Meet the Team

In 2019, Tom Lucero and Leah Johnson forged a partnership with the understanding that they will likely disagree at times - but when they do, they can still work together. Disagreement does not preclude civil discourse, conversations, and solutions. They firmly believe in the Tip O’Neill/Ronald Reagan school of politics - where you can disagree like heck and still be friends. Together, in partnership with BizWest, Tom and Leah launched a nonpartisan candidate training to help mentor and elevate the next generation of elected officials in northern Colorado. They aim to think and act differently in the spirit of collaboration, problem-solving, and pragmatic leadership in order to keep our regional economy strong for generations to come. Both having been elected officials themselves (on opposite sides of the aisle), Leah and Tom know the importance of training our elected officials on regional issues before they take office, and the need to promote civil discourse that promotes pragmatic, solutions-based leadership.

After completing the L3 course in 2022, Alana McGough joined the team in 2023 as a content strategist and assistant facilitator. In 2024, they partnered with Jenifer Freeman of Constellation Strategies, a veteran operator in the intersection of Colorado business and politics, to expand the program. Jenifer sees the promise of collaborative solutions unique to Colorado when corporate responsibility and economics make room for each other in partnership with policymakers willing to put ideology aside in favor of solutions. In that spirit, the team is working to expand L3 throughout Colorado.