Lloyd M. Lewis is a businessman, a father, a CEO, an author, and advocate for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Lloyd Lloyd was born in 1955 in Fort Huachuca, Arizona. He obtained his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Oklahoma in 1978 and his MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago in 1988. His career has included serving as a municipal investment banker with Smith Barney prior to business school. After graduating from the University of Chicago, Lewis joined IBM as a Senior Financial Analyst, followed by financial roles with a publicly-traded medical equipment company and high tech start-up that ultimately sold to Micron.
An Advocate is Born
After the birth of his son Kennedy in 2003, doctors told Lloyd they had “no good news.” to share. Fearing the worst, he asked what was wrong. When the doctor replied that Kennedy had Down syndrome, Lewis kicked him out of the hospital room for his ignorant remark.
Soon after, Lloyd met the late scientist Dr. Linda Crnic. Together, they campaigned nationally to advocate for additional research and funding for Down syndrome. In 2008, the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome was founded at the University of Colorado Anschutz campus. It is one of the largest of its kind in the world.
During this period, Lloyd left the for-profit sector to work for arc Thrift Stores, a Colorado nonprofit that funds advocacy for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He was appointed President and CEO of arc Thrift Stores in 2005.
In 2018, Lloyd co-authored Why Not Them?, a book about his experiences.
Creating a Culture of Belonging
After being appointed as CEO of arc Thrift, Lloyd expanded the number of employees with intellectual and developmental disabilities from 10 to over 350. Today, arc thrift is one of the state’s largest employers of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
A University of Denver study estimated that since Lewis’ tenure, arc’s total economic impact between 2005 and 2019 was $2.3 billion, including funding over $100 million dollars to 15 Colorado Arc chapters to help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities find jobs, housing, medical services, and services in schools.
Additionally, Lewis has overseen the collection of over 3 million pounds of food for Meals on Wheels, the repurposing of over a billion pounds of donations, donations of over $5 million in store vouchers to people in need, and the funding of over $40 million to more than 1,000 charities through arc’s vehicle donation program, Vehicles for Charity.
Leadership Roles
In 2010, Lewis served on the transition team for former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper.
In 2013, Lewis was a featured panelist for the United Nations World Down Syndrome Day conference.
Today, Lloyd serves as the Board Co-Chair of the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, one of the largest organizations in Colorado advocating for disability rights. He is also the board chair of the Atlantis Community Foundation, the Colorado Disability Partnership, and the Colorado Disability Funding Committee. Previously, Lewis served as chair of the Rocky Mountain Down Syndrome Association and the State of Colorado Disability-Benefit Support Contract Committee as well as the vice-chair of Rocky Mountain Human Services.
Awards
Lloyd is the recipient of numerous civic and civil rights awards, including the Friend of Weld County Arc Award, Colorado Vistage Lifetime Achievement Award, Newsed Civil Rights Award, Golden Rotary Ethics in Business ALloyd is the recipient of numerous civic and civil rights awards, including the Friend of Weld County Arc Award, Colorado Vistage Lifetime Achievement Award, Newsed Civil Rights Award, Golden Rotary Ethics in Business Award, Arc of Larimer Outstanding Employer Award, Ability Specialists Outstanding Community Supporter Award, arc Thrift Outstanding Vision and Leadership Award, Denver Unsung Hero Award, arc Thrift Ambassador Appreciation Award, Colorado Department of Labor Shining Stars of VR Award, Colorado State Veterans Program Recognition Award, Ability Connections Colorado Employer of the Year Award, Spirit of Tlateloco Business Award, Arc of Jefferson County Academy Award, Arc of Pikes Peak President’s Award, Laradon Hall Garden of Hope Award, Arc of Mesa County Financial Supporter of the Year, and was nominated for National Philanthropy Day and a finalist for Colorado Business Magazine Colorado CEO of the Year, as well as named as one of Denver’s Most Admired CEOS.