FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tracy Winchester Appointed as Executive Director of the Five Points Business District
The Board of Directors for the Five Points Business District (FPBD) has named Ms. Tracy Jenkins Winchester as the new Executive Director of the FPBD. Ms. Winchester replaces Wil Alston who stepped down from the Executive Director position after Mayor Michael B. Hancock appointed him as the Director of Communications for the City & County of Denver. The business development office has been led on an interim basis by Dante James, a local attorney who was formerly the Executive Director of the Center for Progressive Leadership.
Ms. Winchester joins the FPBD after serving as the President & CEO of CoLours TV, where she has worked since its inception. She is a twenty-six year cable television veteran, who has held several executive and management positions in programming and marketing at the corporate headquarters of Jones Intercable, Inc. (acquired by Comcast Cable) and the regional office for Fox Family Channel (acquired by ABC Family Channel) prior to becoming Vice President/General Manager and then President/CEO of CoLours TV. Ms. Winchester built the channel from a regional audience of 250,000 in the year 2000, to 17 million households nationwide.
Early in her career, Ms. Winchester also worked in Washington, D.C. with Members of the United States House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate as a Press & Legislative Assistant. Over the course of her career, she has served on several boards of directors including the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, Denver Urban Renewal Authority (DURA) and the Colorado Convention Center. Ms. Winchester has received national recognition for her leadership from numerous organizations including the National Association of Women in Cable & Telecommunications, Cable TV Public Affairs Association, CTAM, and the Walter Kaitz Foundation. In 2009, Ms. Winchester received the Colorado Martin Luther King Humanitarian Award and her cable career was included in the national Cable Center’s Hauser Oral and Video History Collection. Ms. Winchester holds a Juris Doctorate degree from Georgetown University Law Center and earned a Bachelor’s degree with honors from Boston College.
“As a former executive in the cable industry who built a multi-cultural network from the ground up, Tracy has the skills to take the Five Points Business District to the next level,” says Alison Wadle the Board Chair for the FPBD. “She understands the mechanics of start-up organizations and knows what it takes to make them grow.” Councilman Albus Brooks from District 8 was also impressed by Ms. Winchester, “The hiring process for the role was very competitive, but the board and our stakeholders were all very impressed with Tracy’s vision and energy. It is clear that she is a natural collaborator. I look forward to working with her to continue the important work that we began with Wil Alston.”
Ms. Winchester will begin her new role the first week of December. “I’m thrilled to have been chosen as the new Executive Director of the FPBD! I look forward to working with the business owners, residents and board of directors for the FPBD to advance the revitalization of Welton St. in a way that honors the rich history and culture of the area while attracting neighborhood serving businesses. I am committed to promoting Five Points as a destination and polishing this jewel in our city.”
About the FPBD
Mission
To create a thriving community that is a hub for African American heritage and culture while identifying, recruiting and retaining businesses that serve the needs of a diverse community.
Vision
To be an international destination for African American culture & jazz in the American West that serves a diverse community and is a great place to live, work, shop, learn, and play.
For more information, contact Alison Wadle, Chair of the Five Points Business District Board of Directors:
Alison Wadle, 303.866.0504, alison.wadle@hro.com
