Civic veteran Andrea Albo will take over the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District in September, following the departure of longtime leader Deborah Jordy.
Albo will lead the 7-country metro area organization after 27 years of public service, according to SCFD, having worked as Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Vice President of Culture and Strategy at Denver International Airport, Chief of Staff for the Denver Sheriff Department, and in a variety of other roles over 11 years at Denver Department of Human Services.
The University of Colorado at Denver and Harvard Kennedy School of State and Local Government graduate was picked after a national search, SCFD said. Jordy, who stepped down this summer, will become the senior advisor on voter reauthorization of the taxing district. The next voter reauthorization will take place in 2028 as part of the November general election.
“It’s thanks to SCFD free days that I was exposed to arts and culture from a young age, and I am thrilled by the opportunity to help provide that same opportunity to others in the Denver metro area,” Albo said in a statement. “I am looking forward to working with the cultural community I call home to advance the accessibility of arts, culture, and science for all district residents.”
Replacing Jordy is a tall order. She steered the arts-funding tax district through the pandemic and other rough waters in recent years to come out on top with consistent, vital funding for nonprofit, metro area arts and culture organizations. That includes $80 million in grants for each of the last two years to more than 300 individual nonprofits.
