Micki leads the Husch Blackwell Strategies office in Denver where she puts her more than 20 years of experience in Colorado government affairs to work for clients and delivering results that are hard to match. Considered to be one of Colorado’s top lobbyists, Micki built an impressive record as president of one of the state’s premier lobbying firms, Axiom Politics. In January 2022 she led the firm’s merger with HBS to become HBS Colorado.
Micki’s decades-long career as an astute policy analyst, effective lobbyist, consultant, and corporate executive has earned her accolades and respect from both sides of the aisle and boardrooms. Earlier in her career Micki served as legislative director for Colorado Counties Inc. where she traveled to all of Colorado’s sixty-four counties. That is where she developed a strong appreciation and knowledge for the inner workings of Colorado’s local and state government. She honed her expertise in the state’s legislative and regulatory process while serving as Director of Colorado Public Affairs for Qwest Communications (formerly US WEST), where she managed all phases of government relations.
Micki’s experience and skilled success stretches across a number of issues including health care, energy development, technology, telecommunications, and regulatory matters. She earned a bachelor’s in Communications from Regis University. Among her community endeavors, Micki previously served on the Board for the Women’s Leadership Foundation, and is a current Lincoln Club Board member.
Erin is an experienced attorney who leverages her legal know-how to create legislative opportunities and effective solutions to the most vexing public policy challenges. Her extensive legal and legislative experience includes work in housing, real estate, land use, urban renewal, condemnation, annexation, criminal and civil justice, public finance, and municipal law. For twelve years she served as senior vice president and general counsel for Axiom Politics until the firm merged with HBS in January 2022 to become HBS Colorado.
Prior to Axiom Politics, Erin served as the senior staff attorney and legislative director for the Colorado Municipal League where she advocated municipal policy positions before the state legislature and administrative agencies. Erin’s success in protecting her clients interests in the last seventeen legislative sessions of the Colorado General Assembly has earned her wide respect from peers and lawmakers.
Earlier in her career Erin served as an associate at the law firm Holme, Roberts & Owen LLP, now Bryan Cave, where her practice focused primarily on land use, general municipal law and public finance.
Erin earned her JD from the University of Denver College of Law and her bachelor’s from the University of Missouri Columbia.
Lisa is an expert legislative strategist who successfully guides clients through the most challenging and complex situations in the Colorado General Assembly. Clients benefit from her insider perspective on how things get done and by whom. It is an expertise Lisa developed after serving nearly a decade in top staff positions in the legislature.
Lisa’s tenure as senior staff in the statehouse includes serving as Policy Director, Deputy Chief of Staff, and, more recently, as Chief of Staff for both the Colorado State Senate President Leroy Garcia and Senate Minority Leader Lucia Guzman. During that time Lisa worked to successfully pass the hospital provider fee; create a medication assistant treatment pilot program to combat the opioid epidemic; and worked on multiple state budgets.
Lisa is a native of the Centennial State and most recently served as legislative director for Axiom Politics until the firm merged with HBS in January 2022 to become HBS Colorado.
She earned her bachelor’s from Metropolitan State University in Denver.
Carrie is an experienced public policy advocate whose skill in the legislative process will benefit clients through complex challenges or the exercise of opportunities. She joins HBS Colorado in February 2022 after serving as Associate Director of the American Petroleum Institute Colorado where she helped lead the organization’s legislative and policy efforts across the state.
During her five-year tenure at API, Carrie was a steadfast advocate for the state’s oil and natural gas industry whether it was through regulatory proceedings or guiding legislative maneuvers by the General Assembly. She provided strategic counsel and analysis for industry operations and activity across the state on issues such as GHG emissions, climate change, development setbacks, and severance taxes.
Carrie is a recognized leader for the energy industry in Colorado and was awarded the 2019 Experience Energy GRIT Award and recognized by the Denver Business Journal in its 2020 list of Outstanding Women in Business.
Prior to joining API Colorado Carrie served on the staff at Rockwell Automation, an industrial automation company in Denver.
Carrie is a proud Colorado native and earned her bachelor’s in business administration from Colorado State University and a master’s in global energy management from the University of Colorado in Denver.
Tamara leverages her strong ties to the community to be an effective advocate for her clients and delivers results under the most pressured political and legislative situations. Clients value her understanding of harnessing community involvement to protect their interests. She most recently served as legislative liaison for Axiom Politics until the firm merged with HBS in January 2022 to become HBS Colorado.
Tamara is committed to creating workplaces in which everyone feels like they belong and earlier served as Director of Community Relations at the Aurora Chamber of Commerce and was charged with running the Government Affairs, Education and Energy program and Diversity and Inclusion Council. She has also been an organizational trainer for the past seven years – creating successful diversity, equity and inclusion programs for companies and organizations. She is currently working to be a certified Cultural Diversity & Inclusion Trainer.
Tamara earned her bachelor’s in Journalism and Mass Communications from University of Northern Colorado and a master’s in Adult Education and Corporate Training from Jones International University.
Tonya Benegas, Chief Financial Officer, holds the diverse elements of Axiom Strategies, Inc.
together, efficiently and effectively providing a broad spectrum of services both to our team and
to our clients. Tonya works closely with clients, customers and vendors while simultaneously
managing the Financial and Human Resource Departments of Axiom. Tonya became interested in the world of politics at a young age
as she tagged along a picket line with her parents in the 70’s, and has fond memories of the
passion behind the political process in which she watched her parents involvement throughout
her formidable years. She was born and remained in Pueblo (home of the famous “Pueblo
Green Chili”, which she incorporates into her passion for cooking as often as she can) until the
mid-eighties when she moved to Denver, married her high-school sweetheart and started her
family. Tonya stayed busy the next few years becoming involved in, organizing and leading
groups and committees in her children’s school and sports groups while also enjoying her
job as a full-time teacher’s assistant in special education classes. In the mind 90’s, Tonya
switched careers after she volunteered with and became an active member of a US Senate
campaign team where she met a lobbyist that was in need of an administrative assistant in his
Denver office. She took the job and has remained with the same company since, climbing from
receptionist to bookkeeper to office manager. Tonya takes great pride in being part of such a
talented and strong team at Axiom, and let’s face it, we would be lost without her. Tonya enjoys
nothing more than spending time with her family
Tonya Benegas