LiveWell Colorado Names Maren Stewart as CEO

LiveWell Colorado, a non-profit committed to reducing obesity by providing every Coloradoan with access to healthy foods and opportunities for physical activity, today announced that it has named Maren Stewart, JD, APR as its first president and chief executive officer. Ms. Stewart is responsible for leading the strategic direction and operational efforts of LiveWell Colorado and will report to the organization’s Board of Directors.

LiveWell Colorado, which has been funding local community initiatives across the state since 2006, recently became a stand-alone 501(c)(3) and this is the first full-time CEO.

Ms. Stewart has extensive experience in non-profit healthcare, including ten years of executive management. Most recently, Ms. Stewart served as Vice President of External Affairs at The Children’s Hospital in Colorado, where she had responsibility for the strategic direction of advocacy, public policy, government affairs, public relations, community outreach and marketing and was a member of the hospital’s executive leadership team. Prior to that, she was a principal in the lobbying firm Bledsoe, DeFilippo & Rees, LLC, which represented a variety of clients on the local, state and federal levels.

Ms. Stewart currently serves on the board of directors for the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts and the Aurora Economic Development Council. She was appointed by Governor Ritter to the Advisory Committee on Covering All Children in Colorado and participated in a national effort to revamp pediatric residency programs with the American Board of Pediatrics Residency Review & Redesign Committee.

Previously, Ms. Stewart served on the National Association of Children’s Hospitals council on child advocacy and the Colorado Hospital Association legislative committee, as well as the board of directors for the Denver Metro Chamber Foundation, Donor Awareness Council, Colorado Association of Nonprofit Organizations, Aurora Chamber and Colorado Bright Beginnings.

Ms. Stewart holds a B.S. in Journalism from the University of Kansas and a J.D. from the University of Denver. She is licensed to practice law in Colorado and is accredited by the Public Relations Society of America.

About LiveWell Colorado
LiveWell Colorado aims to provide every Coloradoan with access to healthy foods and opportunities for physical activity in the places they live, work, learn and play. This non-profit organization will realize its vision by elevating health and wellness awareness, augmenting funding for the most promising obesity reduction strategies and leveraging investments and resources. With the launch of Colorado’s strategic plan, Fostering Healthy People and Places: The Power of All of Us, LiveWell Colorado and its board of directors will implement an aggressive, coordinated statewide intervention to address the human and economic tolls of overweight and obesity and improve the health and well being of all Coloradoans. For more information about LiveWell Colorado, visit www.livewellcolorado.com.