Deanna Geldens
Marketing and Digital Communications Manager
Deanna Geldens shares the Colorado Health Institute’s story through social media channels, email newsletters, and more. She is the behind-the-scenes communicator for many of CHI’s publications and productions, including the Eggheads webinar series, and works to ensure that our proposals and other written products are consistent, compelling, and accurate.
Deanna joined the communications team in June 2021 after six years of running her own marketing communications consultancy. As a consultant she managed social marketing contests and campaigns, produced annual reports and other marketing collateral, and supported sales efforts. She provided business analysis based on clients’ needs and wrote content for marketing proposals, websites, newsletters, and a monthly technical journal.
Deanna previously held positions in higher education and health care nonprofits. As Director of Marketing, Communications, and Alumni Relations for the University of Colorado (CU) College of Nursing, Deanna managed the college’s rebranding efforts, directed its marketing strategy, developed a social media presence, and managed the production of its alumni magazine. Before moving to the College of Nursing, Deanna worked in University Communications as the Associate Director of Marketing and Creative Services and as a Communications Consultant, offering advice and assistance to various schools and departments on the Denver and Anschutz Medical Campuses. Leading up to her work at CU, she worked as a managing editor for the Association of Surgical Technologist and the University of Denver.
Deanna is president of the Colorado chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators and has served in progressive positions on the board.
She grew up in Kansas City, feeding her soul with jazz and barbecue. She moved to Colorado in the 1990s to complete a master’s degree in communications from the University of Denver. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri.
Outside of CHI, Deanna enjoys taking weekend trips to towns across Colorado, hiking and camping, tending her hydroponic vegetable garden, and loving on her rescue dogs.
Sample Projects
- Navigating Uncharted Waters: The Pandemic, Health, Coverage, and Care in Colorado
- Fear and Missing Out: Postponed Care During COVID-19
- Language and Culturally Responsive Care in Colorado: Barriers, Access, and Room for Improvement
- Options and Opportunities: An Analysis of Colorado's Veterans Who Are Eligible for but Not Enrolled in VA Health Care
Skills
- Strategic marketing communications and analysis
- Digital and integrated brand messaging
- Social media marketing and SEO
- Editorial management
- Writing and storytelling
Focus Areas
- Marketing and brand messaging
- Strategic communications
I do this work because… As a business owner, my health insurance coverage was vulnerable to the whims of insurance carriers and legislators. Through the pandemic, I became more aware of other vulnerable populations and the level of health inequity that exists across the state. Everyone deserves access to quality health care — regardless of your age, gender or medical history, your income or occupation, your race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation, where you live, or what documentation you carry. Health care is a basic right.