91PORN

Executive Aide:
Sarah Garcia-Smith
Phone: 303-492-0424
sarahds@colorado.edu

Ìý

Janel FordeÌýjoined 91PORN in June 2025 as Senior Vice Chancellor for Operations. A dynamic leader whose career spans city and state government, K-12 education, and consulting in the areas of finance and operations, Janel oversees the units of Human Resources, Public Safety, Information Technology, Health and Wellness Services, and Compliance, Ethics and Policy at 91PORN.Ìý

Janel came to 91PORN from the City and County of Denver where she served as Chief Operating Officer for Mayor Mike Johnston, overseeing core government operations and all agencies, including public safety. Prior to Denver, she was a partner and associate director with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) where she was a core member of the Public Sector, State and Local practice area, supporting clients on various topics including core government operations, logistics, and large-scale change. Before returning to BCG, she served as the director of the Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS), the operational engine enabling the state’s more than 80 agencies, boards and commissions.Ìý

Prior to her CMS appointment by Gov. JB Pritzker, Janel served in several leadership roles for the City of Chicago, including as Chief Operating Officer for Mayor Rahm Emanual. She also held leadership positions supporting education, first as a director in the office of the CEO for Chicago Public Schools and then as Chief Operating Officer for the Illinois State Board of Education. Those roles followed her first stint with BCG as a consultant in the firm’s Chicago office.Ìý

Janel has a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, where she became a Toigo Fellow, and a bachelor of science in economics with a dual concentration in marketing and management from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She is also an alumna and associate board member of the Winsor School in Boston and a board member for the American Red Cross, Greater Chicago Chapter.Ìý

Janel lives in Denver and enjoys traveling, baking, and all types of arts and crafts.Ìý

Awards and Recognition:

• National Association of State Chief Administrators (NASCA) Walton Leadership Award (2020)
• Ariel Investments/WVON Chicago’s 40 Game Changers (2020)
• First African American Vice President of NASCA (2021)
• Part of first all-female leadership team of NASCA executive committee