Alan Salazar
CEO/Manager - Denver Water
Alan Salazar, who became Denver Water CEO/Manager in August 2023, was born in Leadville, Colorado, and is a fifth-generation Coloradoan. His family traces its roots to the historic San Luis Valley and throughout the West Slope. He grew up in the Denver metro area and is a graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in history and political science. He has a law degree from the University of Colorado School of Law, where he studied water law, mining law, natural resources law and public lands issues, secured distinction as a published member of the University of Colorado Law Review and was awarded the Phillip A. Danielson Scholarship for “outstanding promise of public service.”
Salazar has a storied career involving decades of public service in Colorado. As chief strategy officer for former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (currently a U.S. senator for Colorado), Salazar oversaw policy, legislative and communications staff for the governor’s office and was involved in overseeing energy and natural resources policy, including the creation of the first Colorado Water Plan, released in 2015 and updated in 2023, which serves as the state’s framework for solutions to the Colorado’s water challenges.
He also served as chief of staff to U.S. Rep. (and later U.S. Sen.) Mark Udall. Prior to that, Salazar served as deputy chief of staff and policy director for Colorado Gov. Roy Romer and state issues director for U.S. Sen. Tim Wirth. He started his career on the Colorado staff for U.S. Sen. Gary Hart. In all, Salazar participated in 15 legislative sessions through his work with Gov. Hickenlooper and Gov. Romer.
Prior to joining Denver Water, Salazar served as chief of staff for former Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock, starting in November 2016. There, he oversaw operations for 24 city agencies. In his six years with the city, Salazar had daily responsibility for municipal services, as well as strategic direction for the mayor’s policy agenda. He also co-chaired Denver’s COVID Long-Term Recovery Committee. He has been intimately involved with Denver’s growth, density, infrastructure and resource planning.
A past member of the History Colorado Board, Salazar has been active in other civic efforts over many years, including service on the Equality Colorado Board of Directors, as a public interest trustee for the Federal Home Loan Bank Board of Topeka, and the Vision Hispanica Leadership program. Along with other community activists, he helped found the Colorado Hispanic Agenda — a leadership initiative for the Latino community in the late 1980s — and is a graduate of the Colorado Outward Bound leadership school. He currently is a trustee for the Denver Art Museum and the Denver Center for Performing Arts.
