Colorado State Capitol Tribute to Keystone Symposia

On Monday March 3, Keystone Symposia was recognized by the Colorado State Senate and House of Representatives for 50 years of championing science in the state of Colorado as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. This special tribute was sponsored by the President of the Senate, James Coleman, and the Speaker of the House, Julie McCluskie, which is a great honor for the organization. 

"Being recognized by the leaders of both the house and the senate is a singular event," says Dr. Jamie Baumgartner, CEO of Keystone Symposia.  

Keystone Symposia was invited to sit in on the floor of the Senate proceedings, a special opportunity to observe government in action. It was a bustling session with many bills to be discussed and "yays" and "nays" to be cast as Mr. Coleman wielded his gavel a the podium. At the conclusion of the session, the Keystone Symposia staff were asked to stand to be acknowledged while the President of the Senate, James Coleman, made the following tribute.  

President of the Colorado Senate, James Coleman, asks Keystone Symposia staff to stand and be acknowledged as he makes his tribute.

Tribute to Keystone Symposia

On behalf of Senate President Coleman and Speaker McCluskie we want to express our appreciation to Keystone Symposia, a 501(c)(3) organization that recently celebrated its 50 year anniversary. Headquartered in Silverthorne, Colorado since 1995, Keystone Symposia was founded on the philosophy that integrating academic and industry research in the life sciences will drive innovation and accelerate applications that benefit society. Keystone Symposia serves as a catalyst for the advancement of biomedical and life sciences by connecting scientists within and across disciplines to generate new ideas, cross-disciplinary insights and collaborations towards biomedical breakthroughs.

As part of their mission, Keystone Symposia is dedicated to supporting the next-generation of research leaders, with scholarships, travel awards and career-development opportunities for students and post-doctoral fellows—who comprise approximately 40% of meeting attendees.  Investing in the next-generation of scientists who will become tomorrow’s research leaders is how we will truly make a lasting impact.

The quintessential Keystone experience features conferences in retreat- like settings, with small group sizes and networking opportunities that collectively create an environment conducive to collegial information exchange. The result is the forging of lasting collaborative relationships and networks that shape career trajectories and new frontiers in science and medicine.

Keystone Symposia holds between 50 and 60 meetings annually at a variety of venues across the globe, with about half of those held here in Breckenridge and Keystone. This group brings world renowned scientists, including Nobel Laureates, to our state through their conferences and contributes to local and state economic development. 

We want to formally thank Keystone Symposia and express our sincere appreciation for their continued contributions to furthering science and dedication to ensuring Colorado is on the forefront of innovation. 

Keystone Symposia staff join President of the Colorado Senate at the podium. From Left: Jill Abrell, Jenny Hindorff, Shannon Weiman, Pam Daugherty, Jamie Baumgartner and James Coleman

Four staff members traveled down to the capitol building in Denver to accompany CEO Jamie Baumgartner to the special ceremony.  Amongst them was Pam Daugherty, Chief Financial Officer, who has been with the organization since it relocated to Colorado over 30 years ago.

It was a very special day not only for myself, just to see how things work while they are in session, but the organization. It was a wonderful tribute to an institution that has been operating for so long outside the spotlight but is so deserving of acknowledgement of its accomplishments. I hope that the state will continue to shine a light on our small non-profit as it is such a jewel within our state community.

-Pam Daugherty, Chief Financial Officer

Keystone Symposia CEO Dr. Jamie Baumgartner shakes hands with James Coleman, President of the Colorado Senate

It was also a special day for Jenny Hindorff, Senior Program Development Coordinator, who accompanied the group and just celebrated her 17th anniversary with Keystone Symposia.

I think it was a special and well-deserved tribute.  Keystone Symposia has been operating for close to 53 years now, and it was nice to see the organization be recognized for its advancement in biomedical and life sciences.  The work we do is purposeful and rewarding.  Keystone Symposia is making a difference in the world, and it is nice to be recognized for that.

-Jenny Hindorff, Senior Program Development Coordinator

Also in attendance were Jill Abrell, Project Manager & Program Specialist for Scientific Programming (4 years with Keystone Symposia) and Dr. Shannon Weiman, Director of Program Development & Scientific Communications (6 years with Keystone Symposia). It was a proud day for the staff that work diligently and tirelessly behind the scenes to assemble world-renowned conference programs, but rarely see the fruits of their labor first hand. 

The tribute was part of a greater effort by new CEO Dr. Jamie Baumgartner to raise awareness for Keystone Symposia, both within and outside of scientific circles in the region.  By broadcasting the important work that we do, we hope to ignite local interest in collaborations and partnerships that will strengthen the impact and longevity of the organization.

This event should be seen as recognition by the state on what Keystone Symposia brings to scientists and the state of Colorado and will help open doors for future interactions with legislators, says Dr. Baumgartner.  Congratulations to all of the staff that make Keystone Symposia a unique and impactful organization.

Our rich history of championing science would not have been possible without support from the scientific community.

Now more than ever we need your help to continue to drive science forward, by fostering collaborative scientific exchange and cultivating the next-generation of scientists. Please join our cause!

Donate to Keystone Symposia's Mission to Champion Science!

Return to the May 2025 Keypoint Newsletter