Mayor Hancock Establishes New Office for Redevelopment of National Western Center

Kelly Leid named Executive Director

DENVER- Mayor Michael B. Hancock announced on January 26, 2016 the city has created the Mayor's Office of the National Western Center through Executive Order No. 141. The Office will focus on realizing the bold vision of a must-see tourism destination and regional asset, transforming the Denver Coliseum and National Western Complex area to become a creative year-round activity campus.

The creation of the new office is a critical next step following the Denver voter's overwhelming support of ballot measure 2C and the State's support through Regional Tourism Act funding. Under the leadership of Kelly Leid as the new Executive Director, the Office will implement the National Western Center master plan.

"The National Western Center is set to become a unique campus that honors our heritage and brings vibrancy to these historic neighborhoods," said Mayor Hancock. "The creation of the office ensures that we are being deliberate about our approach and responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars to deliver a vision we can all be proud of. We owe it to the Denver community, the state of Colorado and our critical partners to be accountable for this collective investment that will help Denver thrive for generations to come."

The Mayor's Office of the National Western Center will assist in the formation of a governance entity and moving the work plan forward with guidance from the existing Executive Oversight Committee.  The new office will work independent of other departments and agencies and will be responsible for the budget management, maintaining existing partnerships, recruiting additional public and private partners and developing strategic communications and community outreach efforts.

In early 2013, Mayor Hancock appointed Kelly as the Executive Director of the North Denver Cornerstone Collaborative, an initiative to strategically align six redevelopment projects in Globeville, Elyria and Swansea; the National Western Center is one of those six projects.  Leid will transition out of his current role as the Executive Director of the NDCC over the next 90 days. The Mayor will next move to identify a new Executive Director for the North Denver Cornerstone Collaboration.

"Kelly has been a champion for north Denver through his work at the North Denver Cornerstone Collaborative," Mayor Hancock said. "He has proven himself as a thoughtful leader and his experience with large and complicated projects is critical to realize the true potential of the National Western Center vision."

As a third generation Colorado native, Kelly's experience spans over 25 years in broad-based project and operations management including 19-plus years in senior leadership positions. Kelly has worked across a range of highly visible public, private and nonprofit organizations including stadium projects for the Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos.

"The past couple of years have been an unbelievable honor to create a vision that will greatly impact the future of this great city and region. I am deeply honored to help lead this new office to chart a course that will celebrate our western heritage, secure the future for the National Western Stock Show and set the stage to position Denver and our State as a major player in solving major food production and food safety issues at the National Western Center," said Kelly.  

In his new role, Kelly will continue to chair the National Western Center Executive Oversight Committee. As Executive Director, he will remain a member of the Capital Funding Alignment Subcommittee, Event Programming Advisory Committee and the Citizens Advisory Committee; all committees established to advance the National Western Center vision.

Quotes from National Western Center Partners:

"For CSU, the National Western Center project is a unique opportunity to address global challenges around food, water, energy, the environment, and health in new and innovative ways. The creation of the Mayor's Office of the National Western Center showcases Mayor Hancock's commitment to fulfilling the bold vision of the National Western Center, and we look forward to working with the team to make the National Western Center a reality."

Tony Frank, President
Colorado State University

"We are excited about today's announcement which demonstrates the administration's commitment to the longevity of National Western Stock Show and creation of the National Western Center. Kelly Leid has provided great leadership on behalf of the city and we look forward to working with him to implement the vision as approved by the voters in November."

Ron Williams, Chairman of the Board
Western Stock Show Association

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MEDIA CONTACTS: 
City and County of Denver
Mayor Michael B. Hancock
Amber Miller, Communications Director
[email protected]

North Denver Cornerstone Collaborative
Erika Reyes Martinez
[email protected]
O: 720.865.2906