Patty Salazar was appointed by Colorado Governor Jared Polis as Executive Director for the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) in January 2019. As DORA's Executive Director, she leads the state’s umbrella regulatory authority and consumer protection agency which has oversight of more than 50 industries, whose work is supported by nearly 700 employees and more than 40 boards, commissions and advisory committees with more than 350 appointees.
Patty has served at the agency since 2015 in various executive leadership roles including as the State Bank and Financial Services Commissioner and as DORA’s Deputy Executive Director with then-Executive Director Joe Neguse under the administration of Governor John Hickenlooper. Prior, she was an appointee in the administration of California Governor Jerry Brown at the California Department of Business Oversight (currently the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation) where she served as a deputy commissioner of external affairs. Earlier in her career, Patty has served as a consultant to various clients on community relations and strategies related to local, state and federal policy with a primary focus on consumer protection and breaking down barriers to socio-economic equality.
Patty earned a Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California. WIth more than 20 years of legislative and regulatory experience, she is the recipient of the 2019 Latinas First Foundation Trailblazers Award and the 2021 Council of State Governments 20 Under 40 Leadership Award. She also serves on the Denver Library Commission and is a Trustee of the Board of Women’s Foundation of Colorado.