Carrie Besnette Hauser

Carrie Besnette Hauser is a philanthropy executive and American higher education leader serving as the ninth president of Colorado Mountain College from 2013 to 2024. An avid outdoorswoman, she has successfully climbed all 58 of Colorado’s highest peaks (14ers) and is a former river guide (“Swamper”) in Grand Canyon national park.

Life
Hauser was raised in Flagstaff, Arizona. She graduated from Flagstaff High School. Hauser completed a B.A. in interdisciplinary studies including business administration, political science, and communications from the University of Arizona. She earned a master's degree and doctorate in higher education policy from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Hauser was the vice president for institutional advancement and external relations at Metropolitan State University of Denver. From 2011 to 2013, she was CEO of Kauffman Scholars and a senior fellow at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. In 2013, she was selected as the ninth president and chief executive officer of Colorado Mountain College. From 2022 to 2023, she served as the chair of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission. In March 2024, Hauser announced that she would step down from her position as president in August 2024.

Hauser married Jeff Hauser on May 29, 2010, in Jefferson, Colorado.