Cristal Torres DeHerrera
COO | Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance
Before joining Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance as COO, DeHerrera was EVP/Chief of Staff at DEN, where she helped lead the airport through the global pandemic, initiated the Jeppesen Terminal renovation, and operationalized the Vision 100 strategic plan. Previously, she was the Denver Deputy City Attorney and a partner at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP. She views growth, inclusion, and sustainability as interconnected, focusing her community work on economic development, social equity, and environmental stewardship.
DeHerrera has received numerous distinctions. In 2022, DeHerrera graduated from the Eno Foundation’s Transportation Senior Executive Program and the Latinas First Foundation awarded her its Trailblazer Award. In 2021, the Denver Business Journal named her one of its Outstanding Women in Business recognizing her innovation, professional accomplishments, and community leadership. In 2020, the Colorado Black Round Table honored DeHerrera for her work with the African American business community. In 2019, the Airport Minority Advisory Council selected her to moderate the Airport Directors 20/20 Vision Forum discussion with airport CEOs at the Airport Business Diversity Conference. In 2017, the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association honored DeHerrera with the Christopher A. Miranda Outstanding Hispanic Lawyer Award. In 2016, she received the Denver Bar Association’s Richard Marden Davis Award, presented to a lawyer who combines excellence as a lawyer with creative civic, cultural, educational, and charitable leadership. In 2015, the Colorado Women’s Bar Association honored DeHerrera with the Raising the Bar Award, Women to Watch: 5 Female Attorneys Who Will Make an Impact over the Next 10 Years. She also received the Denver Business Journal’s 40 under 40 award. In 2014, Law Week Colorado honored her as a “Compleat Lawyer” for her work.
