Jon Hotaling is an accomplished executive, entrepreneur, board leader, and government affairs professional whose career spans more than three decades of organizational leadership, strategic development, public affairs, economic policy, and community engagement. Based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Jon has built his career around the belief that effective leadership requires both a clear understanding of complex institutions and a genuine commitment to serving others. His professional experience bridges the private, nonprofit, civic, and public-policy arenas, giving him a multidimensional perspective on how organizations can strengthen relationships, navigate change, and translate ambitious ideas into meaningful results.
Since 2001, Jon has served as Chief Executive Officer of Liberty Service Group, where his responsibilities have placed strategic thinking, organizational development, business management, and relationship building at the center of his work. More than two decades of executive leadership have sharpened his ability to evaluate challenges from multiple perspectives while keeping organizations focused on their larger objectives. His experience encompasses business development, strategic planning, communications, government relations, public affairs, grassroots development, community organizing, and stakeholder engagement. This breadth allows Jon to contribute not simply as an executive decision-maker, but as a leader who understands the interconnected forces that influence organizational performance and long-term growth.
Jon’s leadership experience extends significantly into government affairs, public policy, and civic engagement. Throughout his career, he has developed expertise in governmental affairs, legislative relations, policy analysis, economic development, strategic communications, political communications, federal government matters, and grassroots engagement. His work has required the ability to understand complicated policy environments, communicate effectively with diverse constituencies, and build productive relationships among individuals and organizations with differing priorities. He brings to these environments an organizational mindset and an emphasis on thoughtful strategy, disciplined execution, and durable relationships.
In 2026, Jon’s record of civic and organizational involvement reached a notable milestone when President Donald J. Trump appointed him to the United States Air Force Academy Board of Visitors for a three-year term. The Board of Visitors provides independent advice and recommendations concerning matters affecting the Academy, including morale, discipline, curriculum, instruction, physical equipment, fiscal affairs, and academic methods. For Jon, the appointment represents an opportunity to apply decades of leadership and organizational experience in support of an institution responsible for developing future military leaders. He approaches the responsibility with a strong sense of public service and respect for the values, laws, and institutions he has emphasized throughout his professional life.
Jon also brings direct nonprofit governance experience to his board service. Since 2022, he has served on the Board of Directors of Panadero Ski Corporation, a nonprofit associated with the operation of Cuchara Mountain Park in Huerfano County, Colorado. This role combines his interest in community development with practical exposure to nonprofit leadership and governance. It also reflects a recurring theme throughout Jon’s career: a willingness to contribute his organizational and strategic capabilities to initiatives designed to strengthen communities and create sustainable opportunities for the people they serve.
His engagement with economic ideas and community dialogue is further demonstrated through his involvement with the American Institute for Economic Research, where he has served as a Harwood Ambassador in Colorado Springs. Through this affiliation, Jon participates in an environment that brings leaders, thinkers, and community members together for conversations concerning economics, free markets, sound money, and related public-policy issues. His academic and professional interest in economics complements his broader experience in business, government relations, and policy, allowing him to approach organizational questions with an understanding of both institutional realities and the economic forces influencing them.
Jon’s educational foundation reflects the interdisciplinary perspective that has characterized his career. He studied business administration at George Mason University, with coursework and interests spanning business, economics, politics, astronomy, philosophy, and religion. He later attended the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business, earning a Bachelor of Science in Finance with a minor in Economics. That combination of finance, economics, business, and broader intellectual inquiry has helped shape an executive perspective that considers not only financial and operational outcomes, but also the social, political, and organizational environments in which decisions are made.
Communication has remained another important dimension of Jon’s professional identity. He has experience in public speaking, writing, strategic communications, message development, public relations, crisis communications, and speech writing, with speaking topics that include leadership, government affairs, and volunteer management. His experience working with communities, organizations, policymakers, volunteers, and other stakeholders has reinforced the importance of communicating complicated ideas clearly while understanding the interests of the audience. Whether contributing in a boardroom, addressing public-policy matters, or developing relationships across organizations, Jon views communication as an essential component of effective leadership.
As he expands his board portfolio, Jon is particularly interested in opportunities spanning nonprofit organizations, finance, economics, government relations, marketing, and adjacent sectors, while remaining open to organizations of different sizes and stages of development. He brings prospective boards a combination of strategic thinking, organizational leadership, development expertise, government relations experience, and extensive relationship-building capabilities. His objective is to use that experience to help organizations identify opportunities, strengthen stakeholder relationships, improve strategic execution, and create measurable value. Board service also provides Jon with an opportunity to diversify his professional activities while applying decades of accumulated experience to organizations facing consequential strategic decisions.
At the center of Jon’s leadership philosophy is a strong orientation toward service, responsibility, and purposeful engagement. His professional and civic activities demonstrate an interest in institutions that influence communities, economic opportunity, leadership development, and public life. Rather than viewing leadership solely through the lens of title or authority, Jon’s career reflects an emphasis on organization, relationships, communication, and the ability to mobilize people around shared objectives. These qualities have enabled him to move comfortably among executive leadership, nonprofit governance, government affairs, community engagement, and public-policy environments.
Outside of his professional and civic commitments, Jon enjoys fishing, skiing, and rock climbing—interests that reflect his connection to Colorado and appreciation for the outdoors. These pursuits also complement qualities evident throughout his professional life: preparation, resilience, judgment, and the willingness to take on challenges with focus and persistence. As Jon continues expanding his contribution at the board level, he offers organizations a distinctive combination of executive experience, economic and policy knowledge, governance exposure, strategic insight, and a deeply rooted commitment to meaningful service.
Character:
Jon demonstrates character through a sustained commitment to service, organizational responsibility, and engagement with institutions and communities beyond his own business interests. His approach to leadership emphasizes relationships, accountability, perseverance, and contributing his experience where it can create lasting value.
Knowledge:
With more than 30 years of professional experience and an educational foundation in finance, economics, and business, Jon brings broad knowledge spanning executive management, public policy, government affairs, nonprofit leadership, communications, and organizational development. His experience across private-sector, civic, nonprofit, and policy environments gives him a valuable multidisciplinary perspective on the challenges facing boards and leadership teams.
Strategic:
Jon approaches complex issues through disciplined strategic thinking, combining organizational awareness with an understanding of stakeholders, policy environments, economics, and long-term objectives. His executive and governance experience enables him to connect high-level priorities with practical action while identifying relationships and opportunities that can advance an organization’s mission.
Communication:
An experienced public speaker and communicator whose background includes leadership, government affairs, volunteer management, strategic communications, public relations, message development, and stakeholder engagement. He understands that effective communication requires more than delivering a message—it requires listening carefully, recognizing different perspectives, building trust, and creating alignment around shared goals.
