Colorado SunFest 2026 is a daylong event bringing Coloradans together to discuss what makes A Better Colorado. Find out more about specific sessions planned for Friday, May 1, below.
Panel Name: Basic Income Programs in Denver and Beyond
Moderator: Naazneen H. Barma
Basic income and cash dividend programs are gaining attention as tools to address persistent economic insecurity, from housing instability to income volatility. This panel, hosted by the Scrivner Institute of Public Policy at The University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School, explores the feasibility, considerations and impacts of these interventions. It draws in part on panelist research and evidence from the Denver Basic Income Project, one such intervention targeting homelessness.
Panelists will discuss what feasibility studies and evaluations tell us about when and how these programs work, the policy and funding challenges they face, and their potential role within broader social safety nets.
Naazneen H. Barma
Professor and founding director of the Scrivner Institute of Public Policy, Josef Korbel School of Global and Public Affairs, University of Denver
Barma is the Scrivner Professor of Public Policy, associate dean for faculty affairs, and the founding director of the Scrivner Institute of Public Policy at the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of Global and Public Affairs.
She is a political scientist whose research focuses on peace building, foreign aid, international development and global governance, with regional expertise in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. She teaches courses on public policy, political economy and international development.
She is a founder and a principal of Bridging the Gap, a grant-funded initiative devoted to enhancing the policy impact of contemporary international affairs scholarship.
Daniel Brisson
Professor and executive director of the Center for Housing and Homelessness Research at the University of Denver
Brisson is a professor of social work and director of the Center for Housing and Homelessness Research at the University of Denver.
His work focuses on housing and health among people experiencing poverty, particularly those navigating homelessness and housing instability. Over the past two decades, he has collaborated with community and government partners on research supported by philanthropic and public agencies. His scholarship has contributed to policy conversations related to tiny home communities, guaranteed income and dignified design in permanent supportive housing.
Kaitlyn Sims
Associate professor of public policy at Josef Korbel School of Global and Public Affairs
Kaitlyn Sims is an assistant professor of public policy at the Josef Korbel School of Global and Public Affairs. Her research is at the intersection of public health, the economics of violence and environmental health hazards.
She is interested in the ways that individuals cope with uncertainty and social turbulence, including housing insecurity, domestic violence and poverty. Her research includes data in all scales, including original data collection, “big” data, program evaluation and qualitative interviews. Her first book, “Seeking Safe Harbor: How Public Policy is Sinking the Future of Domestic Violence Shelters,” is under contract with the University of California Press.
Scott Wasserman
Principal of Thinking Forward LLC
Wasserman is a political and policy consultant with more than 20 years of professional experience in Colorado. Known for helping organizations and leaders make policy progress on highly visible political issues, he has served governors, legislative leaders, unions, business groups and a network of advocates working to design and pass policy solutions that improve lives.
During his career, Wasserman has helped to deliver a number of significant new public services expansions and reforms in the state. These include whistleblower protections for nurses, the creation of a new state employee union, the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative, the Office of Financial Empowerment, the Secure Savings Retirement Plan and the Family Affordability Tax Credit. He has also developed and passed significant reforms to the statewide ballot titling process.
Formerly, he served as the President of the Bell Policy Center for eight years where he crafted major fiscal agreements, led campaigns on statewide ballot measures, and provided expertise in community forums across the state.
The panel — “Basic income programs in Denver and beyond ” — is one of 11 conversations scheduled for Colorado SunFest 2026.
The fourth annual Colorado SunFest is Friday, May 1, at Josef Korbel School of Global and Public Affairs on the University of Denver campus. Tickets for the event are available on The Colorado SunFest event page.
Other Colorado SunFest Sessions
- Keynote Speaker: Dean Baquet, former New York Times executive editor
- Colorado Weather: Always pack a coat
- How Coloradans are feeling heading into a big election year
- Housing – Any relief in the high country?
- Exploring 150 years of Statehood
- What is a River: A visual showcase of the Arkansas River
- AI in our lives
- Basic income programs in Denver and beyond
- Child care: Colorado looking for ways to calm the crisis
Colorado authors will be available to meet and sign books in the Networking Lounge on the 1st floor.