ColoradoBiz CEO of the Year 2015 finalist: Donna Lynne

Her motto: “Never be afraid to take risks."

Lynne’s motto: “Never be afraid to take risks.” Even if you fail, you learn. If you don’t take a chance, you miss out on opportunities.

Opting to participate in the Affordable Care Act was a gamble, she notes, but the chance came in the form of growth: Kaiser Permanente Colorado has signed up 75,000 new customers since January 2014, hired about 500 new employees, and brought in 100 new physicians.

The billion-dollar question: How do you make health care more affordable?

“It’s actually the $3 trillion question,” says Lynne, citing prevention as a big part of the answer. “It’s not sick care. We want to prevent people from getting to a place where they need health care.”