Boulder names new board members

The Boulder Chamber announced Monday the election of five new members to its board of directors.

The new members are Marie-Juliette Bird, founder and executive director of The New Local; Bhavna Chhabra, Google’s Boulder Tech site lead; Dr. Perla Delgado, CEO and executive director of I Have A Dream; Cheryl Liguori, CEO of Z2 Entertainment; and Carlotta Mast, senior vice president of Global Community and Content Strategy at Informa Markets.

“These individuals, all seasoned professionals and respected leaders, will bring valuable perspective to the Boulder Chamber’s deliberations over strategic goals for business members, the economy and our community,” said Boulder Chamber President and CEO John Tayer. “We are honored that they would commit their valuable time in service to the Boulder Chamber mission.”

A near-native of Boulder, Marie-Juliette Bird served as president of her class at Juilliard and earned an MFA from the London International School of Performing Arts while pioneering a music school. She is the recipient of an Independent Music Award, and her fine jewelry designs have been featured on the cover of Vogue. Bird returned to Boulder and founded The New Local nonprofit in 2019 with a vision of cultivating a vibrant arts community in the heart of Boulder. TNL provides local women artists and artisans with gallery representation, studio space and teaching/mentoring opportunities while infusing downtown with creative culture for everyone. She was awarded The Boulder Chamber’s ‘Rising Star’ award
in 2024.

Bhavna Chhabra grew up in India and Dubai before moving to the U.S. and graduating with a computer science degree from the University of Colorado Boulder. After graduation, Bhavna worked as a software engineer, spending 17 years at Qualcomm and eventually becoming a senior director of engineering. She joined Google in early 2016 as an engineering manager on the Payments Platform team and today is a senior director leading Drive’s Engineering organization.

Bhavna is also the Google Boulder tech site lead, overseeing operations and employee satisfaction for Google Boulder.

Dr. Perla Delgado is currently serving as the CEO and executive director of “I Have A Dream.” A native of Boulder, Delgado embarked on her commitment to community service during high school, where she started as an English as a Second Language (ESL) instructor and later emerged as a youth leader. Her journey in the local community paved the way for impactful roles within various nonprofits and institutions of higher education. She holds a Ph.D. in education from Texas State Education.

Cheryl Liguori is CEO of Z2 Entertainment, a Boulder-based entertainment company formed in 2010 with the merger of The Fox Theatre and Boulder Theater. She has served on the Boulder Business and Convention Bureau (now Visit Boulder) board and spent nine years on the University Hill Commercial Area Management Commission. Under her leadership, Z2 Entertainment continues to grow with the addition of The Aggie Theater in Fort Collins and as a regional promoter at seasonal venues, including Chautauqua Auditorium in Boulder, 10 Mile Music in Frisco, and Strings Music Pavilion in Steamboat Springs. Liguori was the general manager at the Fox Theatre from 1992-1998 and the general manager at the Boulder Theater until forming Z2 Entertainment in 2010.

Throughout her 30-year career as a journalist, analyst, business manager and community leader, Carlotta Mast’s purpose has been to catalyze business communities in service to people, the planet, and “win for all” prosperity. Mast currently serves as the SVP of Global Community and Content Strategy at Informa Markets, a global events and media company. She previously spent 16 years working in senior leadership roles within Informa Markets’ New Hope Network, which serves the  natural & organic products industry. In her newly created role, Carlotta applies the extensive experience she gained using content, partnership, and purpose to build and strengthen New Hope to support and innovate within other Informa Markets businesses. Carlotta also oversees sustainability business strategy to support event sustainability best practice sharing, storytelling, and utilizing sustainability as a lens for commercial innovation and growth. She is currently the board chair of Naturally Colorado, a 1,600-member Boulder-based trade group with the mission of nurturing community, leadership, and innovation in the Colorado natural products industry.

Bird, Chhabra, Dr. Delgado, Liguori and Mast will join returning board directors Peter Aweida, Stephanie Brennan, Trent Bush, Lora de la Cruz, Bob Gaddis, Mark Heinritz, Dennis Paul, Kristen Turnbull, Ann Cooper, Kristen Moorefield, Calvin Pennamon, Danica Powell and Dr. Colleen Simpson.
Nubia Saenz, Event & Culture Engagement manager at Community Food Share, and Amanda Duffy, sustainable business specialist at the Pet Sustainability Coalition, were appointed as Advisory Members of the Boulder Chamber board of directors.

In addition to its board director appointments, the Boulder Chamber board also elected its leadership for 2025. Lori Call, associate vice chancellor for local government and community relations at the University of Colorado, will serve as board chair. Danica Powell, owner of the Trestle Strategy Group, will serve as vice-chair.