Stephanie Donner Recognized with 2017 Davis Award

Stephanie Donner was honored last night with the 2017 Richard Marden Davis Award at a dinner in her honor. The award recognizes her outstanding service to the legal community, along with her civic and charitable leadership.

The Davis Award is presented annually “to a Denver lawyer who is 40 years old or younger and combines excellence as a lawyer with civic, cultural, educational, and charitable leadership.” The award was created in memory of Richard Marden Davis, one of the founders of Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP, who devoted himself tirelessly to the profession and the community. Each honoree “best exemplifies the character and promise of Richard Davis at that stage in his career.” Ms. Donner follows a long line of past winners who have continued to serve the Denver legal community.

Ms. Donner is currently working as Outside Corporate Counsel at Galvanize, Inc., a Colorado-based education company that trains software engineers, data scientists, and entrepreneurs under one roof with shared workspace. In addition to handling legal, regulatory, compliance, and government relations, she instituted Galvanize Gives, a volunteer program that allows Galvanize employees to participate in community volunteer activities. She also created the Galvanize Foundation, a 501(c)(3) that provides education funding to traditionally underrepresented groups in the tech industry. Ms. Donner previously served as Chief Legal Counsel and Deputy Chief of Staff for Colorado Governor, John W. Hickenlooper. During her time with Governor Hickenlooper, she also served as Executive Director of the 2013 Colorado flood recovery, where she led a team that helped Coloradans respond to floods that devastated communities, caused $4 billion in damage, took ten lives, and required the evacuation of thousands of Coloradans.

“Stephanie Donner is an exceptional lawyer and an asset to the community. The selection committee made an excellent decision by choosing to honor Ms. Donner,” said Kristin Lentz, one of the DGS Co-Managing Partners.

Ms. Donner also holds several board positions for organizations, including the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, the Denver Metropolitan Major League Stadium District, Girls Inc. of Metro Denver, and the Keystone Policy Center. Her community involvement has even taken her to Africa as part of the Global Livingston Institute that seeks to empower women through fashion and the arts in developing nations such as Rwanda and Uganda. Ms. Donner is dedicated to sharing her skills and providing advice to hundreds of women locally and across the globe.

“It’s been an honor to get to know Stephanie through the Colorado Women’s Bar Association,” said Shannon Stevenson, chair of the DGS Trial Department and member of the Executive Committee. “She is passionate about giving back to the community and making a statewide impact.”

About the Richard Marden Davis Award

Richard Davis’ family, his law firm Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP, and the Denver Bar Foundation established this award in his memory in 1993, honoring his belief that great lawyers should be professional and community leaders. The award was created not only to recognize successful and committed young lawyers, but also to inspire other young attorneys to follow in his footsteps. For nearly 50 years, Mr. Davis tirelessly devoted himself to the legal profession and the community. He served as President of the Denver Bar Association in 1959 and played key leadership roles in philanthropic and arts organizations throughout his career. For more information, visit dgslaw.com/who-we-are/davis-award/.

About the Denver Bar Association

The Denver Bar Association was founded in 1891 with the commitment to promote justice, support and assist member attorneys in delivering legal service and uphold the honor and dignity of the bar. The association likewise works to foster respect for the legal profession, encourage ongoing legal education and offers resources for the media and the public on legal issues. For more information, visit denbar.org.