarily serving the private sector. CBCA has evolved to serve the mutually beneficial intersection of arts and business with industry-leading programs, trainings and cultural opportunities for members and the broad community. The organization’s work has also expanded to include the for-profit creative industries with programming, resources and professional development for individual artists and creative enterprises.

As an affiliate of Americans for the Arts, CBCA remains a successful membership organization of leading Colorado companies, individuals, artists and arts organizations.

Annual Reports

Board of Directors

Nancy Walsh, Chair

Executive Vice President Marketing, Experiences & Partnerships, Denver Museum of Nature & Science

Malik Robinson, Vice Chair

Executive Director, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance

Rachel Basye, Executive Director of Art Students League of Denver

Rachel Basye, Treasurer

Executive Director, Art Students League Denver

Anthony McWright, EdD, Secretary

Principal, Denver School of the Arts

Peter Bernstein

Senior Vice President, UMB Bank

Kristin Bronson

Executive Director, Colorado Lawyers Committee

Maye Cordero

Director Marketing & Events, Boulder Chamber of Commerce

Mark Davidson

Partner, Fairfield & Woods

Michelle Garcia

Human Resouces Consultant

Rebecca Givens

Partner, Moye White

Nathan Gulash

Associate, Semple Brown

Laurence D. Kaptain

Special Assistant to the Provost, University of Colorado Denver

Meredith Leighty

Principal, Belmar School of Integrated Arts in Jeffco Public Schools, and Mayor of Northglenn

Andrew Leveque

Vice President of Human Resources, Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center and the Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children

Brian Loo

Vice President Exhibition Operations Development, Quality & Standards, Meow Wolf

Radhika Mahanty

La Rondine Consulting

John Masserini

Dean of College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Metropolitan State University of Denver

Kim Estes McCarty

Kim Estes McCarty

Retired Arts Administrator

Martha McGee

Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, NINE dot ARTS

Rashel Meiworm

Managing Director, People Advisory Services, EY

Hassan Najjar

Executive Director, Foothills Art Center

Tariana Navas-Nieves

Director, Cultural Affairs, Denver Arts & Venues

Dave Ratner

Managing Partner, Creative Law Network

Curtis Robbins

Senior Manager, Arts Integrated Resources, Kaiser Permanente Colorado

Chris Ross

Senior Vice President, Commercial Banking Relationship Manager, U.S. Bank

Sam Somuri

Investment Market Director, PNC Institutional Asset Management

Tracy Weil

Artist, Weilworks

Dustin Whistler

Founder & Principal, Forte Commercial Real Estate

CBCA Board of Directors Application

CBCA is not currently accepting applications for its Board of Directors. Please check back in the future when the applications process opens again, which is to be determined. In the meantime, if you have interest in volunteering to serve on a committee, please contact CBCA Executive Director Christin Crampton Day at ccday@cbca.org.

Staff

Christin Crampton Day

Executive Director

720.428.6721

Christin (she/her/hers) joined Colorado Business Committee for the Arts (CBCA) as its Executive Director in February 2017. She is a past participant of CBCA’s Leadership Arts program and a recipient of CBCA’s Cultural Leadership Award in 2016.

Christin is a seasoned professional with over 30 years’ experience in non-profit and for-profit leadership and management. The majority of her experience has been in the private sector having co-owned a public relations agency in Denver for over 10 years, as well as previously lead a performing arts nonprofit in the Denver metro area. She has experience working with organizations in many industry sectors spanning consumer, business-to-business and nonprofit. Her expertise includes strategic planning, communications, public relations, marketing, sales, development and fundraising.

Christin served on the board of trustees for Colorado Ballet for 13 years, including serving as a past board co-chair, marketing chair, and on the executive and long-range planning committees. Today, she is an Emeritus Board Member of Colorado Ballet. She currently serves on the board of trustees for The Dance Archive at University of Denver, and was appointed in 2018 to the Private Sector Council of Americans for the Arts.

A native of Michigan, Christin has been a resident of Denver since 1994, when she relocated from Chicago. She received her B.A. in Communications from Michigan State University.

A “black belt ballerina,” in her spare time she continues to study ballet, which she’s done since age three, as well as train in the Korean martial arts of Taekwondo, Tang Soo Do and Hapkido, which she’s achieved the rank of 2nd Dan Black Belt over the past 12 years.

Meredith Badler

Deputy Director

Meredith Badler (she/her/hers) has been at Colorado Business Committee for the Arts (CBCA) since July 2013 and enjoys making a positive impact in Colorado through creativity and community partnerships every single day. As the Deputy Director, Meredith oversees all of CBCA’s programs and events, including the signature Leadership Arts program, annual statewide Business for the Arts Awards and biennial Economic Activity Study of Metro Denver Culture. During her tenure at CBCA, Meredith launched Colorado Attorneys for the Arts, Arts & Industry Forums, Advancing Creatives and the Advancing Creatives Intensive. Meredith also stewards CBCA’s grassroots and direct advocacy for the arts and creative industries on behalf of Colorado at the state and federal level. She is regularly asked to present on why art is smart for business, advocacy for the arts, and the value of our creative economy.

Prior to CBCA, Meredith worked as a strategy consultant for the nonprofit and public sector at Corona Insights, facilitating board retreats and supporting strategic planning processes. She worked in patron services for Curious Theatre Company for several years and volunteered at Levitt Pavilion Denver.

She received a B.A. with honors in Comparative Literature and French Studies from Smith College. She was part of the Colorado Creative Industries Change Leader Institute in fall 2017. Today, Meredith serves on the Board of Directors for Art Students League of Denver and the Advisory Board for the Golda Meir House Museum on Auraria Campus. She is also Co-Chair of the Capacity Building Committee for the national Creative States Coalition. Meredith serves as President of the Smith College Alumnae Club of Colorado. She has a background in theatre and still performs short and long-form improv comedy.

Sarah Braverman

Membership and Development Manager

720.370.5942

Sarah (she/her/hers) joined CBCA in August 2023. She brings years of experience working for and volunteering with nonprofit and government entities in Colorado and the Northeastern United States. Her work has included various aspects of fundraising, marketing, and administration, most recently with Anythink Libraries and previously with Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art (BMoCA). Sarah volunteered as a grant panelist for the City of Boulder's Office of Arts & Culture (2019), completed the Boulder County Leadership Fellows program (2020-21), and served on the board of Street Wise Arts (2021-23).

Sarah received her BA in English with minors in Dance and Journalism from University of Delaware and her MS in Arts Administration from Drexel University. When not supporting Colorado's creative industries, she can be found hiking in the Rocky Mountains, cycling with the Ride or Die Collective, and buying produce from local farmers.

Lindsey Bell

Program and Events Coordinator

720.428.6723

Lindsey (she/her/hers) returned to her hometown of Denver, CO in 2019 after living and working in Austin, TX and Chicago. Lindsey comes to CBCA with an extensive background in the cultural, non-profit sector having most recently worked at Art Gym Denver as their Membership & Program Administrator, and previously at the MCA Denver, Denver Art Museum, Denver Botanic Gardens, and Colorado Ballet.

Lindsey received her BA in Art History from the University of Colorado at Boulder and her MA in Modern & Contemporary Art History, Theory, & Criticism and MA in Arts Administration & Policy from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Lindsey is also the Curatorial Director of Bell Projects, an art gallery that exhibits the work of local artists on a monthly rotation. As the Program and Events Coordinator at CBCA, Lindsey is excited to continue to support artists and their creative practices, and further Colorado's creative economy through the intersection of business and the arts.

Calley Wright

Marketing and Development Coordinator

720.428.6722

Calley (she/her/hers) joined CBCA in December 2021. She has been working and volunteering in the Denver area since moving here in 2018. She holds an MBA with a concentration in Marketing, and BA in History with a minor in Art History from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. When Calley is not working to support and continue to cultivate CBCA's Marketing and Development endeavors, she is exploring National Parks, museums, and historic sites.

Committees

Executive Committee 

Nancy Walsh, Chair

Malik Robinson, Vice Chair

Rachel Bayse, Treasurer

Anthony McWright, Secretary

Mark Davidson

Kim Estes McCarty

Chris Ross

Dustin Whistler

 

Policy Committee

Tracy Weil, Chair

Daisy McGowan, Vice Chair

Rachel Bayse

Liz Black

Elisabeth Boyce

Leslie Castañuela Barnes

David Dadone

Tohbias Juniel

Jess Kostelnik

Dagny McKinley

Curtis Robbins

Marlene Viloria

Dustin Whistler

Chris Wineman

 

Finance Committee 

Rachel Basye, Chair

Alicia Allen

Nael Ashour

Nathan Gulash

Meredith Leighty

Christine Quintana

Sam Somuri

 

Equity, Inclusivity, Diversity & Accessibility (EIDA) Committee

Kim Estes McCarty, Chair

Dana Manyothane, Vice Chair

Alex-Marie Baez

Monique Johnson

Bob Keatinge

Sydney Ledden

Jesse Martinez

Tariana Navas-Nieves

Sandra Shih Parks

Michael Sattler

Jenny Taylor

Rashel Meiworm

 

Governance Committee 

Anthony McWright, Chair

Kristin Bronson

Michelle Garcia

Nathan Gulash

Bob Keatinge

Andrew Leveque

Mark Shaiken

Mike Toia

Development Committee

Peter Bernstein, Chair

Michelle Applegate

Steve Art

Alex Bennett

Maye Cordero

Laurence D. Kaptain

Cecile Kerr

Laura Mitzner

Curtis Robbins

Jose Rosales

 

Colorado Attorneys for the Arts Advisory Committee

Dave Ratner, Chair

Cecily Cullen

Mark Davidson

Lisa Gedgaudas

Bob Keatinge

Susan Lyles

Forrest J. Morrison

 

Colorado Attorneys for the Arts Vetting Committee

Mark Davidson

Rebecca Givens

Heidi Glance

Craig Hemenway

Bob Keatinge

Dave Ratner

 

Leadership Arts Alumni Network (LAAN) Committee

MarChelle McKizzie (Leadership Arts 2020-2021), Chair

Michael Sattler (Leadership Arts 2019-2020), Vice Chair

Jasmine Chu (Leadership Arts 2021-2022)

Christy Costello (Leadership Arts 2015-2016)

Kristin Heidbreder (Leadership Arts 2015-2016)

Bob Keatinge (Leadership Arts 2008-2009)

Theresa Keatinge (Leadership Arts 2010-2011)

Mitzi Schindler (Leadership Arts 2018-2019)

Jim Neely (Leadership Arts 2011-2012)

Jim Stevens (Leadership Arts 2020-2021)

Alice White (Leadership Arts 1996-1997)

 

Board Nominating Committee

Chris Ross, Chair

Luella Chavez D’Angelo

Christin Crampton Day

Radhika Mahanty

Michael Sattler

 

Strategic Planning Committee

Dustin Whistler, Co-Chair

Kim Estes McCarty, Co-Chair

John Masserini

Hassan Najjar

Tariana Navas-Nieves

Curtis Robbins

Meg Satrom

Allison Scheck

Nancy Walsh