A commitment to service
For Jesus Salazar ’01, MS ’02, social impact isn’t just a part of his professional journey—it’s the driving force behind it. After building a successful career as a software consultant, Salazar channeled his expertise into entrepreneurship, founding Prosono, a company dedicated to accelerating the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. By helping organizations across North America unlock their social impact potential, Prosono was named one of the top 50 most civic-minded companies of Colorado—a testament to Salazar’s commitment to supporting meaningful change.
But his impact doesn’t stop there. Salazar has lent his leadership to a wide range of organizations, serving on the boards of Rocky Mountain Public Media, Colorado Succeeds, Pinnacol Assurance, Elevate Quantum, Empower Mutual Funds and the Business Experiential Learning Commission. He also just finished an eight-year term on the Colorado School of Mines Board of Trustees.
We talked to Salazar about his entrepreneurial journey, his passion for social impact and his work to empower future innovators at Mines. Here’s some of what he shared.
Mines Magazine: You’ve built an impressive career as both a consultant and an entrepreneur. How did you end up on that career path?
Jesus Salazar: I always had a sense that I wanted to be an entrepreneur and have my own business, but there was no support back when I graduated for that type of work. I decided to start out in consulting, because I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to commit the rest of my life to doing. Consulting seemed like a great way to look at a bunch of different industries and challenges and learn a lot and explore what you’re really good at and want to do.
I figured I’d do that for three years and then go do whatever that was that I figured out that I wanted to do. But it turns out I ended up liking consulting a lot more that I thought I would, so I ended up doing that for about 20 years. Then, in 2015, I was at a sort of precipice where I had to decide whether to stay with a business that was being acquired and travel internationally nonstop or go off on my own. That’s when I chose to jump into entrepreneurship. I took all those skills and started my first company, Prosono, eight years ago. Now, I’ve sold Prosono and launched a new tech company that brings me back to my software roots.
MM: In addition to your business experience, you spend a lot of your time volunteering on a number of boards. Why is that an important component of your professional life and how has that shaped your business approach?
Salazar: A lot of folks wait until they retire and then join all these nonprofit boards. That’s why there’s an age discrepancy on many of them. I did it backwards. I started early, and it has paid so many dividends for me in my professional career.
As a consultant, I realized that the people we ultimately wanted to speak to and partner with were sitting on these nonprofit boards. What if I volunteered and built friendships with them on something we’re all passionate about and they get to know me and see how I think and work? And then, when the time presents itself and it’s appropriate, I can talk to them about helping them with their big IT initiatives in their companies. It ended up being quite a good strategic play from a business development standpoint.
I’ve also always had a lifestyle of impact and philanthropy and being engaged in the community. For me, I’m sitting on a lot of boards and don’t have a lot of time to give to them. It forces you to, in a short amount of time, really focus on what really matters and what is going to make a difference. It forces you into a pattern of efficiency.
MM: Social impact is at the core of your work—both in your businesses and board service. What inspired that passion for you?
Salazar: I grew up in a small farming community and was top of my class. I was valedictorian, did all the sports, all the clubs and honors courses. I was accepted into Mines, however, I needed remediation to go there. I remember thinking, “How odd—how can you be number one in your class and need remediation to go to college?” There were kids that went to city schools that were so far ahead and taught differently than me.
That was my first glimpse into the inequity of education—great grades does not necessarily equate to a great education. That was when I said, “I’m going to work on education—we need to get more resources and access to this type of quality in rural schools.” That’s really what spurred my interest in social impact and being on all these boards.
MM: You’ve been a strong advocate for entrepreneurship and innovation at Mines. What excites you most about how the university supports these efforts today?
Salazar: One of the first observations for me when I got on the Mines board was the lack of support for entrepreneurs, and students going to college today have such an entrepreneurial bent. It’s been a dream come true for me to have the McNeil Center, the Labriola Innovation Hub and then the Beck Venture Center to really support a student from day one who comes in with an idea and help them learn about startups and entrepreneurship. It’s been eight years of advocating and helping shape that ecosystem. I’m glad I was able to be a part of it—my term on the board is up in December 2024, so it’s been nice to grow with the E&I ecosystem and step away as it’s released into the wild.
