DENVER — The executive director of a local nonprofit has been named the 2022 9NEWS Leader of the Year.
9NEWS and the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation announced Lydia Prado won the award that recognizes outstanding leaders who have made a significant impact on the state.
Prado is the executive director of Lifespan Local, a nonprofit that describes itself as "activating community-driven solutions to collectively identify challenges by partnering across sectors, breaking barriers and elevating community voices."
Before her role at Lifespan Local, Prado spent 17 years with the Mental Health Center of Denver.
She is also currently on the boards of HealthOne, Denver Preschool Program and more.
Prado was one of three finalists for this year's award. The others included Janine Davidson, President of Metropolitan State University and Michael Niyompong, Vice President and Chief Engagement Officer of Mental Health Center of Denver.
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Prado was chosen as the winner by a public vote.
She was described by those her voted for her as a justice-driven leader whose innovative, inclusive leadership style challenges the status quo and promotes a more equitable future for at-promise individuals.
"This is a tremendously meaningful honor because it acknowledges and uplifts neighborhood-based, community-fueled leadership," Prado said about the award. "We cultivate strong communities when we see strengths in each other, learn from each other and build promising futures together, across those boundaries that have historically and structurally limited creative, ingenious people. We cannot change inequities and injustice alone, it’s time to cast a very wide net."
To learn more about Lydia Prado and the 2022 9NEWS Leader of the Year finalists, visit https://denverleadership.org/leadingco.
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