Jeff Bontrager
Vice President of Initiatives and Partnerships
Pronouns: He/Him
Jeff Bontrager started as Caring for Colorado’s vice president of initiatives and partnerships in January 2024. In this role, Jeff oversees the development, implementation, and evaluation of our initiatives, which are designed to test new approaches to improve health outcomes, seed innovation, strengthen the adoption of best practices, and develop sustainable solutions for some of the most pressing health challenges of today.
Prior to working at Caring for Colorado, Jeff served as Director of Research and Evaluation at the Colorado Health Institute (CHI). Over his 18-year tenure at CHI, he worked in a variety of leadership and management capacities, including as principal investigator of the Colorado Health Access Survey and the evaluation of the Colorado Health Access Fund of The Denver Foundation. He served a term as chair of CHI’s Inclusivity, Diversity, and Equity Alliance. He also oversaw CHI’s evaluation portfolio; led the launch of its climate change and health initiative; and coordinated its research efforts on health coverage, uninsurance, the healthcare safety net, and health equity. Before CHI, Jeff supported state and national research efforts at the University of Colorado’s Division of Health Care Policy and Research.
Jeff earned a Master of Science in Public Health from the University of Colorado and a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a music minor from Goshen College. He is a graduate of the Advanced Leadership Training Program of the Regional Institute for Health and Environmental Leadership and was a recipient of the Denver Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” up-and-coming leaders award.
Jeff serves as vice chair of the board of Project Angel Heart and on the Research and Board Development Committees. He also chairs the Outreach Team at Glennon Heights Mennonite Church.
In his free time, Jeff enjoys volunteering, playwriting, acting, baking, hiking, designing neckwear, attending performing arts events, organizing silent disco fundraisers, and exploring cities with his partner. Jeff was born in Colorado and plans to spend the rest of his years in this incredible state.
A magical place in Colorado for Jeff is the camp he attended in his youth and still frequents near the town of Divide in Teller County and the Pikes Peak trailhead.
“An experience I had as a youth that taught me about different cultures was my first international travel for a study/service semester in China. It was an incredible intercultural experience that continues to shape my worldview.”