State of Women in Work in Colorado Recap

Dear CWCC Members and Friends,

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the 2025 State of Women in Business Breakfast, presented by HCA HealthONE. For those who couldn’t attend, I wanted to share some key highlights and reflections from this important conversation about women’s advancement in Colorado’s business landscape.

The Symphony of Our Economy

In my address, I used the metaphor of an orchestra with half its instruments muted to illustrate our current economy – technically functional, but profoundly incomplete. When we artificially constrain half of our talent, we miss the rich harmonies and full potential our economy was meant to express.

Our economy today is just a shadow of what could be when all voices are empowered to contribute fully.

Where We Stand Today

The data from the 2024 Lean In Women in Work Report tells a compelling story:

• Women now hold 29% of C-suite positions nationally
• Women of color occupy just 7% of these executive roles
• Colorado leads slightly with women holding 30% of C-suite positions

We’re seeing persistent challenges in the promotion pipeline:

• For every 100 men promoted from entry-level to manager, only 87 women receive the same opportunity
• This drops to only 75 Latina women and 69 Black women
• This “broken rung” creates a bottleneck limiting leadership opportunities throughout women’s careers

What’s particularly concerning is that despite women earning higher performance ratings on average—with 84% of women receiving positive evaluations compared to 77% of men—this excellence isn’t translating to advancement opportunities.

At our current pace, it will take nearly half a century for women of color to reach parity in senior leadership.

Colorado’s Progress

We are the new custodians of the Women on Colorado Boards Report formerly managed by Board Bound and the Women’s Leadership Foundation. The 2024 data shows that we’re making strides in Colorado: 

• Women now occupy 29.1% of board seats among Colorado’s 75 publicly traded companies
• Leading companies like Summit Materials (54% women board members), RE/MAX Holdings (50%), and Vail Resorts (50%) demonstrate that achieving gender parity is possible and advantageous

We’re proud of our many Chamber member companies including DaVita, Newmont, Western Union, Molson Coors, and Ibotta who are walking the talk and creating inclusive boards. These companies set an important benchmark for what’s achievable when organizations prioritize board diversity.

Call to Action: Five Transformative Steps

I outlined five transformative actions Colorado businesses must embrace:

1. Modernize board composition through data-driven assessments and strategic succession planning
2. Build sustainable talent pipelines by forging partnerships with organizations like CWCC
3. Embed accountability through comprehensive inclusivity and accessibility policies
4. Accelerate progress through structured collaboration via communities of practice like the CWCC Executive Forum
5. Champion policy change by advocating for legislation that advances women in business

Join me in congratulating our 2024 honorees. Our Advocacy Award honoree is the Colorado Equal Pay Coalition—led by The Women’s Foundation of Colorado, 9to5 Colorado, and the Colorado Women’s Bar Association—successfully championed the “Ensure Equal Pay for Equal Work” Act, which has already reduced the gender pay gap by 7 cents on the dollar by raising women’s wages rather than lowering men’s compensation. Our Chamber Champion is Lexi Muller, Senior Regional Manager of Corporate Responsibility for Southwest Airlines. Lexi elevates organizations through her exceptional leadership, combining her extensive airline operations expertise with tireless community advocacy that challenges leaders to boldly commit their time, talent, and resources to support our business community.

Join Us in This Work

True economic progress is only possible when leadership reflects the diverse talent, perspectives, and expertise of our workforce. Together, we can shape a future where all women have the opportunity to lead, innovate, and transform Colorado’s business landscape

Warm regards,

Simone D. Ross
CEO, Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce