Doug Linkhart
President
- Email:[email protected]
- Hometown:Tucson, AZ
Public policy expert who has worked on every side of civic engagement—neighborhood leader, city councilman, state legislator, head of a city department, federal employee, nonprofit manager and business leader.
At the National Civic League, Doug Linkhart’s life-long values of inclusiveness and equity are in close alignment with the organization’s mission, and are used to guide his leadership as President. He is an expert in civic engagement, and works to connect residents, government, nonprofits and business. His vision and strategic planning efforts include a focus on collaboration with other key organizations focused on advancement and nurturing of inclusive communities.
Doug brings over 40 years of experience in the public policy arena, including 18 years as an elected official, including eight years as a Denver City Councilman and ten years as a Colorado State Representative and Senator. Doug started his career by managing local campaigns, then worked in the federal government as a Presidential Management Intern. He later ran his own consulting business, spending his free time as a newspaper columnist and neighborhood and political activist. He founded a nonprofit organization to serve neighborhood associations and their residents, which he directed for ten years. After running for Mayor of Denver in 2011, he was appointed by the winning candidate as the Executive Director of Denver’s Department of Environmental Health, a 300-person agency which he managed for four years.
Doug is the proud author of many pieces of state and local legislation and gives frequent public presentations.
- National League of Cities, Civic Engagement Speech, State Leagues’ Annual Meeting
- International City and County Managers’ Association, Presentation to their Annual Business Meeting
- Leadership Littleton (CO), History of Civic Engagement and Local Politics in Colorado
- Lee’s Summit (MO) Economic Development Council, Leadership Development and Coalitions
- The Kettering Foundation’s Dayton Days, Civic Engagement and the National Civic League
- “Block Building: Cure for Crime, Conflicts and Maybe Even City Budgets”, National Civic Review
- “Healthy Denver: Community Health Improvement Plan”, Denver Department of Environmental Health
- “Rededicating Ourselves to Rebuilding Community”, Illinois Municipal League journal
- “Rededicating Ourselves to Rebuilding Community”, Virginia Town and City
- “An Interview With Gary, IN, Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson”, National Civic Review
Educational Background:
- Masters of Public Administration, University of Arizona, 1979
- Bachelor of Arts (Phi Beta Kappa). Major, Political Science; Minor, Environmental Studies; University of Arizona, 1978
