Patty Salazar
Executive Director - Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA)
Patty Salazar was appointed by Colorado Governor Jared Polis as Executive Director for the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) in January 2019. As DORA's Executive Director, she leads the state’s umbrella regulatory authority which has oversight of more than 50 industries and whose work is supported by nearly 700 employees, more than 40 boards, commissions and advisory committees, with a $126 million budget. The Department consists of 10 distinct divisions and the Colorado Office of Policy, Research and Regulatory Reform (COPRRR).
In 2018, Executive Director Salazar was appointed as the State Bank and Financial Services Commissioner and oversaw two separate financial divisions at DORA — the Division of Banking and the Division of Financial Services. In 2016, she served as DORA’s Deputy Executive Director with then-Executive Director Joe Neguse under the administration of Governor John Hickenlooper. Prior, she was an appointee in the administration of California Governor Jerry Brown at the California Department of Business Oversight (currently the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation) where she served as a deputy commissioner responsible for policy development, performance planning, statewide outreach and managing the department’s consumer services office. Previously she served at a financial services trade association advocating for legislative and regulatory issues regarding financial accessibility and consumer protection. Prior to joining the trade association, she served as a consultant to the organization as well as other clients on community relations and strategies related to local, state and federal legislation.
Patty earned a Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Science from California State University, Northridge. She is the recipient of the 2019 Latinas First Foundation Trailblazers Award and the 2021 Council of State Governments 20 Under 40 Leadership Award. She also serves on the Denver Library Commission and is a Trustee of the Board of Women’s Foundation of Colorado.
