Colorado State Land Board Unanimously Approves New Five-Year Strategic Plan

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 14, 2026

Colorado State Land Board Unanimously Approves New Five-Year Strategic Plan

Plan outlines path for resilient lands, enduring revenue, and stronger partnership for Colorado public schools

Denver, CO – The Colorado State Board of Land Commissioners (State Land Board) today unanimously approved its new five-year strategic plan, establishing a clear direction for how the agency will manage state trust lands through 2031.

The plan reflects months of collaboration among State Land Board staff, Commissioners, and a broad range of partners across Colorado. The effort included extensive engagement with state agencies, lessees, industry groups, nonprofit organizations, local governments, and beneficiaries, as well as multiple opportunities for input from staff across the agency.

The State Land Board contracted Government Performance Solutions (GPS) to guide the process. GPS worked closely with staff, Board leadership, and external stakeholders to design and facilitate an inclusive, structured planning effort that helped translate diverse perspectives into a clear and actionable strategic framework.

“This plan reflects an exciting time of growth and evolution for the State Land Board,” said Nicole Rosmarino, Director of the Colorado State Land Board. “It charts a path for how we will continue generating reliable revenue for public schools while embracing new opportunities and adapting to a changing world.”

The plan is anchored by an updated mission, vision, and foundational principle that reaffirm the State Land Board’s constitutional responsibility to generate revenue for public schools while conserving trust lands to ensure their economic value for future generations.

It establishes three central strategic goals:

• Enduring Revenue: Distribute dependable and growing cash flows for current and future beneficiaries.
• Resilient Land: Advance the economic productivity of trust lands through sound stewardship, including protecting and enhancing the beauty, natural values, open space, and wildlife habitat for this and future generations.
• Connecting People: Ensure long-term organizational excellence by empowering staff and building trust among diverse networks.

Together, these goals reflect a balanced, portfolio-based approach to managing trust assets—one that recognizes both the importance of reliable revenue today and the need to adapt to changing environmental, economic, and social conditions over time.

A key feature of the plan is its emphasis on long-term thinking. In addition to outlining priorities for the next five years, the plan includes a 25-year vision that looks ahead to 2051—anticipating shifts in energy resources, water availability, land use, and population growth, and positioning the State Land Board to respond with foresight and discipline. Standing in 2051, it will be clear that taking the long view has ensured Colorado’s state trust lands remain productive, adaptable, healthy, resilient, thriving with wildlife, and beautiful—continuing to generate revenue for public schools while reflecting the values of each new generation.

“This plan illustrates our ambition and intent for moving the State Land Board forward,” said Deb Froeb, President of the Colorado State Board of Land Commissioners. “We are excited to implement this strategy today and celebrate the outcomes it delivers tomorrow.”

The strategic plan includes an accountability framework to guide implementation, track progress, and ensure transparency over time. This framework is designed to keep the plan actively integrated into the agency’s day-to-day work and long-term decision-making.

The State Land Board will publish a final Strategic Plan Report in the coming months, providing a public-facing summary of the plan and opportunities for partners and lessees to engage in its implementation.

Learn more about the strategic plan at slb.colorado.gov/about-us/strategic-plan.

Contact:

Emily Barbo

Public Information Officer

Colorado State Land Board

[email protected]

720-854-3330

About the Colorado State Board of Land Commissioners:

The Colorado State Land Board is a constitutionally created agency that manages a $6 billion endowment of assets for the intergenerational benefit of Colorado’s K-12 schoolchildren and public institutions. The agency is the second-largest landowner in Colorado and generates revenue on behalf of beneficiaries by leasing three million surface acres and four million subsurface acres for agriculture, grazing, recreation, commercial real estate, rights-of-way, renewable energy, oil, gas, and solid minerals. The agency is entirely self-funded and receives no tax dollars.

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