As ADC heads toward its 50th anniversary celebration this May, we’re looking back to the era when base closures defined community agendas. We sat down with Tom Markham, former executive director of Denver’s Lowry Redevelopment Authority and an ADC past president, who helped steer communities through that pivotal period. 

ADC: How did you first get involved with ADC?  

Tom Markham: I got involved with ADC in the late 1990s through my work at the Lowry Redevelopment Authority in Denver. I started out as deputy director and later served as executive director from 1997 to 2012. Our job was to take on the massive task of redeveloping the former Lowry Air Force Base, which had closed in the 1991 BRAC round.  

Back then, ADC was called the National Association of Installation Developers, and it was the place to go if your community was facing base closure. It was a lifeline— you could walk into a room and know everyone there was dealing with the same challenges you were. Later, I had the honor of serving as ADC president during a pivotal time—the lead-up to and aftermath of BRAC 2005—when the stakes were high for both defense communities and the organization itself.  

ADC: What were some of the big challenges during that time?  

Tom Markham: Redeveloping Lowry was no small job—it was 1,900 acres, and Denver was already on shaky ground. The city’s tax base was shrinking as people moved to the suburbs, and the base closure just made things worse.  

One of the biggest hurdles we faced was environmental cleanup—how much would it cost, who was responsible, and how long would it take? That created some real tension with our military partners. At NAID meetings, those conversations could get tough—we definitely didn’t always see eye to eye. 

But here’s what I’m proud of: over time, we figured out how to work through those issues. It wasn’t easy, but we built trust, learned to collaborate, and laid the groundwork for a new kind of relationship between communities and the military. Instead of being adversaries, we started seeing ourselves as partners. That shift was a turning point.  

ADC: Looking back, what are you most proud of from your time with ADC?  

Tom Markham: On a personal level, I’ll always be proud of what we achieved at Lowry. Today it’s one of Denver’s premier neighborhoods and a national model for sustainable redevelopment. More than 25,000 people live, work, and go to school there. And I have huge respect for all my peers in the BRAC world—many of them faced even tougher projects than we did. Being part of that transformation, both locally and nationally, was incredibly rewarding. 

With ADC, I’m proud of how the organization evolved during those years. We went from being seen as just about base closures to becoming a true voice for defense communities across the country. We even rebranded as ADC and stepped up to guide communities through BRAC 2005 and beyond. At the time, some people doubted we’d still have a role once BRAC ended—but we proved them wrong. Seeing ADC’s impact today, and thinking about what’s next, is one of the most satisfying parts of my career. 

This story was published in America’s Defense Communities magazine. You can read the full publication here.      

ADC photo