Gretchen Hollrah

Gretchen Hollrah is the Chief Operating Officer of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts where she oversees Facilities, Event Services, Finance, Information Technology, Capital Projects, Human Resources and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

Gretchen joined the Denver Center in 2019 following 17 years of service at the City of Denver. Most recently, she has served as the Executive Director for the National Western Center, which is a reimagined master-planned campus nearly doubling the grounds which have housed the National Western Stock Show for more than 110 years. In this capacity, she has overseen campus strategic master planning and development, including operations planning and construction activities for the redevelopment of the Center in coordination with partners and their construction plans.

Previously, she served as Deputy Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Chief Project Officer simultaneously for the City of Denver, where she reviewed development proposals and recommended public financing opportunities to maximize efficient use of City resources. Her project work has included the continued redevelopment of the Stapleton and Lowry neighborhoods as well as other major infill and infrastructure reinvestment projects. Additionally, Gretchen managed Denver’s Capital Improvement Program, overseeing appropriations for the City’s streets, bridges, parks, buildings and arts facilities.

Gretchen began her career as a city planner for the City of New York and continued in the private sector at Wilbur Smith Associates in San Francisco, CA, before her career in Denver. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Michigan.