A Seat at the Table with Debbie Brown

The Colorado Community College System featuring Dr. Marielena DeSanctis

As Chancellor of the Colorado Community College System, Dr. Marielena DeSanctis is committed to empowering students, faculty, and partners to build a stronger Colorado—one learner and one community at a time. Through the System’s 13 colleges, she champions access, affordability, and inclusive excellence, ensuring that every learner has a pathway to success, no matter where they start or where they are headed. A former engineer turned educator, she brings over 26 years of experience spanning K–12 and higher education and a deep belief in the power of community colleges to transform lives and communities.

On this episode of A Seat at the Table, Dr. DeSanctis shares her unique professional journey that has led her to leading CCCS. She dispels myths about community college, provides insights about graduates' and attendees' ROI from their time in the system, and offers a vision for the future of education. She touches on current pertinent issues like AI, higher education funding, workforce development and a lot more. 

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown. 

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For more of our events, podcasts, and news, please visit the Colorado Business Roundtable website.

State of the States: Business and Policy Perspectives from Ohio and California

Join State Business Roundtable Presidents from across the country for a candid conversation offering state-by-state perspectives on the top issues shaping business and public policy. Leaders will discuss how national and state trends impact their states, the issues top of mind for business, and how regional perspectives can drive a stronger U.S. economy. Recorded on March 12, 2026. This discussion features:

Debbie Brown, President, Colorado Business Roundtable

Pat Tiberi, President/CEO, Ohio Business Roundtable

Rob Lapsly, President, California Business Roundtable

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For more of our events, podcasts, and news, please visit the Colorado Business Roundtable website.

Unseen American Infrastructure featuring Chase McQuillen

Chase McQuillen serves as Chief Operating Officer & Managing Director at Loenbro. Loenbro provides comprehensive industrial and mission-critical services—including new construction, maintenance, fabrication, electrical, data center, insulation, scaffolding, pipeline, heat treatment, and inspection solutions—delivering safety-focused, turnkey support for energy, manufacturing, mining, federal, and infrastructure projects across the U.S. Since joining the company in 2013,he has played a central role in its evolution from a founder-led regional contractor into a diversified, multi-region operator. Appointed COO in 2024,Chase holds full P&L responsibility for all operating companies, regions, and acquisitions.

On this episode of A Seat at the Table with Debbie Brown, Chase shares his professional journey and provides many lessons learned along the way. He discusses what goes into the infrastructure that is the backbone of the United States, how the COVID pandemic forced their business to pivot, how data centers are evolving how they interact with the public and utilize resources, and much more. 

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown. 

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For more of our events, podcasts, and news, please visit the Colorado Business Roundtable website.

State of the States: Business and Policy Perspectives from Florida, Louisiana, and Texas

Join State Business Roundtable Presidents from across the country for a candid conversation offering state-by-state perspectives on the top issues shaping business and public policy. Leaders will discuss how national and state trends impact their states, the issues top of mind for business, and how regional perspectives can drive a stronger U.S. economy. Filmed on February 19, 2026. This discussion features:

Debbie Brown, President, Colorado Business Roundtable

Adam Knapp, CEO, Leaders for a Better Louisiana

Justin Yancy, President, Texas Business Leadership Council

Michael Simas, President/CEO, The Florida Council Of 100

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For more of our events, podcasts, and news, please visit the Colorado Business Roundtable website.

Taft is the Modern Law Firm featuring Lyle Wallace

Lyle Wallace is the partner-in-charge of the Colorado and Nevada offices for Taft, which refers to itself as "The Modern Law Firm." Lyle explains exactly what that means as part of our wide-ranging conversation with him that covers his professional journey, the type of work he does, his philanthropic efforts, his outlook on the business climate and much more. 

As mergers and acquisitions counsel, Lyle guides corporations and private equity groups through acquisitions, dispositions, and mergers, both domestic and international. He has represented clients in hundreds of transactions during his career and has developed a reputation not only as a talented legal practitioner but also as a practical problem-solver. A client has referred to Lyle as “the most pragmatic and solutions-oriented attorney we have ever worked with.”

Get to know Lyle on this episode of A Seat at the Table with Debbie Brown.

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown. 

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For more of our events, podcasts, and news, please visit the Colorado Business Roundtable website.

SPECIAL EPISODE: State of the State with Governor Polis – Colorado’s Next 150 Years

On January 28, 2026, Colorado Business Roundtable hosted its annual State of the State event at the Denver Art Musem. At that event, we took a look at Colorado’s progress in recent years and the priorities that will shape its long-term competitiveness. We had a forward-looking dialogue on what the future demands from both policymakers and employers. After short opening remarks, Governor Polis participated in a moderated Q&A with executives from some of Colorado’s leading employers. The members of the panel were:

David Coors - Chairman and Head of Business Relations at Molson Coors Beverage Company

Erin Waggoner - Senior Director of State and Local Government Affairs at Verizon

George Sparks - CEO of Denver Museum of Nature and Science

Debbie Brown - President of Colorado Business Roundtable

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For more of our events, podcasts, and news, please visit the Colorado Business Roundtable website.

The 2025 Talent Pipeline Report featuring Lee Wheeler-Berliner and Ryan Gedney

The annual Colorado Talent Pipeline Report produced by the Colorado Workforce Development Council identifies areas of growing demand and opportunity, key features of the current labor force, and strategies to balance the supply and demand equation for talent. It also highlights the Top Jobs in Colorado -- jobs with high annual openings, above average growth, and a good wage. The CWDC released the 2025 Talent Pipeline Report on Dec. 16, 2025. This twelfth iteration of the Talent Pipeline Report analyzes and explains labor market information, highlights talent development strategies, and provides data-informed opportunities to enhance the talent pipeline in Colorado. 

On this episode of A Seat at the Table with Debbie Brown, Debbie welcomes Talent Pipeline Senior Analyst Ryan Gedney and Managing Director Lee Wheeler-Berliner to the show to discuss the findings of this year's report. Where is there growth? Where are there opportunities? What challenges still exist? All of these questions and much more will be answered. 

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown.

Ryan Gedney is the talent pipeline analyst for the Colorado Workforce Development Council and the Colorado Department of Higher Education. In this shared-agency position, Ryan’s role is motivated by data creation and collection as an analytical tool for informed decision making. He supports the CWDC’s efforts to develop and sustain an industry-led talent development system through his empirical research and analyses centered on Colorado's workforce from both demand and supply perspectives. 

As the Managing Director of the Colorado Workforce Development Council Office, Lee manages the execution of strategies to develop and sustain an industry-led talent development system in Colorado. By forging relationships with industry and public partners at the local and state level, Lee helps to ensure the alignment of talent development efforts statewide. Lee has been with the CWDC since 2014 and brings extensive project management and leadership experience to this role. 

Up Close and Personal with Ent Credit Union CEO Chad Graves

Chad brings more than 28 years of leadership experience to his role as President & CEO of Ent Credit Union. Since he became CEO in October 2017, Ent has doubled in assets, members, employees, and locations. Ent continues to receive community, state, and national level recognition as a “best of” credit union and employer. Chad joined Ent in September 1999, as the Manager of eCommerce and was responsible for implementation of web-based online banking and progressed over the years to the Chief Information Officer role. During his tenure at Ent, he has held several leadership roles in Technology, Marketing, and Operations, prior to becoming President & CEO. Prior to Ent, Chad held technology positions at ADC Telecommunications and Nationwide Insurance.

On this episode of A Seat at the Table, Chad shares more about his professional journey, the challenges and opportunities present when incorporating new technology like online banking in the past and AI today, as well as what excites him going forward. He talks about Ent being active in the community, championing financial literacy, and what differentiates Ent from traditional banks and other credit unions.

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown. 

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For more of our events, podcasts, and news, please visit the Colorado Business Roundtable website.

The Present and Future of Local Journalism featuring Mark Cornetta

Mark Cornetta is Senior Vice President of Media for TEGNA and President & General Manager of KUSA/KTVD (9News) in Denver. This portfolio includes KUSA Channel 9 as well as KTVD Channel 20 9NEWS.com and others. Launched in the 1990s and now a vital news source for Coloradoans that updates news, weather and sports 24 hours a day. 9NEWS+, a free streaming app on Roku, Fire TV, Samsung, Android TV, and Apple TV, launched in 2022. From their "About Us" page on their website: "The story of 9NEWS is an evolution of people and technology. Film to videotape. Black and white to color. Analog to digital. But one thing that hasn't changed since 1952 is our commitment to bring Colorado the best programming possible."

On this episode of A Seat at the Table, Mark shares his professional journey and how he ultimately ended up at 9News. He chronicles the evolution of the business from his unique viewpoint and discusses the current challenges and opportunities facing local news, how the industry proceeds from here, what he expects from the FCC, and much, much more. Mark has worked in this industry for more than 40 years, and his insights about the current state of affairs, as well as where things head from here are valuable and incisive.

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown. 

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For more of our events, podcasts, and news, please visit the Colorado Business Roundtable website.

The Importance of Good Science and Good Policy featuring George Sparks

George Sparks has been the President/CEO of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science since November 2004. He spent 24 years in the electronics measurement business at Hewlett-Packard and Agilent Technologies. His career included marketing, sales, and general management of global businesses in software, systems, and services.

George's passion is public policy, particularly around science and education. He is a member of the Colorado Forum, Colorado Concern, and is on the Boards of Colorado Education Initiative, Colorado Business Roundtable, Colorado Music Hall of Fame, Denver Council of Foreign Relations, and Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.

George is also the founder of the Institute for Science & Policy, a program of the Museum., which strives to make science a second-nature consideration in public discourse. The Institute works across divides to help solve our most complex statewide, national, and global challenges. We are non-partisan, policy neutral, and serve as a convener and honest broker. With polarization rising, trust in institutions falling, the media seen as increasingly biased, and cultural divides creating challenges for our common humanity, the Institute is positioned to address the wicked collective action issues that define our modern world. If we are to make progress, we need a trusted space where people can learn, share, and work towards science-based solutions.

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown. 

Rate, review and subscribe on your favorite podcatcher.

For more of our events, podcasts, and news, please visit the Colorado Business Roundtable website.