President & CEO

George Sparks has been the President and CEO of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science since November 2004. Prior to this he was a management consultant with NorthStone Group in Louisville, Colorado. He spent 24 years in the electronics measurement business at Hewlett-Packard and Agilent Technologies, a 1999 spin-off from HP. He was general manager for several HP divisions from 1987 to 1999, eventually leading a division of 1,800 people worldwide. His career included marketing, sales, and general management of global businesses in software, systems, and services.

Prior to joining Hewlett-Packard, George spent nine years in the U. S. Air Force as a pilot and as an assistant professor of aeronautics at the U. S. Air Force Academy. He is a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Academy with a B.S. in aeronautical engineering, and he also holds an M.S. in aeronautics and astronautics from MIT.

George's passion is educational public policy, particularly related to science and math. He is a member of Colorado Concern and the Colorado Forum, and is on the boards of the Denver Foundation, Colorado Legacy Foundation, Visit Denver, Mountain States Employers Council, Rose Community Foundation's Education Committee, Colorado Bright Beginnings (emeritus), and Public Education and Business Coalition (emeritus). He serves the U. S. Committee of the International Council of Museums and is a member of the National Arts Strategies Chief Executive Program. He was recently selected as one of five members of the National Arts Strategies Willard L. Boyd Fellowship as an extraordinary contributor in his field.