Happy Women’s History Month! In celebration, we’re highlighting a few remarkable women whose leadership, courage and contributions have shaped Colorado’s history and strengthened our communities.
Below, explore a collection of influential women from across generations who have left a lasting mark on Colorado and helped pave the way for future women leaders.
It’s only fitting that we begin with our only female co-founder, Frances Wisebart Jacobs, whose compassion and leadership helped lay the foundation for the work we continue today.
Frances Wisebart Jacobs, Colorado’s Mother of Charity, was a dedicated leader who made an indelible mark on Colorado in the late 1800s. She was the driving force behind the creation of many of our state’s iconic institutions and organizations, including Jewish Family Service of Colorado and National Jewish Health, as well as Denver’s first free kindergarten. She was the only woman among the five founders of what is now known as Mile High United Way, the first United Way in the world. She is also the only woman of 16 Colorado leaders depicted in the stained-glass windows in the Colorado State Capitol’s rotunda.
Julia Greeley, called Denver’s Angel of Charity, was born into slavery and moved to Denver following Missouri’s Emancipation Act in 1865. She was baptized into the Catholic Church in 1880 and became known for walking the streets of Denver, sharing literature from the Sacred Heart League to everyone she encountered. She freely gave away money she earned and pulled a red wagon through Denver to give food, coal, clothing and groceries to families in need. In 2016, Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila petitioned for Julia’s canonization in honor of her service to the Denver community.
U.S. Representative Pat Schroeder was a trailblazing legislator who helped improve the lives of women and girls across the United States. In 1972, she was the first Colorado woman and the second youngest woman elected to Congress (aged 32). She specialized in women’s rights and family-related legislation, including health care, child-rearing, Social Security expansion and gender equity in the workplace. Additionally, she was a founding member and long-time chair of the Congressional Women’s Caucus and helped pass notable legislation, including the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and Family and Medical Leave Act.
Sister Alicia Cuarón is a Latina leader and advocate. She was the first Latina executive director for the Colorado Economic Development Agency, the first Latina Colorado State Fair commissioner and the first Latina administrator of National Hispanic Association of Construction Enterprises. She founded and was the first director of Familia Franciscan AIDS Ministry, and established Centro Bienestar, which helps new immigrants make homes in the United States, develop their careers, become citizens and access supportive services.
Bea Romer was the driving force behind Colorado’s statewide preschool program and the first lady of Colorado for 12 years. She co-founded the Montview Community Preschool and Kindergarten, Stanley British Primary School and Stanley Teacher Prep before she established a working group in 1965 that would bring Head Start to Colorado. Bea’s husband, Roy, was elected governor of Colorado in 1987, and he tapped her to help make the state a leader in early childhood education. She also was the driving force behind legislation to establish the Colorado Preschool Program, making early childhood education more accessible statewide.
Emily Griffith was a visionary leader who founded the Opportunity School in Denver, now known as Emily Griffith Technical College, a unique school that offers job training and education “For All Those Who Wish To Learn.” Her family was very poor and moved from Cincinnati to Denver when Emily was 26. In Denver, Emily was first a substitute and then a full-time teacher. Ten years later, she became deputy state superintendent of schools. She believed everyone deserved an education, leading her to found the Opportunity School in 1916. She retired in 1933, after 100,000 students had attended her school. A stained-glass portrait window of Emily is in the Colorado State Capitol.
Chipeta was a Ute woman who advocated for the rights of the Ute tribe across Colorado. Chipeta accompanied her husband, Ouray, to negotiations with the Colorado and U.S. governments, and she was the only woman of her time allowed on the Ute council. In addition to her advocacy work, Chipeta cared for Ute orphans, including her nephew, and taught leatherworking and beading skills to other women and girls. Her life was marked with change after the Ute tribe was forcibly moved to Utah, but today her efforts to preserve the history of Colorado’s Ute people are celebrated and honored at the Ute Indian Museum in Montrose.
Today, Mile High United Way is proud to invest in high-impact programs that support women and girls through our Women United Initiative.
