Slalom + Colorado Succeeds: A 10x Partnership Powering the Future of Colorado's Talent
What happens when a company doesn’t just show up, but shows up with the intention to transform?
Slalom and Colorado Succeeds have been answering that question together for more than a decade. Through deep civic leadership, sustained investment, and bold action, Slalom has not merely contributed to progress in Colorado’s education and workforce systems; it has multiplied its impact tenfold.
Slalom is a purpose-driven business and technology consulting firm with more than 500 employees based in the Denver area. Their work spans strategy, systems, and culture, and in Colorado, that purpose has come to life through education and workforce transformation. Slalom champions system-wide initiatives that result in sustainable improvements in workforce development and prioritizes investments that deliver 10x returns for the community.
Guided by the mindset of 10x Is Easier Than 2x, Slalom’s partnership with Colorado Succeeds is a masterclass in exponential thinking: focusing on what matters most, playing to unique strengths, and creating breakthrough results for learners, educators, and businesses alike.
Civic Leadership That Scales
Slalom’s commitment to Colorado Succeeds begins at the highest levels of leadership:
Joe Kuntner, Managing Director of Global Public & Social Impact, has served on Colorado Succeeds’ Board of Directors for eight years, including as Board Co-Chair. Joe has helped guide the organization’s evolution from policy advocacy to implementation, ensuring business leaders help translate legislative wins into real-world outcomes.
Binh Diep, Managing Director – Mountain West, has served five years on the Board of Trustees. His leadership has helped bridge business strategy with public policy, including work on the Business Experiential Learning Commission and employer-driven talent initiatives.
Alex West, Slalom’s Community Impact Lead, has served on the Board of Advisors for eight years. Her insights have advanced career pathways in the tech sector, focusing on equitable access to digital careers.
Slalom’s sustained board presence exemplifies the 10x principle of focusing on unique ability: the firm plays to its strengths as a strategy and technology leader to drive systemic change where it matters most.
From Membership to Movement: Impact at Every Level
Slalom doesn’t just sponsor initiatives, it co-creates them. The firm has been an instrumental partner in several catalytic efforts:
Policy + Systems Innovation
In 2024, Slalom partnered with the Colorado Department of Education to lead the first-ever Postsecondary & Workforce Readiness (PWR) Financial Study, commissioned through legislation supported by Colorado Succeeds. The study combined human-centered design with fiscal analysis across 15+ state-funded programs. The recommendations—including a Rural Start-Up & Sustainment Fund and outcomes-based funding—directly informed Senate Bill 25-315, passed in the 2025 legislative session.
Talent Pipeline Design
Through the Talent Pipeline Management (TPM) Program, Slalom has helped identify high-need tech-sector roles and define skills-based pathways that align with employer expectations. These insights are now being used by workforce centers, schools, and colleges to develop job-aligned training in areas like cybersecurity and software engineering
The Succeeds Prize
Slalom was a five-year sponsor of The Succeeds Prize, helping celebrate excellence in education and elevate local innovation. Their sponsorship of the Transformational Impact in a High School Award spotlighted rural leaders like La Veta High School, while their support also helped surface and scale youth-led civic leadership through the Colorado Youth Congress. One outcome: Slalom Managing Director Kara Shuler joined the CYC board after learning about their work through this partnership, demonstrating how Slalom invests not only financially, but relationally and personally.
Pro Bono Service
Behind the scenes, Slalom helped Colorado Succeeds migrate to Salesforce, offering strategic consulting to ensure the system could scale with the organization’s coalition and grant reporting needs.
10x Thinking, 10x Results
By showing up not just as a donor but as a builder, connector, and changemaker, Slalom embodies the spirit of the 10x Rule. Rather than settle for incremental progress, Slalom has helped Colorado Succeeds:
- Design and pilot scalable education models that meet the needs of both learners and employers, especially in rural and under-resourced communities
- Expand employer engagement in work-based learning
- Catalyze policy change and public investment to ensure equitable access to credentials of value
- Strengthen the conditions for innovation across the education-to-employment continuum
Thousands of Colorado students and families have already benefited. From access to tuition-free college courses to earning credentials that lead directly to high-wage jobs, Slalom’s impact is real, lasting, and expanding.
In a time when the future of work is shifting rapidly, partnerships like this are essential. Slalom’s 10x mindset has created ripple effects across Colorado’s education and workforce ecosystem—proving that real change requires bold vision, civic leadership, and a deep commitment to community.