Laura E. Aldrete

Background

About Laura E. Aldrete

As a city builder and urban strategist, I have committed my career to strengthening sustainable economic vitality of communities and cities through the built environment. As an executive, I endeavor to inspire staff to strive for excellence, set a clear vision for staff and customers, and direct change through innovation and data-driven decisions. My work requires engagement with a broad range of stakeholders and partners from mayors and US senators to front line staff and community. I am often asked to speak to industry groups, graduate classes as well as present before city council. My current position as the Executive Director of Community Planning and Development for the City and County of Denver is where I have been able to have an incredible impact at scale: directing city policy for equity and sustainability, and quality of design and public realm; leading an agency with a $38M budget toward a vision of city building and a culture of compassionate accountability; and guiding 300+ employees through one of the most unprecedented times of uncertainty. Leadership at this level is setting a clear vision, prioritizing select innovations, and building long-lasting agency culture. It moves at the pace of political news cycle that demands strategy to nimbly pivot and respond. My previous experiences, both personally and professionally, have afforded me success with this opportunity. My strongest work experience is in Public Private Partnership redevelopment projects ranging in scale from 16 to 4,700 acres. Redevelopment projects in Denver such as River Front, Central Park (Stapleton), Dahlia Square, St. Anthony’s, Gates Rubber Plant required my ability to translate between public and private sectors to strategize public finance, planning, urban design and engineering challenges and successfully move projects through the entitlement process and ultimately council approval. Additionally, my work has included directing City-wide policy for affordable housing, zoning and building code modernization and leading policy level planning efforts for Transit-Oriented development across cities in the United States and crafting a development master plan for non-aviation real estate transactions.