In today’s episode, Dr. Brock Leach reflects on a career spanning business, ministry, and nonprofit service.

A 1976 Boettcher Scholar, Brock shares how his early years in Colorado shaped a lifelong commitment to service and led him from PepsiCo, where he served as CEO of Frito-Lay, to spiritual leadership, teaching, and social justice work.

He offers insights on innovation, purpose, and leadership that helps others grow, including one memorable story about how a simple question sparked an idea that helped Tostitos salsa became a billion-dollar brand.

At the center of the conversation is a clear belief: leadership is not about charisma, but about creating the conditions for people to discover what they do well, what they love, and what matters to them, and apply those strengths to something larger than themselves.

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In this episode of Colorado Leadership Stories, Katie Kramer sits down with Dr. Lisa Roy, executive director of the Colorado Department of Early Childhood, to explore her remarkable leadership journey and the transformative work shaping Colorado’s youngest learners.

From her deep family roots in education to her personal experience navigating the high cost of child care as a young mother, Dr. Roy shares how her life experiences fuel her commitment to expanding access, advancing universal preschool, and strengthening early childhood mental health supports statewide.

She reflects on launching a new state department, elevating Colorado from 27th to 3rd in national preschool access in just one year, and building bipartisan momentum around family-friendly policy. Grounded in a passion for equity, community voice, and paying it forward, Dr. Roy offers candid insights on leadership, resilience, rural innovation, and why the early years matter most for Colorado’s future.

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Find more information:

This platform is the source for help raising healthy, thriving Colorado kids: raisingcoloradokids.com

Colorado Department of Early Childhood: cdec.colorado.gov | 1-800-799-5876

Colorado Leadership Stories is a podcast presented by Boettcher Foundation

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In today’s episode, Kristin Todd, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado, reflects on what it means to be an invested neighbor and community member. Drawing on more than three decades in Colorado philanthropy, Kristin shares insights on building trust, convening unlikely partners, and creating space for collaboration in an increasingly complex world.

Kristin discusses the unique role community foundations play as neutral, trusted conveners that bring civic leaders, nonprofit partners, and residents together to tackle shared challenges across both urban and rural communities.

At the heart of the conversation is a simple but powerful idea: leadership starts with showing up. Kristin explores how authentic relationships, regional thinking, and a willingness to listen can unlock solutions that no single organization can achieve alone.

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Colorado Leadership Stories is a podcast presented by Boettcher Foundation

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.