GenXYZ 2023 — Danielle Shoots

They’re uncommon achievers, whether as entrepreneurs, CEOs, nonprofit leaders, visionaries critical to their companies’ success or, in some cases, all of those roles. This year’s Top 25 Young Professionals figure to continue making a difference professionally and in their communities for years to come.

Read on to learn about the 2023 Top 25 Young Professionals and to see the list of this year’s top 50 finalists.

READ: GenXYZ 2023 — Top 25

Danielle Shoots, 37 

Founding Partner & Managing Director, New Community Transformation Fund | Denver

Danielle Shoots is an unapologetic warrior for equity and inclusion. She has a deep understanding of how economic inequities result in a lack of access to quality health care, affordable housing and getting a college degree for disadvantaged populations. 

Shoots has challenged the philanthropic and investment communities to use the tools of wealth building to increase investments in marginalized, undercapitalized people and communities. 

Shoots founded the New Community Transformation Fund (NCTF-Denver), a $50 million fund focused on early stage investing in high-growth companies founded, owned and operated by members of the Black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) community. NCTF-Denver invests $250,000 to $1 million in first-round BIPOC companies.

In addition to NCTF-Denver, Shoots has built a multimillion-dollar consulting and leadership development enterprise and a $1 million fund that invests in BIPOC real estate and home ownership. 

Shoots embarked on her executive leadership path at age 26, ascending to the position of CFO for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. After working for the state, Shoots managed the Comcast West Division’s billion-dollar capital portfolio, financial planning and analysis, mergers and acquisitions and a team of 60 employees in seven states. 

Before founding NCTF-Denver, Shoots was the chief financial officer for The Colorado Trust, where she grew the foundation’s endowment from $430 million to nearly $600 million. 

Shoots considers her greatest successes to be her kind, thoughtful and hardworking children and the leaders she has nurtured who, she believes, are going to change the world.

GenXYZ 2023 — Top 25

They’re uncommon achievers, whether as entrepreneurs, CEOs, nonprofit leaders, visionaries critical to their companies’ success or, in some cases, all of those roles. This year’s Top 25 Young Professionals figure to continue making a difference professionally and in their communities for years to come.

Nominations for the 13th annual Gen XYZ awards — open to those under 40 who live and work in Colorado — numbered in the hundreds, making for difficult decisions and conversations among judges, as always. Applications were judged by our editorial board based on career achievement, community engagement and their stories of how they got to where they are now. The field of nominees first was narrowed to 50 finalists, out of which the Top 25 were selected. Out of that, a Top 5 of particularly outstanding entries were chosen.

Read on to learn about the 2023 Top 25 Young Professionals and to see the list of this year’s top 50 finalists. 


COLORADO’S TOP 25 YOUNG PROFESSIONALS

Heather Broxterman, 39, Founder & Senior Counsel | BAM Family Law, Denver – Top 5

Danielle Shoots, 37, Founding Partner & Managing Director | New Community Transformation Fund, Denver – Top 5

Nicole Riehl, 39, President & CEO | Colorado EPIC, Denver – Top 5

Michael Fleschner, 35, Director | GLC Advisors, Denver – Top 5

Cole Gibbs, 36, Founder & CEO | Dama BioPlastics, Aurora – Top 5


Jigna Hammers, 33, Partner | Lantz Boggio / Architects, Englewood

Lauren Napheys, 32, Director of Investments| Headwaters Group, Denver

Taylor Dilk, 30, Co-founder & CEO | Vitality, Denver

Michael Sutton, 38, Owner & CEO | Kind Home Solutions, Englewood

Andrew Comer, 38, Equity Partner | Fortis Law Partners, Denver

Hayley Selden, 28, Owner | Redwood Jane LLC, Edgewater

Matt Ward, 38, President | Ward Electric Co. Inc., Longmont

Rob Lee Andrews, 38, CEO | CommunityWorks, Denver

Amanda Johnson, 37, Principle | OZ Architecture, Denver

Angel Johnson, 31, CEO & Founder | ICONI, Denver

Anna Costello, 35, Owner | Ship Sunshine & dropSHIP Like It’s Hot, Denver

Avi Loewenstein, 39, Shareholder | Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Denver

Cassandra Puhalla, 33, Director, Client Advisory | Crestone Capital, Boulder

Devin Bostick, 30, Founder & President | Lucky Truck, Boulder

Devon Davis, 28, Vice President & Banking Advisor | PNC Bank, Boulder

Jocelyn Gilligan, 38, Partner | Longs Peak Advisory Services LLC, Denver

Kelly O’Donnell, 34, National Business Banking Merchant Sales Leader | KeyBank Denver

Kellan Moore, 36, President/Owner | Lind’s Plumbing & Heating, Denver

Taylor Rosty, 28, CEO | Lasso Digital, Denver

Terence Rogers, 33, Chief & Owner | Sullivan Scrap Kitchen, Denver

Note: Ages given for the GenXYZ winners are as of Jan. 24, the original deadline for submitting nominations.

(THIS ARTICLE APPEARED IN GENXYZ – COLORADOBIZ PRINT MAGAZINE SPRING ISSUE, PUBLISHED FEBRUARY, 2023)