Director of Partnership Development and Innovation
Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG)
Dr. Raitano is a third generation native Coloradoan, born in Pueblo and raised in Denver. She attended Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska and completed her undergraduate work at the University of Colorado, Boulder, earning a Bachelor of Arts cum laude in Psychology. She was awarded a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, Colorado. Dr. Raitano then completed an internship in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. Dr. Raitano managed and owned a small animal clinic in Dillon, Colorado for eight years.
She was twice elected Mayor of Dillon, Colorado and served on numerous boards and commissions, including Colorado Municipal League Region 12 (president), Colorado Association of Ski Towns (vice-president), the Summit Leadership Forum(vice-president & founding member), and the Colorado River Headwater Forum (vice-chair & founding member). Former Governor Romer appointed her to two terms on the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission where she served as vice-chairman during her last term.
Dr. Raitano served as the first Executive Director of the Colorado Rural Development Council for 10 years. She chaired the Colorado Rural Technology Project (CRTP) for Colorado's Advanced Technology Institute for three years. Former Governor Romer appointed her to serve as the representative for rural consumers on the state's Working Group on Telecommunications Deregulationand has served in an advisory capacity to the Public Utilities Commission for their telecommunications grants project. Dr. Raitano was awarded Vice-President Al Gore's Hammer Award for Re-Inventing Government for her work with the Colorado Ecosystem Partnership
Dr. Raitano served two terms on the 10th District Economic Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Bank and was appointed Senior Fellow at the Center for the New West. CSU Cooperative Extension presented Dr. Raitano their "Friend of Extension" award. She served 4 years on the Executive Committee of the Economic Developer's Council of Colorado and served a 4 year term on the Board of the Education Foundation of the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry. She served on the Steering Committee for theWestern Rural Development Centerfor six years. She was asked to serve on the charter board for the Community Development Advisory Council for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. She served 12 years on the Rural Community Assistance Corporation Board of Directors. Dr. Raitano also served as Chair for the Board of Colorado Association for Manufacturing and Technologynow known as Manufacturer’s Edge.
Dr. Raitano chaired the RuralTeleCon 2000 national conference in Aspen and delivered an International Keynote on her work to stimulate deployment of advanced IT infrastructure to rural Colorado communities in Nova Scotia, Canada. Dr. Raitano was a guest of the Australian Government where she presented the International Keynote address and a seminar at the Queensland University of Technology on the role of IT infrastructure in rural economic and community development. Dr. Raitano served on the Summit Medical Center Community Advisory Boardfor 16 years and was elected as the first Chair of its Board of Directors. She served on the St. Anthony’s Hospital Board of Directorsfor 2 years. She was named Executive Director of the I-70 Coalitionand has served on CDOT’s SB-1 Transit Task Force. At the request of CDOT Region 1, she served on the Context Sensitive Solutionsproject leadership team and selection panel. Former Governor Ritter appointed her to the Technical Advisory Committee for the Blue Ribbon Panel on Transportation Finance and Implementation. She was a member of the I-70 AGS Feasibility Study Project Leadership Team and the Interconnectivity Study for CDOT.
Dr. Raitano has worked on contract assignments ranging from rural economic development projects in NE Colorado to rural community broadband projects for the State of Arizona, to tribal comprehensive community planning in Southern California. She completed work on several HUD Sustainable Communities projects (New River Valley Region in Virginia; St Charles Parish Louisiana). She worked with the North Fork Valley in Delta County to attain Creative District status. Dr. Raitano has been at the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) since August 2013 in multiple capacities and is currently serving as the Director of Partnership Development and Innovation. In late 2018 she served on Governor Polis’ transition team for CDOT and DOLA.
Director of Partnership Development and Innovation
Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG)
Dr. Raitano is a third generation native Coloradoan, born in Pueblo and raised in Denver. She attended Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska and completed her undergraduate work at the University of Colorado, Boulder, earning a Bachelor of Arts cum laude in Psychology. She was awarded a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, Colorado. Dr. Raitano then completed an internship in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. Dr. Raitano managed and owned a small animal clinic in Dillon, Colorado for eight years.
She was twice elected Mayor of Dillon, Colorado and served on numerous boards and commissions, including Colorado Municipal League Region 12 (president), Colorado Association of Ski Towns (vice-president), the Summit Leadership Forum(vice-president & founding member), and the Colorado River Headwater Forum (vice-chair & founding member). Former Governor Romer appointed her to two terms on the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission where she served as vice-chairman during her last term.
Dr. Raitano served as the first Executive Director of the Colorado Rural Development Council for 10 years. She chaired the Colorado Rural Technology Project (CRTP) for Colorado's Advanced Technology Institute for three years. Former Governor Romer appointed her to serve as the representative for rural consumers on the state's Working Group on Telecommunications Deregulationand has served in an advisory capacity to the Public Utilities Commission for their telecommunications grants project. Dr. Raitano was awarded Vice-President Al Gore's Hammer Award for Re-Inventing Government for her work with the Colorado Ecosystem Partnership
Dr. Raitano served two terms on the 10th District Economic Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Bank and was appointed Senior Fellow at the Center for the New West. CSU Cooperative Extension presented Dr. Raitano their "Friend of Extension" award. She served 4 years on the Executive Committee of the Economic Developer's Council of Colorado and served a 4 year term on the Board of the Education Foundation of the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry. She served on the Steering Committee for theWestern Rural Development Centerfor six years. She was asked to serve on the charter board for the Community Development Advisory Council for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. She served 12 years on the Rural Community Assistance Corporation Board of Directors. Dr. Raitano also served as Chair for the Board of Colorado Association for Manufacturing and Technologynow known as Manufacturer’s Edge.
Dr. Raitano chaired the RuralTeleCon 2000 national conference in Aspen and delivered an International Keynote on her work to stimulate deployment of advanced IT infrastructure to rural Colorado communities in Nova Scotia, Canada. Dr. Raitano was a guest of the Australian Government where she presented the International Keynote address and a seminar at the Queensland University of Technology on the role of IT infrastructure in rural economic and community development. Dr. Raitano served on the Summit Medical Center Community Advisory Boardfor 16 years and was elected as the first Chair of its Board of Directors. She served on the St. Anthony’s Hospital Board of Directorsfor 2 years. She was named Executive Director of the I-70 Coalitionand has served on CDOT’s SB-1 Transit Task Force. At the request of CDOT Region 1, she served on the Context Sensitive Solutionsproject leadership team and selection panel. Former Governor Ritter appointed her to the Technical Advisory Committee for the Blue Ribbon Panel on Transportation Finance and Implementation. She was a member of the I-70 AGS Feasibility Study Project Leadership Team and the Interconnectivity Study for CDOT.
Dr. Raitano has worked on contract assignments ranging from rural economic development projects in NE Colorado to rural community broadband projects for the State of Arizona, to tribal comprehensive community planning in Southern California. She completed work on several HUD Sustainable Communities projects (New River Valley Region in Virginia; St Charles Parish Louisiana). She worked with the North Fork Valley in Delta County to attain Creative District status. Dr. Raitano has been at the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) since August 2013 in multiple capacities and is currently serving as the Director of Partnership Development and Innovation. In late 2018 she served on Governor Polis’ transition team for CDOT and DOLA.
