Investing in EMERGING LEADERS

The Dottie Lamm Leadership Award

About Dottie Lamm

Former First Lady of Colorado Dottie Lamm is a legendary leader and activist. She served as Colorado’s first lady for 12 years when she emerged as a leading advocate for women’s health, quality child care, and gender equality. She was also a founding mother of The Women’s Foundation of Colorado, making her mark as the first board chair.

In 1987, The Foundation created the Dottie Lamm Leadership Award to honor her commitment to advancing and accelerating opportunities for women and their families throughout the state of Colorado, by recognizing women and their resilience on the path to economic security. The first Dottie Lamm Leadership Award was granted in 1988 and has been awarded annually since. Meet Ananda Birungi, our 2019 Dottie Lamm Leadership Award winner. Our 2020 award winner will be announced at our Annual Luncheon, August 27-30, 2020.

2021 award applications  

We encourage women who believe in the mission and vision of WFCO and draw inspiration from the tremendous leadership of our first board chair to apply for this one-time award of $1,500. The award can be used at the sole discretion of the selected recipient. 

WFCO is no longer accepting applications for the 2020 Dottie Lamm Leadership Award. We will reopen applications in spring 2021.

Eligibility requirements

To be eligible, candidates must:

• Be aged in their late-teens to mid-twenties
• Live in Colorado
• Identify as a woman
• Demonstrate that they have overcome challenges and are forging a path to economic security
• Identify a Colorado organization or community resource that made a significant difference in their journey
• Be available to record a short speech for our Annual Luncheon video (assistance with preparation will be provided by the WFCO team)
• Provide a valid social security number or taxpayer I.D. to accept the $1,500 award (if selected)

Questions?

If you have questions about applying for the Dottie Lamm Leadership Award or volunteering as an application reviewer, please contact Colleen LaFontaine, director of development, at colleenl@wfco.org or 303-285-2963. 

Meet Our 2020 Dottie Lamm Leadership Award Winner

Clarissa Jaime Gonzalez Is on the Forefront of Incredible Change

Every year the Dottie Lamm Leadership Award honors a young woman’s commitment to advancing and accelerating opportunities for women all across the state. We celebrate her resilience and leadership on her own path to economic security. Our 2020 Dottie Lamm Leadership Award winner is Clarissa Jaime Gonzalez of Denver.

Here is her speech from our virtual 2020 Annual Luncheon.