Mayor John Suthers elected as Chair of Daniels Fund Board of Directors

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News

May 26, 2021

Mayor John Suthers elected as chair of
Daniels Fund board of directors

John Suthers

Mayor John Suthers has been elected Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Daniels Fund.

Now valued at approximately $1.6 billion, the Daniels Fund is a private charitable foundation dedicated to making life better for the people of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming through its grants program, scholarship program, and ethics initiative. The Daniels Fund continues the legacy of generosity established by its founder, Bill Daniels, a cable television pioneer known for his compassion for those in need and his unwavering commitment to ethics and integrity. Since its inception, it has funded grants and scholarships totaling more than $940 million.

Suthers has served on the Daniels Fund Board of Directors since May 2015. He follows outgoing board chair, Secretary Jim Nicholson, who has completed his term and will remain on the board.

“I’m honored to be elected Chairman of the Daniels Fund Board and continue the philanthropic legacy of Bill Daniels and the foundation he created to assist the people of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming,” Suthers said. “Jim Nicholson has done a tremendous job as chairman and I’ll endeavor to emulate his success.”

“I look forward to working closely with Mayor Suthers as Board Chair,” said Hanna Skandera, President & CEO of the Daniels Fund. “His proven track record as a leader is undeniable.”

Suthers was elected Mayor of Colorado Springs in May 2015 and was overwhelmingly re-elected to a second term in April 2019. Prior to that, he was Attorney General of Colorado from January 2005 until reaching his term limit in January 2015. Originally appointed and then twice-elected by significant margins, he maintained widespread popularity as Colorado’s chief legal officer and head of the Colorado Department of Law.

Previously, Suthers served as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Corrections, and District Attorney of Colorado Springs. He has also practiced law as a partner in a private firm.

Suthers’ involvement with civic organizations includes service as President of both the El Paso County Bar Association and the Colorado District Attorney’s Council, and Senior Vice President of the Colorado Bar Association. He has authored five books, most recently No Higher Calling, No Greater Responsibility: A Prosecutor Makes the Case.

In 2015, Suthers was awarded the Colorado Citizenship Medal, the highest award a Colorado citizen can receive for public service.

Suthers graduated magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame and he is also a graduate of the University of Colorado Law School.

Media Contact: Bruce Wilmsen
Direct: 720.941.4429
[email protected]

Mayor John Suthers elected as Chair of Daniels Fund Board of Directors

blank

News

May 26, 2021

Mayor John Suthers elected as chair of
Daniels Fund board of directors

John Suthers

Mayor John Suthers has been elected Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Daniels Fund.

Now valued at approximately $1.6 billion, the Daniels Fund is a private charitable foundation dedicated to making life better for the people of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming through its grants program, scholarship program, and ethics initiative. The Daniels Fund continues the legacy of generosity established by its founder, Bill Daniels, a cable television pioneer known for his compassion for those in need and his unwavering commitment to ethics and integrity. Since its inception, it has funded grants and scholarships totaling more than $940 million.

Suthers has served on the Daniels Fund Board of Directors since May 2015. He follows outgoing board chair, Secretary Jim Nicholson, who has completed his term and will remain on the board.

“I’m honored to be elected Chairman of the Daniels Fund Board and continue the philanthropic legacy of Bill Daniels and the foundation he created to assist the people of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming,” Suthers said. “Jim Nicholson has done a tremendous job as chairman and I’ll endeavor to emulate his success.”

“I look forward to working closely with Mayor Suthers as Board Chair,” said Hanna Skandera, President & CEO of the Daniels Fund. “His proven track record as a leader is undeniable.”

Suthers was elected Mayor of Colorado Springs in May 2015 and was overwhelmingly re-elected to a second term in April 2019. Prior to that, he was Attorney General of Colorado from January 2005 until reaching his term limit in January 2015. Originally appointed and then twice-elected by significant margins, he maintained widespread popularity as Colorado’s chief legal officer and head of the Colorado Department of Law.

Previously, Suthers served as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Corrections, and District Attorney of Colorado Springs. He has also practiced law as a partner in a private firm.

Suthers’ involvement with civic organizations includes service as President of both the El Paso County Bar Association and the Colorado District Attorney’s Council, and Senior Vice President of the Colorado Bar Association. He has authored five books, most recently No Higher Calling, No Greater Responsibility: A Prosecutor Makes the Case.

In 2015, Suthers was awarded the Colorado Citizenship Medal, the highest award a Colorado citizen can receive for public service.

Suthers graduated magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame and he is also a graduate of the University of Colorado Law School.

Media Contact: Bruce Wilmsen
Direct: 720.941.4429
[email protected]

Winners of 2021 Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Case Competition — University of Northern Colorado and Colorado State University

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News

April 20, 2021

Winners of 2021 Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Case Competition — University of Northern Colorado and Colorado State University

The Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative’s ninth annual Collegiate Program Case Competition took place April 16. The Case Competition exposes college students to a thought-provoking business ethics case, and is designed to challenge students’ ethical reasoning, give them tools for ethical decision-making, and raise awareness of the importance of principle-based ethics.

The event included two separate competition tracks — one for undergraduate students and another for graduate students. For the first time ever, the competition was held in a live virtual format, due to COVID-19 considerations, with students participating from across Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.

In the undergraduate track, students from University of Northern Colorado’s Monfort College of Business were the first place winners. The second place team was from University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business and the third place team was from the University of Wyoming’s College of Business. Students from Colorado State University’s College of Business placed first in the graduate competition. University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business placed second and University of Colorado Denver’s Business School placed third in the graduate track.

SHIFTCareer

Pictured: Undergraduate winning team from the University of Northern Colorado (Clockwise from top left), Davis Johnson, Emmy Scott, Jamal Blassingale, and Halaki Gionet.

“This was an amazing opportunity, I learned so much,” said Racheal Guse from the CSU graduate team. “It was the highlight of my MBA experience.”

In advance of the competition, teams were provided with a business ethics case involving a fictional defense industry technology company, specializing in artificial intelligence and biological experiments. Students take on the role of an ethics consulting firm hired by the company’s board of directors to help deal with ethical issues and risks at the company.

Each team analyzed the ethical issues involved and presented their prepared recommendations to a panel of judges. After their presentation, the teams received new information — a twist on the case that introduced a crisis. They had just four hours to re-analyze their original recommendations, and make a second presentation to the judges incorporating the new information.

SHIFTCareer

Pictured: Graduate track winning team from Colorado State University (Clockwise from top left), Charmaine Brown, Chris Marsh, Racheal Guse, Mo Phenix, Grant Stump, and Courtney LaBrie.

“This competition is designed to help students prepare for the real world by learning how to incorporate ethical decision-making into situations similar to what they might face in their professional careers,” said Hanna Skandera, President & CEO of the Daniels Fund. “It was impressive to see how well the teams performed and were able to pivot when they received the crisis part of the case.”

Panels of judges for each track were comprised of business and community leaders who played the role of the company’s board of directors. Jandel Allen-Davis, CEO & President of Craig Hospital, served as head judge for the graduate track and Mark Cordova, Founder & President of Centennial Bolt, served as head judge for the undergraduate track. The panels of judges included Albus Brooks, Vice President of Business Development & Public Affairs at Milender White; Ted Harms, Executive Director of the Anschutz Foundation; Richard Martinez, President & CEO of Young Americans Center for Financial Education and Young Americans Bank; Christopher Picardi, Senior Vice President of KeyBank; Mary Rhinehart, Chairman of Johns Mansville; Mike Talamantes, Managing Director at RBC Capital Markets; and Robin Wise, President & CEO of Junior Achievement – Rocky Mountain.

Judges evaluated presentations against established criteria, including the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Principles: integrity, trust, accountability, transparency, fairness, respect, rule of law, and viability.

Eleven undergraduate and eleven graduate student teams participated in this unique competition, designed exclusively for business schools that are part of the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program from Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. In addition to the top teams already mentioned, there were competing teams from: Colorado Mesa University’s Department of Business, New Mexico State University’s College of Business, University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business, University of Colorado Colorado Springs’ College of Business, University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business, and University of New Mexico’s Anderson School of Management. Students from the University of Colorado Law School served as legal advisors to each of the teams.

About the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program
Reflecting Bill Daniels’ personal commitment to ethics and integrity, the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program was established in 2010 to instill a high standard of ethics in students and strengthen principle-based ethics education in participating schools. The current phase of the program consists of twelve business and law school university partners in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. To date, more than 450,000 students, faculty, and business people have been impacted by the Collegiate Program.

About the Daniels Fund
The Daniels Fund, established by cable television pioneer Bill Daniels, is a private charitable foundation dedicated to making life better for the people of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming through its grants program, scholarship program, and ethics initiative. Visit DanielsFund.org to learn more.

Media Contact: Bruce Wilmsen
Direct: 720.941.4429
[email protected]

Winners of 2021 Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Case Competition — University of Northern Colorado and Colorado State University

News

April 20, 2021

Winners of 2021 Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Case Competition — University of Northern Colorado and Colorado State University

The Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative’s ninth annual Collegiate Program Case Competition took place April 16. The Case Competition exposes college students to a thought-provoking business ethics case, and is designed to challenge students’ ethical reasoning, give them tools for ethical decision-making, and raise awareness of the importance of principle-based ethics.

The event included two separate competition tracks — one for undergraduate students and another for graduate students. For the first time ever, the competition was held in a live virtual format, due to COVID-19 considerations, with students participating from across Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.

In the undergraduate track, students from University of Northern Colorado’s Monfort College of Business were the first place winners. The second place team was from University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business and the third place team was from the University of Wyoming’s College of Business. Students from Colorado State University’s College of Business placed first in the graduate competition. University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business placed second and University of Colorado Denver’s Business School placed third in the graduate track.

SHIFTCareerPictured: Undergraduate winning team from the University of Northern Colorado (Clockwise from top left), Davis Johnson, Emmy Scott, Jamal Blassingale, and Halaki Gionet.

“This was an amazing opportunity, I learned so much,” said Racheal Guse from the CSU graduate team. “It was the highlight of my MBA experience.”

In advance of the competition, teams were provided with a business ethics case involving a fictional defense industry technology company, specializing in artificial intelligence and biological experiments. Students take on the role of an ethics consulting firm hired by the company’s board of directors to help deal with ethical issues and risks at the company.

Each team analyzed the ethical issues involved and presented their prepared recommendations to a panel of judges. After their presentation, the teams received new information — a twist on the case that introduced a crisis. They had just four hours to re-analyze their original recommendations, and make a second presentation to the judges incorporating the new information.

SHIFTCareerPictured: Graduate track winning team from Colorado State University (Clockwise from top left), Charmaine Brown, Chris Marsh, Racheal Guse, Mo Phenix, Grant Stump, and Courtney LaBrie.

“This competition is designed to help students prepare for the real world by learning how to incorporate ethical decision-making into situations similar to what they might face in their professional careers,” said Hanna Skandera, President & CEO of the Daniels Fund. “It was impressive to see how well the teams performed and were able to pivot when they received the crisis part of the case.”

Panels of judges for each track were comprised of business and community leaders who played the role of the company’s board of directors. Jandel Allen-Davis, CEO & President of Craig Hospital, served as head judge for the graduate track and Mark Cordova, Founder & President of Centennial Bolt, served as head judge for the undergraduate track. The panels of judges included Albus Brooks, Vice President of Business Development & Public Affairs at Milender White; Ted Harms, Executive Director of the Anschutz Foundation; Richard Martinez, President & CEO of Young Americans Center for Financial Education and Young Americans Bank; Christopher Picardi, Senior Vice President of KeyBank; Mary Rhinehart, Chairman of Johns Mansville; Mike Talamantes, Managing Director at RBC Capital Markets; and Robin Wise, President & CEO of Junior Achievement – Rocky Mountain.

Judges evaluated presentations against established criteria, including the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Principles: integrity, trust, accountability, transparency, fairness, respect, rule of law, and viability.

Eleven undergraduate and eleven graduate student teams participated in this unique competition, designed exclusively for business schools that are part of the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program from Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. In addition to the top teams already mentioned, there were competing teams from: Colorado Mesa University’s Department of Business, New Mexico State University’s College of Business, University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business, University of Colorado Colorado Springs’ College of Business, University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business, and University of New Mexico’s Anderson School of Management. Students from the University of Colorado Law School served as legal advisors to each of the teams.

About the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program
Reflecting Bill Daniels’ personal commitment to ethics and integrity, the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program was established in 2010 to instill a high standard of ethics in students and strengthen principle-based ethics education in participating schools. The current phase of the program consists of twelve business and law school university partners in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. To date, more than 450,000 students, faculty, and business people have been impacted by the Collegiate Program.

About the Daniels Fund
The Daniels Fund, established by cable television pioneer Bill Daniels, is a private charitable foundation dedicated to making life better for the people of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming through its grants program, scholarship program, and ethics initiative. Visit DanielsFund.org to learn more.

Media Contact: Bruce Wilmsen
Direct: 720.941.4429
[email protected]

Daniels Fund gives $6.7 million in grants and scholarships in Wyoming in 2020

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News

March 29, 2021

Daniels Fund gives $6.7 million in grants and scholarships in Wyoming in 2020

$95.9 million given in the state since 2000

In 2020, the Daniels Fund provided more than $6.7 million in grants to nonprofit organizations and scholarships to students in Wyoming. Since inception in 2000, the Daniels Fund has distributed $95.9 million in grants and scholarships in the state. Throughout its four-state region of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, the Daniels Fund provided more than $64.9 million in grants and scholarships in 2020.

Communities across Wyoming are benefiting from $4.6 million in grants to outstanding nonprofits throughout the state in 2020. The Daniels Fund makes grants in eight funding areas specified by its founder, Bill Daniels: Aging, Amateur Sports, Disabilities, Drug & Alcohol Addiction, Early Childhood Education, K-12 Education Reform, Homeless & Disadvantaged, and Youth Development.

The Daniels Fund’s grantmaking actively addressed the unique challenges its communities faced in 2020, providing $712,000 in COVID-19 response grants to nonprofit partners in Wyoming to help those most affected by the pandemic.

“2020 was a year of unprecedented and unique challenges across our community,” said Hanna Skandera, President and CEO of the Daniels Fund. “Our grantees demonstrated agility as they swiftly pivoted in light of new challenges and we are grateful for their continued impact on those in need.”

Organizations that were awarded grants for programs in Wyoming in 2020 include Alliance for Choice in Education, Boy Scouts of America, Greater Wyoming Council, The Hub on Smith, Boys & Girls Club of Cheyenne Wyoming, Boys & Girls Club of Douglas, Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Wyoming, Casper Boxing Club, Central Wyoming Hospice & Transitions, Central Wyoming Rescue Mission, Child Development Center of Natrona County, CLIMB Wyoming, Comea, Community Entry Services, Evanston Youth Club for Boys and Girls, Food Bank of the Rockies, Hot Springs County Senior Citizens Center, Meals on Wheels of Cheyenne, North Big Horn Senior Center, Park County Court Supervised Treatment Program, Shoshoni Senior Citizens, Volunteers of America Northern Rockies, Wyoming Agriculture in the Classroom, Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police, Wyoming Department of Education, and Youth Emergency Services. The Daniels Fund also provided continuing grant support to Girls on the Run Wyoming, H Diamond W Youth Camp, the Unaccompanied Students Initiative, the University of Wyoming Trustees Education Initiative, and the William H. and Carrie Gottsche Foundation.

Wyoming students received more than $2.1 million in scholarships through the Daniels Fund’s two distinct scholarship programs. The Daniels Scholarship Program provides college scholarships to deserving high school seniors. Daniels Scholars have attended more than 400 colleges in 48 states. The Boundless Opportunity Scholarship program provides funding to participating colleges to offer scholarships to non-traditional students.

About the Daniels Fund

The Daniels Fund, established by cable television pioneer Bill Daniels, is a private charitable foundation dedicated to making life better for the people of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming through its grants program, scholarship program, and ethics initiative. Visit DanielsFund.org to learn more.

Media Contact: Bruce Wilmsen
Direct: 720.941.4429
[email protected]

Daniels Fund gives $4.5 million in grants and scholarships in Utah in 2020

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News

March 29, 2021

Daniels Fund gives $4.5 million in grants and scholarships in Utah in 2020

$45 million given in the state since 2000

In 2020, the Daniels Fund provided $4.5 million in grants to nonprofit organizations and scholarships to students in Utah. Since inception in 2000, the Daniels Fund has distributed $45 million in grants and scholarships in the state. The Daniels Fund provided more than $64.9 million in grants and scholarships throughout its four-state region of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming in 2020.

Communities across Utah are benefiting from $3 million in grants to outstanding nonprofits throughout the state in 2020. The Daniels Fund’s Utah grantmaking strategy focuses primarily on collective impact programs that coordinate a shared strategic vision with numerous community partners, with a limited number of additional grants focused on specific needs of the state.

The Daniels Fund’s grantmaking actively addressed the unique challenges its communities faced in 2020, providing $255,000 in COVID-19 response grants to nonprofit partners in Utah to help those most affected by the pandemic.

“2020 was a year of unprecedented and unique challenges across our community,” said Hanna Skandera, President and CEO of the Daniels Fund. “Our grantees demonstrated agility as they swiftly pivoted in light of new challenges and we are grateful for their continued impact on those in need.”

Organizations that were awarded grants for programs in Utah in 2020 include American Preparatory Academy, Children’s Center, Columbus Community Center, Jewish Family Service, Kids on the Move, Libertas Institute, Positive Coaching Alliance, Sutherland Institute, United Way of Northern Utah, United Way of Salt Lake, Utah Food Bank, and Work Activity Center, in addition to continuing grant support for the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Association.

Utah students received $1.5 million in scholarships through the Daniels Fund’s two distinct scholarship programs. The Daniels Scholarship Program provides college scholarships to deserving high school seniors. Daniels Scholars have attended more than 400 colleges in 48 states. The Boundless Opportunity Scholarship program provides funding to participating colleges to offer scholarships to non-traditional students.

The Daniels Fund also provided grant funding to the University of Utah for ethics education through the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program.

About the Daniels Fund

The Daniels Fund, established by cable television pioneer Bill Daniels, is a private charitable foundation dedicated to making life better for the people of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming through its grants program, scholarship program, and ethics initiative. Visit DanielsFund.org to learn more.

Media Contact: Bruce Wilmsen
Direct: 720.941.4429
[email protected]

Daniels Fund gives $6.3 million in grants and scholarships in New Mexico in 2020

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News

March 29, 2021

Daniels Fund gives $6.3 million in grants and scholarships in New Mexico in 2020

$114.9 million given in the state since 2000

In 2020, the Daniels Fund provided $6.3 million in grants to nonprofit organizations and scholarships to students in New Mexico. Since inception in 2000, the Daniels Fund has distributed $114.9 million in grants and scholarships in the state. The Daniels Fund provided more than $64.9 million in grants and scholarships throughout its four-state region of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming in 2020.

Communities across New Mexico are benefiting from $4.3 million in grants to outstanding nonprofits throughout the state in 2020. The Daniels Fund’s New Mexico grantmaking strategy focuses primarily on education-related initiatives, maximizing impact by inviting grant requests from nonprofit organizations with a demonstrated ability to improve the education continuum, from cradle to career.

The Daniels Fund’s grantmaking actively addressed the unique challenges its communities faced in 2020, providing $610,000 in COVID-19 response grants to nonprofit partners in New Mexico to help those most affected by the pandemic.

“2020 was a year of unprecedented and unique challenges across our community,” said Hanna Skandera, President and CEO of the Daniels Fund. “Our grantees demonstrated agility as they swiftly pivoted in light of new challenges and we are grateful for their continued impact on those in need.”

Organizations in New Mexico awarded grants in 2020 include NewMexicoKidsCAN, All Together NM Fund, Boys & Girls Clubs of New Mexico, The Bridge of Southern New Mexico, Community Outreach and Patient Empowerment, Excellent Schools New Mexico, Hobbs Career and Technical Education Campus, Public Charter Schools New Mexico, Roadrunner Food Bank, Opportunity Santa Fe, The Taos School Zone, Teach Plus New Mexico, and United Way of Santa Fe Family, Friends and Neighbors program.

New Mexico students received $2 million in scholarships through the Daniels Fund’s two distinct scholarship programs. The Daniels Scholarship Program provides college scholarships to deserving high school seniors. Daniels Scholars have attended more than 400 colleges in 48 states. The Boundless Opportunity Scholarship program provides funding to participating colleges to offer scholarships to non-traditional students.

The Daniels Fund also provided grant funding to the University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University for ethics education through the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program.

About the Daniels Fund

The Daniels Fund, established by cable television pioneer Bill Daniels, is a private charitable foundation dedicated to making life better for the people of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming through its grants program, scholarship program, and ethics initiative. Visit DanielsFund.org to learn more.

Media Contact: Bruce Wilmsen
Direct: 720.941.4429
[email protected]