Brad Buchanan, CEO of the National Western Center Authority, is a dynamic leader in the Rocky Mountain region, with roots in entrepreneurship, city planning, design, development, agriculture and community building. Appointed in 2018, he is responsible for implementing the vision of the National Western Center. When complete, the 250-acre campus in north Denver will be a year-round, global destination for culture, entertainment, education and agribusiness innovation.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in environmental design from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, Brad began his career as an architect in Denver, and started his own architecture firm in 1987. Over 25 years he expanded it to include design-build services and real estate development — focusing on mixed-use, urban infill projects, including some affordable housing developments. In 2011 he joined RNL Design (now Stantec) as principal.

In 2014 during Denver’s historic post-recession building boom, Mayor Michael B. Hancock appointed Brad executive director of Denver Community Planning and Development. Under Brad’s leadership, city planners engaged more than 20,000 residents in drafting Denveright — an ambitious 20-year plan for land use, mobility, parks and recreation. Also during his tenure, Brad and his team streamlined and modernized city permitting — eliminating backlogs and improving the customer experience for projects of all sizes.

Brad has been deeply involved in the community his entire career. As an architect he served as chair of the Denver Planning Board, the Landmark Preservation Commission and the Downtown Denver Partnership’s board. He participated in creating the original Blueprint Denver land use and transportation plan, as well as the city’s innovative, form-based zoning code. In 1999 he founded Freedom by Design, a community service program to provide pro bono design and construction services to the low-income disabled community; today there are 60 chapters nationwide.

Brad has agricultural roots. He and his wife, Margaret, and their grown children Grace and Will own and operate Flying B Bar Ranch in Strasburg, Colorado where they raise Wagyu-Angus grass-fed cattle. Flying B Bar employs regenerative agriculture, a system of farming principles and practices that increases biodiversity, enriches soils, improves watersheds and enhances the ecosystem. Brad is a member of the board of directors of the American Grassfed Association.

Susan Powers is President of Urban Ventures, LLC, a Denver real estate development company that has

built multiple mixed income and mixed-use projects in and around downtown Denver over the past 24

years. The focus is to build communities which provide opportunities for residents and commercial

tenants to live and work in a healthy environment. Urban Ventures has led the redevelopment of a 17

acre former convent in northwest Denver into a model mixed income, neighborhood called Aria Denver

that will include 540 residential units and commercial space. She is also leading STEAM On The Platte, an

adaptive reuse of a former industrial property on the Platte River south of Mile High Stadium. It includes

the renovation of a 100 year old warehouse into office space for creative businesses and a separate

building that was renovated for the city’s first Latino owned and operated craft brewery, Raices

Brewing. Urban Ventures is currently involved in various roles with 4 affordable housing developments

in Colorado. Prior to creating Urban Ventures, she was Executive Director of DURA (Denver Urban

Renewal Authority) for 11 years (late 80’s and 90’s) and participated in the redevelopment of downtown

Denver. She is a member of the board of directors of the Elevation Community Land Trust and Denver

Health Foundation and participates in many community initiatives regarding equity and affordable

housing.

Carl Koelbel is President and CEO of Koelbel and Company where he carries on a three-generation tradition of real estate development in the Denver Metro area. His primary focus is directing the vision of the company into the mid-21st century, identifying new opportunities, managing company financial capacity and investments, and ensuring efficient and effective operations. Under his guidance the company has expanded its development and real estate platforms into affordable housing, co-working, industry specific workspaces, and value add acquisitions. He also manages and oversees the expansion of the Koelbel and Company’s traditional activities of home building, land development, as well and office and retail development. Carl is active in the community and currently sits on the boards of the Middle Income Housing Authority and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.

Carl received his Masters of Business Administration with a concentration in Real Estate and Finance from the University of Colorado in Boulder. Before receiving his M.B.A. he was a Research Associate at the Urban Land Institute in Washington, D.C. At U.L.I. he assisted the Senior Resident Fellows in various research projects with a focus on infrastructure and its effect on land use patterns. He has a B.A. in Economics and International Relations from the University of Southern California and is an avid skier, golfer, and youth sports spectator (when his kids are playing). He is always thankful of the support of his wife Fallon and three children, Harper, Reagan, and Presley.

Celeste Tanner is the co-founder and chief development officer of Confluent Development. Bringing nearly 20 years of industry experience, she established the full-service real estate investment and development firm to bring a new vision of development within the industry to life. In her role, she steers the firm’s execution across all phases of real estate development, successfully delivering custom and complex projects that create significant value in their respective communities. Since the company’s inception in 2014, Celeste has overseen more than $1.5 billion in development projects across the organization’s diverse portfolio, consisting of more than 100 industrial, office, retail, mixed-use and senior housing development projects. Under Celeste’s guidance, Confluent has delivered award-winning projects and works with some of the country’s most sophisticated clients including Target, FedEx, Starbucks, Mikron Corporation, Vectra Bank, and Charter Communications, among others. In her previous role as director of real estate development at Opus Development Company, Celeste led the real estate project team for its Denver office and played a key role in the ground-up development of more than 5 million square feet of commercial and multi-family space. Celeste holds a B.A. from the University of Colorado at Denver, is an alumnus of the Downtown Denver Partnership Leadership Program, and has been awarded for her outstanding achievements from organizations such as The Denver Business Journal, CREW, NAIOP Colorado and Bisnow. Giving Back in Business and Community Celeste has represented the development industry both locally and nationally through her leadership in NAIOP, where she previously served as the chapter president for Colorado. Currently an executive committee member on NAIOP’s national board, she provides a voice for Colorado’s development industry at the national table. Celeste also contributes her leadership well beyond the industry and into the community. She serves on the board of Wheat Ridge Localworks, where she contributes her industry expertise to help implement the organization’s business and home improvement loan programs, among others, focused on enhancing the city’s economic vitality and neighborhood revitalization. Celeste also represents District I as a member in Renewal Wheat Ridge (RWR), an Urban Renewal Authority committed to improving the visual aesthetics and environmental aspects of Wheat Ridge, meanwhile adhering to the wants and needs of the community.

Professionally, Matt Teeters works as the Regional President of the Front Range for Alpine Bank. In this

role, Matt’s responsible for all loan and deposit operations for the bank’s locations in Fort Collins,

Boulder, Denver, and Colorado Springs. Personally, Matt’s a Colorado native and was born and raised in

Denver. He attended Cherry Creek High School and from there, went on to Grinnell College, earning a

bachelor’s degree in Economics. He completed his MBA from the University of Denver in 2013. In

addition for working for Alpine Bank, Matt also serves as the board Chair for Roundup River Ranch, the

Board Treasurer for Judi’s House, The Sonoran Institute, and Developmental FX, and serves as a board

member for The Colorado Open Golf Foundation, and the Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce’s Board

of Governors. As an acknowledgement for the leadership displayed with these organizations, Teeters was

selected as one of ColoradoBiz Magazines Top 25 Young Professionals in 2016. Personally, Matt was

married to Sarah in July 2017, has a 4-year-old daughter named Charlie and a 1.5-year-old named Dean.

Lastly, his hobbies include golfing, mountain biking, skiing, and spending time outdoors.