Rachel Gruber, C.M.

Experience

• 

  Aurora Chamber of Commerce

  Jun 2016 - Mar 2019

  Director of Business Development & Events

  Rachel Gruber managed key stakeholder relationships involving sponsorships, regionalism, and growth. As the third largest chamber in Colorado, she represented Chamber membership in dealing with cities within the region and each other. During her tenure she increased chamber sponsorships by over $250,000 and revenues by over 10%.Rachel was also the Events Director and was responsible for the largest fundraising event of the year, the Annual Chamber Gala, which had an audience of over 500 business and community leaders. Rachel led the Women in Business and Young Professional Committees. These groups provided programming that resulted in chamber growth and valuable networking opportunities for their members.Finally, Rachel supported Buckley Air Force Base by welcoming all new personnel with a monthly briefing and integrating the military community and their missions with the business community of Aurora. The Aurora Chamber of Commerce is an action-oriented membership organization that serves as the leading business voice in the Eastern Metro area. For our members, we seek to provide access, advocacy, and influence. Show less

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  Gruber for Aurora

  Nov 2017 - Nov 2018

  Campaign Manager

  Successful Campaign Manager for an Aurora, Colorado At-Large City Council race. Candidate won the election and term will expire after four years in 2021. Aurora is the third largest city in the state with nearly 370,000 residents.The Aurora City Council is composed of a mayor and 10 council members. Of those 10 members, six are ward council members, representing one of the six wards that section the city. The remaining four council members are elected at large, like the mayor, to represent the entire city. The 10 members of Aurora's city council are part-time elected officials, meaning they may all have jobs in addition to their responsibilities as council members. Show less

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  Denver International Airport - City & County of Denver Dept of Aviation

  Mar 2019 - now

  From December 2021 through July 2022 Rachel served as Acting Vice President of Government Affairs at Denver International Airport. In this position, Rachel was responsible for policy, funding coordination, and strategic priorities with elected officials, key stakeholders, community and business leaders on the federal, state, local, and regional levels. She directed and led the Manager of Legislative Affairs and Manager of DEN’s Open Records Compliance. Rachel was responsible for managing the department budget including the airports lobbying contracts, sponsorships, memberships, and business organizations.Rachel drove business outcomes, including, presentations, talking points, testimony while providing practical solutions. Rachel represented DEN at hearings, committees, and public meetings. She monitored and influenced emerging policy, regulatory issues, and legislative matters, conducted research, identified issues and trends, and advised on potential impacts to or alignment with DEN’s operations, business, and strategic objectives. Show less Rachel is responsible for developing and implementing strategic outreach and communication plans to advocate and gain support for DEN priorities and policies, legislative and regulatory proposals, and transportation projects to a wide range of external audiences.Rachel facilitates relationships with regional, local, county and municipal elected officials, in addition to key business leaders, policymakers, and influential members of the community.The regional partnerships are not only critical to the success of DEN as the largest economic engine in the State of Colorado; they are also important to the economic vitality of the surrounding communities.Denver International Airport is the third-busiest airport in the United States and one of the top ten busiest airports in the world. DEN is the primary economic engine for the state of Colorado, generating more than $33 billion for the region annually. Show less Rachel Gruber, as a member of the Government Affairs team, manages the airport’s relationships with surrounding municipalities, business stakeholders, and community organizations.DEN is the 20th-busiest airport in the world and the 5th-busiest in the United States, serving more than 69 million passengers last year. It is the primary economic engine for the state of Colorado, generating more than $33.5 billion for the region annually. Spanning more than 53 square miles, DEN is the largest and newest commercial airport in the U.S. Show less

  • Airline and Commercial Affair Aviation Program Manager

    Nov 2023 - now

  • Manager of Regional Affairs

    Jul 2022 - Dec 2023

  • Acting Vice President of Government Affiars

    Dec 2021 - Jul 2022

  • Manager of Regional Affairs

    Jul 2021 - Dec 2021

  • Manager of Community Affairs

    Mar 2019 - Jul 2021