KSUT Executive Director Tami Graham is among four individuals chosen to receive the Governor’s Creative Leadership Award, Colorado Governor Jared Polis announced recently.
On Wednesday, May 27, Polis and the Colorado Creative Industries (CCI) division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) announced the 2026 recipients of the Governor’s Creative Leadership Award.
This year’s honorees from Colorado Springs, Mancos, and Walsenburg are recognized for their significant commitment to the state’s creative landscape through civic leadership.
Read the full press release (PDF | 139KB)
Graham, who will celebrate a decade as KSUT’s Executive Director on July 18, received the 2026 Arts and Community Action Award.
“Tami’s 40 years of public, community, and college radio experience, wealth of knowledge about nonprofit fundraising and management, and decades of community connections across the Four Corners region have led KSUT to unprecedented growth and success despite challenging economic times, a pandemic, and the rescission of federal funding of public media,” said KSUT Development Director Chris Aaland.
In addition to her duties at KSUT, she is an ex officio board member with the Mancos Common Press; a board member for the Durango Mesa Park Foundation; and is active with Rocky Mountain Community Radio (RMCR), a coalition of 21 non-commercial radio stations in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.
She also cofounded the Armida Huerta Adventure Fund, which raises money to increase accessibility to pack-rafting for LGBTQ individuals and BIPOC women.
The Governor’s Creative Leadership Awards were presented on Thursday, June 4, at the Colorado Creative Industries Summit in Trinidad. The CCI Summit is a two-day event that convenes more than 350 artists and creative leaders from across the state, featuring over 50 sessions, activations, and tours that explore Colorado’s creative ecosystem. The wide range of sessions examines the role of creativity in addressing shared challenges and opportunities at the intersection of business, education, health, infrastructure, and policy.
This year’s other Creative Leadership Award recipients include: Ashley Corrnelius of Colorado Springs, 2026 Arts and Advocacy Award; Brendt Berger and Maria Cocchiarelli-Berger, 2026 Arts and Creative Placemaking Award.