CU Denver is proud to honor Lisa R. Roy MA '96, EdD '16 with the 2023 School of Education & Human Development Distinguished Alumni Award for her dedication and commitment to advancing early childhood education in the State of Colorado.

Lisa is the newly appointed Executive Director for the Colorado Department of Early Childhood. The Department will manage Colorado’s new universal preschool program, serving children in the year before kindergarten statewide starting in the summer of 2023. The Department will also manage comprehensive programs and services for young children, families and early childhood professionals, utilizing a "one-stop shop" application process.

Lisa previously served as the director of program development for the Buffett Early Childhood Institute and as the executive director of early childhood education for Denver Public Schools. She has volunteered and worked in non-profit and government roles supporting families with young children for over 30 years.

Boards Lisa has served on include:
Emily Griffith Foundation, Denver Early Childhood Council, Afterschool Alliance, KIPP Colorado, Mental Health Center of Denver, Tony Grampsas Youth Crime Prevention and Intervention, and Denver Welfare Reform.

Lisa's current memberships include: National Association for the Education of Young Children, Colorado Women's Forum, and Golden Key Society. Dr. Roy was recently honored with the Harmon Award for Early Childhood Mental Health from the Colorado Association for Infant Mental Health.

Lisa has presented several times a year at local (Omaha and Nebraska for the last few years, and Denver and Colorado for more than three decades), as well as national webinars and conferences.

Lisa writes for pleasure, primarily as a literary nonfiction and historical writer and include:
Prairie Pioneer, Essay Daily - January 31, 2022
Submit, Ouch, Revise, Resubmit, Brevity Blog - December 30, 2021
Summer of '68: Crab Feast, The Linden Review - December 7, 2021
Various articles with Blackpast.org, Blackpast.org - January 12, 2020
Salsa Soul and Spirit Book Review, Taylor and Francis Online - January 29, 2015

View Lisa's LinkedIn

Read more about Lisa's role in leading the state's new Department of Early Childhood.