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New hire

Zachary Riley, former senior director of public policy and federal affairs at Colorado Farm Bureau, will be chief executive of the Colorado Livestock Association, according to a news release.

Riley succeeds longtime head Bill Hammerich, who will help with the transition. Hammerich announced his retirement in July.

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“I’m excited about what Zach brings to the organization from a Colorado regulatory and legislative standpoint. Coming from a family of cattle producers, Zach understands the everyday challenges of livestock producers,” President Dwain Weinrich said in the release.

For five generations, Riley’s family has ranched in eastern New Mexico. In addition to the Colorado Farm Bureau, Riley has worked at the New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau and the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association. In Colorado, he has been active in the Colorado Agriculture Council, Colorado Business Roundtable, Colorado Water Congress, Colorado Business Coalition for Immigration Solutions and the Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Wayland Baptist University in Texas.

“I am honored to be chosen to continue the legacy of the Colorado Livestock Association while following the history and leadership of Bill Hammerich,” Riley said in the release. “I am thrilled to perpetuate these toils so that our wisest pursuit, agriculture may continue to provide our communities with necessary food and fiber.”

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The Denver Foundation has expanded its leadership team with Jill Iman as director of engaged learning; Abigail Kesner, vice president of communications; and Janet Lopez, senior director of policy, partnerships and learning.

In a news release, the community foundation said its expanded leadership team will help “create bridges between philanthropy and community in service of The Denver Foundation’s vision of a racially equitable future for Metro Denver.” The foundation awarded $115 million in grants in 2021.

“These three exceptional leaders bring a combined wealth of experience that profoundly deepens The Denver Foundation’s expertise, insight, and reach into the community,” President and CEO Javier Alberto Soto said in the release. “Beyond their outstanding credentials, Janet, Jill, and Abigail also share a genuine passion for building a racially equitable future for everyone in Metro Denver. I am thrilled that they’ve chosen to share their talent, creativity, and focus with The Denver Foundation and those who are touched by our work.”

Iman, formerly managing director at Joining Vision and Action, supported nonprofits and government entities in designing and implementing planning and evaluation efforts. She earned a doctorate in social psychology from the University of Michigan.

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Kesner was a producer with CNN, served as communications director for the Colorado Senate and also worked as communications and marketing director at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. She earned a bachelor’s degree in international studies from Middlebury College in Vermont.

Lopez worked at Rose Community Foundation as director of policy and senior program officer of education grantmaking. She has also worked for former Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter and Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock. She earned a doctorate in education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.