CU Foundation Leadership
Jack Finlaw
President and CEO
Jack Finlaw is the President and CEO of the University of Colorado Foundation, a position he has held since November 2014. The CU Foundation is the portal for philanthropic giving to the University of Colorado with over $3 billion in assets under management, including CU’s $2 billion endowment. Jack oversees the Foundation’s business operations, and he leads the development and execution of the Foundation’s strategic priorities in concert with the Foundation’s board of directors. Jack works closely with CU’s leadership and assures the Foundation’s alignment with CU’s philanthropic priorities.
Before he joined the Foundation, Jack spent more than a decade in public service. He was chief legal counsel to Governor John Hickenlooper from 2011 until 2014. Jack held several senior governmental positions with the City and County of Denver between 2003 and 2011 including serving as director of Denver’s Theatres and Arenas Division (Red Rocks Amphitheatre, the Denver Performing Arts Complex, the Colorado Convention Center, and the Denver Coliseum) and as chief of staff to the mayor. Prior to his public sector career, Jack was a corporate lawyer in the cable television industry for twenty years.
Jack has significant experience as a community leader. He has chaired the boards of Visit Denver, Opera Colorado, and the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District. Jack currently is a member of the boards of Colorado Public Radio and Visit Denver. He is a mayoral appointee to the Denver County Court Judicial Nominating Commission and a gubernatorial appointee to the Colorado Creative Industries Council. In the past, Jack has served on the boards of the Colorado Symphony, the Denver Public Library Friends Foundation, and St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral.
Jack is a graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and the University of Denver’s College of Law.
Keller Young
Senior Vice President, General Counsel / Chief Administrative Officer
Keller Young joined the University of Colorado Foundation as General Counsel in 1999 and she currently is the Foundation’s Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer. Keller is responsible for the Foundation’s legal function, trust administration and gift administration and compliance. Keller also has oversight of the gifts management staff.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Keller was an associate with the tax group at Holme Roberts and Owen LLP in Denver, and she spent a year at Ernst & Young LLP in Denver advising nonprofit organizations on tax issues. Keller also was an associate in the tax group at Pillsbury Madison and Sutro in San Francisco.
Keller served on the CASE National Committee for Institutionally Related Foundations (IRFs) from 2008 to 2014. During that time, she chaired one of CASE’s annual conferences for IRFs and she served on the CASE IRF Task Force on the Future of the IRF Field.
Keller graduated magna cum laude from the University of California, Hastings College of Law. She received her undergraduate degree, cum laude, from Boston University.
Charlene Laus
Senior Vice President, Finance / Chief Financial Officer
Charlene Laus joined the Foundation as the Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer in May 2022. Charlene is responsible for overseeing the finance and accounting functions of the Foundation. She plays a key role in developing, monitoring, and evaluating financing and funding strategies and managing/executing all aspects related to finance, accounting, investments, and information technology.
Charlene has spent most of her career working in the fields of non-profit corporations and governmental agencies. Prior to joining the Foundation, she served as the Executive Vice President, Finance and Administration for the Downtown Denver Partnership in Denver, Colorado for six years. She also served as the Chief Financial Officer for the National Ecological Observatory Network in Boulder, Colorado, and as the Chief Financial Officer for Catholic Charities and Archdiocesan Housing in Denver, Colorado. Charlene’s experience in governmental agencies includes serving as Director of Finance and IT for the City of Louisville, Colorado, and as Assistant Director of Finance for the City of Greenwood Village, Colorado.
Charlene’s community service includes her current membership on the board of Urban Peak where she has served as both Treasurer and Board Chair.
Charlene earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Louisiana State University and her MBA in Finance and Accounting from Regis University.
Lynnea Greene Hutton
Vice President of People & Culture
Lynnea joined the University of Colorado Foundation in September 2022 as the Vice President of People & Culture. Lynnea is responsible for all the human resources functions of the organization, maintaining a healthy work culture and environment during the entire life cycle of the staff.
Before joining the Foundation, Lynnea was with the University of Denver in a Senior Director of Operations role at a nonprofit research center, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System. Prior to that, she was with the Boettcher Foundation as their Director of Operations. She brings more than 18 years of experience in human resources, business operations, business development, and strategic planning; overseeing communications, development, human resources, IT, event planning, facilities, and project management.
Lynnea’s community service includes the boards of the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation, the University of Denver Alumni Council, and the Newman Center for the Performing Arts. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the Pennsylvania State University and has her MBA from the University of Denver.