Skyler McKinley is a fourth-generation Coloradan and an award-winning leader in public, media, and government relations. For eight years, he led the public affairs teams in three states for one of America’s most trusted brands, and he is an established expert in the media and before policymakers on emerging issues of public concern.

McKinley was the founding deputy director of Gov. John Hickenlooper's Office of Marijuana Coordination, where he served as the number-two official in charge of implementing Colorado’s new-to-the-world cannabis laws. His work within the governor’s office won praise from The Brookings Institution, The Cato Institute, The New York Times, and "60 Minutes," among others, and McKinley has spoken on policy implementation before state and local governments, major corporations, and universities across the nation.

As a communications and policy adviser to a member of House leadership in the Colorado General Assembly, McKinley received a formal commendation on the House floor for “pioneering work in new media.” He later contributed to the book, “Citizen Power: A Mandate for Change,” with former U.S. Sen. Mike Gravel, and worked as a writer and researcher at the Investigative Reporting Workshop in Washington, D.C.

McKinley has advised a number of prominent elected officials in Colorado, including Lakewood Mayors Adam Paul, Bob Murphy, and Steve Burkholder; former Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett; former state Sen. and now-Jefferson County Commissioner Andy Kerr; and former Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder George Stern. In 2007, he helped produce a television spot that Time Magazine called one of the “Top 10 Campaign Ads of All Time." In 2021, he built and managed a custom transportation system for CNN’s special coverage of the presidential inauguration.

McKinley holds degrees in journalism and legal theory, summa cum laude, from American University in Washington, D.C.

He owns, operates, and occasionally bartends at the Oak Creek Tavern, a historic saloon in the rural heart of the Yampa Valley — repeatedly voted the best bar in Routt County by the readers of the Steamboat Pilot & Today. He also contributes to Westword, Denver’s famed alt-weekly, where he writes about travel, history, culture, and food and drink.