When major federal policy announcements make headlines, Lauren Jorgensen isn’t just reading the news — she’s preparing Colorado’s response.
As strategy officer for Colorado Governor Jared Polis, Jorgensen spends her days translating rapidly changing federal policies into action. She works with state agencies to understand how shifts in funding and regulations affect public health, environmental protection, and higher education, helping Colorado identify opportunities to collaborate while protecting the state’s priorities.
It’s fast-paced work that requires equal parts strategy, communication, and problem-solving. It’s also a career she credits, in part, to the interdisciplinary foundation she built at the Nelson Institute.
After earning her environmental studies certificate in 2019 alongside degrees in agronomy and community and environmental sociology, Jorgensen established herself as a promising leader at the intersection of food systems and public policy. As a student, she combined her interests in research, community service, and policy work focused on food security which earned her multiple accolades, including a Hilldale Fellowship and recognition as a Rhodes Scholarship finalist.
“I have always seen the environmental studies certificate as a bridge,” Jorgensen said. “I really don’t think I would be where I am today without that framing in my education.”
That perspective has shaped an unconventional career path. After completing her master’s in public affairs in 2020, Jorgensen found herself drawn not to the policy advisory roles she originally envisioned, but to the budget and finance work that makes environmental policy possible. She began as a nonpartisan fiscal analyst in Arizona before joining the Colorado governor’s office as a senior budget and policy analyst where she helped lead initiatives spanning public health, safety, and the environment.
“I have always seen the environmental studies certificate as a bridge. I really don’t think I would be where I am today without that.”
— Lauren Jorgensen ’19
One of her proudest accomplishments in this role was helping develop a $420 million investment to modernize Colorado’s air quality programs. The package strengthened the state’s permitting system, invested in the next generation of air quality engineers, expanded access to localized air quality information, and improved community engagement. She also helped secure long-term funding for Colorado’s Office of Environmental Justice, ensuring the program could continue regardless of changing political priorities.
For Jorgensen, meaningful environmental progress depends on more than good ideas — it requires the people working behind the scenes to make those ideas a reality.
“Money is where priorities lie,” she said. “It’s one thing to have intention, but you need smart people working behind the scenes figuring out how we actually finance that and direct money in the right places.”
That behind-the-scenes effort is one reason receiving the Nelson Institute’s Rising Star Alumni Award came as such a surprise.
“Being someone that’s normally kind of in the back seat, in the back room, it meant a lot that that work is recognized,” she said. “It still matters even though you’re not the one really at the forefront of it.”
As she prepares to transition into a new leadership role with the Colorado Department of Higher Education, Jorgensen hopes current students recognize that environmental careers extend well beyond traditional science roles.
“There are so many different opportunities to influence the policies that frame our daily lives,” she said. “You can do it.”