The Rose Andom Center is named in honor of successful Denver entrepreneur and former McDonald’s franchise owner, Rose Andom, and her lead gift of $1 million. As a child in Oklahoma, Rose witnessed domestic violence perpetrated by her father against her mother. The increasingly aggressive assaults led to the mother and her children moving to live with relatives. Rose’s mother supported her family with various jobs, and her focus was unrelentingly on the importance of education – her goal was a high school diploma for each of her children.
Despite the disadvantages faced by Rose Andom, she became the first person in her family to attend college and went on to earn her BA and MBA. In 1981, Rose began working for the McDonald’s Corporation where she spent a long and successful career. She purchased her first franchise in 1992 in Kansas City. She eventually came to Denver after buying all three McDonald’s franchises at Denver International Airport where, under her leadership, sales tripled. Rose has been an active member of many leadership groups and Vice Chair of the National Black McDonald’s Operators Association and has employed hundreds of people at her restaurants. Rose is truly a pillar of our community.