BizWest has announced the 13 Northern Colorado leaders selected to receive its 2026 Women of Distinction awards.
The annual program recognizes women whose leadership and contributions have made a meaningful impact across the region’s businesses, nonprofit organizations and communities. This year’s honorees were selected by previous Women of Distinction recipients and represent a broad range of industries and areas of service.
The 2026 Women of Distinction awards will be presented Sept. 10 at the Drake Centre in Fort Collins.
2026 Women of Distinction Honorees
Leading Ladies
Betty Aragon-Mitotes, president, Mujeres de Colores and Museo de las Tres Colonias
Beth Walker, dean, College of Business, Colorado State University
Banking and Finance
Christina Kraft, market president, Bank of Colorado
Business and Business Services
Lori Gama, founder and president, DaGama Digital Marketing Agency
Education
Leah Bornstein, CEO and president, Aims Community College
Emerging Leader
Tori May, deputy director, Loveland Habitat for Humanity
Exceptional Volunteer
Paula Galloway, program lead for visual-impairment snow sports, scholarship director, instructor supervisor and board member, Ignite Adaptive Sports
Government, Energy and Utilities
Michelle Vance, executive director, Windsor Downtown Development Authority
Health Care
Cyndi Dodds, CEO, SummitStone Health Partners
Manufacturing
Amanda Rider, area leader, J.M. Smucker Co.
Nonprofit
Donna Visocky, director of public relations and fundraising, Community Services Center of Wellington
Outstanding Mentor
Ginger Graham, owner, Ginger and Baker
Real Estate
Alicia Ready, training and development director, Elder Construction, BuildHER Collaborative and NoCo Construction Sector Partnership
Event Details
Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026
5–7 p.m.
The Drake Centre
802 W. Drake Road
Fort Collins, CO 80526
Advance reservations are available through BizWest.
This announcement was originally provided by BizWest and is shared as news of interest to the Northern Colorado business community.