Devereaux Room
3:00 pm – 5:30 pm
The Sprit of Colorado: Peaks, Pivots, and Perseverance
Carlton Abner
Driven by a life-long calling to serve, Dr. Carlton Abner has devoted nearly three decades of his life to serving in a variety of health care, operational and leadership roles. This includes 25 years of military service having recently retired as a Lieutenant Colonel and Chief Nursing Executive from the Kansas Air National Guard.
Dr. Abner assumed his current role at Kansas City University in 2021 where he is serving as an Assistant Professor and KCU’s first ever Associate Provost of Campus Health & Wellness. He earned his doctorate from the University of San Francisco where his doctoral studies focused on executive leadership, engagement, and enterprise performance management. You will enjoy seeing how he expertly leverages his clinical experience working as an emergency department nurse coupled with his operational roles and roles leading interprofessional teams around the world to truly connect with a variety of different audiences.
Dr. Abner is coming from Kansas City where he lives with his wife, two sons, and their goldendoodle, Moxie.
Character, rugged individualism, perseverance, love for nature, and a strong sense of community are almost always mentioned when envisioning the Coloradan. This year’s keynote is all about reconnecting with that ‘Spirit of Colorado’ and using laughter, learning and leaning into connections for getting you excited about turning mountains into momentum.