Christine Benero is President and Chief Executive Officer of Mile High United Way, the first United Way in the world. For 137 years, Mile High United Way has worked to advance the common good and believes all children, individuals and families should have the opportunity for success. Last year, Mile High United Way proudly invested over $34.3 million in the Metro Denver area. 

Christine is the former Chief Executive Officer of the American Red Cross Mile High Chapter in Denver. Prior to joining the American Red Cross, Christine was the Director of the Office of Public Liaison for the Corporation for National and Community Service in Washington, D.C. She served in two presidential administrations, working for both Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Christine has served as Vice President of the National Civic League, and as a Community Affairs Corporate Program Officer for Target Stores in Minneapolis.  

Christine currently serves on the Boards of HealthONE, PBS12 and Executives Partnering to Invest in Children, and is a past board member of the Denver Public Schools Foundation and the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Christine was named the 9News Leader of the Year in 2007, and in 2009, she was named by both the Rocky Mountain News and The Denver Post as one of “Nine to Watch in 2009.” In 2010, she was named a “Woman of Distinction” by the Girl Scouts of Colorado and in 2011 received the “Las Madrinas” award from Centro San Juan Diego. In 2012, Christine was honored nationally by Girl Scouts of America as one of “One Hundred Distinguished Alumni” in honor of Girl Scouts 100th birthday. In 2013, she was named one of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Denver by the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce and presented with the Urban League’s “McKinley Harris Distinguished Warrior” award. In 2016, Christine was named one of the Denver Business Journal’s Outstanding Women in Business, and in 2017, received the Colorado Governor’s Citizenship Medal for Public and Community Service by Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper. In 2019, she was named one of Colorado’s Most Admired CEOs by the Denver Business Journal. Most recently, she was honored with the ATHENA award by the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce for “inspiring the next generation of women” and the Denver Business Journal’s 2022 Outstanding Women in Business Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2023, she received a Mayoral Gold Challenge Coin from Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock, which honors contributions to the civic welfare and quality of life in Denver are unparalleled. She has received the Titan 100 award twice. Most recently, Christine was named a member of the 2024 induction class for the Colorado Women’s Hall Fame. 

Christine is a past President of the Association of Junior Leagues International, a past chair of the Women’s Foundation of Colorado, Coalition for America’s Children and the Kiwanis International’s Young Children: Priority One Advisory Board. She was a delegate to both the Presidents’ Summit for America’s Future in 1997 and the NGO Forum at the UN Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995.

Christine holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Special Education from Boston University, a Master in Education from Harvard University, Graduate School of Education, and was selected as a 2007 Gates Fellow for the Senior Executive Program at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.