Denver International Airport (DEN) announced the appointment of Cristal Torres DeHerrera as its chief of staff. As one of five executive vice president positions at the airport, DeHerrera will be responsible for managing the airport’s External Affairs business unit which includes overseeing the airport’s executive office and government and community affairs, including the DEN Commerce Hub.
In her role, DeHerrera will lead development of the airport’s strategies, policies and plans related to legislative and regulatory activities at the local, state and federal levels. DeHerrera will also be working closely with the airport executive team on a number of priority initiatives, including the public-private partnership to renovate DEN’s Great Hall with the Great Hall Partners, a team of local and international companies led by Ferrovial S.A.
“After a thorough search, we are delighted to welcome Cristal Torres DeHerrera to the DEN team,” said airport CEO Kim Day. “Cristal’s strength in contract negotiation, good government, process improvement and community collaboration will benefit the airport. She is a thoughtful, intuitive and collaborative leader who will be a positive addition to our executive team.”
“Cristal will be a phenomenal addition to the airport team,” Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock said. “During her four years as deputy city attorney, she has grown to become a trusted advisor to my administration, a strong collaborator with our regional partners and a dedicated listener to our community, and she will remain a close and steadfast advisor. I am so pleased she will be staying with the city team and helping to lead the airport into its next great era.”
“DEN is the Rocky Mountain Region’s No. 1 economic driver and a $1 billion operation. I’m thrilled to join Kim and the DEN team to continue making DEN America’s favorite airport, where the Rocky Mountains meet the world,” said DeHerrera.
DeHerrera, who will begin her new position at the airport on April 2, currently serves as the deputy city attorney for the City and County of Denver, a position she has held since 2014. As the No. 2 attorney for the city, she manages the day-to-day operations of more than 200 attorneys and staff in one of the largest public law offices in the western United States. DeHerrera is an advisor to the mayor and the city on a wide range of legal and policy issues and serves as the city’s lead negotiator for many of the city’s largest contracts.
“Cristal has been a valued leader in the City Attorney’s Office,” said Kristin Bronson, city attorney. “While we are disappointed to see her go, I know the airport will be well served by her skills and she will remain an important asset to the city.”
DeHerrera’s accomplishments include leading the development of the governance structure for the National Western Center. Specifically, she worked to ensure the governance structure fostered ongoing partnership, collaboration and engagement with the Globeville and Elyria-Swansea neighborhoods and that the National Western Center directly benefits the surrounding neighborhoods and residents for the foreseeable future.
“Cristal envisioned and led the creation of a new public authority to govern and manage the new National Western Center campus, unlike any authority previously created in Denver,” said Gretchen Hollrah, executive director of the Mayor’s Office of the National Western Center. “Under Cristal’s leadership, the NWC Authority has been structured to honor the community in which it resides, to be a responsible steward of new public buildings and to deliver year-round activity for the people of Denver.”
DeHerrera also led Mayor Hancock’s efforts to partner with the Denver City Council on the Public Safety Priority Enforcement Act which promoted public safety through community trust and limited Denver’s role in federal immigration enforcement. DeHerrera is currently leading the development of Denver’s Immigrant Legal Defense Fund.
“It’s critical that we have the leadership and experience necessary to support DEN as it continues to create global connectivity and local economic opportunity,” said Denver City Councilman Paul Lopez. “Over the years, I’ve worked closely with Cristal to restore public faith in government. I have great confidence in her ability to collaborate with the thousands who make DEN a world-class airport.”
Prior to her position with the city, Cristal was a partner at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, where her practice focused on mergers and acquisitions, private equity, public and private securities offerings, capital formation and securities advice.
DeHerrera holds a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and her undergraduate degree, with honors, in political studies from Pitzer College in Claremont, California. The Colorado Hispanic Bar Association recently honored DeHerrera with the Christopher A. Miranda Outstanding Hispanic Lawyer Award. In 2016, she received the Denver Bar Association’s Richard Marden Davis Award for leadership in Denver’s civic, cultural, educational and charitable activities. She was recognized in 2015 by the Colorado Women’s Bar Association and was honored with the Raising the Bar Award, Women to Watch: 5 Female Attorneys Who Will Make an Impact over the Next 10 Years. In 2014, she received the Denver Business Journal’s 40 under 40 award.
