The list of inductees headed to the Colorado Business Hall of Fame in 2022 include Tim Gill, Robert L. Albin, Robert Newman, Curt and Nancy Richardson, Donald L. Sturm and former slave turned businesswoman Clara Brown.

The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and Junior Achievement-Rocky Mountain announced the slate of laureates Monday. Winners will be inducted at the annual Colorado Business Hall of Fame dinner on Jan. 27 at the Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center.

Inductees were chosen based on “enduring and innovative professional contributions to Colorado, inspirational and ethical acumen, and philanthropic endeavors,” according to a news release.

Here are short biographies of the laureates:

Robert L. Albin helped shape Denver’s move from then-Stapleton Airport to Denver International Airport, as part of his work with the Mayor’s Committee for Design of Denver International Airport. Albin co-founded American Salesmasters Ltd., a worldwide sales and management training firm. Salesmasters hosted large sales rallies in 35 cities throughout the U.S., Canada and Australia. It also produced tapes, films and videos for worldwide distribution. He then launched a management consulting firm, Albin Management Consultants, in 1982. It was sold in 1995 to First Data Corp., then a Fortune 500 New York Stock Exchange company. He later served as chief operating officer of Western Union North America. He is a past chairman of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, Mountain States Employers Council, Mile High United Way Campaign and Junior Achievement-Rocky Mountain.

Clara Brown (1800-1885) was a formerly enslaved woman from Virginia who became a Colorado entrepreneur, community leader and philanthropist. She helped with the settlement of newly freed slaves during the time of Colorado’s Gold Rush. She was known as the “Angel of the Rockies” and is one of Colorado’s first Black settlers, according to the release. After Brown was freed at age 56, she was required by law to leave Kentucky and began searching for her family. She traveled to Denver by working as a wagon train cook in exchange for transportation. She ended up in Central City, where she established the first laundry as a way to make enough money to live independently and find her family. By 1866, she had accumulated $10,000 and invested in properties and mines in nearby towns. As “Aunt” Clara Brown’s profits grew, she became more charitable, never turning away anyone in need. Under request from then-Gov. Frederick Pitkin, she helped relocate many escaped slaves from Kansas to Colorado. Today, a stained glass window of Clara Brown can be found in the rotunda of Colorado’s Capitol.

Tim Gill is a computer programmer, entrepreneur, philanthropist and nationally recognized leader in the advancement of LGBTQ rights and equality. He founded Quark Inc. in the early 1980s, “revolutionizing the publishing industry with innovative and affordable page-layout software,” according to the release. He sold his 50% stake in the company in 1999 for $500 million, setting aside $300 million for causes that advanced rights and inclusion for the LGBTQ community. He later founded the Gill Foundation in 1994, “substantially contributing to many of the country’s watershed victories for LGBTQ equality.” The foundation also focuses on providing STEM education (science, technology, engineering and math) to Colorado students, “promoting fair lending practices and financial literacy that protects Colorado consumers, and public broadcasting.” Gill co-chairs the foundation’s board of directors with husband Scott Miller.

Robert “Bob” Newman is an entrepreneur, who began his career as a computer programmer in the 1960s. He and his wife, Judi, have been major philanthropists for arts and education institutions in Denver. In 1978, Newman’s company merged with another small firm to form J.D. Edwards & Co., which eventually grew to almost 6,000 employees in 15 countries. “During the 1990s, JDE became the fourth-largest application software company in the world with about $1 billion in annual revenues,” the release states. Today, Newman owns and helps manage a venture capital company called Greenwood Gulch Ventures, investing in technology startups. The couple are key supporters of the Newman Center for Performing Arts at the University of Denver, the Newman Center for Arts Education at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and the Freyer-Newman Center at Denver Botanic Gardens.

Nancy and Curt Richardson are described as “entrepreneurs and philanthropists.” They co-founded Blue Ocean Enterprises in 2011, “investing capital in promising businesses that demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit, creativity, and innovation that stimulate the economy and engage the community,” according to the release. In addition to the Richardson Foundation, Curt Richardson founded OtterBox, based in Fort Collins. The company makes protective covers for cellular phones. He served as the CEO of OtterBox for 14 years, successfully leading the company through rapid growth, global expansion and a complete product evolution. Nancy Richardson was a member of the team that developed the award-winning design for the OtterBox headquarters and Canyon Place in Fort Collins. She also founded the OtterCares Foundation.

Donald L. Sturm‘s family owns ANB Bank with branches in Colorado, Wyoming and Kansas, as well as numerous real estate assets in Colorado. Sturm worked as an attorney for the IRS, before joining Peter Kiewit Sons’ Inc. as tax counsel in 1963. He later took over as the company’s chief financial officer and was elected to the board of directors in 1975. He left in 1991, after the company had acquired Mapco Inc. and The Continental Group. Sturm was “a member of the group that bought Continental Airlines out of bankruptcy in April 1993,” the release states. It later became part of United Airlines. He and his wife, Susan, through the Sturm Family Foundation, “have participated in philanthropic activities by providing funds and oversight for charter schools to benefit economically disadvantaged children” and the University of Denver. Two facilities on the DU campus bear the Sturm name.

For more information, or to buy tickets, visit ColoradoBusinessHallofFame.org.