Mary Marchun

Founding Partner

A fifth-generation Colorado native, Mary grew up on the Western Slope on her family’s farm. While attending Colorado Mesa University she had the opportunity to cross the divide and work at the State Capitol, a position which she enjoyed immensely. She was instantly hooked on public policy, became an expert in Colorado’s legislative process and getting things done under the gold dome while also directing campaigns in targeted legislative districts. Mary left the Senate to advocate for at-risk adults with disabilities, developing a partnership with the Governor and First Lady that brought public attention, support from funders, and increased legislative support to the community, before moving to a small lobby firm based in Denver. Mary’s passion for Natural Resources policy led her to serve as Legislative Liaison at the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), a position she held under four different Executive Directors and two Governors (one Republican and one Democrat). While at DNR, Mary developed a statewide legislative strategy to build support among stakeholders and a bipartisan group of legislators to advance water policy. The effort culminated in passage of the Colorado Water for the 21st Century Act as well as policy to support oil and gas development and protecting Colorado parks and wildlife.

In 2003, Mary and her two partners founded The Capstone Group, a full-service public affairs and government relations firm representing fortune 500 companies, non-profits, and trade associations at the state capitol.  The cornerstone of Mary’s success is her ability to bring together her expertise in legislative process with excellent relationships across the state with many different stakeholder groups. Her victories include passage of legislation to streamline the permitting process for the construction industry, promoting economic development, protecting Colorado community banks, limiting fines assessed on business development and access, and business-friendly measures to strengthen Colorado’s economy. Mary is known for her work with larger stakeholder groups across partisan divides to develop legislation that has had positive and has had long lasting impacts on housing, Colorado’s thriving main streets, outdoor recreation, customer protection, technology, and a positive business climate. She spearheaded efforts to allow high-tech Transportation Network Companies (Lyft) to operate in Colorado as well as create an Extended Producer Responsibility system – both were first of its kind in the nation bills that established Colorado as a leader. She has also driven record levels of support to Colorado statewide infrastructure needs.  In 2023, she was named Lobbyist of the Year by the Colorado Chamber of Commerce.