Community Service
Harry T. Lewis Jr.
Harry Lewis is an outstanding community leader who has brought his keen understanding of civic finance, broad knowledge of the local economy, and commitment to economic and cultural development to leadership roles throughout our community.
Harry has been a leading contributor to many civic organizations addressing Denver’s growth, planning, and future development. As Chairman of the Denver Downtown Partnership, he was a driving force behind the development of the 16th Street Mall. His long association with the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce included work on a task force that led to the creation of the Regional Transportation District (RTD). He was instrumental in planning for the redevelopment of the Stapleton airport site and served as Chairman of the Stapleton Foundation for Sustainable Urban Communities.
Harry helped to create the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) in 1988 and championed the implementation of a 1/10 of 1% retail sales tax to increase community access to the arts, science, and culture. Since 1993, he has served as President of Citizens for Arts to Zoo, an organization formed to assist the SCFD in promoting the District’s reauthorization efforts.
His financial acumen has helped strengthen many Colorado nonprofit organizations. As a long-time trustee of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science (DMNS), Harry assisted with the establishment the DMNS Foundation and, as Chairman, oversaw its growth to $80 million. He also served on the board of the Colorado Outward Bound School and currently serves on the board of the Institute of International Education, Rocky Mountain Region. He completed a fifteen-year term as a Trustee of the Boettcher Foundation in 2000.
Mr. Lewis is the recipient of many prestigious awards including SCFD’s Rex Morgan Community Service Award and the Denver Metro Chamber’s Del Hock Lifetime Achievement Award. Harry has served on the boards of numerous corporations, including Berger Mutual Funds, Rocky Mountain World Trade Center Association, and J.D. Edwards. He was inducted into the Colorado Business Hall of Fame in 2006.
Harry began his business career with Peat Marwick, Mitchell & Company where he became a CPA. He subsequently joined Boettcher & Company where he became a General Partner and then went on to be the Senior Vice President of the Rocky Mountain Region for Dain Bosworth, Inc. He currently heads his own private investment firm, Lewis Investments.
A Denver native, Mr. Lewis graduated from East High School, received his bachelor’s degree in Art History from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. from Dartmouth’s Amos Tuck School of Business. He served two years in the U.S. Navy assigned to the Naval Guided-Missile Group I in Hawaii. In 2001, Harry lost his beloved wife of 45 years, Tanya deLuise Lewis. He has three adult children and six grandchildren.