In honor of Women’s History Month and the Chamber’s Women’s Forum, the Colorado Chamber is recognizing women business leaders, executives and job creators who are core to our local Colorado communities. Each of the women featured in the month of March are panelists for the Colorado Chamber’s Women’s Forum happening on March 26.
Today’s feature is Jandel Allen-Davis with Craig Hospital
Jandel Allen-Davis, MD, is the president and CEO of Craig Hospital, a rehabilitation hospital specializing in neurorehabilitation and research for individuals with spinal cord and brain injuries. A physician and health care leader, Allen-Davis career has been defined by service, curiosity and a desire to improve the lives of others.
Board certified in obstetrics and gynecology, Allen-Davis practiced as an OB-GYN for 25 years and has been a physician for 40 years. She later transitioned into physician leadership and health care administration, serving in executive roles for 15 years, including nearly six years as a president and CEO. Prior to joining Craig Hospital, she served as vice president of government, external relations and research for Kaiser Permanente Colorado, where she led government relations, regulatory affairs, community relations, research, stakeholder engagement, communications and marketing.
Allen-Davis describes her career path as anything but straight. A sister, orphan, survivor, wife of 39 years, mother of two, physician, leader, gardener, artist and community volunteer, she says each role has shaped how she leads. Reflecting on her years caring for women, she often says everything she learned about leadership she learned from her patients. Being a physician, she says, is sacred work, and those lessons continue to guide her approach to leadership.
She was recruited to Craig Hospital, a role she said she never would have envisioned for herself. After initially offering names of other potential candidates to a recruiter, she was encouraged to consider the opportunity personally. Seven years later, she leads an organization whose mission aligns closely with her values. The experience reinforced a key lesson, she said: “You never know who is watching you and one of our greatest opportunities is to work hard to close the gap between how we perceive ourselves and how others see us.”
Allen-Davis is active in the community and currently serves on the boards of the Colorado Hospital Association, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and the Common Sense Institute. She also serves as chair of the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank board. Among her many honors, she won Denver Business Journal’s 2025 Most Admired CEO award.
For aspiring female business owners and leaders, her advice is straightforward. Do your homework. Never quit learning and stay curious. Get clear about your role and invest in your team to do their work well, mostly staying out of the way. Stay in the work until it is no longer fun and, before moving on, ask what you may have done to make it less fulfilling. Most importantly, she said, you do not have to know everything or have every credential you think is required to lead. That kind of thinking can be self-limiting.
Through decades of service as a physician and executive, Allen-Davis continues to lead with a deep commitment to improving lives in Colorado and beyond.
Learn more about Craig Hospital by visiting their website at https://craighospital.org.
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