With the 2016 U.S. presidential election right around the corner, gender equality issues–from the pay gay to paid maternity leave to reproductive rights–are hot button issues that can’t be ignored by the candidates. Denver, however, is leading the pack, not only being one of the eight best job markets for women, but also touting a 68 percent growth of women-owned businesses from 2007 to 2014, such that the number of women-owned firms is increasing at a rate 1.5 times the national average.

So what are these awesome female-owned businesses? And who are these trailblazing women who are leading the way in their companies as well as their communities?

1. Sylvia Theisen, Founder of She Takes The Lead

From working as a psychotherapist counseling employees of Fortune 500 companies to closing more than $100 million in sales while working in real estate, Sylvia Theisen has had a varied career and shows no signs of stopping. Founder of She Takes The Lead, Theisen provides training and coaching to women in business and speaks to organizations who believe in empowering their female employees. She was also a keynote speaker for the 2015 Colorado SBDC Women’s Small Business Conference.

2. Ivette Dominguez, Owner/President of Alpine Buick

As one of six Hispanic female Buick GMC dealership owners among the 4,000-plus GM dealerships in the U.S., Ivette Dominguez undoubtedly stands out as a self-made woman with a record of excellence in the auto industry. After purchasing the dealership in 2005, she has won numerous awards for being business savvy, including awards from GM, the Denver Business Journal and the Girl Scouts of Colorado.

She also founded The Alpine Difference in 2011, a program that recognizes and funds nonprofits making a difference in the lives of women and families in the Denver area, donating $10,000 each quarter to a worthy charity or charities.

3. Lizelle van Vuuren, Founder and CEO of Effectively, Cofounder of StartupDenver and Women Who Startup

A leader in the Denver startup community, Lizelle van Vuuren is a 10-year veteran of design, strategy, marketing, business growth and innovation for tech companies and startups. After cofounding StartupDenver, a community platform for startups and entrepreneurs, and Women Who Startup, a monthly event series devised to help educate, empower and connect female entrepreneurs, van Vuuren founded Effectively, a marketing services agency that launches ideas and grows startups, companies, nonprofits and organizations. The agency is set to launch this fall.

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The nonprofit game isn’t what it used to be.

Every day, these organizations work with children, families, schools, and local leaders to build our communities and better our lives—but this sector is now just beginning to experience a seismic shift, in Denver especially, toward innovation and entrepreneurship.

On Sept. 12 at the Commons on Champa, we’ll be discussing and exploring solutions for non-profit organizations in this time of change as well as why we need to build sustainable non-profits that will continue strengthen our communities in the coming years. This panel, Harnessing Innovation for Social Good: Women Leaders Bringing Entrepreneurial Change to Non-Profit Organizations, will take a look at the issues at hand exclusively through the perspective of Denver’s women leaders.

Elizabeth Suarez, director of Denver’s HERS Institute, has a wealth of experience in facilitating, coaching, and training individuals in the executive management ranks on how to improve their leadership capabilities and skills in order to reach their personal and professional goals. She will also be the moderator of this panel.

Given her experience with clients in the nonprofit arena, her involvement in the community of women, and her leadership in Denver, the event’s organizers feel that she is uniquely positioned as someone who possesses the capability of asking the necessary questions to get most out of this opportunity.

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