Michele Lueck

Michele Lueck was President and CEO of the Colorado Health Institute until 2022. A visionary leader, Michele is responsible for CHI's overall strategy and operations, directing a staff of 25 researchers, analysts, and professionals. Since joining in 2010, she has led a decade of expansion — growing CHI from a $1.5M to a $6M organization. Today, CHI combines a robust consulting practice with independent analyses that inform policy and practice for policymakers, health organizations, and communities across the state.

Michele is a public health strategist, advising public health leaders and agencies on strategic direction and policy issues. She has consulted with the fledgling Douglas County Public Health Department and serves as a senior strategic advisor to the Metro Denver Partnership for Health, a collaboration between public health, health systems, Regional Accountable Entities, human services, and regional health alliances.

Frequently interviewed by the press, Michele is a thought leader and speaker on health care trends and health policy research in Colorado. She develops and customizes solutions for specific markets based on health care trends, including Colorado Health Observation Regional Data Service (CHORDS), a tool for public health based on electronic health records; the statewide Colorado Health Access Survey; and the Regional Health Connector program, a new workforce approach, part of a large federal grant.

Michele believes that good health policy leads to a healthier Colorado, a notion that has defined her career. She previously led two nonprofits on Colorado’s Western Slope. Before entering the nonprofit sector, she worked in strategic services at Sg2 and other health care consulting firms.

Michele chairs the board of Adams State University and serves on the State of Colorado eHealth Commission. She also serves on the board of the National Network of Public Health Institutes. In 2020, she was selected as a Denver Business Journal Most Admired CEO.

Michele earned an undergraduate degree from Harvard and a master’s degree from the University of Melbourne, Australia. She lives in Englewood with her husband Bill, where they frequently house (and feed) their two college-aged kids. On weekends, you can find her walking her two Portuguese Water Dogs, delivering meals for Project Angel Heart, or immersing herself in a great read.