From the Iran war to rising energy prices, the American economy appears as split as ever. At the annual 2026 Economic Forecast event, featuring Ellen Zentner ’95, Morgan Stanley’s Chief Economic Strategist, and Kate Watkins, Colorado State Demographer, one underlying tension quietly sat beneath nearly every discussion point: who is paying for that split, and who is profiting from it?  Read more

Money feels loud these days. Everywhere you look, someone is talking about making it fast or trying to keep up. Rising costs don’t make it any easier, and the online culture adds pressure to figure things out early, even when most people are still trying to find their footing. It creates a mix of urgency and confusion, an overwhelming public assumption that everyone should understand money instinctively, even though financial education can be limited.  Read more

When people are young, their dreams often feel certain and clearly defined. They imagine careers that fit neatly within what they know at the time — teacher, doctor, engineer, astronaut, something they can picture. Yet life has a way of revealing other paths. For Tasnim Ahmad ’21, MBA ’26, that moment of realization came when she reconsidered her long-sought passion to serve in healthcare.  Read more

The road to leadership rarely comes with a clear map. For Kelly Mackey MBA ’08 Chief Financial Officer at RTD, it started with curiosity and a quiet determination to figure things out one step at a time. As a first-generation college student and a woman navigating fast-moving and often male-dominated spaces, she discovered early that growth comes from movement, whether it is through staying open-minded, asking questions, or finding confidence in the process of learning.  Read more

The transient nature of the economy can be daunting to some and incomprehensible to others. Luckily, the CU Denver Business School hosts an annual economic forecast event where experts predict upcoming trends and pain points to monitor. This year, the Business School was joined by Ellen Zentner, ‘95, the chief U.S. economist and managing director at Morgan Stanley, and Kate Watkins, President and Chief Economist at Bright Fox Analytics and Lecturer at the CU Denver Business School.   Read more

The end of tax season means finances and the economy are on everyone’s mind, but have you ever considered economic inequalities? Currently, women and people of color have less access to the economy. Despite social advances that mean women don’t need to marry, married women are richer than their single counterparts. Many barriers prevent equal access to the economy, and to analyze these barriers, and how to overcome them, Danielle Shoots, ‘08, and Councilwoman Shontel Lewis joined CU Denver’s Empowering Women in Business course to host an open discussion.   Read more