Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame names Class of 2027

The Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame announced its Class of 2027 on July 22 in Denver, honoring 10 women across contemporary and historical categories as Colorado marks its 150th year of statehood. The class includes founder M.L. Hanson and will be formally recognized at the Hall’s induction gala on March 26, 2027.

Why it matters: - The Class of 2027 adds 10 women to a roster of 205 honorees recognized for shaping Colorado in education, science, public service, health care, media and advocacy. - The announcement lands during Colorado’s 150th anniversary of statehood, tying the class to a milestone year for the state. - The 2027 class also recognizes Hall founder M.L. Hanson, underscoring the organization’s own history and legacy.

What happened: - The Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame announced the Class of 2027 on July 22, 2026, at IMA Financial Group in Denver. - The Hall said the class reflects this year’s theme, “Dream Big,” and honors women whose leadership, innovation and service shaped Colorado. - Executive Director Barb Beckner said the inductees expanded opportunities, strengthened communities and created legacies for future generations. - The inductees will be formally honored at the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame Induction Gala on March 26, 2027. - Businesses, organizations and community leaders are being invited to support the gala through sponsorships, corporate tables and attendance.

The details: - Janine Davidson, PhD, is a former Air Force pilot and the first woman to fly the tactical C-130. - Davidson served as the 32nd Under Secretary of the U.S. Navy and has led Metropolitan State University of Denver since 2017. - Lucille Echohawk has spent more than four decades advancing Native American child welfare and philanthropy. - Echohawk co-founded the Denver Indian Center, the Denver Indian Family Resource Center and Native Americans in Philanthropy. - M.L. Hanson founded the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame in 1984 after breaking barriers as assistant vice president at United Bank of Denver. - Hanson later led nonprofit organizations and the Women’s Leadership Foundation. - Florence Hernández-Ramos founded Denver’s KUVO jazz public radio station. - Hernández-Ramos became the nation’s first Latina president and general manager of a jazz public radio station. - She later co-founded the Latino Public Radio Consortium. - Rebecca Love Kourlis is a former Colorado Supreme Court justice. - Kourlis founded the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System at the University of Denver. - Leslie Leinwand, PhD, is a molecular biologist at the University of Colorado Boulder. - Leinwand co-founded Myogen and MyoKardia, companies whose work led to the first FDA-approved cardiac myosin inhibitor for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. - Margaret A. “Peggy” Lemone, PhD, was the first woman to become a senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder. - Lemone’s research advanced understanding of the planetary boundary layer and tropical convection. - Donna Lynne, DrPH, served as Colorado’s 49th lieutenant governor and first chief operating officer. - Lynne later became CEO of Denver Health and helped lead the successful 2024 ballot measure securing the health system’s future. - Gail Schwartz served two terms in the Colorado State Senate. - Schwartz sponsored the BEST Act, which funds rural school construction. - Diane T. Wendt was the University of Denver’s first director of women’s athletics and a national advocate for Title IX. - Wendt also served on the NCAA Gender Equity Task Force. - Joyce Porter Arneill co-founded the National Federation of Republican Women and served as its first president. - Arneill also organized Colorado’s Independent Coalition of American Women and won the state’s first women’s open golf championship. - Betty Jennings helped establish legal, licensed nurse-midwifery in Colorado. - Jennings founded the University of Colorado’s faculty midwifery practice and its nurse-midwifery education program. - Marcy Morrison was the first woman elected to the Manitou Springs School Board. - Morrison later served as an El Paso County commissioner, state representative, mayor of Manitou Springs and Colorado insurance commissioner.

Between the lines: - The class mixes contemporary leaders with historical figures, signaling that the Hall is highlighting both present-day impact and long-term civic change. - Several inductees broke first-of-their-kind barriers in their fields, showing a recurring theme of institutional change rather than individual achievement alone. - The inclusion of founder M.L. Hanson suggests the Hall is using the 150th anniversary year to connect Colorado’s public history with its own origins.

What’s next: - The Hall’s next major milestone is the March 26, 2027 induction gala. - The organization is seeking sponsorships, corporate tables and community attendance ahead of the event. - The Hall says its education and public storytelling work will continue to preserve inductees’ legacies and inspire future generations.

The bottom line: - Colorado’s 2027 honorees reflect a broad cross-section of leadership, with a common thread of opening doors for others.