Angela Baier
CEO | CollegeInvest
Since she was a young woman, Angela Baier has been breaking through the barriers and biases of age, gender and traditional career tracks to pave her own unique path across industries. She has been a true pioneer in the nonprofit, for profit, and government sectors.
At the age of 23, Baier became the youngest department head in Best Western’s corporate history, directing the Sales, Marketing & Catering division of a large hotel and convention center. When life took her to back Kansas, she reinvented herself to become the first business person at a small accredited zoo – the 6th job of its kind in the nation. She created their first: board of directors; endowment fund; gift shop; marketing and community relations programs; and development department. She soon learned to design exhibits and had her own television and radio shows – appearing with live animals.
This led to her being recruited by the Denver Zoo to become their first female Vice President. She eventually went on to become one of only 7 female zoo directors in the world as CEO of the New York State Zoo, where she and her family lived in the zoo.
A big part of her leadership success is due to her willingness to get out of her comfort zone, adapt quickly to new situations, and take risks. In 2003, the newly elected Mayor Hickenlooper appointed Baier as the City of Denver’s first Marketing Director, the second job of its kind in the country. There she led Denver’s first branding initiative – most notably seen today as the signature “D” Mile High City logo.
Baier continues to break through ceilings today. As CEO of CollegeInvest, Baier has a top position in the male-dominated financial industry. Under her leadership, CollegeInvest is now the fastest growing 529 college savings program in the country serving over 375,000 families and managing over $12 Billion in assets. She is also CEO of College Assist, an $8 Billion student loan guarantee agency.
Her innovative thinking and commitment to higher education access and affordability is reflected through her work. Under her leadership, CollegeInvest launched the nation’s first FDIC insured 529 option and was the first to eliminate the barrier to entry for lower-income families by creating accounts with no minimum deposit. She developed a scholarship program to help middle class families avoid large student loan debt, and has more than tripled the number of matching grants given to lower-income families, giving away $1.4 million annually.
In 2020 she launched an innovative new program which gives every child born or adopted in Colorado a $100 college savings starter account. A child is 7 times more likely to college and graduate, as compared to their socio-economic peer, if they have a college savings account.
She was also instrumental in passing the Working Families College Savings Act, giving Colorado businesses a tax incentive when they contribute to their employees’ or their employees’ children’s CollegeInvest college savings account. The new program helps Colorado businesses attract and retain talent – and helps working families pay for college. A win-win for Colorado. Over 290 companies have contributed more than $4 million to the program to date.
Beyond college savings, Baier also launched ColoradoABLE, a program that offers a tax-advantaged savings program for people living with disabilities. For the first time, they can now save up to $100,000 without losing critical SSI and Medicaid benefits. Prior to ABLE, the maximum amount of savings was only $2,000 before aid was affected.
Baier has been recognized by Reveries Magazine as one of the “Nation’s Top 40 Best and Brightest” and honored by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums for her significant contributions to the industry.
A mother of two, Baier is an active member of the Denver community, a mentor to young women, a University of Kansas Jayhawk, a lover of live music, microbrews, fine wine, and the outdoors.
