Katie Denman Named Denver Business Journal Outstanding Women in Business Honoree

Katie Denman, vice president of the Pediatric Mental Health Institute at Children's Colorado, has received a 2026 Outstanding Women in Business Award from the Denver Business Journal. She is one of 20 local leaders recognized for their remarkable professional achievements and community impact.

Shaping the future of pediatric mental healthcare

Throughout her 13-year tenure, Katie Denman has earned her reputation as a strategic builder in child health, helping transform complex challenges into actionable plans that expand access and improve outcomes for children and families in Colorado and beyond.

Denman has played a pivotal role in advancing Children's Colorado's response to the youth mental health crisis. She helped secure more than $100 million in grants and philanthropic support and leveraged the hospital's groundbreaking “State of Emergency” declaration to obtain additional multimillion-dollar state investments in pediatric mental health. She also co-developed a five-year, $400 million initiative designed to strengthen the mental health workforce and expand services across our hospital system’s continuum of care, from prevention and early intervention to inpatient and crisis care.

Over the past year, Denman helped move Children's Colorado's pediatric mental health strategy from planning into measurable implementation. The organization launched all four components of a comprehensive crisis services model, expanded outpatient and other hospitalization services, improved financial performance and secured transformational philanthropic support to sustain future growth. These efforts are helping create a more coordinated behavioral health system so our youth may access the right care at the right time.

Driving strategy and community impact 

Denman's influence extends well beyond mental health services. As a longtime strategic planning leader, she partnered with clinical and operational experts to support the development of 43 enterprise and clinical strategic plans, including the organization's Reimagine 2020 and Destination 2025 roadmaps. She also supported the launch of major initiatives including the Colorado Child Health Research Institute, the Precision Medicine Institute and a 115-bed hospital in Colorado Springs.

Her leadership has helped fuel significant organizational growth, including increased market share, expanded capacity, national recognition through U.S. News & World Report rankings and substantial growth in philanthropic investment.

Championing sustainable solutions 

Beyond Colorado, Denman is helping shape the national conversation around pediatric behavioral health sustainability. She represents Children's Colorado on the Children's Hospital Association Behavioral Health Leadership Collaborative and co-chaired its Fiscal Sustainability Work Group, where she advocates for solutions that address payment parity and preserve access to mental health services for children and families.

A longtime community leader, Denman also served on the Aurora Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and has dedicated her time to organizations supporting education, family stability and youth development. Through strategic leadership, advocacy and service, she continues to advance innovative solutions that strengthen youth mental health and the communities they call home.