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.

Board of Directors

Dustin Whistler, Chair

Founder & Principal, Forte Commercial Real Estate

Nancy Walsh, Vice Chair

Vice President of Partnerships & Programs, Denver Museum of Nature & Science

Rachel Basye, Executive Director of Art Students League of Denver

Rachel Basye, Treasurer

Executive Director, Art Students League Denver

Bob Keatinge, Secretary

Of Counsel, Holland & Hart

Peter Bernstein

Vice President, UMB Bank

Mark Davidson

Partner, Fairfield & Woods

Paul Deckard

Director, FP&A, Zayo Group

Michelle Garcia

Human Resouces Consultant

Jice Johnson

Founder & CVO, Black Business Initiative

Laurence D. Kaptain

Special Assistant to the Provost, University of Colorado Denver

Andrew Leveque

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

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

Anthony McWright, EdD

Principal, Denver School of the Arts

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

Malik Robinson

Executive Director, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance

Chris Ross

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

Alex Ryden

Founder, Guest House

Meg Satrom

Owner, Memoro

Sam Somuri

Investment Market Director, PNC Institutional Asset Management

Martha Weidmann

Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, NINE dot ARTS

Tracy Weil

Artist, Weilworks

If you are interested in Board Service, please complete an application HERE!

Candidates will be reviewed and contacted by the CBCA Board Nominating Committee on a rolling basis.

Staff

Christin Crampton Day

Executive Director

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, including the Leadership Arts board development program and alumni activities, Colorado Attorneys for the Arts pro bono legal referral service, Advancing Creatives business skills workshops for creative professionals, monthly ArtsConnect events for CBCA members, ongoing Arts + Industry Forums, the annual Business for the Arts Awards, and the biennial Economic Activity Study of Metro Denver Culture. Meredith also stewards CBCA’s grassroots and direct advocacy for the arts and creative industries 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 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. Meredith is also President of the Smith College Alumnae Club of Colorado. She has a background in theatre and still performs short and long-form improv comedy.

Karlie McLaughlin

Membership and Development Director

Karlie (she/her/hers) joined CBCA in October 2018. With seven years of experience in non-profit arts, her roles have ranged from operations to fundraising with her expertise being in marketing and development. Most recently, she was Marketing & Development Manager at Breckenridge Music where she managed an organizational rebrand and helped increase contributed revenue streams through grant writing, soliciting sponsorships and assisting with individual donor campaigns. She has worked for organizations such as Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, the Denver Art Museum and MAINSITE Contemporary Art Gallery, as well as volunteered extensively with RedLine and MCA Denver. She currently serves on the board of Culturehaus, the Denver Art Museum's young philanthropist group.

She holds a Master’s degree in Arts Development and Program Management from the University of Denver and an undergraduate degree in English Literary and Cultural Studies from the University of Oklahoma. When she isn’t working to advance Colorado’s creative economy by connecting art organizations and businesses through unique membership and sponsorship opportunities, she enjoys exploring the diverse music scene across Denver, riding her bike through the city and adventuring in the mountains.

Calley Wright

Marketing and Development Coordinator

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 

Dustin Whistler, Chair

Rachel Bayse

Mark Davidson

Larry Kaptain

Bob Keatinge

Radhika Mahanty

Malik Robinson

Chris Ross

Nancy Walsh

 

Policy Committee

Paul Deckard, Chair

Tracy Weil, Vice Chair

Rachel Bayse

Liz Black

Elisabeth Boyce

Leslie Castañuela Barnes

Jess Kostelnik

Judith Lajoie

Courtney Law

Daisy McGowan

Dagny McKinley

Curtis Robbins

Kelli Strother

Dustin Whistler

Chris Wineman

 

Finance Committee 

Rachel Basye, Chair

Christine Quintana

Alex Ryden

Martha Weidmann

 

Equity, Inclusivity, Diversity & Accessibility (EIDA) Committee

Kim Estes McCarty, Chair

Dana Manyothane, Vice Chair

Monique Johnson

Jice Johnson

Bob Keatinge

Tariana Navas-Nieves

Malik Robinson

Michael Sattler

Nancy Walsh

 

Marketing & Communications Committee 

Radhika Mahanty, Co-Chair

Meg Satrom, Co-Chair

Nathalie Baret

Renea Bonnell

Gabrielle Cardwell

Lindsay Coe

Theo Edmonds

Randall Erkelens

Nadia Gedeon

Jeannie Gomez

Governance Committee 

Bob Keatinge, Chair

Anthony McWright, Vice Chair

Andrew Leveque

Michelle Garcia

Mark Shaiken

Mike Toia

 

Development Committee

Hassan Najjar, Chair

Peter Bernstein, Vice Chair

Michelle Applegate

Wayne Barrett

Cecile Forsberg

Curtis Robbins

 

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

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

Papa Dia

Jice Johnson

Radhika Mahanty

Dana Manyothane