Gail Schwartz arrived in Aspen in 1973 and began a lifetime commitment to her community and to public service as an elected official, planning and affordable housing expert, and dedicated volunteer. Gail has worked both locally and statewide on public education, affordable housing, and other issues facing rural Colorado.
Early in her career, Gail was a partner at Sno-engineering, Inc., where she led market planning and economic analysis for ski areas throughout North America. In 1979, she took her resort planning experience to the Aspen/Pitkin County Housing Authority, where she worked to create more than 700 affordable housing units in four years.
Her first volunteer efforts in Aspen were at the Aspen Historical Society, where she learned about her new community. Gail also volunteered for years at the Aspen Valley Hospital’s busy emergency room as a Pink Lady and later served 12 years on the Medical Foundation Board, raising funds for medical equipment and services in the Roaring Fork Valley.
In 1995, Gail was nominated by Governor Roy Romer to serve on the Colorado Commission on Higher Education and was subsequently elected to the Board of Regents of the University of Colorado, representing Western Colorado in 2000. She served two years as vice-chair and led major developments in the state’s higher education system, including the development of the Anschutz Medical Campus.
In 2006 and 2010, Gail was elected to serve two terms representing the sprawling and diverse Senate District 5 in the Colorado State Senate. Senator Schwartz dedicated her career to making rural Colorado the best place to live, work, raise a family, and educate children. She worked for equitable access and opportunity for rural citizens and communities to quality education, health care, economic development, and rural broadband expansion.
Gail’s legislative record shows a focus on water resources and public lands policy and diversification of Colorado’s energy portfolio. She remains committed to preserving Colorado’s majestic environment and protecting Colorado’s natural resources, public and private land conservation.
Gail assumed the role of CEO of Habitat for Humanity RFV in 2019 and spearheaded efforts to address regional affordable housing challenges, a role from which she recently retired. None of her public service would have been possible without the incredible support of the Roaring Fork Valley community and her family.