The CU Denver Business School is excited to announce the 2025 Alumni and Community Impact Award winners chosen because of their impact and outstanding efforts within the Business School, CU Denver, and the community. Congratulations to Ariana Lily Nikmanesh ’18, Jennifer Leitsch MBA, MS ’08, and Dan Dye, former CEO of Ardent Mills, for their outstanding achievements.
Ariana Lily Nikmanesh ’18
Distinguished Recent Alumnus
Ariana Lily Nikmanesh is the Co-Creator of the Center for Asian-Pacific American Women’s Mentorship Program, an initiative dedicated to fostering leadership skills amongst women. Previously, Nikmanesh served as a Senior Policy Analyst for Salesforce’s Office of Ethical and Humane Use, where she specialized in international human rights due diligence. She is the co-creator of Salesforce’s inaugural Artificial Intelligence Acceptable Use Policy, where she wrote and implemented company-wide ethical use policies designed to ensure the ethical use of Salesforce AI applications worldwide. Additionally, she is a founding member of the National Millennial and Gen Z Community. In this capacity, she has advised Fortune 500 companies on how to effectively market to millennials and Gen Z and reshape the narratives surrounding them.
Nikmanesh holds a Master of Science in Foreign Service degree from the Georgetown University Walsh School of Foreign Service with a concentration in Global Politics and Security. She has also earned graduate certificates in Gender, Peace, and Security from the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security and in Diplomatic Studies from the Georgetown Institute for the Study of Diplomacy. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Colorado Denver with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, a Marketing emphasis, a minor in Political Science, and a certificate in Strategic Communication.
Nikmanesh has served as a Presidential Fellow for the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, a Fellow for the United Nations Graduate Fellows program, and a Graduate Intern for the U.S. State Department’s Office of International Media Engagement. She has also served as a Fellow for the Global Network Initiative and a Master of Science in Foreign Service Fellow for the Deputy Director of Georgetown’s Master of Science in Foreign Service program.
Nikmanesh holds a 200-hour yoga teacher certification and promotes overall well-being and balanced lifestyles. She is passionate about entrepreneurship, international human rights, and empowering others to achieve their goals and live authentically.
Jim LoPresti, CU Denver Business School Entrepreneurship Senior Instructor, addressed Nikmanesh’s remarkably rich and distinguished background, taking the initiative to become her graduating class’s top student in the Marketing Division and staying active in campus, student, and administrative organizations. “From serving as a research assistant for the Director of Management and Organization and a marketing assistant for the Business Career Center to serving as the business school’s student government representative, Ariana took unparalleled initiative, in my opinion, to immerse herself in the University community,” Lopresti noted.
LoPresti also spoke highly of Nikmanesh’s intellectual maturity and high emotional intelligence. “With this potent combination, Ariana has devoted much of her valuable time to issues of inequality.” Nikmanesh’s passion for tolerance and equity among men, women, and cultures marries well with her heart for public service. Lopresti summated her impact: “In my graduate and undergraduate leadership classes, I use Ariana as an example of the archetypal servant leader.”
Jennifer Leitsch MBA, MS ’08
Distinguished Alumnus
Jennifer Leitsch is EY’s Americas Corporate Sustainability Leader, delivering the firm’s internal sustainability strategy and reporting in the US. She is also a Managing Director in the Climate Change and Sustainability Services practice at EY, where she serves clients by addressing their sustainability challenges and opportunities. Leitsch joined EY in 2021 after leading sustainability strategy, programs and reporting for 12 years across two global real estate firms, CBRE and Prologis.
Leitsch serves on the board of directors for United Nations Global Compact Network USA, the local network chapter of the UNGC, as the Board Secretary and chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee. She is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Colorado Denver Business School, where she teaches Accounting and Finance for Sustainability. Leitsch also serves on the University of Colorado Denver Business School’s Board of Advisors and Sustainable Business Advisory Council.
Leitsch has an MBA and MS in Marketing from the University of Colorado Denver and a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Iowa.
Leitsch’s unparalleled engagement with the Business School pushed the development of a high-quality sustainability certificate and the new MS in Sustainable Business. Alongside Leitsch’s duties as an EY consultant, nominator and CU Denver Business School Dean Scott Dawson noted Leitsch’s responsiveness and willingness to guide faculty and students. “She’s at the top of her field, serving as a senior consultant and teaching courses.”
Leitsch helped start and grow the Business School Alumni Network (BSAN) and the Sustainability Advisory Council. With the sustainability certificate as the most popular certificate offering in the MBA program, her work led to the creation and launching of a new MS Sustainable Business program. Leitsch joined the Board of Advisors team in 2022-23 and continues to serve on the Sustainability Advisory Council. Twice a year, she teaches a sustainability accounting course in the Business School and has taught sustainability classes at DU. Her financial generosity created an endowed Business School scholarship. As a sustainability consultant at EY, she impacts companies locally and globally.
Dan Dye
Outstanding Community Member
Dan Dye served as the CEO of Ardent Mills, the premier flour milling and ingredient company, from its formation in May 2014 until his retirement in September 2024. Dye oversaw the company’s vision and strategy to transform how the world is nourished and helped to create a people-first, values-based culture focused on “Nourishing What’s Next.”
Before the formation of Ardent Mills, Dye held various merchandising and managerial positions during his 33-year career at Cargill, including serving as president of Horizon Milling and president of Cargill AgHorizons, U.S., among other roles.
Dye serves on the Board of Directors of Partners in Food Solutions and the CEO Forum and is also a Craig Hospital Foundation board member. Dye served on the CU Denver Business School Board of Advisors for 8 years and was a champion of numerous partnerships with CU Denver. Dye graduated from Bethel University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and economics.
Heather Dumas, a CU Denver Business School Board of Advisors member and Ardent Mills CPO, nominated Dye for the Outstanding Community Member award for his instrumental leadership at Ardent Mills. His work established the organization as a people-first company deeply committed to its values – trust, serving, simplicity, and safety.
Dye cultivated a corporate culture that prioritized employee well-being and community engagement. He empowered his team to participate actively in local initiatives, fostering a spirit of service that resonates throughout the organization. Under his guidance, Ardent Mills excelled in the industry and significantly contributed to the Denver and the broader Colorado communities. Notable efforts include impactful food security programs and educational outreach that support the next generation of leaders.
As a prominent business leader, Dye has steadfastly supported CU Denver, frequently engaging with students and faculty to foster educational partnerships and mentorship opportunities. Dye joined the Business School’s advisory board shortly after the formation of Ardent Mills in 2014 and served on the board for 8 years while also working closely with the J.P. Morgan Center for Commodities and Energy Management to better connect academia with industry. He established the “Ardent Mills’ Endowment” scholarship for CU Denver Business School’s First-Generation and Multicultural (FaM) program in 2022. His commitment to nurturing the next generation of business leaders aligns perfectly with CU Denver’s mission to create a diverse and inclusive educational environment.
“Dye embodies CU Denver’s core values through his advocacy for ethical business practices and his dedication to creating a positive impact in the community. His initiatives have strengthened the ties between Ardent Mills and local organizations, demonstrating his belief in the importance of corporate responsibility,” Dumas said. “Dye’s unwavering commitment to his employees and the broader community exemplifies the leadership that inspires positive change. His dedication to these values makes him an outstanding candidate for this recognition, as he continues (even in retirement!) to uplift and inspire those around him and strengthen the community.”
Congratulations to the awardees of the CU Denver Business School Impact Awards! The business school is proud to spotlight these awardees for their community contributions and strong support of higher education in Denver. The awardees will be honored at the 2025 Celebration of Success event on April 17, 2025.
