Tamra J. Ward
1370 Rosemary Street
Denver, Colorado80220
303.388.7556 - home
303.620.8033 - office
Tamra Ward joined the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce as Director of Public Affairs in December 2000. In 2003 she was promoted to Vice President. In this role she is responsible for the development and execution of a local, state and federal public policy/government relations plan that meets the needs of the organization’s 3,000 member businesses.
In this role she has successfully represented the business community’s position in legislative discussions to increase funding for transportation, support a more market based approach to higher education funding and ensuring that the business community has a seat at the table when discussions regarding health care cost, quality and access are underway.
Ward is also responsible for providing oversight to the Colorado Competitive Council (C3), a newly created statewide business advocacy affiliate of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.
In 2005,Tamra served as the business community lead in efforts that resulted in Colorado’s Economic Recovery Plan, the legislative language that became Referenda C&D. She then served as the Finance Director for the Vote Yes on C&D campaign, a statewide effort that raised $8 million, successfully passing Referendum C on November 1, 2005.
A 1990 graduate of BaylorUniversity with a degree in Journalism and Slavic Studies, Tamra’s career began on Capitol Hill, where she served as Assistant Press Secretary for Senator Alan Simpson, Press Secretary for Representative Craig Thomas, and Deputy Chief of Staff following Thomas’ election to the Senate in 1994. Prior to moving to Denver, the Wyoming native served as the Vice President of Marketing & Development for ColumbiaHospital for Women, a private, not-for-profit hospital inWashington, D.C.
Building on a personal interest in serving Colorado, Tamra has been involved with the Daniels Career Coaching Program, the Junior League of Denver, and serves on the Board of Directors of Hope Communities, Inc, an affordable housing provide in Northeast Denver. She is a graduate of the Chamber’s Leadership Denver Program, and was named by the DenverBusinessJournal as one of Denver’s “40 Under 40” – an annual list of Denver’s up and coming business leaders.
Tamra also was appointed by Governor Bill Owens to represent the First Congressional District (Denver) on the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education, where she currently serves as Chair of the Board. Ward was also appointed by Mayor Hickenlooper to the City of Denver’s Commission to End Homelessness. Presently she has been selected to serve on the Resource Allocation Committee, which will be responsible for deciding on an annual basis how the $1.5 million in private funds raised to address the issue will be allocated. Ward is also Vice Chair of the Foundation Board of Porter Adventist Hospital. While in Washington, D.C. she volunteered for several organizations including the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Easter Seals Society, and the EverybodyWins! Literacy program; as well as served on the Board of Directors of the American Heart Association and The Campagna Center.