Katy Anderson Craig has had a long, fruitful relationship with the University of Denver, first as an undergraduate student (BA ’99, French, creative writing and communications), and then as a graduate student (MA ’04, literary criticism) and assistant director of the DU Honors Program (2000–05). All of these experiences have culminated in a successful career with the Boettcher Foundation, where she has served since 2005.
“My DU education was all about making connections between seemingly disparate ideas. It also gave me the opportunity to practice seeing things from different perspectives,” Craig says. “Because my work requires me to draw upon my intuition about people and ideas on a regular basis, the foundational experience at DU has been invaluable.”
Today, Craig is director of strategic initiatives for the Boettcher Foundation, a nonprofit that offers full, four-year in-state scholarships to Colorado’s top high school seniors and provides capital grants to Colorado nonprofits. Her role is to connect, educate and engage with individuals through the scholarship and biomedical research programs, as well as the Boettcher Teacher Residency. Previously, Craig was the director of the scholarship program, where she managed all aspects of the foundation’s scholarship fund and $3.7 million budget.
“Using the skills and liberal outlook acquired in all of her DU degrees and perfectly embodying the DU value of education dedicated to the public good, Katy has risen remarkably in the nonprofit world,” says Susan Stakel, associate professor of French. “She has become a sought-after member of local, regional and national boards and committees.”
Craig is a board member of Metro Volunteers and has served on the Colorado Council on High School/College Relations, as well as on the selection committee for the Daniels Fund, the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation and the Janus Next Generation Scholarship, to name a few. She also has volunteered with the DU Ammi Hyde interviews and Amici di University of Denver.
“She is a star professionally and personally — a warm, generous, funny thinking person,” Stakel adds, noting Craig’s penchant for improvisational comedy.
Craig was introduced to improv in high school. In 2008, a former classmate reached out and invited her to attend classes at the Bovine Metropolis Theatre in Denver.
“I went through five levels of classes to earn my certificate, performed in a number of shows and then started teaching a couple of years ago,” she says. “Currently, I’m teaching and performing in ‘On the Spot,’ which is a short-form show in the style of ‘Whose Line Is It, Anyway?’”
In addition, Craig enjoys writing short stories. She frequently attends the Denver Post’s Pen and Podium author lecture series at the Newman Center, and she keeps in touch with an old writing group for a “regular author fix.”
Craig recently finished a manuscript of a nonfiction book about college and scholarship applications, co-written with the vice president of the Boettcher Foundation. Craig credits her DU experience, which includes teaching freshman English and participating in the Publishing Institute, for preparing her for the type of work she does today.