Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame welcomes 16 newcomers

The Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame welcomed its Class of 2024 at an event held Thursday at the Molly Brown House Museum. The 16 inductees join 189 women already in the Hall.

The event coincided with Margaret “Molly” Brown’s birthday, another Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame member.

“Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame is committed to honoring and preserving the legacies of Colorado women from the past to the present,” said Barb Beckner, chairperson of the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame.

The 2024 inductees: 

CONTEMPORARY

Judith Albino

Albino was the 17th president of the University of Colorado (1991-1995) and the first woman to hold that position. Her presidency came at a time of significant political divisions and emerging recognition of the needs of Colorado’s diverse population. Albino worked to strengthen undergraduate education and recognize and open opportunities for underrepresented and marginalized groups of students and faculty. She also worked to improve university accountability, increase research productivity, and elevate the roles of the four campuses in serving their respective communities.

Christine Benero

Benero has worked tirelessly to help families access affordable childhood education. She’s been instrumental as the president and CEO of Mile High United Way in helping community partners like Family Tree, Mercy Housing, and Warren Village create four early childhood education centers across the city from Aurora to West Denver. She also led an organization supporting minority and women entrepreneurs in developing small businesses. Under her guidance, Mile High United Way has been active in public policy, advocating for childcare contribution tax credits and other critical childcare funding in Colorado.

Barbara Bridges

Bridges is the founder of Women+Film, former board chair of the Women Foundation of Colorado, and a key participant in The White House Project. She tirelessly champions the advancement of women and girls, setting new standards for representation and economic success both statewide and in national gender equality initiatives. Bridges followed her passion for supporting women with philanthropic dollars by joining Women Moving Millions, an organization whose members have collectively committed more than a billion dollars to advance women and girls in a gender-equity society. Bridges is the co-author of the award-winning book, “Hollywood: Her Story, An Illustrated History of Women and the Movies,” published in 2019. The book shines a light on the more than 1,200 women who contributed to the movie industry from the 1890s to 2018.

Fran Coleman

Coleman was the first Latina Colorado State Representative in House District 1. As a fierce and compassionate warrior, she put education, transportation, and the environment at the top of her priority list as a public servant. Coleman is why the Family Literacy Act became a state law in 1999 after failing to pass 17 times. Coleman was the primary sponsor of more than 100 bills while in office and continues providing her opinion and community advocacy to help current people in office. She advocates for public policy and legislation, ensuring equity for families and children in justice, education and diversity.

Gail Benjamin Colvin

Benjamin Colvin was among the first 157 women allowed to join the Air Force Academy’s cadet wing. As an Air Force officer, she broke barriers that allowed other women and minorities to follow in her wake. Colvin was at the immediate forefront of the nation’s military academy gender integration. In her Air Force and civilian careers, she created and initiated groundbreaking inclusion opportunities for other women and minorities in Colorado and nationwide. Gail’s career encompassed time as an Air Force officer, current senior executive leader, community advocate, mother, mentor and educator. She continues to lend her expertise to many in the Colorado Springs community, including the El Pomar Foundation.

Linda Fowler

Fowler let nothing get in her way from achieving her goal of protecting people’s civil rights and equality for women. She has worked in Colorado and nationally as an advocate for Planned Parenthood. Her advocacy touches on abortion access and reproductive healthcare, gender equity, civil rights, and economic opportunities for women and marginalized populations. Fowler started the Colorado Legal Initiatives Project (CLIP), leading the change in Colorado’s 2nd Amendment, which would’ve banned equal opportunity rights for homosexuals. Fowler stood before the U.S. Supreme Court in Romer v. Evan to help overturn this Amendment in 1995. This was the first Supreme Court case involving homosexuals’ rights. Through her groundbreaking career in construction management and her cultural and political leadership, she has labored to improve the lives of women, minorities, and those in the LGBTQ+ community.

Barbara Grogan

Barbara Grogan’s perseverance and grit helped conquer gender barriers and impact women’s role in business. In 1982, Grogan launched her industrial construction company, Western Industrial Contractors Inc., where her dedication, strength and problem-solving abilities built the company from the ground up. As an entrepreneur, Grogan has advanced her passion for social justice and philanthropic service, mainly focused on childhood development and education in Colorado. Her decades of work have transformed Colorado’s business and provided women with leadership opportunities, developing the next generation of Colorado leaders.

Dusti Gurule

Gurule has been a cultural leader in reproductive justice, civic engagement, and advocacy for 25 years. Born into a family of activists, she was instilled with the importance of justice, equity and dignified treatment of everyone. Gurule’s family has been in Colorado for at least six generations, beginning in the San Luis Valley. Gurule served as the founding executive director of the Latina Initiative in 2004.This organization is nationally recognized and supports civic engagement and political leadership, amplifying Latina voices across Colorado.

Gloria J. Higgins

Higgins is a pioneering entrepreneur and a dedicated advocate for early childhood education. Her career, marked by innovation and substantial contributions to policy and community involvement, has inspired countless women leaders across education, nonprofits, accounting and technology. As one of the first women to graduate from DU earning a degree in accounting, she used her financial acumen to help establish Captiva Corporation. With her son Rick, she co-founded another technology startup, WealthTouch, a Software as a Service (SaaS) company. Higgins was also instrumental in the tax initiative to approve the Denver Preschool Program. She continues to mentor ambitious young women and build a network of female business leaders in Colorado.

Elizabeth “Betsy” Hoffman

Hoffman was the 20th President of the University of Colorado System (2000-2005). During her tenure, the University of Colorado completed its first billion-dollar campaign, started moving the health sciences center from Denver to Aurora, completed the administrative consolidation of the Denver campus and the health sciences campus, and oversaw the emergence of the Colorado Springs campus as an educational powerhouse in southern Colorado. Hoffman is recognized as one of the top experimental economists of her generation. She was a founding member of the Economic Science Association and its third president. She was also a founding member of the Cliometrics Society, dedicated to developing a scientific approach to studying economic history. Hoffman has published over 50 refereed journal articles, book chapters and two books.

Elsa Holguin

Holguin has made exceptional strides in early childhood education as president and CEO of the Denver Preschool Program. She pioneered initiatives that significantly enhanced equitable access and quality of preschool education for countless children in Colorado. Holguin worked with thousands of women, helping them grow their businesses. Her work at the Mi Casa Resource Center led her to founding the Business Center for Women, helping Latinas start their businesses. Her visionary leadership and unwavering dedication have left an indelible mark on Colorado’s educational landscape, empowering communities and transforming lives.

Carolyn Love

Love decided early on to work to end racism during her lifetime. As a leader in the non-profit sector, she has supported other women and girls of color, LGBTQ+, and people with disabilities. She mentors people throughout Colorado and is highly respected in the non-profit community. She helps leaders improve how organizations are considered, solves problems, and leaves people inspired and eager to learn more. She is always looking to move our communities to a place with nurtured leaders and opportunities for the future. Love worked in corporate, nonprofit, and educational environments with her educational foundation, leading her to leadership experience with numerous organizations. In addition to her community work, Love is affiliated with the Iliff School of Theology and Regis University as a professor. She owns Kebaya Consulting and Coaching, which brings women together on societal issues.

Jacqueline St. Joan

St. Joan inspires others to expand their vision of social justice and listen carefully to the voices of women, many of whom have been marginalized and excluded based on racism, poverty and gender violence. As an attorney, judge, law professor, child advocate and writer, St. Joan has played a preeminent role in transforming Colorado’s legal landscape for women and their children suffering violence and abuse. St. Joan is an award-winning poet and novelist. Two of her noteworthy books, “My Sisters Made of Light” and “Shawl of Midnight,” convey the struggles of women against violence, with the former being nominated for the Colorado Book Award. St. Joan has spent her life promoting gender and racial justice. Her advocacy for women who have been subjected to domestic violence led to enforcement and judicial system changes, ensuring the opportunity for fair treatment and safety.

HISTORICAL

Margaret “Meg” Hansson

Hansson was innovative and entrepreneurial, influencing society’s perception of women. Hansson began her first of eight businesses with Gerry Baby Products Company, where she became famous for being the co-founder of Gerry Baby Carriers. Hansson impacted parents by raising their families, creating her brand and inventing numerous startups, including Gerry Baby Products Company. Hansson’s goal was to help where women needed help the most. Hansson became the first and only woman to have four patents. She was the solo inventor of two of those patents

Dr. Lula Lubchenco Josephson

Dr. Lubchenco was a pioneering pediatrician in Colorado, where she developed protocols and tools used in delivery rooms around the world to categorize newborns and determine the risk of health complications. Dr. Lubchenco’s research insights and the use of her Lulagram chart helped shape the field of neonatology. She began publishing her research on the relationship between birth weight and gestational age in newborns. In this research, she developed a chart that allowed clinicians to plot a baby’s birth weight against its gestational age – this chart became known as the “Lulagram.” Additionally, one of her essential research studies was the follow-up of infants born prematurely due to mothers with Rh incompatibility. Her work helped obstetricians develop protocols that led to the prevention of Rh sensitization in mothers.

Dr. Mary Krugman

Dr. Krugman was a visionary leader in developing strategies for nurse recruitment through a post-baccalaureate residency program and curriculum for new nurses. Her devotion to healthcare and nurse development as they entered healthcare provided a framework for hospital orientation for new nurses. She led UC Health, University of Colorado Hospital, to be the world’s first accredited nurse residency program. Her program remains a gold standard.