Allegra “Happy” Haynes

Allegra “Happy” Haynes retired in October 2023 after serving for eight years as Executive Director of Denver Parks and Recreation, three of those years as the Deputy Mayor.

During a 48-year career in state and local government, she was the first African American woman elected to serve on the Denver City Council where she served from 1990 – 2003, including two years as president. Happy was elected at-large to the Denver Public Schools Board of Education in 2011 where she served two terms and was the first African American woman to serve as president of the board. Happy is a Denver native, received a BA in Political Science from Barnard College at Columbia University and an MPA from the University of Colorado at Denver.

Happy serves on several non-profit boards including the Trust for Public Land national board, Co-Chair of the City Parks Alliance national board, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Salazar Center for North American Conservation, and Co-Chair of the Governor’s Early Childhood Leadership Commission.