Once again, the month of March came in like a lamb, but exited like a lion or, more accurately, a lioness. No longer is March—or any month—the metaphorical province of the king of the jungle. It is now women on the ascent, including scores of Denver and Colorado Latinas, who are helping shape our future.
One, among many of the burgeoning number of amazing Latinas, is Amanda Pauline Sandoval, current sitting president of the Denver City Council. Sandoval thoughtfully insisted that her middle name be mentioned for this story as homage to her father, the late Paul Sandoval, a decades-long force in Denver politics.
While Sandoval credits her father for teaching her the art of politics with his “ability to bring people to the table,” she speaks as reverentially of her mother, Mary Helen Sandoval, who “taught us to stand up for people who had no voice.”
Just growing up as the daughter of a political legend, Sandoval also benefitted from learning the retail side of politics from former councilwoman,, Judy Montero, one of a number of Latinas who’ve steered Denver and Colorado politics from one century into another.
While working at her family’s north Denver La Casita restaurant, she encountered Montero who was dining at the time. Montero mentioned to her that she was looking for an aide.
“She asked if I knew someone who would be a council aide,” recalled Sandoval. She applied and got the job. “That’s when I really fell in love with the people connection with local government.”
Sandoval is now a link the chain of Denver’s accomplished Latina pols. Her name now sits alongside those of other city hall icons including Debbie Ortega, Ramona Martinez, Rosemary Rodriguez, Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez and Flor Alvidrez.
Sandoval also pays homage to Denver Latinas who serve in the state legislature like Julie Gonzales and the Bell Policy Center, a think tank where Angela Cobiẚn works on local and state policy issues.
Also on the political front, Colorado may soon have its own State Attorney General. Veteran politician Crisanta Duran announced her official entry into the statewide race in late February. If elected, Duran, the first Latina to serve as Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives, would also become the first Latina to serve as Colorado’s chief law enforcement officer.
There are Latina legal giants, too. Christine Arguello is Colorado’s first federal judge. Regina Rodriguez also sits on the federal bench. Monica M. Marquez is the state’s first Supreme Court Chief Justice. Judge Terry Fox is a state Court of Appeals jurist. They are all ‘firsts’, but others will certainly follow.
There are Latina legal giants, too. Christine Arguello is Colorado’s first federal judge, Regina Rodriguez also sits on the federal bench. Monica M. Marquez is the state’s first Supreme Court Chief Justice. Judge Terry Fox is a state Court of Appeals jurist. They are all ‘firsts’, but others will certainly follow.
But politics and courts are just two arenas where Latinas are a growing force. Denver’s Elaine Torres has carved out a niche in both state government, once working for iconic Colorado Governor Roy Romer and now as a television executive.
Torres, who grew up in Colorado Springs as the daughter of a city cop and homemaker mother, is Manager of Community Affairs at Denver’s KCNC. In her role, she helps shape the station’s image, not simply in the metro area but the entire region.
Torres’ job requires a mastery over an eclectic array of responsibilities including helping shape the station’s strategic initiatives and community partnerships, managing special events, sponsorships, charitable giving, employee volunteering and more.
“I work across the station,” she said, connecting with sales, creative services and production. Outside the station, Torres works in partnerships with the Denver Art Museum, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver, Denver Rescue Mission, Xcel Energy, “among many others.” Torres tenure at Channel 4 is “24+ years,” she said.
Of course, other names that have been forces in Denver media are Cindy Pena, the first Latina to serve as a general manager/station manager in Denver at two network affiliates, and Channel 4’s Anna Alejo. Alejo worked first as the station’s multi-time award winning education reporter and now is Executive Producer of Community Impact.
Alejo also served as Chief Communications Officer for Denver Public Schools. She also was a board member for World Denver, an organization that, in conjunction with the State Department, brings international visitors to the country and Denver each year.
A north star in Denver and Colorado education is Denver native Susana Cordova. Cordova was named Colorado Commissioner of Education in 2023. The job is responsible for the public school education of nearly 900,000 K-12 students across 178 school districts. It’s a role she began in 2023.
Cordova is no stranger to the challenge of leadership nor the job of inspiring young minds. The University of Denver alum began her journey in education as a bi-lingual classroom educator in DPS and rising all the way to Superintendent, a job she took on in 2018. Cordova left Denver for a two-year stint to serve as the second in command of the Dallas, Texas school system.
While Alejo once told the story of public school education in Denver and Colorado and Cordova lead the state’s largest school system as DPS superintendent and leads as Education Commissioner, they are bookended by names likely unknown but equally impactful in education.
Esther Lubin, a name intimately known across Denver’s Latino landscape for her undiluted charm and kindness and soft and nurturing touch, is a retired DPS educator who shaped the minds of thousands of first, second and third grade children over decades. To friends and associates, Lubin is the gold standard of pure kindness and commitment to young minds.
LaVozColorado’s Pauline Rivera also holds a unique position among our city and region’s amazing Latinas. Rivera, who has a background in media having worked for Denver’s Channel 7, is publisher of Colorado’s oldest and largest bilingual newspaper. Rivera has received a number of state and national honors, including Publisher of the Year by the National Association of Hispanic Publications and, more recently, was inducted into the Colorado Press Club Hall of Fame Class of 2024.
Since 1987, March, a 31-day slice of the year, has been celebrated across the nation as Women’s History Month. It is now fast-fading as we move into April and beyond. But the mark Denver and Colorado Latinas have made is historic and now and forever sewn into the fabric of the Centennial State.
