Debra Faulkner grew up in Loveland, Colorado, and her first memory of the Brown Palace dates to a visit from a wealthy uncle of her mother's, who treated them to dinner in the Palace Arms and bought Debra her first cocktail--a Shirley Temple. Faulkner earned her bachelor's degree in education and master's in history from the University of Colorado. She currently teaches U.S. and Colorado history courses at Metropolitan State College on the Auraria campus. Her passion for women's history led her to serve on the board of the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame for three years and to create the archives for that organization. Faulkner authored the award-winning biography Touching Tomorrow: The Emily Griffith Story (Filter Press, 2005) and Mary Elitch Long: First Lady of Fun (Filter Press, 2008), as well as several books on Colorado history in collaboration with Thomas J. Noel. Since 2008, Faulkner has served as hotel historian and archivist for the Brown Palace Hotel and Spa.