Ex-Denver Metro Chamber CEO, Denver mayoral candidate Brough to lead Fitzsimons

AURORA — Kelly Brough, the former CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and a Denver mayoral candidate in 2023, will take over as CEO of Fitzsimons Innovation Community when Steve VanNurden retires at the end of the year. 

VanNurden has led the Aurora-based life-sciences entrepreneurship campus for a dozen years. 

Fitzsimons, which provides space and resources for about 80 growth-stage biotech and health care companies, was launched in 1996 as a partnership between the University of Colorado and the City of Aurora. The Fitzsimons hub is adjacent to University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, out of which many participating companies are spun.

“The FIC is already producing some of the nation’s most exciting and groundbreaking work in life sciences, but it’s the community’s untapped potential that really has me excited to take on this role,” Brough said in a prepared statement. “With more than 50 acres of prime development space and a multi-year plan in place, we are just at the beginning of all the health advancements and life-changing discoveries this campus has in store.”

Brough’s contract is for three years, with an annual base salary of $320,000.

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