Alumni Events

“CU Denver made an investment in me when I needed it the most. It's been my privilege to pay it forward by investing in CU, its students, faculty, staff, alumni, and surrounding community.” These comments from Lola Salazar MA ’92, made while accepting the 2023 Mack Easton Distinguished Alumni Award, offered a personal perspective on a common theme heard from each of this year’s Alumni Award recipients: CU Denver was a decisive influence on their lives.

Established in 1979, the CU Denver Alumni Awards honor CU Denver Lynx whose contributions to their professions, their communities, and their university have set them apart. On May 4, the university presented its 2023 Alumni Awards at a festive and newly reimagined ceremony in Tivoli Turnhalle.  

In honor of its 50th anniversary, the university expanded the awards this year to start a new tradition of recognizing distinguished alumni from each of CU Denver’s schools and colleges. These seven awards join two university-wide honors, the Mack Easton Distinguished Alumni Award and a new Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD) award, to form a new slate of Alumni Awards going forward.  

“There is so much I love about this university, and getting to know our incredible alumni and seeing the difference you make in our communities and in our world is such a highlight of my work and fills me with so much pride,” said Chancellor Michelle Marks as the awards presentation got under way. “We are so proud of all of our alumni, but some deserve special recognition for exemplifying the heights of intellectual endeavor and service to the community that we hope to inspire in all our students.”

Natriece Bryant ’02, MA ’07, MCJ ’09 (pictured left), president of the CU Denver Alumni Board, served as emcee for the event, introducing the award recipients in turn as deans from each of the schools and colleges presented them with the awards. Throughout the evening, the recipients remarked on CU Denver’s role in shaping their careers and lives.

“Getting an advanced degree helped me be successful in a progressive, well-educated community,” remarked Joe Pelle MCJ ’87, who served five terms as the elected Sheriff of Boulder County and received the School of Public Affairs Distinguished Alumni Award. “It gave me the language, skills, and ability to do critical thinking, to be progressive in regard to policy and implementation, and to sustain a long career—a beautiful career, and one from which I am so happy to be retiring,” he added.

Although unable to attend the event, David Dowall MURP ’74 noted the influence of his Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) degree in remarks delivered on his behalf by Carrie Makarewicz, associate professor in the College of Architecture and Planning and former student of Dowall’s at the University of California, Berkeley. “I’ve taught hundreds of graduate students, published scores of articles, books, and reports, and prepared planning studies for dozens of mega cities around the world,” Dowall said. “None of this would have been possible without my MURP.”

During an especially moving part of the ceremony, Chancellor Marks posthumously honored Patrick Browne ’10, MA ’18, CU Denver’s former director of Veteran & Military Student Services with the Graduate of the Last Decade Award. While Patrick’s wife, Rachel (pictured right with Chancellor Marks), accepted the award from the chancellor, Vice Chancellor for Advancement, Melisa Baldwin, offered a few words on Browne’s behalf, saying: 

“Working with Patrick, I know he was humble, but I don’t think he would let this opportunity pass without sharing that happiness is about service—service to each other, helping everyone feel welcome and included, to feel like you have a community; service to the country and the opportunities it provides for an education, which should be available to everyone; and service to ourselves, by finding our own passions and sharing those passions, gifts, and talents with others to make life easier and the world a better place for all.”

The event concluded with the presentation of the Mack Easton Distinguished Alumni Award, named in honor of D. Mack Easton, dean of what was known in the early 1960s as the Denver Extension Center, the precursor to CU Denver. "I owe a lot to CU Denver and to visionaries like Mack Easton,” said Lola Salazar in accepting the award. “My husband and I strongly believe our lives would not be what they are today without our family and friends, the schools we attended, and all the encouragement that helped us to keep working toward reaching our goals and our dreams.”

The 2023 Alumni Award Recipients

Business School Distinguished Alumni Award
Jennifer Leitsch MS, MBA '08
Managing Director, Climate Change and Sustainability Services, Ernst & Young



College of Architecture and Planning Distinguished Alumni Award
David Dowall MURP '74, PhD 
Professor Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley



College of Arts & Media Distinguished Alumni Award
Courtney Ozaki '06
Producer, Designer, Musician, and Founder of the Japanese Arts Network



College of Engineering, Design and Computing Distinguished Alumni Award
Akram Atallah '84, MS '86, MBA '94
President and CEO, Identity Digital



College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award
Erik Lucero '05, PhD
Lead Quantum Engineer and Site Lead, Google's Quantum AI Campus, Santa Barbara



School of Education & Human Development Distinguished Alumni Award
Lisa R. Roy MA '96, EdD '16
Executive Director, Colorado Department of Early Childhood



School of Public Affairs Distinguished Alumni Award
Joe Pelle MCJ '87 
Boulder County Sheriff (Retired)



Graduate of the Last Decade Award (Posthumous)
Patrick Browne '10, MA '18
Former Director, Veteran & Military Student Services at CU Denver



Mack Easton Distinguished Alumni Award
Lola Ann Salazar MA '92 
President, Salazar Family Foundation


Learn more about each recipient. | View event photo album.