Gala on the Bridge

2023 Hero of the River: Jeff Shoemaker

Jeff Shoemaker was the Executive Director of The Greenway Foundation (TGF) from 1982 to June 30, 2023.  Under the course of his leadership, TGF partnered with countless public and private organizations to collectively create over 500 million dollars of environmental and recreational improvements along the South Platte River and its numerous tributaries throughout the Metro Denver Area and beyond.  These priceless amenities include the watersheds of the City and County of Denver, along with Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Clear Creek, Douglas and Jefferson Counties, as well as a larger number of related municipalities.  This collective investment over the last four decades to the reclamation and preservation of the related community’s greatest natural resources is directly connected to the creation of over 20 billion dollars of additional economic development and related benefit to the surrounding area.  Our Metro Denver Area’s waterways are now home to over 100 miles of multi-use recreational trails, over 100 acres of parks and natural areas and over 100,000 A.F. of rivers and creeks in terms of both water quality and water quantity enhancements.

In November 2018, Jeff served on the Executive Committee of Denver’s successful Ballot Measure 2A which secured over $35 Million/year for Denver’s Parks and Waterways.  He also served as the Chair of Metro Denver’s successful Ballot Measure 7G which secured over $20 Million/year for the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District.
 
Since 2000, Jeff has also served as the Executive Director of the Colorado Parks Foundation (CPF) which, working with Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW) as well as numerous county, municipal and non-profit organizations, provides funding, advocacy and community outreach for the benefit of Colorado’s 42 State Parks along with local and regional parks across the State of Colorado. To date, the CPF has provided over $1,000,000 of project and program based grants since its inception in 1985. In 2010, the CPF coordinated the procedural and legislative processes resulting in the creation of a Colorado State Parks License Plate, allowing supporters of State Parks across Colorado and beyond to promote and advocate that support through the purchase of a State Parks Plate.   Over 3,500 Colorado residents are now proud owners of the Colorado State Parks Plate with related proceeds providing additional financial support to Colorado State Parks which, to date,  has witnessed over $20,000 of grants to State Parks across Colorado.
 
Jeff is a proud graduate of Denver Public Schools and the University of Colorado.  He was a public school teacher from 1977-1982, served as a member of the Colorado Legislature from 1987-1992 and was appointed to two terms on the CSU Board of Trustees from 1999-2008.   Jeff was appointed to the MSU Denver Board of Trustees in 2016 and also serves as the President of a local non-profit organization, Up Close and Musical, which provides professional performances of classical music to elementary schools by Colorado Symphony Orchestra musicians. 
 
Jeff and his wife Nancy (a recently retired R.N., now the owner of Care By Design, LLC – providing care and engagement for seniors throughout the Metro Denver area) are active runners and bicyclists and are the proud parents of four adult daughters and three exceedingly beautiful and extremely intelligent granddaughters.

The Greenway Foundation is honored to present the 2023 Hero of the River to Jeff Shoemaker.