Erin Brown

Erin Brown currently serves as the Chief Impact Officer for The Colorado Health—The largest foundation in the state of Colorado and one of the largest health philanthropies in the nation, with assets of over $2 billion to drive health equity for the people of Colorado.  She brings to this role more than 25 years of leadership experience directing community initiatives and civic programs and oversees all programmatic strategies related to grantmaking, impact investing and policy advocacy in service of the Foundation's mission to improve the health of Coloradans. 

Erin previously served as the Vice President of Community Investment and Impact for the Foundation where she oversaw the deployment and impact of grants and community investments across the state. 

Prior to joining the Foundation, Erin was the Deputy Chief of Staff for the City and County of Denver under Mayor Michael B. Hancock and held an expanded role as Denver’s first Chief Equity Officer. As an appointed official for three consecutive administrations, Erin provided bold and forward-thinking leadership, and was instrumental in building a system of collaboration among community members and organizations, local municipalities, businesses and city agencies. 

An advocate for children and families in Denver, Erin previously led Denver’s Office of Children’s Affairs, accomplishing city-wide goals to improve outcomes for children and youth. In her capacity as executive director, Erin worked to improve quality and increase access to experiences that ensure all children and families have the resources and opportunities to succeed in school, in the workplace and in a global society, regardless of race, ethnicity, income or disability. 

Erin also held the roles of Deputy Director for Denver Parks and Recreation, the Director of Resident Services for Kappa Management, Vice President of Programs and Development for the Urban League of Metropolitan Denver and Executive Director for the YMCA of Metropolitan Denver.

Today, her work and leadership are guided by the essence of a quote from President Barack Obama, “No matter who you are, what you look like, where you come from, you can make it. That's an essential promise of America. Where you start should not determine where you end up.”

Erin grew up in southern Colorado and currently resides in Denver. She is a committed community advocate and strives to be “a voice for the voiceless.”

Education

BS Communication — University of Southern Colorado