Gloria Tanner

A lifetime of political activism earned Gloria Tanner many awards, distinctions, and titles. She was the first African American woman to serve as a Colorado state senator and the second African American to be elected to a leadership position in the Colorado House of Representatives, where she was chair of the Minority Caucus.

Senator Tanner earned a Master’s Degree in Urban Affairs from the University of Colorado and graduated from the American Management Association Program for Women in Top Managerial Positions, Women in Leadership Program, at the J. F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

During her 17 years in public service, she initiated and sponsored legislation on key issues such as marital discrimination in the workplace, parental responsibility, worker’s compensation cost savings, civil rights for women and minorities, and parental rights for adoptive parents.

Even after retirement, she continued to lead. In 2001 she established the Senator Gloria Tanner Leadership and Training Institute for Future Black Women Leaders of Colorado to identify, prepare, educate, and encourage Black women to take on roles of leadership in the public and private sectors.

Tanner passed away in April, 2022.

In Her Words