Raised in Delafield, a rural community in central Wisconsin, Teresa A. Taylor was the first in her family to attend college. After graduating, she moved to Colorado where she began her career with start-up technology companies. She joined US West/Qwest, a Fortune 200 company, in 1988. She reached the c-suite of the multibillion-dollar nationwide telecommunications corporation in record time. During those 23 years she also worked through adversity, raised two sons, and stayed married to the same extraordinary man.
Taylor retired as the COO of Qwest after leading the telecom giant through an acquisition, facilitating the $22 billion process and navigating the complexities of a large corporate merger. Today, she is a sought-after speaker on topics including leadership, economic development, and innovation, and she has been featured in a number of national business publications, including the Wall Street Journal and New York Times.
She serves on the board of directors for First Interstate BancSystem, Inc., a financial services holding company with $7.3 billion in assets, and for NiSource, Inc., a Fortune 500 natural gas and electricity storage and transmission company.
She also advises companies, government agencies, and other enterprises on vision, strategy, operations, and public affairs. Taylor is active in the community and public affairs of Colorado. She has been appointed to the Colorado Economic Development Commission by Governor Hickenlooper and has served on numerous cabinets and boards for other governors of Colorado. In addition, she serves on the Global Leadership Council for the Colorado State University’s College of Business and is a member of the board of directors of the Colorado Technology Association.