here - Colorado Concern

Membership
and Staff
Directory
Staff
and
Consultants
Paige Oswald
Membership Relations and Communications Director
Colorado Concern
Paige joined the Colorado Concern team in March of 2010. She
is responsible for managing communications with Colorado
Concern’s membership, including weekly clips from news
outlets across the state, directing website content and
development, assisting with general membership questions and
engagement, preparing and distributing the organization’s
annual public policy survey, coordinating Colorado Concern
events, including our monthly membership networking events
and meetings with legislative leadership at the capitol, and
planning several all-member events throughout the year.
Paige formerly worked for Capitol Solutions supporting the
Northern Colorado Legislative Alliance as their communications
director for nine years starting in 2001. Prior to that, she was communications director for the
Fort Collins Chamber of Commerce for three years.
Paige is a 1997 graduate of Colorado State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business
Marketing. She grew up in Durango. Paige and her husband Chris reside in Brighton where
they are raising twin daughters.
Pete Kirchhof
Lobbyist and Consultant
Colorado Concern
Pete is the Founder and President of Kirchhof Group, Inc. providing
professional consulting services to clients needing assistance with
public affairs and business development. He has represented
Colorado Concern’s interests since November of 2007.
As the former Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for the
Credit Union Associations of Colorado and Wyoming, he represented
184 credit unions in the two states and 1.7 million members – 1 in 3
Colorado and Wyoming citizens. Pete also served as Assistant Vice
President for Colorado External Affairs at Qwest Communications. He
worked for Qwest and its predecessor companies for more than 23
years focusing on regulatory and government affairs. He has a
Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Western State College.
Erin Silver
Lobbyist and Consultant
Colorado Concern
Beginning her career in public policy in 1999, Erin has considerable
experience and knowledge of government relations. She has
provided public policy services to Colorado Concern since
November of 2007 and is currently a principal at Nexus Policy
Group. She has a successful track record at the state legislature,
including considerable experience working with the Joint Budget
Committee on complex state budget issues.
In 2004, Erin founded EjS, LLC, a lobbying practice primarily focused
on issues pertaining to economic development and general business
matters, municipal government, healthcare and education. Prior to
starting her own firm, she elevated her policy expertise by serving
as Public Policy Director for the Colorado Children's Campaign, working directly for Colorado's
former Lieutenant Governor Barbara O'Brien. Erin, a Colorado native, received her Bachelor's
degree from Washington University in St. Louis and her master's degree in Public Health Policy
from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University.
Sean Duffy
Public Relations Consultant
Colorado Concern
Known for innovative and effective public relations strategies,
Sean Duffy is President of Shamrock Strategies LLC, a Coloradobased public affairs consulting company. Sean has more than
two decades of strategic communications experience in private
and public sector roles. He came to Colorado in 2001 to serve as
Deputy Chief of Staff to Gov. Bill Owens, overseeing the
Administration’s entire external affairs operation, including
media relations, political affairs and community relations and
served as the Governor’s speechwriter. This followed more than
a decade of work in Pennsylvania, including serving as president
and CEO of the state’s free market think tank where he was one
of the most prominent and effective advocates for education reform, including statewide
school choice. He served as the chairman of Pennsylvania’s first cyber charter school in
partnership with former Education Secretary William Bennett. For his work, he received a
major statewide award from the Pennsylvania Family Institute.
In the mid-1990s he worked as education spokesman for the administration of Gov. Tom Ridge
and as communications director for the state attorney general. A former business and financial
news reporter, Duffy has worked in key communications roles in a number of political
campaigns and in 2006 was named “Top Politician” by Denver’s 5280 Magazine primarily for his
bipartisan work on behalf of a statewide civil union initiative.
He is active in a number of business organizations including the South Metro Chamber of
Commerce, the Aurora Economic Development Corp., and the Jefferson Economic
Development Corp. He served on the Board of Trustees of Yorktown University, an online
university.
Sean lives in Littleton with his wife, Susan and son, Brendan.
Jason R. Dunn
General Counsel
Colorado Concern
Jason is a Shareholder at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck.
His practice focuses on administrative, regulatory, land use
and election law, as well as representing clients before the
Colorado General Assembly and state and local agencies. He
has served as Colorado Concern’s general counsel since
February of 2009.
Jason has appeared before every level of local, state and
federal government and courts, helping clients find strategic
solutions that combine legal insight and intimate knowledge of the governmental process. He
has extensive experience with the state's administrative and rulemaking process, drafting state
and local legislation, and appearing before regulatory and legislative bodies.
Prior to joining Brownstein, Jason served as Deputy Attorney General and Assistant Solicitor
General for the State of Colorado. Jason also practiced in the private sector, focusing on public
policy, regulatory/administrative law, election law, land use and appellate advocacy.
Membership
Brent C. Anderson, Esq.
CEO
International Risk Group
Brent Anderson serves as Chief Executive Officer of International
Risk Group, LLC, and is former President and Corporate Counsel for
Cherokee Environmental Risk Management. With over 25 years of
experience as an engineer, attorney and entrepreneur in the
impaired asset industry, Brent has purchased and sold numerous
properties with complex transactional and environmental
issues involving Superfund, hazardous and solid waste, underground
storage tanks and mining liabilities.
His wide range of knowledge in structuring transactions, obtaining
land use entitlements, obtaining relief from regulatory agencies and
in negotiating complex transactions has earned him a solid
reputation. He has started and managed environmental consulting
and remediation construction companies and has completed over $300 million worth of
emergency response, hazardous waste remediation and mine reclamation projects.
Brent is published in numerous technical and legal journals and is an adjunct professor at
Colorado School of Mines and the University of Denver. He received a JD (Order of St. Ives)
from the University of Denver, an ME in Geological Engineering from Colorado School of Mines
(Cum Laude) and a BS in Geology from Montana State University (Cum Laude). Brent is a
member of ULI and the Denver, Colorado and American Bar Associations.
Greg Anton
Chairman and CEO
Anton Collins Mitchell LLP
Greg Anton is a founding partner of Anton Collins Mitchell LLP, (ACM) a
Denver, Colorado based CPA firm with offices in Boulder, Denver and
Greeley. Greg served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) (2011-2012).
Accounting Today has recognized Greg as one of the Top Most Influential
People in Accounting. He has also been named one of The Top 25
Thought Leaders in public accounting technology by CPA Practice Advisor
magazine. His career as a CPA began with BDO USA, LLP where he
became an Office Managing Partner in the Assurance Business Line.
ACM has been distinguished for both its rapid growth over the past
decade and the creation of a desirable work environment. The 100+
member firm has been recognized as a Best Accounting Firm to Work for
by Accounting Today, a Best Company to Work for in Colorado and a Fastest Growing Private Company.
During his career Greg has provided accounting and auditing services to private, public and
multinational businesses. He has consulted on debt and equity offerings and various IPO’s. Greg’s
defining characteristics are the long-term relationships he fosters with his clients, and his dedication to
their total business needs which go beyond traditional accounting and auditing services.
Greg served as Chair of the Colorado Society of Certified Public Accountants (CSCPA) Board of Directors
during its Centennial year, is past President of the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) Alumni
Association and past chair of the UNC School of Accountancy Advisory Board. Greg also co-chaired the
CSCPA Foundation’s Centennial Scholarship Campaign which successfully raised over $1.0 million for
college accounting scholarships. Greg is a recipient of the Honored Alumni Award from UNC for his
contributions to business and has been recognized as a top business news maker by the Denver Business
Journal. He has a BS Accounting, University of Northern Colorado.
Greg and his wife Julie have two children, Cameron and Jacob. He enjoys spending time with his family,
including skiing, mountain biking, boating and fishing.
John Beeble
Chairman and CEO
Saunders Construction
John has worked in the construction industry in the
Denver area since 1981. He has worked for three
prominent Denver general contracting firms and held
numerous positions during his career. John joined
Saunders in 1995, and assumed the role of President and
CEO in 2001. His current title is Chairman and CEO.
As Chief Executive Officer, John has responsibility for the
overall success of the organization, creating,
communicating, and implementing the organization's
vision, mission, and overall direction. He is responsible for
creating, planning, implementing, and integrating the
strategic direction of Saunders Construction. John also
ensures that the organization's leadership maintains
constant awareness of both the external and internal competitive landscape, opportunities for
expansion, customers, markets, new industry developments and standards.
In 2012, John served as Chairman of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce. In addition, he
serves as a board member of the Colorado Succeeds Board of Trustees, Exempla Good
Samaritan Medical Center Foundation, the Association of General Contractors (AGC), the
Denver Area Council of Boy Scouts of America, Regis University School of Management Advisory
Board and the Metro State University Community Cabinet. He is past Chair and current board
member for the National Sports Center for the Disabled, is a founding member of the Board of
Directors for the Governor's Residence Preservation Fund and the Citadel Group. John is a Past
Chair of the Metro Denver Economic Development Council's Executive Committee, former
member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and a current member of the World
Presidents Organization (WPO).
Christine Benero
President and CEO
Mile High United Way
Christine Benero is President and Chief Executive Officer of Mile High
United Way. Mile High United Way harnesses the power of
collective generosity to create long-term solutions in our community,
and last year invested $42 million in the areas of School Readiness,
Youth Success and Adult Self-Sufficiency.
Christine is the former Chief Executive Officer of the American Red
Cross Mile High Chapter. Prior to joining the American Red Cross,
Christine was the Director of the Office of Public Liaison for the
Corporation for National Service in Washington, DC. She served in
two Presidential administrations working for both Presidents Bill
Clinton and George W. Bush.
Christine has served as Vice President of the National Civic League, a national nonprofit
organization committed to civic renewal and community-based democracy and as a Community
Affairs Corporate Program Officer for Target Stores and the Target Foundation in Minneapolis,
MN. In her volunteer life, Christine served as the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the
Women’s Foundation of Colorado, and she is the Chair of the Governor’s Commission on
National and Community Service. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Denver
Metro Chamber of Commerce Leadership Foundation and the National Civic League. Christine
was named the “9News Leader of the Year” for 2007, and in 2009 was named by both the
Rocky Mountain News and the Denver Post as one of “Nine to Watch In 2009”.
She is a past President of the Association of Junior Leagues International, a past chairman of the
Coalition for America’s Children and the Kiwanis International’s Young Children: Priority One
Advisory Board. She was a delegate both to the Presidents’ Summit for America’s Future in
1997 and to the NGO Forum at the UN Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995. Christine
holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Special Education from Boston University, a Master’s
degree in Education from Harvard University, Graduate School of Education and was selected as
a 2007 Gates Fellow for the Senior Executive Program at the Kennedy School of Government at
Harvard.
Bruce Benson
President
University of Colorado
Bruce D. Benson became president of the University of Colorado in March
2008. Since taking the helm of his alma mater, Bruce has enhanced CU’s
standing as one of the nation’s leading teaching and research universities,
advancing the economy, health and culture of Colorado and beyond.
During Bruce’s tenure, CU’s research funding has reached record levels in
each of the past four years (including $861 million in 2013-14 and a record
$884 million in 2010-11), supporting the university’s research strengths in
biotechnology, health care, renewable and sustainable energy, and aerospace
engineering, among others. He has led efforts to promote cross-campus
collaboration that have resulted in cooperative academic programs and
research initiatives, most notably CU’s Biofrontiers Institute, led by Nobel
laureate Tom Cech.
CU has seen its six best fundraising years (including a record $298.4 million in
2013-14) under his leadership. Benson and his wife, Marcy, chaired CU’s $1.5 billion Creating Futures fundraising
campaign, which exceeded its goal in November 2013. The campaign, the largest in university history, supports
scholarships, academic enhancements (endowed faculty positions, programs), research projects and capital
improvements across CU’s campuses.
Bruce has guided efforts to institute operational efficiencies, cut bureaucracy and improve business practices at
the university. CU has secured legislation in the Colorado General Assembly that has allowed it to save millions
annually in areas such as procurement, insurance and construction. He has also established a number of publicprivate partnerships to make the university more entrepreneurial and meet the needs of businesses in Colorado
and across the country.
He oversees a system with four campuses (Boulder, Colorado Springs, Denver, and Anschutz Medical Campus in
Aurora) where some 67,500 students pursue courses for credit. During his tenure, CU’s four campuses have seen
record enrollment. The university’s annual budget is $3.28 billion.
Before becoming CU’s president, Bruce had already made his mark in business, politics, philanthropy, education
and civic endeavors. He founded Bruce Mineral Group in 1965, a year after earning his Bachelor’s degree in
Geology from CU. He was active in a variety of educational, civic and political endeavors. He was the Republican
nominee for Colorado governor in 1994. Bruce has received many honors recognizing his leadership in a variety of
endeavors, but two are particularly notable: CU in 2004 granted him an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters,
and in February 2009 he was named to the Colorado Business Hall of Fame. Bruce has three children and 10
grandchildren. He was born July 4, 1938, in Chicago.
Kim Bimestefer
President and General Manager
Cigna
Kim Bimestefer serves as President & General Manager for Cigna's
Mountain States region including Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New
Mexico. In this role, Kim serves as the senior leader for Cigna's
operations, competitiveness and growth in the region. Her
responsibilities include enhancing customer satisfaction through
personalized service; improving quality of care and unit cost by
working in collaboration with area heath care professionals; ensuring
that Cigna's product and network offerings meet the evolving needs of
the marketplace; assisting clients to improve the health and
productivity of their workforces, and leading Cigna's efforts to serve
the community. Kim is based in Denver.
Kim has more than 28 years of experience in the benefits industry,
including senior leadership positions focused on meeting the changing
needs of dynamic markets. She joined Cigna in 2001 after working for 15 years at a niche carrier where
she held a variety of senior positions in sales, marketing, client management and product development.
Education
Kim is a cum laude graduate of Towson State University, holding undergraduate degrees in both
management and marketing. She earned her Master of Business Administration degree cum laude from
Loyola College of Maryland. She is a past educator for the Health Insurance Association of America, a
popular industry speaker, and an expert panel member for topics such as ACA, Cost Control Strategy,
Wellness, ACO/PCMH, etc.
Positions
Board Chair and President, Cigna HealthCare of Colorado
President, Cigna Dental
President, Cigna HMO of Colorado
Board Member, American Heart Association (Colorado)
Board Member, Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation
Chair, CEOs Against Cancer, 2015
Cigna's Diversity Executive Leadership Team, Colleague Resource Group Chair
Joe Blake
Chancellor Emeritus/Chairman
Colorado State University System/Colorado Wants You
Joe Blake is Chancellor Emeritus of the Colorado State
University System. As chancellor, he oversaw Colorado State
University, CSU-Pueblo and CSU-Global. He was the chief
spokesperson for the CSU System, managed the System’s
legislative operations and worked to help secure more
sustainable funding for higher education in Colorado.
A Colorado native, Joe was President and CEO of the Denver
Metro Chamber of Commerce for nearly a decade. Prior to his
service to the chamber Joe was part of the senior leadership
team that created Highlands Ranch, Colorado.
He has served on the CSU Board of Governors, the Colorado
Baseball Commission, the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority and the Colorado
Transportation Commission.
His past and present community service includes the Hospice of St. John Foundation, the
Denver Zoological Foundation, The Denver Foundation, the Denver Public Schools Foundation,
the Denver Scholarship Foundation, Denver Judicial Nominating Commission, Colorado Concern
and the Denver Metro Chamber.
Recognition for his past civic and community service includes The El Pomar Foundation
Community Leadership Award, the Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Eagle Scout Award and
lifetime achievement recognition from Metro Volunteers and the Denver Metro Chamber.
Joe is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Colorado School of Law. He is the
father of two children, Anne and Joe; and the grandfather of four grandsons.
Shannon Block
President and CEO
Denver Zoo
Shannon is the President and CEO of the Denver Zoo. The
Denver Zoo is the most popular cultural attraction in
Colorado. Shannon provides leadership for and manages
over 300 staff and 659 volunteers as well as nearly 4,000
wild animals and 85 acres, as well as the zoo's robust
international conservation program. Denver Zoo is a
leader in animal care and visitor experience and Shannon
is passionate about its mission: secure a better world for
animals through human understanding.
Shannon formerly served as the Chief Executive Officer of Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers and the Chief
Business Development Officer at Denver Health. As CEO of Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers, Shannon
was directly responsible for more than 600 employees across Colorado. At Denver Health she managed
growth of a 500-bed hospital and was responsible for identifying and assessing strategic partnerships
and positioning, business opportunities and operational efficiencies. At Deloitte and Touche, Shannon
served as Senior Manager of Global Innovation, a position that managed the growth and operations
related to multiple service lines across 30 different countries. In that role she managed more than $550
million in new client revenue. Additional experience includes her work at Pricewaterhousecoopers
where she implemented the first data management practice for the company in Denver overseeing all
aspects of ideation, commercialization and execution as it related to the service line.
Shannon has Bachelor of Science degrees in both Physics and Applied Mathematics from George
Washington University and her Master’s of Science in Physics from Tufts University.
Paul Brooks
Senior Vice President
Key Private Bank
Paul M. Brooks is Senior Vice President of the Key PrivateBank
Group, KeyBank National Association. Paul joined KeyBank in
1999, after 15 years with Citicorp, New York, where he was the
head of the Rocky Mountain CitiBank Private Banking and
Investing Group.
Paul, who has more than 40 years of experience in the financial
services industry, guides his clients through the wealth
management process, coordinating all of the components in a
simple, accessible way. Working closely with a team of experts,
he helps his clients define their goals and then develops
strategies and solutions for their unique situations. Paul works
with individuals, endowments, foundations, business owners,
executives and families.
Paul graduated from Rider University with a Bachelor’s Degree. He earned his MBA in Finance
from the University of Connecticut. He is a graduate of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking
at Rutgers University and is a Certified Wealth Strategist.
Paul served on the Board of Directors of the Colorado Symphony Association, the Young
Americans Education Foundation, the American Medical Center, the Mizel Museum of Judaica
and the Bereavement Advisory Council at Children’s Hospital. He is a member of the Colorado
Concern, the Denver Rustlers and the David Brooks Memorial Fund at the Denver Foundation.
Paul initiated legislation so that all Colorado public schools can be equipped with Automated
External Defibrillators. On April 26, 2005, Governor Bill Owens signed Senate Bill 170, known as
David’s Law, after Paul’s son David. In addition, the bill also protects a Good Samaritan who,
acting out of good faith, helps someone by using an AED in an emergency. Paul, his wife, Laurie
and their daughter, Jessica, established The David Brooks Memorial Fund at the Denver
Foundation, to purchase AEDs for the schools.
Kelly Brough
President and CEO
Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce
Kelly J. Brough is the President and CEO of the Denver Metro
Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber represents over 3,500
businesses with 300,000 employees working for those businesses
in Colorado.
Prior to joining the Chamber, Kelly served as Chief of Staff for the
City and County of Denver and Mayor John Hickenlooper
overseeing a general fund of $857 million. She also served as
Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of the Denver Office of
Accountability and Reform, and was the first female director of
human resources for the City of Denver.
Kelly earned a master’s of business administration degree from the University of Colorado at
Denver in 1989 and a Bachelor’s degree in sociology, criminal justice from Montana State
University in 1986. She currently serves on the boards of the Denver Metro Chamber
Leadership Foundation, VISIT DENVER, the Denver Public Schools Foundation and the corporate
board of Delta Dental. She also serves as a member of the Women’s Forum and The Chamber
100 with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Kelly was recently named as one of Colorado’s 10 most influential women by The Denver Post,
and one of Denver’s most influential people by 5280 Magazine. In 2012, Kelly received the
University of Colorado Denver Campus Alumni Recognition Award. She has attended a number
of leadership programs including the JFK School of Government’s program at Harvard for state
and local public officials. She was also named an American Marshall Memorial Fellow in 2001.
Kelly’s TEDX talk is titled “I survived by outrunning my brothers”—an apt description of her
early childhood. She was raised in a small town in northern Montana close to the poverty line
and quickly learned that her sense of humor was her best defense against to much larger
brothers. Her family is extremely close and her parents now reside in Denver as does one of her
brothers with his family. She has raised two beautiful daughters, one a sophomore at the
University of Vermont and the other a high school senior.
Brad Busse
President
Busse Ventures
Brad Busse is President of Busse Ventures LLC, an entity he formed to
manage his business interests and investments.
Most recently, Brad provided senior industry coverage across all
industry groups for RBC Capital Markets, which is a wholly-owned
subsidiary of the Royal Bank of Canada. Prior to that he served as CoHead of the U.S. Communications, Media & Entertainment (“CME”)
Group for RBC Capital Markets where he was responsible for the
management and strategic development of the CME Group, which
included mergers & acquisitions, equity and debt capital formation and
financial advisory engagements.
Brad joined Daniels & Associates in 1985 after receiving broad experience in finance and
accounting. After briefly serving in the Cable Television Group, he took responsibility for building
the Telecommunications Group, which completed more transactions in the wireline, wireless and
telecom infrastructure sectors than any other investment bank during his tenure. Brad was
President and one of two lead principals at Daniels & Associates when it was acquired by RBC
Capital Markets in January 2007.
Brad began his professional career at Arthur Anderson & Co. in 1980 and, subsequently, became a
financial manager for a $1 billion energy concern. He received a Bachelor’s degree in accounting
from the University of Denver and an MBA from Regis College.
Brad served as chairman of the PCIA Foundation (1999 - 2001), a leading wireless industry
foundation, and was appointed by Governor Bill Owens to serve on the Colorado Commission on
Science & Technology (2000-2006). In 2010, he was appointed by Governor Ritter to the Colorado
Commission on Early Childhood Leadership and was reappointed by Governor Hickenlooper in
2012. Brad is a member of the Executive Advisory Board of the Daniels College of Business at the
University of Denver which he chaired for three years (April 2009 – April 2012) and is on the Board
of Trustees of Mile High United Way which he chaired for two years (July 2008 – June 2010). He
also served as Chairman of the Million Dollar Roundtable Council for United Way Worldwide from
2002 to 2007. Brad also chairs the CEO Roundtable of EPIC (Executives Partnering to Invest in
Children).
Don Childears
President
Colorado Bankers Association
Don serves as President/CEO of the Colorado Bankers
Association, whose members have over 95% of Colorado’s
bank assets, offices and employees. Don has served CBA
since 1975, preceded by legislative and campaign work for
a Colorado Congressman.
He completed his Juris Doctor from the University of
Denver College of Law, BSBA from Colorado State
University, and the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Colorado.
Community activities vary, including: Colorado Competitive Council (investor committee chair),
BankPac (national board), Admin Committee of American Bankers Association Government
Relations Council, Friends of Traditional Banking, Regulatory Feedback Initiative (survey com
chair), Civil Justice League (past chairman), American Bankers Association board of directors
(past), the State’s board to fight financial fraud, Housing Council (past chairman), the Dean’s
board for the College of Business at Colorado State University, Referenda C & D Finance
Committee, Kids Voting, board of trustees for two graduate schools of banking, various
business groups, and Republican activities and campaigns. He has served as the national
chairman of state bankers associations, and on the board of the American Bankers Association.
Business activities have included BancInsure (board & reinsurance committee), a publishing
company, a network predating the internet, and a burglar alarm company.
Don frequently presents and teaches about government, political influence, and banking. He
speaks on behalf of banking to media and many groups and has received various awards. He is
from Saguache, a rural Colorado town, and is married to Linda, President of the Daniels Fund.
Linda Childears
President and CEO
Daniels Fund
Linda Childears is passionate about the work of the Daniels Fund and
has served as its President and CEO since 2005. Bill Daniels appointed
her as a trustee of his estate and named her to the Daniels Fund’s
original board of directors. Linda’s leadership reflects her strong
dedication to preserving and honoring the philanthropic intent of Bill
Daniels. The Daniels Fund carries forward Bill Daniels’ legacy by
providing grants to nonprofit organizations and college scholarships to
deserving students in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.
Linda originally met Bill Daniels when he hired her company, The
Financial Consortium, to help overcome the unprecedented
operational, legal, and regulatory challenges of launching Young
Americans Bank, his bank for kids. By the time of the bank’s grand
opening in August 1987, Linda had accepted Bill’s offer to become its
President and CEO. Since the organization began in 1987, Young Americans has reached nearly half a million
young people. Prior to Young Americans, Linda spent several years in “adult” banking. She served as
President of Equitable Bank of Littleton and Vice President of First National Bancorporation. She also served
the industry as a board member of Colorado Bankers Association, Graduate School of Banking at Colorado,
Colorado Student Loan Program, and as Chairman of the American Bankers Association Education
Foundation.
Linda is active in the Denver community. She currently serves on the boards of Cheyenne Capital Fund,
Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, Colorado Association of Funders, and Mountain States Employers
Council. She serves on the Public Policy Committees of the Council on Foundations and the Alliance for
Charitable Reform, and is a member of Mayor Hancock’s Denver Education Compact. Linda is past Chairman
of National Assembly, National Camp Fire, and Cherry Creek Arts Festival. Past board positions include
Alliance for Choice in Education, Cherry Creek Business Improvement District, CollegeInvest, Colorado Meth
Project, Daniels College of Business, Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation, Denver Public Schools
Foundation, DU Bridge Project, Foundation for Teaching Economics, Johnson & Wales University, Junior
Achievement, Mile High United Way, National Foundation of Dentistry for the Handicapped, OpenWorld
Learning, and Young Americans Bank and Center for Financial Education.
Linda was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Business Administration in Financial Services Management from
Johnson & Wales University in July 2010, and was named National Philanthropy Day’s Outstanding
Professional in Philanthropy in 2010. Other honors include Colorado Bankers Association Banker of
Distinction, Girl Scouts of Colorado Woman of Distinction, the Athena Award in 1998, and an Honorary
Lifetime Membership in Camp Fire.
Rebecca Chopp, PhD
Chancellor
University of Denver
Rebecca Chopp, PhD, comes from Swarthmore College in
Pennsylvania, where she served as president since 2009.
As president of Swarthmore, founded in 1864 outside Philadelphia
and ranked the third-best liberal arts college in the United States by
U.S. News and World Report, Rebecca passionately upheld the
College's longstanding commitment to admitting the most highly
qualified students without regard for their financial circumstances.
She supported innovative ways for faculty and students to interact
at Swarthmore and extended the distinct role the school plays in
educating students to build inclusive communities and to become
leaders motivated to contribute to the common good.
Before joining Swarthmore, Rebecca served as president of Colgate University, where she led a
comprehensive strategic plan that expanded the university's academic space, strengthened academic
programs and developed new interdisciplinary centers. She also served as provost and executive vice
president for academic affairs at Emory University and as a dean at Yale University.
Rebecca is a widely published author and editor. Her six books include Remaking College: Innovation
and the Liberal Arts (2013), which she co-edited with Haverford College President Dan Weiss. Her other
notable publications are The Praxis of Suffering: An Interpretation of Liberation and Political Theologies
(1986) and The Power to Speak: Feminism, Language, God (1989). She has published more than 50
articles.
Rebecca is the immediate past chair of the Centennial Conference President's Council. Previously, she
served on the governing boards of the Association of American Colleges and Universities and the
National Survey of Student Engagement. Rebecca has also served as a member of the executive
committee of the Annapolis Group and the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Foundation for Teaching
and president of the American Academy of Religion.
A native of Kansas, Rebecca received a BA from Kansas Wesleyan University, a MDiv from St. Paul School
of Theology, and a PhD from the University of Chicago. Each of her alma maters has honored her with
distinguished awards, and she has received six honorary doctorates from other colleges and universities.
Rebecca is married to Frederick Thibodeau. They have three sons, one living in Colorado, as well as other
family who also reside in the state.
Robert Cohen
Chairman and CEO
IMA Financial Group
Robert Cohen, Chairman and CEO of The IMA Financial Group, Inc. is
a Kansas native who graduated from the University of Texas at
Austin with two Bachelor’s degrees: one in finance and the other in
risk management.
Robert's experience includes three years with Chubb and Son
Insurance Company in Dallas, New York/New Jersey, and Denver. He
also worked as an intern as a Lloyd's broker for Lowndes Lambert
Ltd. in London, England. In 1986 he joined IMA in their Wichita,
Kansas office and later relocated to Denver to establish IMA of
Colorado.
Business and community involvement are a priority for Robert. He
serves as a board director for several non-profit organizations including the I Have a Dream
Foundation, Downtown Denver Partnership and the Metro Denver Sports Commission. He also
serves on the Metropolitan State University of Denver Board of Trustees.
Marc Cooper
Director
Cooper Development, Inc.
Pete Coors
Chairman
MillerCoors
Peter H. Coors is chairman of Molson Coors Brewing Company and
chairman of MillerCoors. Pete is a native of the State of Colorado. He
was born on September 20, 1946, in Golden, Colorado, and remains a
resident today.
Pete graduated from the Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, N.H. in
1965, and attended Cornell University where he received his
Bachelor’s Degree in industrial engineering in 1969. He earned a
Master’s Degree in business administration from the University of
Denver in 1970. He also has received honorary doctorates from Regis
University in 1991, Wilberforce University in 1992, Johnson & Wales
University in 1997, and Colorado State University in 2011.
Pete’s professional career in the brewing business follows a Coors
tradition that has spanned more than a century and five generations of Coors family members. He
has served in a number of positions at the company. In 2002, he was named Chairman, Coors
Brewing Company and Chairman of Adolph Coors Company. As noted above, Pete is currently the
Chairman of Molson Coors Brewing Company. In addition, in July, 2008, he was named Chairman of
MillerCoors.
Pete’s outside corporate board of director membership includes Energy Corporation of America and
American Enterprise Institute. He is president and a trustee of the Adolph Coors Foundation. His
numerous and diverse civic responsibilities include serving as a trustee and member of the
executive board of the Denver Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and a member of the
National Western Stock Show Association executive committee. Pete also is a member of the
Intercontinental Chapter of Young Presidents Organization, and the Denver Art Museum
Foundation.
Pete is an avid outdoorsman and is currently a national trustee, and a former national president and
chairman of Ducks Unlimited. He is the son of Joseph and Holly Coors, and is a great-grandson of
Adolph Coors, who founded the Golden brewery in 1873. He and his wife, Marilyn, have six children
and ten grandchildren.
Jeffrey L. Cummings
Owner and President
Duffy Companies
Jeffrey L. Cummings is owner and president of the Duffy
Companies and Mountain States Industrial Contractors. Duffy
Crane and Hauling, Inc., a subsidiary, originally founded in
Denver in 1886, is one of Colorado’s oldest companies. Duffy is
an accomplished leader in heavy haul transportation, equipment
installation and crane work, specializing in the movement of
energy products and services throughout the Western United
States.
Jeffrey is an active business and community leader and is
currently the president and a board member of the Rocky
Mountain Crane Owner’s Association, an executive board
member and chair of the Colorado Motor Carriers Association,
and a member of the board of directors of Pinnacol Assurance and the Pinnacol Foundation.
Additionally, Jeffrey is engaged in other nonprofit board activities and is also a past trustee of
the Western Region Ironworker’s Trust Funds.
Jeffrey’s background includes more than 30 years as a business executive, industry leader, and
certified public accountant. He earned his bachelor’s degrees in business administration and
economics from Drury University in Springfield, Missouri.
Lori Davis
Office Managing Partner
Grant Thornton LLP
As the Managing Partner of the Denver office, Lori is responsible for
executing firm strategy at the local level and leading a team of Denver
professionals to provide audit, tax and advisory services throughout
the Colorado market. A key aspect of her job is to create a local culture
that supports and encourages alignment with firm values of
Collaboration, Leadership, Excellence, Agility, Respect and
Responsibility. She is also a Partner in the Tax Services Practice and
serves as the Tax Practice Leader for the Desert Mountain West
Territory. Elected by her fellow partners, she is one of eleven members
of the firm’s National Partnership Board, providing firm governance
and chairing both the Finance and Minutes Committees. Prior to
coming to Denver, she served as the Managing Partner of the Wichita
office.
Lori has over 27 years of experience in public accounting. In addition
to tax compliance, her experience includes developing tax planning strategies for corporate, partnership and
individual clients. Lori serves as relationship partner for a large global company, and has extensive
experience finding and coordinating appropriate audit, tax and advisory resources (domestic and
international) to global clients as needed.
Although relatively new to Denver, Lori is very active in the Denver community. She currently serves on the
boards of Junior Achievement – Rocky Mountain, Inc, Downtown Denver, Inc. and the Metro Denver EDC.
She is also an active member of the Corporate Committee for the Colorado Symphony. While in Wichita, she
was past President for Wichita Music Theatre and Junior Achievement of Greater Wichita and was also on the
Executive Committee as Treasurer for the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce. For the last twelve years,
she has served on the Board of Advisors for the University of Oklahoma MBA School and was past President
of the College of Business Alumni Association.
Lori was a 2012 honoree for the Wichita Business Journal’s Women in Business awards. She was recognized
by Working Mother Magazine as a 2010 Working Mother of the Year and also received the 2010 “Women to
Watch - Experienced Leader Award” from the KSCPA.
Lori holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and a Master of Business Administration in
Finance from the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma. She is a Certified Public Accountant and is a
member of the American Institute of CPA’s and the Colorado State Society.
Lori is married to Joe and has one daughter, Alex. She is very active and enjoys tennis, golf and running.
Kim Day
Chief Executive Officer
Denver International Airport
Denver’s Manager of Aviation is Kim Day, who began leading
Denver International Airport (DEN) in April 2008, the fifth-busiest
commercial airport in the United States. DEN boasts a robust
network of more than 180 destinations served and is the primary
economic engine for the state of Colorado, generating more than
$26 billion for the region annually. It is one of the top 30
businesses in Colorado with more than $800 million in annual
revenues.
Since her tenure began, Kim has overseen an update to the
airport’s master plan and set in motion the program that would
complete its original vision: the Hotel and Public Transit Center
Program, which will bring a 519-room hotel and transit station for the commuter rail system,
linking the airport and downtown Denver.
Kim also directed development of the first 10-year financial plan for DEN, has initiated a new
strategic plan, and has been instrumental in collaborating with the FAA on implementing
NextGen flight approach and takeoff procedures that benefit the airport’s airline partners with
time and fuel savings. In 2012, Day and her team unveiled a development plan called Airport
City, which optimizes the utilization of the entire 53 square miles of airport property,
supporting development of aviation-related businesses and generating new revenue to reinvest
in airport infrastructure.
With more than 35 years of experience, Kim has served as executive director of Los Angeles
World Airports, the authority that manages Los Angeles International Airport, Ontario
International Airport, Van Nuys Airport, and Palmdale Regional Airport.
Kim has a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell University.
In September 2011, she was named Director of the Year in the large/medium airports category
by Airport Revenue News. In 2010 and 2013, the Denver Business Journal named her an industry
leader—a designation that honors the top men and women newsmakers in the business
community.
R. Stanton Dodge
Executive Vice President and General Counsel
DISH Network
Stanton Dodge serves as Executive Vice President and General
Counsel of DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH), a
Fortune 200 satellite TV provider with more than 14
million subscribers nationwide. Stanton is responsible for all
legal and government affairs for DISH and its subsidiaries.
Since joining DISH in November 1996, Stanton has
held positions of increasing responsibility in the legal
department, and was responsible for human resources from
January 2010 through July 2011.
In 2013, Stanton was selected for the inaugural The Legal 500 –
Corporate Counsel 100: United States, recognizing the 100 most
influential in-house lawyers in the United States.
Stanton is actively involved in many community and philanthropic causes. He serves as a
member of the board of directors of National Jewish Health, and is a member of the EDiscovery Committee of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado.
Prior to joining DISH, Stanton was a law clerk to the Hon. Jose D.L. Marquez of the Colorado
Court of Appeals. He received his J.D., magna cum laude, from Suffolk University Law School in
1995 and his B.S. in accounting from the University of Vermont in 1991.
In his spare time, Stanton enjoys cycling, skiing, fly fishing and spending time with his wife and
their two young sons.
Tami Door
President and CEO
Downtown Denver Partnership
Tami Door serves as the President and CEO of the
Downtown Denver Partnership (DDP). The Partnership
works to create an economically vital Downtown
through economic development, public policy, largescale events, urban planning and development. Key
initiatives have included the creation of a 20-year plan
for Downtown Denver, 16th Street Mall Renovation Plan,
the redevelopment of 14th Street, and the creation of the
Denver Theatre District. The Partnership oversees the Downtown Denver Business
Improvement District, which provides clean and safe services for the Center City.
DDP also produces popular community events that bring more than one million people
Downtown each year, including A Taste of Colorado, the 9News Parade of Lights, and New
Year’s Eve Fireworks Downtown.
Tami serves as the Chairman of the Board of the Auraria Higher Education Center and the
Treasurer of the Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce Foundation. She sits on several key civic
committees and task forces, including the Olympic Exploratory Committee, Metro Mayors
FasTracks Task Force and Denver’s Homeless Commission. She is a Livingston Fellow and a
Certified Chamber Executive (CCE). Previous honors have included the 2012 9News Leader of
the Year Award, the University of Colorado Trustees Leadership Award, 95 Most Powerful
Woman in Michigan, and Forty Under Forty in Detroit and Denver. Tami is a member of the
Young Presidents Organization (YPO).
Joe Ellis
President
Denver Broncos Football Club
Joe Ellis became President of the Denver Broncos on Jan. 5, 2011,
following 16 years with the club. Joe spent the previous three seasons
as the team’s Chief Operating Officer following 10 years as the
Broncos’ Executive Vice President of Business Operations. He rejoined
the Broncos for his second stint with the team in 1998 from the NFL’s
league office, where he had been Vice President of Club Administration
and Stadium Management.
Joe, who began his career with the Broncos as their Director of
Marketing from 1983-85, operates atop the Broncos’ management
structure and has ultimate responsibility for the organization as team
president. He communicates regularly with Executive Vice President of Football Operations John Elway on all
matters involving the football team, and his extensive responsibilities with the club’s business operations
include financial management, marketing and sales, media relations, ticket operations, facilities and
administrative efforts. Additionally, Joe speaks on behalf of Broncos Owner and Chief Executive Officer Pat
Bowlen on all matters involving the franchise.
A driving force in helping with the creation of INVESCO Field at Mile High, which opened in 2001, Joe
oversees Stadium Management Company (SMC), which operates and manages the stadium. During his
participation in all aspects of the stadium’s management and development, he has worked very closely with
important members of the political, business and civic communities that comprise the cultural fabric of
Denver.
Joe came to his present position with comprehensive expertise in the areas of stadium operations, fiscal
planning, personnel management, marketing, media and community relations. During his first stint with the
Broncos as their Director of Marketing, Joe was in charge of all marketing and promotions implemented by
the club during that time. He left the Broncos following the 1985 season to obtain his master’s degree from
the J.L. Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He graduated in 1988 and joined the NFL
in 1990.
While with the NFL, Joe was involved in several aspects of league operations with a strong focus on new
stadium development. He was especially involved in the league’s oversight of the Cleveland Browns’ re-entry
into the NFL in 1999.
Joe represents the Broncos on numerous boards and civic organizations in the metropolitan area and
received his Bachelor’s degree from Colorado College in 1980. Joe and his wife, Ann, have three children:
sons Si and Zander, and daughter Catherine.
Steve ErkenBrack
President and CEO
Rocky Mountain Health Plan
Steve ErkenBrack currently serves as President and Chief
Executive Officer of Rocky Mountain Health Plans, a nonprofit
carrier based in Grand Junction, Colorado. Prior to this position,
he served as vice president of legal and government affairs for
the organization from 2002 to 2008.
For more than 25 years, Steve worked as an attorney with an
emphasis on litigation, government affairs, and health care. He
maintained a private practice with offices in Grand Junction
and Denver. He served six years as Mesa County’s elected
district attorney and four years as Colorado’s chief deputy
attorney general.
His significant legal and health care acumen has been recognized on a regional, statewide, and
national basis. The Colorado legislature appointed Steve as the only health plan representative
to serve on Colorado’s Blue Ribbon Commission for Health Care Reform. He is the former Chair
of Club 20’s Health Care Committee, and is a founding member of the Mesa County Health
Leadership Consortium. In 2011, Steve was appointed to serve on the Colorado Health Benefit
Exchange Board of Directors. In the past he has served as chair of the board of Law Examiners
for the Colorado Supreme Court, president of the Colorado District Attorneys Council, and as a
member of the board of governors of the Colorado Bar Association. He is admitted to practice
before all courts in Colorado and the United States Supreme Court.
Steve received his law degree from the University of Colorado and undergraduate education at
the United States Naval Academy and Washington and Lee University.
David Eves
President and CEO, Public Service Company of Colorado
Xcel Energy
David Eves is president and CEO, Public Service Company of
Colorado (PSCo), an Xcel Energy company.
Prior to that, David was president and CEO of Southwestern
Public Service Company from July 2006 – 2009. He was vice
president of Resource Planning and Acquisition for Xcel Energy
from 2004 – July 2006.
Since 1981 David has held various positions of responsibility for
marketing, purchased power, wholesale marketing, energy
trading and resource planning for PSCo, New Century Energies
and Xcel Energy.
Eves received a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Kansas State
University.
He currently serves as a board member for the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, Mile High
United Way, Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver, Downtown Denver Inc. and Mountain States
Employers Council. He represents Xcel Energy at Colorado Concern. Eves has served as a past
executive committee and operating committee member at Western Systems Power Pool.
Steve Farber
President and Founding Partner
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
President and founding partner of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck,
Steve Farber's practice encompasses corporate and partnership
business transactions, public and private business transactions,
acquisitions and mergers, real estate, business and contract
transactions.
Steve's experience includes the representation of the ASCENT
Corporation, former owner of the Denver Nuggets NBA franchise
and the Colorado Avalanche NHL franchise, in connection with the
Pepsi Center. In addition, Steve represented the Denver Broncos on
the new football stadium. Steve currently represents ISC Corporation
on its interest in bringing a NASCAR race to Colorado.
Actively involved in many political, charitable, and community
causes, Steve is the founder and Chairman of the Board of the
American Transplant Foundation. Steve is a member of the board of trustees for the Anti-Defamation League,
Children's Diabetes Foundation, Race to Erase M.S. Foundation, and the Children's Hospital Foundation. Further,
he is a board member for Citywide Banks, Denver Health Foundation, Aurora EDC and Alliance for Choice in
Education (ACE) and is a Capital Campaign Chair for Denver Hospice.
Steve served as co-chair and a member of the executive committee of the Host Committee for the 2008
Democratic National Convention. He was chairman of former Colorado Governor Roy Romer's successful
gubernatorial campaigns and was a member of the Site Advisory Committee for the 2000 Democratic National
Convention. He served as co-chair for former Governor Bill Owens’ College for Colorado.
Steve's past community involvement includes serving as chairman of the board of trustees of The Rose Health Care
Systems and chairman of The Rose Medical Center and the Rose Community Foundation, as well as serving on the
board of directors for the University of Colorado Hospital Foundation. He was a member of the board of directors
of the Allied Jewish Federation, functioning as campaign chairman in 1984 and 1985 and president in 1986. He
served on the board of directors for the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and the Denver Metro Chamber
Foundation from 1997 to 2003. He also served on the board of trustees for the University of Denver and is a past
chairman of the executive committee of Colorado Concern.
In 2004, Steve received the Del Hock Lifetime Achievement Award from the Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce.
In 2007, he received the Distinguished Alumni Award for Private Practice from the University of Colorado School of
Law and the Barbara Davis High Hopes Award in recognition for his many contributions to the community and the
Children’s Diabetes Foundation. In 2008, he was honored as Businessperson of the Year by the Rocky Mountain
News.
Cole Finegan
Managing Partner
Hogan Lovells
Cole Finegan is the Regional Managing Partner of the Americas
as well as Managing Partner of Hogan Lovells' Denver office. He
focuses his practice on working locally and nationally with
businesses and governmental entities to create and expand
public-private partnerships and has also represented clients in
regulatory, land use and development, and legislative and public
policy law for more than 20 years. Cole was recently recognized
as a "Lawyer of the Decade" and "Lawyer of the Year" for 2013
by Law Week Colorado. He was also named one of the most
influential people in Denver by 5280 magazine ("The 5280 Fifty").
Prior to joining the firm, Cole served in dual positions as Denver's City Attorney and Chief of Staff to Mayor
John Hickenlooper. During his tenure as City Attorney, Cole reorganized the office of 100 lawyers for the first
time in 20 years, which saved the city more than $1 million by cutting outside legal services and expanded
the city's capabilities to try its own cases. As Chief of Staff, he led the successful campaign to change Denver's
charter to add a Chief Financial Officer and to modernize the city's 100-year-old financial services structure.
In private practice and in public life, Cole has been involved in almost every major private-public partnership
in Denver, including the redevelopment of Stapleton Airport, the Gates Rubber Company facility, and most
recently Denver Union Station.
From 1993 to 2003, Cole was a partner at a national law firm in Denver. While there, he represented clients
in land use issues, regulatory and administrative matters, municipal law, legislative law, and election law.
Cole served both as Chief Legal Counsel and Director of Policy and Initiatives for Colorado Governor Roy
Romer from 1991 to 1993. During that period, he handled the Governor's legal matters, advised the
Governor on judicial appointments, and supervised a policy development staff of 60 persons working on
economic, environmental, health care, energy, telecommunications, transportation, and education policy
issues.
Cole also worked in Washington, D.C. as Chief Legislative Assistant and then Chief of Staff to U.S.
Representative James R. Jones of Oklahoma. Representative Jones chaired the U.S. House of Representatives'
Budget Committee from 1981-1985 and chaired the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade.
Jack Finlaw
President and CEO
University of Colorado Foundation
Jack Finlaw is the President and CEO of the University of Colorado
Foundation. The CU Foundation partners with the University of
Colorado to steward the University’s private funding and manage its
endowment and other investments.
Jack was chief legal counsel to Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper
from 2011 to 2014. During that period, he handled the Governor’s
legal matters, advised the Governor on judicial appointments and
managed special projects for the Governor, including the initial
implementation of Colorado’s new marijuana laws. Jack had been a
part of Hickenlooper’s leadership team since 2003, serving as director
of Denver’s Theatres and Arenas Division and as deputy chief of staff
during Hickenlooper’s tenure as mayor of Denver. In these roles, Jack
oversaw the expansion of the Colorado Convention Center, the
construction of the Ellie Caulkins Opera House and the management of
Denver’s city-owned venues including the Denver Performing Arts Complex and Red Rocks
Amphitheatre.
Prior to his public sector career, Jack was deputy general counsel at Comcast Corporation from 1999
until 2002, and he was corporate counsel for Jones Intercable, Inc. from 1984 until 1999. He began his
legal career as a securities lawyer in the Denver office of Kirkland & Ellis. His corporate law practice
focused on public and private equity and debt offerings and mergers and acquisitions.
Jack has been chair of the board of Opera Colorado and he has served on the boards of the Colorado
Symphony, the Denver Public Library Friends Foundation and Visit Denver. An active volunteer in The
Episcopal Church for over 30 years, Jack has held various leadership positions at St. John’s Cathedral in
Denver and he has represented the Diocese of Colorado at the triennial general convention of The
Episcopal Church since 2003.
A graduate of Georgetown University and the University of Denver’s College of Law, Jack received the
Alumni Professionalism Award from the law school in 2014. That same year he was named one of the
most influential people in Denver by 5280 Magazine (“The 5280 Fifty”).
John P. Fitzgibbons, S.J.
President
Regis University
The Rev. John P. Fitzgibbons, S.J. joined Regis University as
President in 2012. Before coming to Colorado he served as
the Associate Provost for Faculty Development at Marquette
University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Prior to that, he was a
member of the University of San Francisco (USF) Board of
Trustees, and was elected to the Gonzaga University Board of
Trustees in July 2008. He also served as Vice President for
Administration and Interim Dean of the College of Professional
Studies at USF from June 2007 to June 2009.
Father Fitzgibbons was appointed Superior and Director of
Novices at the Novitiate of the North American Martyrs in St.
Paul, Minn., from 2001-2006. He taught English at Creighton
University from 1996 to 2001 and at Marquette University
from 1993 to 1996. While at Creighton, he was director of the Jesuit Humanities Program and
served on the executive council of the College of Arts and Sciences.
He holds a PhD in English from Loyola University Chicago; an S.T.M. in Moral Theology from the
Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley; an M.Div. from the Weston Jesuit School of Theology; an
M.A. in English from the University of Chicago; and a B.A. in philosophy and English from Saint
Louis University.
A native of Omaha, Neb., he entered the Wisconsin Province of the Society of Jesus in 1973 and
was ordained a priest in 1985. He continues to be active in research scholarship, especially in
the relationship of religion and culture.
“Regis University is known for preparing its students to be leaders of positive change.” Father
Fitzgibbons said. “And strong partnerships with local businesses and the community will allow
us to continue delivering on that promise.”
» Professor of English, Creighton University – 1996-2001
» Professor of English, Marquette University – 1993-96
Steve Foster
CEO and Founder, Connect13, LLC
COO, Global Technology Resources, Inc.
Steve is currently in multiple executive roles in the Colorado
technology ecosystem. As a respected and experienced
expert, he provides companies leadership in all areas of
business operations; branding, client relationships and
revenue generation regarding product and service offerings.
Following service as a member of Global Technology
Resources, Inc. (GTRI)’s Board of Advisors, he assumed the
role of Chief Operating Officer for the company. He is also
the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Connect13, LLC; an
advisory firm whose main purpose is to drive energy and
passion around strategic business growth for companies
within the technology ecosystem.
Steve previously served as CEO of Convercent (formerly Business Controls, Inc.), a SaaS
GRC/solutions provider. The firm employs a team of trained consultants backed by a global
software system that addresses employee compliance, culture and ethical issues. CEOs and
other C-suite officers hire Convercent to create a system-wide, safe and ethical workplace. The
company incorporates strategies that have saved millions in lawsuits and wasted resources.
These services are valuable in any industry or sector including corporations, schools and
governmental agencies at the federal, state and local levels.
Steve also serves as the incoming Chair of the Colorado Technology Association’s Board of
Directors.
Norm Franke
Regional President
Alpine Bank
Norm Franke has been a regional President of Alpine Bank since
1990. He performs duties as regional president for the front
range of Colorado. He started with Alpine Bank in May 1983 as a
management trainee and has worked with the bank's overall
operations and computer systems, bank operational duties,
commercial lending, personnel management, regulatory
compliance and bank management.
Norm graduated with a B.A. in business administration from the
Fort Lewis College and graduated from the Graduate School of
Banking at Colorado University in Boulder.
Norm is active in his community and has served as chair of the
Colorado Bankers Association Board of Directors, Grand Junction
Economic Partnership, Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce, Grand Junction Symphony,
Community Hospital Foundation Board, Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry board,
the Industrial Development, Inc., and Western Colorado Hospice and Palliative Care. He has
also served as member of the Grand Junction Rotary, Treasurer of Colorado Children's
Campaign and Mesa State College Board of Trustees as an appointee of the governor.
Norm was honored as the ABC News “Person of the Week” in January 1996; Mesa County
Association of Realtors, Community Service Award in 1988; Colorado Bankers Association
Community Service Award in 2000 and the Del and Doris Scott award for community service in
2002; Grand Junction Rotary Ethical Business Citizen Award in 2000; Colorado Jaycees
Outstanding Young Coloradoan Award in 2000; and the Grand Junction Fire and Police
Departments Commendation for Outstanding Civic Leadership 2008.
Tim Gill
Chairman
Scytus
An American software entrepreneur and philanthropist,
Tim Gill started the Denver, Colorado-based Gill
Foundation in 1994. The foundation is dedicated to
advancing equality by supporting nonprofit
organizations that serve lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, and allied individuals, as well as people
with HIV/AIDS. Since its inception, the Gill Foundation
has invested more than $162 million in nonprofit
organizations throughout the country.
Tim has always been an advocate for civil rights. In addition to funding the gay and lesbian
movement for equal rights, he is also a strong supporter of social justice organizations and
educational institutions. Tim was one of the first major contributors to the Colorado AIDS
Project and has long supported local public radio and television through program underwriting.
Through the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Colorado, a project of the Gill Foundation, Tim has
provided financial support to numerous organizations which serve the general public, including
nearly $1 million to the American Red Cross for Hurricane Katrina disaster relief.
Tim is founder and former chairman of Quark, Incorporated. He is recognized for
revolutionizing the publishing industry with innovative, affordable, page-layout software. Tim
founded Quark, Inc. in 1981 with a $2,000 loan from his parents and worked to build Quark, Inc.
into a leading developer of page-layout software.
Tim and his husband, Scott Miller, live in Denver, Colorado.
Ryan Good
Vice President/Partner
Etkin Johnson Real Estate Partners
Ryan Good serves as Vice President Leasing/Sales and Partner for Etkin
Johnson Real Estate Partners where he was recruited in 2012 to lead the
marketing, leasing and sales teams and initiatives for the company’s five
million square foot portfolio of commercial real estate – valued in excess
of one-half billion dollars. As a key member of Etkin Johnson’s leadership
team, Ryan has been instrumental in setting a long-range vision for the
company’s business growth strategies and influential in fostering a
collaborative work environment based on open and transparent
communication, further increasing productivity and continually
exceeding the company’s lease-up goals.
Known for his strong leadership skills, vast market knowledge, and
ability to work side by side with decision makers and municipalities, Ryan was promoted to partner status in
2013, becoming the first and youngest partner in the company’s 25 year history. Etkin Johnson Group soon
changed its name to Etkin Johnson Real Estate Partners as part of a rebranding initiative to reflect his
promotion and the noteworthy growth of the organization.
Prior to his position at Etkin Johnson, Ryan worked as a commercial real estate broker for CBRE where he
became a recognized leader among his colleagues, routinely nominated for industry accolades including the
Denver Business Journal’s Heavy Hitter award and the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties
(NAIOP) Broker of the Year award.
A Colorado native, Ryan’s commitment to his local community is demonstrated through his active
involvement in numerous organizations including Leadership Denver, a program that brings together leaders
to discuss and learn about the challenges facing the Denver Metro area for the purpose of expanding their
commitment to voluntary civic responsibility.
Ryan’s additional community leadership positions have included serving as first Chair of the associate board
for Food Bank of the Rockies as well as being a dedicated mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado
where he has created a college fund for his “little”. Inspiring others to get involved in community-centered
organizations, Ryan also regularly coordinates volunteer opportunities through Habitat for Humanity for Etkin
Johnson friends and colleagues.
Ryan earned a Bachelor of Science in public finance from Indiana University, where he minored in
entrepreneurship and small business management. He serves on the board for the Denver Metro Commercial
Development Association of Realtors (DMCAR) and maintains active membership in NAIOP and the Urban
Land Institute. Ryan is also a featured speaker at several real estate industry events.
Gino Greco
CEO
American Red Cross Colorado & Wyoming Region
Recognized by Denver Business Journal as one of Denver’s
“Forty Under 40” business leaders, Gino Greco joined the
American Red Cross as CEO in January, 2011. Prior to that he
served as President & CEO of The Wildlife Experience museum
and as Chief Operating Officer of CollegeInvest’s college
savings plans. Under his leadership, The Wildlife Experience’s
attendance and memberships doubled and tripled
respectively, and CollegeInvest’s assets under management
grew to over $2.5 billion.
A long history of being actively involved in the community,
Gino serves on the board of directors of the Denver Metro
Chamber Leadership Foundation and the Leadership Advisory
Council of the Colorado Nonprofit Association. He was appointed by both Governors Owens
and Ritter to the CollegeInvest board of directors following his staff tenure, where he served a
four-year term culminating as Chair during the organization’s sale of its billion dollar student
loan program. He was a founding member of the 9Teachers Who Care program with 9News
and has also previously held board or leadership positions for the Denver Commission on
Cultural Affairs, Denver Kids Inc., The Children’s Museum of Denver and Denver Active 20-30
Children’s Foundation. One who believes wholeheartedly in civic engagements, he is a proud
graduate of the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation’s Leadership Denver program
and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Citizens Academy (Denver Division). .
Proud to be a Colorado native, Gino received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of
Colorado at Boulder and received his Master of Business Administration from Regis University
in Denver. He lives in Lakewood with his wife and three children.
Pat Hamill
Chairman and CEO
Oakwood Homes
Patrick H. Hamill is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of
Oakwood Homes, LLC. In addition to Oakwood Homes his other
business affiliations include: Town and Country Title and
Insurance Services, Green Valley Ranch Golf Club, Precision
Building Systems and PKK Investments. He is a Past Chairman
and emeritus member of the Board of the Boys and Girls Clubs
of Metro Denver, Chairman of the Colorado Open Golf
Foundation, and Chair of the Colorado Concern Board of
Directors. He also serves on the Governor’s Early Childhood
Leadership Commission and the Mayor’s Education Compact.
Additionally, Pat co-founded two community development
organizations in the greater Denver area: The Foundation for Educational Excellence and the
21st Century High Tech Academy.
He received the “Professional Achievement Award” through the University of Denver Founders’
Day in 1999 and in 2007 was awarded the Boys and Girls Clubs Champion of Youth Award.
Pat received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of
Denver’s School of Real Estate and Construction Management.
Ben Harris
CEO
NBC Wealth Management Company and Hormel Harris Investments
Ben Harris is the co-founder of NBC Bancshares, LLC and Nebraska
Heavy Industries II. He served as an investment professional of
MVC Capital (NYSE: MVC) and Portfolio Manager of Brantley
Capital Corporation (NASDAQ: BBDC) after Nebraska Heavy
Industries was sold to MVC.
Ben received his Bachelor's degree from Washington University,
St. Louis, Missouri and his J.D. from the University of Nebraska,
College of Law. He serves on the Board of Directors of Nebraska
Bank of Commerce, Mountain View Bank of Commerce
(Westminster and Boulder, CO), Nebraska Heavy Industries, GRIT,
LLC, Bolts & Nuts Corp., TranslateMedia Limited, Invest Nebraska
Corp., Nebraska Wesleyan University and the Special
Opportunities Fund, Inc. (NYSE: SPE).
Jacqueline Hinman
Chairman & CEO
CH2M Hill Companies
Jacqueline Hinman (formerly Rast) has 30 years of experience in the
engineering and construction industry. She serves as the Chairman
and Chief Executive Officer of CH2M HILL. A Fortune 500 company,
CH2M HILL is a recognized global leader in consulting, full-service
engineering, construction, procurement, program management, and
operations for public and private clients. Jacqueline’s goals for the
firm are market leadership, balanced growth, and client
stewardship. To achieve these goals, she has prioritized safety,
quality, sustainability, technology, diversity, positive employee
engagement, and the highest standards of ethical behavior as drivers
for CH2M HILL’s success.
From 2012 to 2014, Jacqueline served as the President of CH2M
HILL's International Division, which represented approximately US
$2.5 billion annual revenue, and 12,000 employees worldwide. Prior to taking this role, Jacqueline served as
president of CH2M HILL's Facilities and Infrastructure Division, which included 7,000 employees in the global
business groups of Transportation, Industrial & Advanced Technology, Operations & Maintenance and Urban
Programs.
Jacqueline also oversaw the Major Programs group, which included the delivery of large engineering,
construction and operations programs worldwide, including the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic
Games, the Rio 2016 Olympics and the MASDAR sustainable city in Abu Dhabi. During this time, Jacqueline
also served as Director of Mergers & Acquisitions, responsible for overseeing the firm’s acquisitive growth
strategies worldwide and for completing the acquisition of Halcrow Group, a UK headquartered engineering
firm with $1 billion in annual revenue. In 2012 she served as Halcrow’s Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer prior to its integration into CH2M HILL.
Prior to these positions, Jacqueline lead the firm's Center for Project Excellence, which ensured the
development of the company's innovative processes, tools and standards for worldwide consulting, design,
construction, operations and management programs. She also served as CH2M HILL's Senior Vice President
for International Development. In that capacity she stewarded the development, capture and mobilization of
strategic opportunities internationally, such as the London 2012 Olympic Games and the Panama Canal
Expansion. Before her current tenure with CH2M HILL, Jacqueline was the Chief Executive Officer of a
management consulting firm that provided financial risk analysis and budgeting services to government,
defense, and industrial infrastructure owners.
Jacqueline has a Bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Pennsylvania State University. She is a registered
professional engineer, and is accredited under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) Program.
A. Barry Hirschfeld
President and CEO
A. B. Hirschfeld & Sons
The Hirschfeld legacy in both business and philanthropy spans five
generations with Barry representing the fourth generation and his two sons
the fifth. Barry Hirschfeld’s involvement for over 45 years in the Denver
business community includes owning and working in the areas of commercial
printing, entrepreneurial investments and real estate. In recognition of his
outstanding business career, he was inducted, along with his grandfather and
father, into the Colorado Business Hall of Fame in 2004.
In 1984, Barry assumed the role of President of A.B. Hirschfeld Press, the
commercial printing business founded in 1907 by his grandfather, A.B. He
served in that role until 2004 when he merged the company with National
Printing. Among his many entrepreneurial endeavors was Colorado Carphone
that he founded in 1984, and later sold the Specialized Mobile Radio (SMR)
portion of the business to Nextel in 1986. Colorado Carphone then evolved
into cellular telephones and was the first Colorado Master Agent for the
wireline carrier US West Cellular. He sold this business in1992.
Since he was in college, Barry has developed commercial, residential and mixed-use real estate, and this is where
his focus is today as President and CEO of A.B. Hirschfeld & Sons. In addition, Barry’s business activities include
serving for 22 years on the Board of Xcel Energy. He has served as Board Chair of the Metro Denver Executive Club
and Mountain States Employers Council where he continues on the Board.
Not only has the Hirschfeld family been leaders in the business sector, but they also have dedicated themselves to
working on behalf of the Denver community. Patriarch of the family, A. B. Hirschfeld, sat on over 50 civic boards
and served 6 years in the Colorado General Assembly and four years in the Colorado Senate. Barry’s father, Edward
Hirschfeld, followed in his father, A.B.’s footsteps and was involved in countless organizations where he assumed
many leadership roles.
Barry’s community involvement started as a child when he accompanied his grandfather in his various volunteer
projects. Among his current volunteer efforts are his ongoing commitment to conventions and tourism, serving on
the Board of VISIT DENVER for over 25 years. His endeavors on behalf of Denver and Colorado Tourism were
recognized by his induction in 2002 to the Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame. Barry also currently serves on the Board
of Trustees of the Denver Area Council of Boy Scouts of America, International Legal Studies Program Advisory
Board at the University of Denver College of Law, National Jewish Health, Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis
Center, the American Transplant Foundation and the Hundred Club of Denver. Some of his past volunteer efforts
are Board Chair of the Denver Art Museum, Vice Chair of the Boettcher Foundation, Board Member of the Allied
Jewish Federation of Colorado, Colorado Business Committee for the Arts, Clyfford Still Museum (founding Board
Member), Cherry Creek Arts Festival (founding Board Member), the Greenway Foundation Steering Committee
and membership in the Colorado Forum. In addition, in 1986 he was appointed by Governor Roy Romer to serve
on the Founding Board of the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), another organization he was
instrumental in creating. Barry enjoys golf, cars, motorcycles, sports, the arts and playing with his grandson.
Brad Holly
Vice President of Operations
Anadarko Petroleum Corporation
Brad Holly was named Vice President of Anadarko’s
Rockies Operations in May 2013. Previously, he served
as Vice President of Southern and Appalachia
Operations beginning July 2012 and also served as
General Manager of the Greater Natural Buttes and
General Manager of Maverick Basin. Earlier in his
career, Brad served as Reserves and Planning Manager
for the Southern and Appalachia region, and was a
reservoir engineer and development supervisor on
Anadarko's Marco Polo and K2 developments in the
deepwater GOM.
Brad has more than 17 years of experience in oil and natural gas exploration and production,
having begun his career with Amoco in 1994. He joined Anadarko in 1997 and has held
positions of increasing responsibility in onshore and offshore engineering and management.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering from Texas Tech University. Currently,
Brad serves on the Industry Advisory Board for the Texas Tech Petroleum Engineering
Department and also is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.
Buck Hutchison
President and CEO
Hutchison Western
Family owned and operated since 1952, Hutchison Incorporated
operates distribution companies in Colorado, Iowa and
Nebraska, and sales and service offices and depots across the
upper Midwest, Southwest, Northwest and Pacific states,
servicing lumber yards, farm stores, cooperatives, and
implement and hardware dealers across rural America. The
company also is engaged in lumber wholesaling, manufacturing
of steel products, and operates a truck line.
Education
1960 - 1964 Florida State University, School of Business
Board Membership (Past and Present)
Colorado Concern
North America Wholesale Lumber Association (NAWLA)
Western Stock Show Association
National Western Livestock Show and Rodeo
J. K. Mullen High School
Denver Botanical Gardens
Colorado Wildlife Heritage Foundation
Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce
First Interstate Bank of Denver (now Wells Fargo Bank)
Round Up Riders of the Rockies
Sewall House Rehabilitation Center
L. Roger Hutson
President and CEO
HRM Resources II, LLC
L. Roger Hutson is the President/CEO of HRM Resources
II LLC, a private firm specializing in the acquisition,
operation and development of producing oil and gas
assets. Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, HRM’s core
area of operations is the Rocky Mountain and Mid
Continent regions with properties currently located in
Colorado, Wyoming and Kansas. This is the third
company Roger has founded. The previous two, HRM
Resources, LLC and Paladin Energy Partners, were
grown and successfully divested in 2011 and 2006
respectively.
Roger is a 1982 graduate of Colorado School of Mines with a B.Sc. in Geological Engineering. In
March of 2004, He was appointed by Gov. Bill Owens to the Colorado School of Mines Board of
Trustees and was re-appointed in January 2009 by Gov. Bill Ritter. During his dual terms of
service, he served as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees as well as the Chairman of the
Finance and Audit Committee. Roger is also the past President of the Board of Directors of the
Colorado Oil and Gas Association, and currently serves as an active member of the board. In
2011, Gov. John Hickenlooper appointed him to the Colorado Limited Gaming Commission
which oversees Colorado’s casino operations, and he presently acts as the Chairman of the
Commission.
Always interested in finding ways to give back to his community, Roger was honored to serve as
a mentor for the Denver Petroleum Club in 2013, guiding a group of young industry
professionals to raise over $70,000 for the Wounded Warriors Project, the largest amount of
charity raised to date through the mentor program. He also makes it a point to remain involved
in numerous philanthropic activities, giving both time and financial support to such worthy
organizations as The Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Children’s Hospital and the
Newman Center for the Performing Arts.
Bill Hybl
Vice Chairman
The Broadmoor Hotel
Bill Hybl is Chairman and CEO of El Pomar Foundation. He is
President Emeritus of the United States Olympic Committee
having served during four Olympic Games when he led the
United States Olympic Team Delegations at the 1992 Olympic
Winter Games in Albertville, France, and the 1992 Olympic
Games in Barcelona, Spain. In 1998, he again led the U.S.
Team at the Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, and, in
2000, at the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. In March
2003, he was elected Chairman of IFES and 2008 became Vice
Chairman. He serves as Vice Chairman of the board for The
Fund for American Studies. Bill also serves as Chairman and
CEO of the U.S. Olympic Endowment and as Chairman of the
Air Force Academy Foundation and The Hundred Club of
Colorado Springs.
He was Special Counsel to President Reagan in Washington DC in 1981. He also served as Vice
Chairman of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy from 1990-1997, and Chairman
from 2008 to present having been appointed by Presidents’ George W. Bush and Barak Obama
and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. In 2001, Bill was appointed U.S. Representative to the 56th
General Assembly of the United Nations. He was appointed in 2013 and confirmed by the
Colorado Senate in 2014 as a board member of the Colorado State Fair Board of Authority.
Bill currently serves as Vice Chair of The Broadmoor Hotel and Chair of Garden City Company,
Garden City KS. He serves on the Board of FirstBank Holding Company, Lakewood CO. He is a
1964 graduate of The Colorado College with a B.A., and the University of Colorado School of
Law in Boulder with a J.D. in 1967.
Bill and his wife, Kathy, live in Colorado Springs and have two sons and six grandchildren.
John Ikard
President and CEO
FirstBank Holding Company
John Ikard started with FirstBank in 1981 and was elected
President and CEO of FirstBank Holding Company in 1999.
FirstBank is the second largest bank in the State of Colorado with
over $13 billion in assets, 2,200 employees, and locations in
Colorado, California, and Arizona. John is an active community
leader, serving as Chair-Elect of the American Bankers Association
and Chairman of the Denver Area Boys Scouts Council. He also
serves on the boards of the Children’s Hospital Colorado
Foundation and previously on the boards of The Denver
Foundation and Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.
About FirstBank
FirstBank began its journey in Lakewood, Colorado, in 1963, with a commitment to superior
customer service, convenience and loyalty to its employees. FirstBank has grown through
consumer and commercial lending, superior banking services and a remarkable standard for
community investment.
FirstBank is now Colorado’s second largest depository institution and Colorado’s largest locally
owned bank. FirstBank expanded into California in 1985 and Arizona in 2007 and plan to add
even more locations. After 50 years, its commitment to providing a high level of service for its
customers and in the community has not changed.
Michael Imhoff
Managing Director
Stifel Nicolaus & Co.
Michael Imhoff is a Managing Director of Fixed Income
Capital Markets for Stifel, Nicolaus. He serves on the Board
of Directors, Commitment and Credit Committees. Mike
joined the firm, as part of the merger with Hanifen, Imhoff in
January of 2000. He joined Hanifen, Imhoff as an Institutional
Salesman in October of 1987 and served as a Director,
Treasurer and Head of Trading for that firm. He is a graduate
of the University of Colorado with a BS in Finance and
International Finance.
Mike currently serves on the FINRA Fixed Income Committee
and the Municipal Executive Committee and the Regional
Advisory Committee of SIFMA. He served on the Municipal
Securities Rulemaking Board From 2006-2009. He currently
serves on the University of Colorado Foundation Board, Boy
Scouts of America Denver Area Council and Colorado Concern. He served on the Colorado
Venture Capital Authority, Colorado Infrastructure Finance Taskforce, on the Board of the
Metro Denver Sports Commission, the University of Colorado Alumni Association Board, the
University of Colorado Business School Advisory Board and the Children's Hospital Corporate
Committee.
Walter Isenberg
President and CEO
Sage Hospitality
Walter Isenberg is co-founder of Sage Hospitality and serves
as the company’s President and Chief Executive Officer.
Based in Denver, Colorado, Sage specializes in the
operations, development and capital transactions of
hospitality real estate. Sage owns and operates 60 hotels
and 10 independent restaurants in 22 states, ranging from
large, urban, full-service properties to smaller, select-service
suburban properties. Walter directs all company operations,
including hotel development, asset management, and
property management.
Walter and his partner, Zack Neumeyer, were founders of Sage Hospitality, in 1984. The
company’s history of hotel management includes the turnaround of dozens of distressed
properties, asset management of luxury hotels, program development as a developer and
manager, and the restoration of historically significant buildings located in large urban centers
that were converted to hotel use. Sage has been consistently recognized for its ability to “give
back” to the communities it represents. As an illustration, Sage was the first recipient of
Marriott International’s Spirit to Serve Award, given annually to a franchise partner that lives its
vision to be an outstanding corporate citizen. Sage has also been recognized for its commitment
to customer service, receiving excellence in Service awards at many of its hotels. Sage’s
development group has won numerous awards for excellence in the development of hotels and
is nationally recognized as a leader in historic preservation.
Walter is a member of the American Hotel Lodging Association Government Affairs committee
as well as Marriott International and Starwood Owner Advisory Boards. Active in the
community, Walter currently serves on the boards of Visit Denver, The Downtown Denver
Partnership, The Children’s Hospital Foundation and Colorado Concern.
Walter is a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration. Walter lives in
Colorado with his wife Christie and their daughters Nicole and Tirunesh.
Douglas Jackson, PhD, J.D.
President and CEO
Project C.U.R.E.
Dr. Douglas Jackson joined PROJECT C.U.R.E. in 1997 as
President/CEO. Currently, PROJECT C.U.R.E. is the world’s
largest distributor of donated medical supplies and
equipment to poor people living in third world countries,
delivering medical relief to more than 130 countries. On
average, Project C.U.R.E. distributes approximately 3 fortyfoot cargo containers each week.
Dr. Jackson holds a Juris Doctorate and a PhD in Business
Administration/Finance from the University of Colorado. He administered the legal affairs of
CTB International, a Berkshire Hathaway firm in Indiana. Douglas served as the Director of the
Fermanian Business Center at Point Loma University in San Diego, California and the Provost at
Colorado Christian University.
Dr. Jackson is a member of the Alpha Delta Sigma and Beta Gamma Sigma National Academic
Honor Societies. He is a Paul Harris Fellow and the Past President of The Rotary Club of Denver.
He has received numerous awards including the Red Cross Lifetime Achievement Award in
Healthcare, the Colorado Ethics in Business Award and the Regis University Civis Princeps
recognition.
Rich Jennings
Senior Vice President, Mile High Region
Comcast
Rich began his career in Telecommunications as an Assistant General
Manager with Time Warner Cable in 1993 after leaving the retail
industry. He served as an Operations Manager and General Manager
for small cable systems in the Los Angeles market, and in 1996,
accepted the role of Area General Manager for several acquisition
properties in southeastern Wisconsin. In May of 2000, he was named
Vice President of Operations for Time Warner’s division operations in
southeastern Wisconsin.
In 2005, Rich joined Comcast as the Area Vice President in Denver
Colorado. In 2009 he was named as the Regional Vice President of
Fulfillment for the Freedom Region, Comcast’s largest most competitive
market serving 2.5 million video subscribers across southern
Pennsylvania, northern Delaware and New Jersey. Rich’s team of over
3,500 employees represent seven operating areas across the three
states. He was responsible for the region’s field operations and delivering on Comcast’s commitment to its
customers every day. In 2011, Rich returned to Denver to serve as Regional Vice President of Comcast's Mile
High Region. In this position Rich oversees all operations for Colorado and New Mexico.
With a strong belief in balancing work, family, and community, Rich has a robust history of community
service. He has served on the board of directors for the Young Americans Bank and Center for Financial
Education, the world’s only state-chartered, FDIC-Insured bank, exclusively for young people (under the age
of 22) reaching more than 52,000 young people in 50 states and a dozen foreign countries. Rich has also
served on the boards of the Urban League, The Downtown Denver Partnership, Boys and Girls Clubs of
America, Junior Achievement, Kiwanis, the Mary Lou Mahone Foundation, and the Wisconsin Cable and
Communications Association (WCCA). He is associated with the National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in
Communications (NAMIC), National Cable and Television Association (NCTA), Cable Television Advertising and
Marketing (CTAM), Women In Cable and Telecommunications (WICT), and the Walter Kaitz Foundation.
Rich was named in the “Top 40 under 40” executives in the Telecommunications Industry by MultiChannel
News in 2006. He was recognized as an influential leader by Cable World Magazine and was a NAMIC
Luminary Award recipient. Rich is a Chicago native and a graduate of the University of Notre Dame where he
received his business degree with a concentration in Marketing. He has completed executive education
programs designed specifically for telecommunications executives through the University of Denver and
Harvard Business School. Rich and his wife Lesley have three daughters.
Jim Johnson
President and CEO
GE Johnson Construction Company
On January 1, 1997, Jim assumed the role of President and CEO
of GE Johnson Construction Company, a commercial general
contractor with annual sales volumes in excess of $400 million
headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Before
becoming President, Jim served as Vice President in which
primary responsibilities included business development and the
formation of the Special Projects Division. Jim was born in
Wichita, Kansas, however, grew up in Colorado Springs. He
graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Construction Science in
1984 from Kansas State University.
Jim is a current board member of the YMCA of the Pikes Peak
Region Foundation Board; Wells Fargo Bank-Colorado Springs Community Board of Directors;
Kansas State University Foundation Board of Trustees; Kansas State University College of
Engineering Advisory Council; Kansas State University Alumni Association Board of Trustees;
Member Young Presidents Organization.
Jim is past board member of the Downtown Partnership Board of Directors; Associated General
Contractors-Colorado board member; Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center; El Pomar Community
Health; Goodwill Industries of Colorado Springs; Penrose Hospital Foundation Board; Past Chair
of the Penrose Foundation Capital Campaign; past member of the Workers Compensation
Coalition; past member of the Greater Colorado Springs Economic Development Corporation;
Citizen’s Goals Board Member; and a past member of the Southeast Denver Douglas County
Economic Development Council. Jim served as President of Citizen's Goals in 1994 and was a
member of the El Pomar Community Health Center Board of Trustees, serving as President in
1992-1993.
Jim married his wife Laura in 2000 and they have four grown children. Jim and Laura enjoy
living in Colorado Springs and also enjoy spending time in their recently completely home
outside of Westcliffe, Colorado and spending times outdoors with the kids, horses, and dogs.
Dr. Paul Johnson
President
Colorado School of Mines
Dr. Paul Johnson is the 17th President of Colorado School of Mines.
Mines is world-renowned for producing highly sought-after scientists
and engineers, innovations, and objective analyses, especially in
fields relevant to earth, energy, and the environment. Mines enrolls
more than 5,900 students and conducts $65 million of research
annually for industry and governmental agencies.
Dr. Johnson’s career reflects his strong passion for innovation,
education, and student success. He began his career at Shell
Development in Houston, TX, developing novel approaches for
managing and treating contaminated soil and groundwater sites. He
then joined the faculty at Arizona State University to continue this
work and share his experiences with students.
While at ASU, he gradually took on senior leadership positions,
including Associate Vice President for Research and Dean of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. As
Dean, he focused on creating a signature student experience, expanded the suite of experiential
learning opportunities, and increased peer-to-peer interactions, all of which led to improved retention,
persistence, and graduation rates. Throughout this time he continued teaching at least one class per
semester, mentored graduate students, led research projects, served as consultant to industry and
governments, and was editor for the National Ground Water Association’s journal Ground Water
Monitoring and Remediation. He was attracted to the presidency at the Colorado School of Mines
because of its focused mission, long history of industry research partnerships, reputation for producing
outstanding graduates, and strong alumni affinity.
A chemical engineer by training, Dr. Johnson earned a BS from the University of California- Davis and
masters and doctoral degrees from Princeton University. He has been recognized for excellence in
teaching and innovation through numerous awards, including the Fair Distinguished Engineering
Educator Award from the Water Environment Federation, the Brown and Caldwell Lifetime Achievement
Award in Remediation, and the National Ground Water Association’s Keith E. Anderson Award. His most
valued recognitions are those received for excellence in education.
Dr. Johnson and his wife Elyse reside in Golden and have two adult children living in Arizona and
California.
Steve Jordan, PhD
President
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Stephen M. Jordan became president of Metropolitan State
University of Denver on July 1, 2005. Steve had been president of
Eastern Washington University since 1998. He holds a doctorate and
a master’s degree in public affairs from CU-Denver and a Bachelor’s
degree from the University of Northern Colorado.
With an impressive career of three decades in higher-education
administration—the last 14 at the presidential level—Steve was
named one of the nation’s most innovative and entrepreneurial
higher-education leaders in the book The Entrepreneurial College
President, by James L. Fisher and James V. Koch. The authors
describe Steve and 16 others as leaders who “appreciate, but are
not anchored by, the past and who readily question the status quo, generate innovative ideas,
and find ways to prevent organizational structure from discouraging change.”
Steve serves on the board of the Downtown Denver Partnership and was appointed by former
Gov. Bill Owens to the Colorado Education Alignment Council, which is working to align high
school and college preparation with workforce needs. Recently, the National Collegiate Athletic
Association appointed Steve to a four-year term on its Division II Presidents Council and in
November 2007, he was elected president of the council. Steve and his wife Ruthie live in
downtown Denver. They have two sons, a daughter and six grandchildren.
Phil Kalin
President and CEO
Pinnacol Assurance
Phil Kalin joined Pinnacol Assurance in 2013 with 35 years of experience
successfully leading complex, high-performing organizations spanning
health care, health policy, health care information technology and
education. He’s a forward-looking executive with a track record of
innovation, quality enhancement and cost containment.
Prior to joining Pinnacol, Phil served as president and CEO of the Center for
Improving Value in Health Care (CIVHC), a nonprofit, nonpartisan
organization created to improve Colorado’s health care quality and contain
costs. Under Phil’s stewardship, CIVHC became nationally recognized as a
leader in health care innovation, including recognition for the development
of Colorado’s All Payer Claims Database to assess the cost, utilization and
quality of health care statewide.
Phil began his career as a hospital system executive with the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit. He then
served as executive vice president and chief operating officer with Mt. Sinai Health Care System in Cleveland
before moving to Colorado to serve as president and CEO of Denver’s Rose Health Care System. At Rose, Phil
implemented system wide initiatives focused on quality improvement, patient satisfaction and clinical
outcomes.
He then served as chairman and CEO of CustomMed Solutions, a software and technology company offering
solutions to reduce costs in the insurance and managed-care industries. Following CustomMed’s sale in 2000,
Phil turned his skills in strategic planning, finance and organizational development to the Denver Jewish Day
School where, as president and CEO, he reversed years of enrollment decline and obtained regional and
national recognition for the school’s achievements.
Phil has served on numerous boards, and most recently served on the board and executive committee of the
Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement, the national advisory board of the Health Data Consortium
and as co-chair of the Denver Metro Chamber’s health committee. He’s been recognized in the Denver
Business Journal’s “Who’s Who in Denver Health Care” and as one of two “Colorado's Big Thinkers of 2012:
Health” by The Denver Post.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in science from the University of Iowa, as well as a master’s degree in health
care administration from the University of Michigan. Phil lives in Denver and is an avid road and mountain
cyclist; he also enjoys travel and reading. His family includes two siblings, his partner Dr. Lynn Rosdal, a
daughter and her husband, a grandson, and a stepson and his wife.
Carolyn Kling
Partner
Johnson Financial Group
Carolyn E. Kling is a Partner at Johnson Financial Group. She is
an Accredited Investment Fiduciary and an Accredited
Investment Fiduciary Analyst. In her role she utilizes her
specialized knowledge and training to assess and implement
policies and procedures that are aligned with Global Fiduciary
Standards. A graduate of the Leadership Center for Investment
Stewards at West Point, Carolyn is a member of the Global
Leadership Council for qualified professionals that serve in
critical decision-making roles.
Prior to joining Johnson Financial Group, Carolyn's background
includes experience in executive positions with specialized
institutional consulting investment firms to financial
institutions, family enterprises, family offices and family
foundations. Her career began in the field of law where she served as a Judicial District Court
Clerk in the 4th Judicial District in Colorado Springs.
Carolyn is a founding member of the Del Mar Community Foundation Endowment. She is an
active member of the North County Estate Planning Council, 100 Women in Hedge Funds,
California Hedge Fund Association and Association for Corporate Growth. Carolyn is a member
of Family Office Advisory Board for Sheppard Mullin, Richter & Hampton, NYU Stern Family
Office Council, and Princeton Council on Family Offices. In 2013 and 2014, she was nominated
as one of the Most Influential Women in Business in San Diego by the San Diego Daily Transcript
and San Diego Business Journal.
Carolyn was born and raised in Colorado. Throughout her career she has traveled extensively
throughout the country and is pleased to be settled in Denver.
Dr. Rick Kushner
President and CEO
Comfort Dental
Dr. Rick Kushner is the founder, president and CEO
of Comfort Dental Group, Inc. and its sister company
Comfort Dental Braces. Dr. Kushner was born in
Denver, CO in 1952, attended Wheat Ridge High
School, and later the University of Colorado. He
attended dental school at the University of
Marquette School of Dentistry before returning
home to start his Dental career in 1977.
In 1981, Dr. Kushner formed Table Mountain
Seminars and began giving lectures to dentists across the country about operating “lean and
mean” dental practices. When he was not lecturing, Dr. Kushner was opening, operating, and
selling dental practices. This led to the formation of Comfort Dental Group in 1993.
Comfort Dental practices are founded on the premise that a well-managed dental office can
provide high-quality dentistry at inexpensive fees while providing the dentists with above
average incomes. The key, Dr. Kushner found, was controlling overhead through economies of
scale, extended and weekend hours, and group practices. He also formed Budget Dental Lab, a
dental lab that presently employs over seventy-five technicians and is a key to the
organization’s success.
Comfort Dental presently has over 110 dentist-owned practices in thirteen states. These offices
and dentists are committed to their community and even provide free dental care on Christmas
Eve on a first-come, first-served basis. Under the leadership of Dr. Kushner, Comfort Dental
supports Dental Education; Assistance with Drug and Substance Abuse within the Profession;
Youth Athletics; Special Olympics and numerous other causes.
Chetter Latcham
President
Shea Homes Colorado
Chester T. “Chetter” Latcham is President of the Colorado
Division of Shea Homes. In this capacity, he oversees the
build-out of the master-planned communities of Highlands
Ranch (22,000-acres), Reunion (3,000 acres in Commerce
City), and Stepping Stone (300 acres in unincorporated
Douglas County), as well as other new home communities
throughout the greater Denver metropolitan area. Before
becoming President in 2002, Chetter was VP of Shea
Properties for four years supervising all commercial
development for the Division. Under his tenure, Shea
Homes Colorado has built over 4,700 homes and 1.5 million
square feet of commercial projects; and has acquired 3,400
acres of land and over 1 million square feet of commercial
property.
Chetter is a third generation Colorado native, a CU graduate, and serves on the boards of Hope
Communities, Mountain States Employers Council, and the Downing House. Chetter also
maintains active memberships in the Urban Land Institute and Colorado Concern.
Bill Lindsay
President, Lockton Benefit Group-Mountain West
Lockton Companies
Bill has an extensive background within the fields of health care and
insurance. This has placed him within the sphere of the national health
care policy and financing debate. The scope and depth of his experience is
reflected in the various roles in which he has been asked to serve.
A student of health care finance, Bill has been a consultant to numerous
health systems, hospitals and national employers.
Highlights of his contributions include the following:
 Member of Colorado’s Commission on Affordable Health Care,
beginning August 2014
 Chair, Colorado’s Blue Ribbon Commission for Health Care Reform
in 2007
 Current Chairman and Board member for Craig Hospital
 Current Board member for Children’s Hospital Colorado
 Current Board member of the Rose Community Foundation
 Current member of The Colorado Forum
 Current member of Advisory Board of the Colorado School of Public Health
 Former Board member and former Chair (2010-2011) of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce
 Inaugural Board Chair of the Colorado Children’s Basic Health Plan Policy Board
 Past Chair of the oldest small business coalition in the United States, the National Small Business
Association
 Past Grant Review and Award panel member for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
 Past member of the National Advisory Council of the Academy for Health Services Research and
Health Policy
Bill has published and coauthored numerous articles and white papers on insurance, employee benefits,
health care, and health care reform. He frequently serves as a speaker and panelist for the Mountain States
Employers Council, national insurance companies, and national industry associations. He is often invited to
give testimony before the United States Congress. Bill addressed the Senate Finance Committee regarding
state healthcare reform at its “Prepare for Launch Health Reform Summit” on June 16, 2008.
In recognition of his contributions, in 2008, Bill received the National Governors Association Award for
Distinguished Service to State Government, and the John K. Inglehart Award for Leadership in Healthcare by
the Colorado Health Foundation. Bill was awarded the Colorado Business Magazine’s “Ethics in Business”
award and the Colorado Trust’s “Community Service” award.
Michael Long
Chairman, President & CEO
Arrow Electronics
Michael J. Long is Chairman, President and Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) of Arrow Electronics, Inc. Prior to his current role,
he served as President and Chief Operating Officer (COO), with
responsibility for all of the company’s operations and business
units. Earlier in his career, as Senior Vice President and
President of Global Components, he was responsible for
overseeing semiconductor, passive, electromechanical and
connector products and services businesses worldwide.
Michael has been with Arrow since 1991 when the company
merged with Schweber Electronics, an organization where he
held various leadership roles from 1983 to 1990. As a result of
his success in running and growing this business, Michael was named one of Computer Reseller
News' “Top 25 Executives” in 2002 and 2004.
Michael holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin
and attended the Milwaukee School of Engineering. He is active in the Young Presidents’
Organization, a global peer networking group. He serves on the Board of Directors of
AmerisourceBergen. He is also on the Board of Directors for the Denver Zoo.
Cheryl D. Lovell, PhD
President and CEO
Rocky Vista University
Cheryl Lovell is president of Rocky Vista University in Parker,
Colorado. Its College of Osteopathic Medicine is a leader in
global, rural/wilderness, and military medicine.
Previously, she served as Chief Academic Officer for the State of
Colorado in its Department of Higher Education. She was
responsible for its academic and student affairs,
research/information/ data policy analyses, and student access
division. She also was professor of higher education and
Associate Academic Affairs Dean with the University of Denver’s
Morgridge College of Education.
Cheryl has edited the ASHE Reader on Public Policy and Higher Education (2010), and published
book chapters on “Federal Public Policy Issues and Community Colleges” in Community Colleges
for the Future and “Community Colleges in a Global Society: Is There One Best Model?” in
Globalization: Education Research, Change, and Reform.
Cheryl was also Vice President of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators’
IV-West region. She helped create NASPA’s Public Policy Division. As its chair, she served on
NASPA’s Board of Directors for four years. Prior to the University of Denver, Cheryl staffed with
the State Higher Education Executive Officers, the National Center for Higher Education
Management Systems, and the Florida Board of Regents. Her PhD is from Florida State
University.
Donna Lynne
President
Kaiser Permanente
Donna Lynne, DrPH, is the executive vice president of Kaiser Foundation Hospitals
and Health Plan, Inc. and a group president for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan,
Inc. and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and is responsible for its Pacific Northwest
and Georgia regions. In addition, she is the president of Kaiser Foundation Health
Plan of Colorado. There are more than 625,000 Kaiser Permanente members in
Colorado and 710,000 in the other two regions she oversees, with a combined
total revenue base of more than $7 billion. Kaiser Permanente Colorado owns
and operates more than 26 full-service medical offices in Denver, Boulder,
Southern Colorado and Northern Colorado and is the state’s largest group
medical practice organization. Kaiser Permanente Colorado has been a Medicare
5-Star Health Plan since implementation of the 5-Star Program four years ago,
and it has achieved market-leading rankings by the National Committee for
Quality Assurance and J.D. Power and Associates.
From 1998 to April 2005, Dr. Lynne was the executive vice president and chief
operating officer for Group Health Inc., a $2.5 billion managed care organization. In the mid-1990s, she was the
executive director of the New York Business Group on Health. Dr. Lynne spent 20 years in various positions in New
York City government, including first deputy commissioner, Office of Labor Relations; director, Mayor’s Office of
Operations; and senior vice president, New York City Health and Hospitals Corp.
Dr. Lynne was an International Executive Fellow with the International Federation of Health Plans. She was
awarded the Denver Business Journal’s 2008 Outstanding Women in Business award. Dr. Lynne received the 2009
Distinguished Coloradan Award from the University of Colorado Denver School of Pharmacy. She also received the
President’s Award from Women in Health Management and the Health Care Leadership Award from the New York
Business Group on Health.
Dr. Lynne serves on the boards of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, Colorado Legacy Foundation,
Colorado Mountain Club, University of Denver, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Denver Public Schools
Foundation, Teach for America-Colorado and U.S. Bank Colorado Advisory Board. Dr. Lynne is a member of
Colorado Concern and Colorado Forum. She currently co-chairs the Denver Education Compact Executive Advisory
Board for Mayor Michael B. Hancock. Additionally, in 2010 she was one of 16 statewide transition co-chairs and
the Personnel and Administration Committee co-chair for Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper.
Dr. Lynne has a Bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from the University of New Hampshire, a
master’s degree in public administration from George Washington University, and a doctorate in public health
from Columbia University. She also holds the designation of Certified Employee Benefits Specialist from the
International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans/University of Pennsylvania Wharton School. Since 2005, Dr.
Lynne has been an Adjunct Associate Professor of Public Health at Columbia University. Dr. Lynne enjoys skiing,
mountaineering, cycling, and reading. She resides in Denver, Colorado and has three children, Rachel, James, and
Ben.
Greg Maffei
President and CEO
Liberty Media Corporation
Greg Maffei leads the team transforming this diversified company
with interests in media, technology, and telecom into a more
focused operating company to maximize shareholder value and
compete in the digital age. Liberty's assets include some of the
world's most respected media companies including QVC, Starz,
SIRIUS XM, Expedia, Live Nation, Barnes and Noble and the Atlanta
Braves. Greg became CEO of Liberty in February 2006; since that
time Liberty's stock has significantly outperformed the major stock
indices and media comparables.
Previously, Greg has served as president and CFO of Oracle, CEO of
360networks Corporation (a regional broadband carrier), CFO of
Microsoft, and chairman of Expedia. He has an MBA from Harvard
Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar, and an AB from Dartmouth College. Greg serves
as a director of Barnes and Noble, Electronic Arts, Liberty Interactive, Liberty Media, Live Nation
Entertainment, Lockerz, SIRIUS XM and zillow.com.
Michael L. Matthews
Area President
Wells Fargo – Colorado
Mike Matthews is Wells Fargo’s Area Business Banking Manager for
the State of Colorado. He manages a team of approximately 250
financial services professionals who work with local businesses and
business executives to meet their financial needs.
Mike has more than 35 years of financial services experience and is a
26-year Wells Fargo veteran. Prior to being named to his current
position, he was market president Business Banking in Metro
Denver, and Regional President for Northern Colorado. Before that
he was Community Banking President and Area Manager for Wells
Fargo’s Suburban Business Banking team in Denver Metro,
Community Banking President for Pueblo and Gunnison, and Senior
Vice President and Manager for Business Banking in Colorado Springs.
Throughout his career, Mike has been an active community leader. He served on the State of
Colorado Economic Development Commission for eight years. Mike currently serves on the
boards of the Denver Metro Chamber & Metro Denver Economic Development Council.
Nancy McCallin, PhD
President
Colorado Community College System
Dr. Nancy J. McCallin is the President of the Colorado Community
College System (CCCS). As CCCS President, Dr. McCallin leads the
state’s largest system of higher education, which serves more than
159,000 students annually. The Colorado Community College
System has career and academic programs in the 13 state
community colleges and career and technical programs in more
than 160 school districts and seven other post-secondary
institutions.
Before coming to CCCS, Dr. McCallin served for six years as the
executive director of the Governor’s Office of State Planning and
Budgeting, a cabinet level position. As state budget director, she
was responsible for budget policy and resource allocation for the
state’s $13 billion budget.
For a decade prior to her role as Colorado’s budget director, Dr. McCallin was chief economist for the
Legislative Council of the Colorado General Assembly. From 1981 to 1989, she was an economist with
United Banks of Colorado, Inc. (now Wells Fargo) where she was responsible for analyzing and
forecasting national, state, and mountain region economies.
Currently, Dr. McCallin serves on the board of the American Council on Education, the Community
Advisory Board of Wells Fargo Bank of Colorado, and the Colorado Equity in Excellence Advisory Board.
She is a member of The College Board’s Community College Advisory Council, the Coloradans for
Responsible Energy Development Advisory Council, the Colorado State Governor’s Education Leadership
Council, the Colorado Workforce Development Council, the Denver World Affairs Council, the Denver
Metro Chamber of Commerce, Colorado Concern, and the Women’s Forum.
Previously, Dr. McCallin served as commissioner on the Supreme Court Nominating Commission, chair
and board member of the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority, board member of the National
Association of State Budget Officers, board member of the National Association of Business Economists,
board member of the Institute of International Education, president of the Denver Association of
Business Economists, and commissioner on the Information Management Commission of the State of
Colorado. Dr. McCallin earned a Bachelor of Arts from Claremont McKenna College, and a Master of Arts
and a Doctor of Philosophy in Economics from the University of Colorado-Boulder.
Mike McInnes
Executive Vice President and General Manager
Tri-State Generation and Transmission Associatio
Mike McInnes was named Interim Executive Vice
President/General Manager in March 2014. Prior to that he
served as Senior Vice President/Production. In his role he
leads a $4.3 billion wholesale electric power supplier’s
executive management team in its strategic and
operational initiatives while reporting to the association’s
44-member board of directors.
From 2000 to 2014, Mike was responsible for the day-today oversight and operation of Tri-State’s power
production resources, including 2,800 megawatts of coal
and natural gas generation, owned and operated coal
mines, and land and water resources throughout a five-state area. Immediately prior to joining
Tri-State in 2000, Mike was Executive Vice President and General Manager of Plains Electric
Generation and Transmission Cooperative in Albuquerque, N.M. He has extensive experience
in the electric utility industry, including plant manager, director of generation and executive
manager of generation operations.
Mike has served as a board member of the Western Systems Electricity Council, Western Fuels,
Inc., Western Power Producers, Rocky Mountain Electrical League (RMEL), RMEL Foundation,
Four Corners Regional Welfare Council and as an alternate board member of the Colorado River
Energy Distributors Association.
Karen McNeil Miller
President/CEO
The Colorado Health Foundation
Karen McNeil Miller is President and CEO of the Colorado Health
Foundation. In this role, she oversees the Foundation’s strategic
direction and overall mission to improve the health and health care
of Coloradans by increasing access to quality health care and
encouraging healthy lifestyle choices. With $2.3 billion in assets,
the Foundation engages in communities across Colorado through
grantmaking, public policy and advocacy, private sector
engagement, strategic communications, evaluation for learning
and assessment and by operating primary care residency training
programs.
Karen joined the Foundation in September 2015 after serving for
more than 10 years as the President of the Kate B. Reynolds
Charitable Trust, one of North Carolina’s largest private foundations. Under her leadership, the
Trust evolved into a strategic, impact-driven foundation with a national presence on issues ranging
from rural health to access to care. Karen spearheaded Healthy Places NC – a decade-long, $100
million initiative to improve the health of 10 to 12 of North Carolina’s low-income, rural
communities – and the $30 million Great Expectations initiative to invest in financially
disadvantaged children to ensure they are successful in life and school.
Prior to joining the Trust, Karen spent 16 years with the Center for Creative Leadership, an
international leadership development and research, nonprofit organization headquartered in
Greensboro, N.C. During her tenure, Karen developed expertise in individual and organizational
leadership development, succession planning, team building, diversity, executive coaching, leading
change and transitions, and strategic thinking. She trained executives from the world’s major
companies in twenty-four countries. A former special education teacher and Head of the Piedmont
School in North Carolina, Karen is active within the nonprofit community and national and regional
philanthropic and rural health organizations.
She received her bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of North Carolina at
Greensboro and her doctorate from Vanderbilt University.
David McReynolds
President
Columbine Health Plan
David McReynolds is the founder and President of
Columbine Health Plan. He is a Colorado native.
David began his career in the auto glass industry. He later
worked in professional sports as the Vice President of Sales
and Marketing for the San Jose Diablos of the International
Volleyball Association. He was the host of the radio talk
show “Sportsprobe”. He has owned and operated
companies in the advertising, food service and health care
industries.
Columbine Health Plan, founded in 1993, is a specialty
health plan that provides chiropractic, acupuncture and
massage therapy services to over 500,000 Colorado members.
David is the Chairman of the Board of the Denver Health Foundation. He currently serves on
the boards of the American Transplant Foundation, Denver Police Activities League and
National Association of Specialty Health Organizations. His past board memberships include
the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, Denver Press Club,
Denver Metro Chamber Foundation and the Metro Denver Sports Commission.
David was recognized with the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce’s M. Doak Jacoway
Volunteer of the Year Award in 2003. Governor Bill Owens proclaimed June 16, 2005 as “David
McReynolds Day” in Colorado for his work in passing landmark legislation and making a
difference in the lives of young people in the state.
He has two adult daughters, Krista and Shannon.
Troy McWhinney
Chief Investment Officer and Co-Founder
McWhinney
Troy McWhinney is Chief Investment Officer and Co-Founder of
McWhinney, a company he envisioned with his brother Chad in
1990. In his role he leads the development, strategy and
implementation plans for the business, as well as developing new
capital opportunities and investor relations.
Troy played a key role in the creation and development of
several master-planned communities throughout the Rocky
Mountain Region and West Coast, which consist of over 6,000
acres of land and more than 4.5 million square feet of office,
industrial, medical, retail and residential properties. The total
value of the projects is in excess of $1 billion.
Terry Minger
President
Gregory Canyon, LLC
Terry Minger is the former President and CEO of The Piton Foundation in
Denver, Colorado. He also served as the President of the Gary-Williams
Foundation. Prior to his appointment as Piton’s CEO, he served as
Chairman of the Piton Foundation Board. Terry’s role was to build a
strategic link between the business and its community-investment
objectives – creating successful outcomes for Colorado’s struggling
children and families. Prior to his work at Piton, Terry served as the
President and CEO of the Center for Resource Management (CRM). The
CRM is a Colorado-Utah based nonprofit that, since its founding in 1981
by Robert Redford, has been dedicated to environmental problem
solving and bringing together parties with divergent, often conflicting
interests to find common ground and to reach sustainable solutions.
Terry’s interests and career span the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. Terry served as Chairmen
of Three Sisters Mountain Village in Canmore, Alberta, Canada; as President and CEO of Sundance
Enterprises; as President and CEO of Whistler Blackcomb Resort in British Columbia, Canada; Deputy
Chief of Staff to Colorado Governor Richard Lamm; City Manager of Vail, Colorado; and Assistant City
Manager of Boulder, Colorado. He has served on many nonprofit, corporate, and environmental boards.
Terry is currently a member of Colorado Concern and serves on the board of directors of: Vail
Leadership Institute, Rocky Mountain Public Broadcasting, National Civic League, Denver Education
Compact, Stapleton Foundation, El Sistema Colorado, and is on the advisory council of HawkWatch
International. Terry is an author and a frequent writer and speaker on children and families, education,
green business, sustainable communities, health and wellness, and global environmental and resource
management issues.
Terry received a BA in History and Economics from Baker University, an MPA from the University of
Kansas, and an MBA from the University of Colorado. He was an Urban Executive Fellow, Sloan School of
Management at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Loeb Fellow in Advanced Environmental
Studies at Harvard University, and a graduate of the Executive Management Program at Stanford
University. Terry received the 1999 Jane Silverstein Ries Foundation Award for his lifelong
environmental contributions to the Rocky Mountain West. He also received one of the first Solstice
Sacred Mountain, Sacred Earth Gold Medals in 2005 for his lifetime of service to the environment.
Larry A.Mizel
Chairman and CEO
M.D.C. Holdings
Larry A. Mizel graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in business
administration from the University of Oklahoma in 1964, and with a
JD from the University of Denver - College of Law in 1967.
In 1972, Larry founded M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. (MDC), one of the
nation’s top homebuilders and a New York Stock Exchange-listed
company. He serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MDC,
parent-corporation of Richmond American Homes. Under his tenure,
MDC realized revenues of nearly $5 billion in 2005 and over the past
decade, has consistently maintained one of the strongest financial
positions in the industry. MDC has the distinction of being one of the
few homebuilding-based companies to receive an investment-grade
rating from all three rating agencies.
Larry was a founder, and until 1996, Chairman of the Board of Asset Investors Corporation (AIC), a New
York Stock Exchange-listed real estate investment trust, and of Commercial Assets Inc. (CAX), a real
estate investment trust that traded on the American Stock Exchange. In addition, he was Chairman of
the Board of Directors of Omnibank, a multibank holding company, until its sale to KeyCorp in 1995.
Larry has been actively involved in many charitable, religious and community causes, to include: The
Council on Foreign Relations, the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Museum of Tolerance, the American
Israel Public Affairs Committee, Colorado Concern, the Mizel Museum, the Counterterrorism Education
Learning Lab (The CELL), the Mizel Arts and Culture Center (The MACC), the Denver Rustlers, National
Jewish Health, the Allied Jewish Federation, the National Homeland Defense Foundation, the El Pomar
Foundation, the Milken Institute and the Colorado State Patrol.
Larry Mizel and his wife Carol reside in Denver and have two grown children and six grandchildren.
Patrick Mooney
General Manager
Intermountain Rural Electric Association
Patrick Mooney has served as General Manager of Intermountain
Rural Electric Association since May of 2011. He joined the
Association in January 2010 as Deputy General Manager and
General Counsel. Prior to joining IREA, Patrick practiced law for 30
years, most recently with the law firm of Semple, Mooney and
Farrington, P.C. Beginning in 1989, Patrick represented IREA in
labor relations and employment matters. He represented the
Association as General Counsel beginning in 1998. As General
Counsel, he worked directly with the Board of Directors, upper
management, the Association's major contractors, wholesale
power suppliers, project partners and regulatory bodies.
Patrick graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1977 with a Bachelor's degree in
Economics and from the University of Denver College of Law in 1980. He is married and has two
children.
John C. Moore III
Vice President/Director of Civil Engineering
Martin/Martin Consulting Engineers
John has devoted his career to Martin/Martin. A Colorado
native, he joined the firm in 1988 and beginning August of 2011
leads a division of the organization as the Director of Civil
Engineering. John was recently elected to the firm’s Board of
Directors and also oversees Martin/Martin’s Vail Valley office in
Edwards, Colorado.
John specializes in civil design of large-scale retail facilities,
shopping centers and residential developments. He also has
extensive experience with public works and roadway projects.
During the approval phase of a project, his strong business
capabilities and knowledge of jurisdictional entities help to
expedite the process. Clients benefit from both John’s skillful
approach to project challenges and his technical ability. Key projects he has overseen include
Southshore at Aurora—a former Parade of Homes and National Association of Home Builders
National Master Planned Community of the Year award recipient, and the Lone Tree
Entertainment District.
Registration: Professional Engineer - Colorado
Education:
Affiliations:
Colorado State University, BSCE, 1985
Colorado Concern
Accelerate Colorado
Arvada Chamber of Commerce
Aurora Economic Development Council – Executive Board member
Jefferson County EDC– Executive Board member
Northwest Douglas County EDC – Executive Board member
Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce
Glendale Chamber of Commerce
The West Chamber
National Society of Professional Engineers
Susan Morris
Denver Division President
Albertsons/Safeway
Susan Morris began her career with Albertsons in Denver,
Colorado at the age of 16. She continued to work with the
company throughout college while attending Colorado State
University. Upon graduation, she took a job at the Denver
division office, and worked through positions of increasing
responsibility in Denver, Phoenix and Northern California until
being promoted to the company’s Corporate Grocery Sales
Director in Boise, ID.
Following that, Susan has held successive roles in Boise as Vice
President of Bakery, Vice President of Operations, and upon
the sale of Albertsons Inc.’s assets to SUPERVALU, became
Vice President of Customer Satisfaction. When she left
SUPERVALU to join Albertsons LLC’s Southwest division, she
was Senior Vice President of Sales and Merchandising. She became the Vice President of
Marketing and Merchandising and her most recent prior role with Albertsons LLC was President
of the Intermountain Division.
Following the merger of Albertsons and Safeway, Susan returned to Denver in 2015 when she
was named President of the Denver Division. Within her current role, Susan is responsible for
132 Safeway and Albertsons stores covering five states.
Dr. David Neumann
Founder, CEO and Chairman
Neumann Systems Group
Dr. Neumann is the founder, majority shareholder and CEO of
Neumann Systems Group. Under his leadership the company
has been awarded over $140mm worth of Research and
Development funding and twice made the Inc. 500 list for
fastest growing privately held companies. NSG was recently
awarded a $73mm contract from Colorado Springs Utilities to
build and install its first commercial, clean coal, emissions
control system.
Dr. Neumann has managed and directed billion dollar
government space and weapons projects and managed groups
of over 700 people. Dr. Neumann holds a PhD in Engineering
Physics, a M.S. in Electrical Engineering and a B.S. in Physics
from the Air Force Academy. He has over 30 publications and 45
issued/pending patents.
Bob Nicolls
Owner, CPA
Monarch Investment and Management Group
As the owner of Monarch Investment and Management Group
Bob Nicolls is responsible for the overall operations and
performance of the company. Mr. Nicolls has over 25 years of
commercial real estate experience and handles acquisitions,
dispositions, property financing and asset management duties.
His background includes his service as a Certified Public
Accountant with auditing experience at a Big Eight accounting
firm, and he has financial reporting experience with a Fortune
500 company. He also was involved in real estate lending,
focusing on workouts and turnarounds on apartment buildings
nationwide for a Chicago-based bank.
In 1992, Bob co-founded First Pacific Investments with two
partners. The concept of that entity was to provide investors with a "cradle to grave" real
estate investment and management service. In 2004, he solely founded Monarch Investment &
Management Group, a full service real estate investment, management, and transactional
company primarily focused on the acquisition of apartment communities. Opportunities are not
limited by property quality or location, as the company can perform across a wide variety of
property types and locations. Profit maximization is the paramount investment criteria.
Kay Norton
President
University of Northern Colorado
Kay Norton became the 12th President of the University of
Northern Colorado in July 2002. She is a passionate advocate for
UNC, and for the transformative power of American higher
education in the lives of people, their communities, and the
nation.
Kay has lead the University of Northern Colorado in developing
innovative and entrepreneurial organizational strategies in the
face of changing regulatory, financial and social conditions,
emphasizing the need for the university to take charge of its own
fate. UNC promises students that their investment in a high
quality education at UNC will pay lifelong dividends---financial,
person and communal.
Kay is a graduate of Wellesley College and the University of Denver College of Law. She
practiced law in the public and private sectors for 26 years, primarily as an in-house corporate
general counsel for an international meat producing subsidiary of a publicly traded corporation.
In that role she was responsible for a wide variety of government and regulatory affairs. She
was appointed to the UNC Board of Trustees in 1995, serving as Vice Chair until 1998, when she
joined the university’s staff as Vice President for University Affairs, General Counsel and
Secretary to the Board of Trustees.
Kay has served on the board of directors of StarTek, Inc., a publicly traded (NYSE) company, as
well as on the boards of numerous non-profit business associations, service groups and
charitable entities. She has been honored as an outstanding woman in business by the
Colorado Girl Scouts, the Northern Colorado Business Report, and the Colorado Women’s
Chamber of Commerce.
Greg Osborn
Denver Office Managing Partner
RubinBrown, LLP
Gregory Osborn is managing partner of the Denver office. He joined the
firm in 1981 and has served as a partner since 1989. He serves clients
primarily in the medical, manufacturing and distribution, real estate,
not-for-profit and agricultural industries.
SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE / EXPERTISE
 Corporate and individual taxation
 Income Tax Consulting
 Wealth Management
 Estate and gift tax planning strategies
 Retirement plan consulting and
administration
 Financial auditing
 Healthcare Professionals Consultant
 Entrepreneurial Services
 Mergers and Acquisitions


Business Advisory Services
Family Office Services
EDUCATION
 B.S., Accountancy, University of Northern Iowa
 Harvard Business School Executive Education, Leading Professional Service Firms
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
 Member, Denver Rotary Club
 Member, The Medical Study Group of
Citywide Banks
 Member, Pax Cristi Catholic Church



Member, Highlands Ranch Hot Rodders
Member, Colorado Concern
Member, Denver Metro Chamber of
Commerce Board of Governors
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
 Member, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
 Member, Colorado Society of Certified Public Accountants
David Palmer
Managing Shareholder
Greenberg Traurig
David G. Palmer has more than 30 years of trial and appellate
experience throughout the Rocky Mountain region, Texas and
California, including numerous multi-week jury trials involving
claims under federal and state antitrust laws, securities and
commodities laws, allegations of civil or criminal fraud,
conspiracy, RICO, class actions, and claims under federal
environmental statutes. These representations and trials have
involved parties engaged in the energy, food and beverage,
financial and securities, software development sales, and a
multitude of other businesses.
David has been included in every edition of The Best Lawyers
in America since 1982 and listed by Chambers and Partners
USA Guide, an annual listing of the leading business lawyers
and law firms in the world, since 2008. He has defended corporations and their officers in
federal and state criminal grand jury investigations throughout the United States. David has
been involved in numerous commercial and securities arbitrations serving as an advocate, as an
arbitrator, and as a mediator in complex business disputes.
Amy Parsons
Executive Vice Chancellor
Colorado State University System
Amy Parsons serves as the Executive Vice Chancellor of the
Colorado State University System, overseeing initiatives across the
three CSU System institutions, throughout Denver and the State of
Colorado, as well as strategic partnerships and the operations of
the Denver System office. She most recently served as Vice
President for University Operations in Fort Collins, overseeing such
departments as the CSU Police Department, Human Resource
Services and OEO, Facilities, Parking and Transportation Services,
Policy, Risk Management and Environmental Health, Contracting
Services, Purchasing, Office of Budgets, Business and Financial
Services, the Office of the Ombuds and Employees Assistance
Program.
Amy serves on the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Denver Board of Directors, and the board of
the INTO CSU JV for international student recruitment. Amy has also served as Deputy General
Counsel and Special Assistant Attorney General for CSU. She received her Bachelor of Arts
degree in political science from Colorado State University and her Juris Doctor from the
University of Colorado, Boulder. Amy practiced in the area of commercial litigation before
joining CSU in 2004. Amy has also served as an Assistant Professor in the School of Education,
teaching the Law of Higher Ed and Higher Education Administration. Amy lives in Broomfield
with her husband and two children.
Kate Paul
President and CEO
Delta Dental of Colorado
Kathryn A. Paul currently serves as the President and CEO of Delta Dental of
Colorado, a dental benefit service corporation that serves over 1 million
enrollees in Colorado. Revenues exceed $270,000,000 per year with a staff
of 100. Delta Dental of Colorado is a member of Delta Dental Plans
Association, the largest dental carrier in the United States. Kate also serves
on the Board of the Delta Dental Plans Association as its vice-chair beginning
January 2013.
Prior to this position, Kate served as President, Group Operations West, for
Kaiser Permanente. She was responsible for KP’s operations in Colorado,
Kansas City, Portland and Hawaii. Her area of responsibility included
organizations with combined revenues of $2.5 billion and 11,000 employees.
She assumed the role of President of Kaiser Permanente's Rocky Mountain Division in 1994, having held several
management positions of increasing responsibility with in Kaiser Permanente in Northern California, the
Northeast and Ohio beginning in 1970.
Kate received her B.A. degree in sociology from the University of California and her Master’s of Public Health
from the University of California, Berkeley, where she majored in Hospital Administration. She completed the
Advanced Management Program in 1984 at Harvard University School of Business Administration and has also
been a Fellow at the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government.
Kate is a past chair of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Denver branch. She
currently serves on the boards of the Denver Art Museum, Mile High United Way, Colorado Concern, Sisters of
Charity of Leavenworth Health System, and The COPIC Companies. She has been a director of two publiclytraded companies, chairing governance and compensation committees. She has also served on the board of
trustees of a number of other non-profit organizations including the Denver Zoological Foundation, the
Economic Club of Colorado and The Colorado Trust including service as its chair. She is a governance fellow of
the National Association of Corporate Directors.
She is the recipient of numerous awards including the Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Colorado
Women’s Chamber of Commerce and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.
Bill Pauls
Chairman
The Pauls Corporation
Mr. Pauls is a Canadian educated Chartered Accountant, who
practiced accounting under both his own name and as partner in
the firm that is now Deloitte & Touche in Canada.
Bill is chairman of The Pauls Corporation and has been in the real
estate business with headquarters in Colorado since 1978.
Perry Pearce
Manager of State & Government Affairs, Rocky Mountain Region
ConocoPhillips
Perry Pearce is Manager, State Government Affairs, Rocky
Mountain Region for ConocoPhillips. He is responsible for
supervising the company’s state government relations
program in the Rocky Mountain States of Colorado, Utah,
Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Idaho.
Prior to joining ConocoPhillips in his current position, Perry
was responsible for state government affairs in the Rocky
Mountain States for Burlington Resources, Inc. Perry began
his career as an attorney in Santa Fe, New Mexico where he
worked in the field of energy law in private practice and as the attorney for the New Mexico Oil
Conservation Commission. He left private practice in 1992 to join Burlington Resources.
Born in Durham, NC, he received his undergraduate degree in Business Administration –
Accounting, from the University of San Francisco and his Juris Doctorate from Hastings College
of the Law, University of California. Perry and his wife, Bradley, moved to Denver in 2006.
Their 3 grown children, Alex, Jackie and Peter, reside in Raleigh, NC, Denver and Pasadena, CA
respectively.
Alan Peppers
Retired President and CEO
Westerra Credit Union
C. Alan Peppers recently transitioned from President/CEO and now serves as
the Retired President/CEO of Westerra Credit Union. Since joining Westerra in
1992, Alan has focused on delivering exceptional consumer financial products
and superior service to the membership. As a result, the organization has
grown from a $165 million in assets to $1.3 billion. This has been accomplished
through an aggressive growth strategy that has included branch expansion,
mobile banking, and a multitude of mergers & acquisitions, all the while
maintaining the top “5-Star Bauer” rating for safety and soundness for over 20
consecutive years. Prior to leading Westerra, Alan served as President/CEO of
Denver Municipal Federal Credit Union from 1977 to 1991.
During his career, Mr. Peppers has served on a multitude of international,
national, state and local Boards and Committees. Past leadership roles include:
Chairman of the National Credit Union Foundation, Chairman of the Colorado
Credit Union League, and Delegate to the World Council of Credit Unions.
He also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the CUNA Mutual Group, the leading worldwide
provider of insurance and financial services to credit unions. Headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, the
CUNA Mutual Group has assets of $15.4 billion, annual revenues of more than $2.6 billion, and an
international workforce of over 4,000 employees. Appointed to the Board in January 1999, Alan has also
served as Chairman of the Governance Committee, Chairman of the Compensation Committee, Member of
the Investment Committee and as a Member of the Audit Committee.
In 1995, the Colorado Credit Union League recognized him as Professional of the Year. He was then honored
as the 1999 Executive of the Year by the Credit Union Executives Society (CUES), and in 2000 was inducted
into the CUES Hall of Fame.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Colorado, School of Business and has completed
the Executive Development Program at Stanford University, Graduate School of Business. Alan has also been
active in his community serving as an executive mentor with the University of Denver and University of
Colorado, developing a scholarship program for high school seniors attending Denver Public Schools and
Jefferson County Schools, and volunteering time and support to numerous charitable foundations and
causes, including Children’s Hospital. Alan and his wife, Diana reside in Franktown, Colorado.
Jay Perlmutter
Principal
Jordon Perlmutter & Co.
Jay spent four years with Perl-Mack after graduating from the Arizona
State University School of Business in 1980. From there he became a
partner in Jordon Perlmutter & Co. in 1984. The company is a fullservice multi-faceted commercial real estate development and
management company.
The company has developed several million square feet of indoor
malls, regional and community shopping centers, multi-single family
apartments and office projects.
Jay is a Denver native and is married with three children. He is also a
graduate of George Washington High School. His hobbies include
skiing, tennis, golf and road biking.
Jay formerly served on the board of directors of Ramah of the Rockies, the Downtown Denver
Partnership and the Hillel Counsel of Colorado.
Paul Pittman
CEO
Farmland Partners
Since 2014 Paul has served as Executive Chairman, President
and Chief Executive Officer of Farmland Partners. He also is the
president of American Agriculture Corporation and Pittman
Hough Farms LLC. Prior to his current roles he served in several
leadership positions with Jazz Technologies, Inc., a
semiconductor foundry. In the mid-2000’s Paul was a Partner
and Head of Mergers & Acquisitions at ThinkEquity Partners
LLC. From 2000-2003, he served as the President, Chief
Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of HomeSphere,
Inc., an enterprise software company, and TheJobsite.com,
which merged into HomeSphere.
Before TheJobsite.com, he worked in senior investment
banking roles for ten years at Merrill Lynch & Co., and prior to
that with Wasserstein Perella Co. From 1997 to 2000, he served
as Head of Emerging Markets M&A at Merrill Lynch in London, where he was responsible for
origination and execution of all M&A business in the region (Eastern Europe, the Middle East,
the Former Soviet Union and Africa). Prior to Merrill Lynch & Co., he served as Director of M&A
at Wasserstein Perella & Co. in New York and London. Paul began his career at Sullivan &
Cromwell as an Associate in Mergers and Acquisitions.
Paul has been involved with the residential construction industry for more than 20 years as
both a developer and builder and has also served as the general contractor and developer of
several condominium and custom home projects. Paul graduated from the University of Illinois
with a B.S. degree in Agriculture, received a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University,
and a J.D. with Honors from the University of Chicago Law School.
Ray Pittman
Senior Managing Director
CB Richard Ellis
Before serving as Senior Managing Director of CB Richard Ellis, Ray
C. Pittman founded Pittman Development Group, a leading land
and commercial property development company in Denver. His
background includes more than 20 years of experience in
commercial real estate brokerage, services and development.
During this time he has managed some of Colorado’s largest and
most prominent commercial and mixed-use developments. Ray led
the team that created the vision for High Point, an 1,800-acre
mixed-use community near Denver International Airport. He
oversaw all aspects of the project’s initial development prior to its
sale to LNR Property Corporation in 2006. Other significant projects
include the 295-acre Stapleton Business Center, the 1.1 million
square foot Circle Point Corporate Center, the 1,789-acre Village at
Avon mixed-use community, the 295-acre EastGate Commerce Center, and the proposed redevelopment of the 440-acre StorageTek site.
Prior to founding Pittman Development Group, Ray served as Colorado’s senior vice president and
regional manager for Catellus Development Corp. In this role, he initiated some of the company’s most
exciting projects and was responsible for overseeing all aspects of the development business, including
acquisitions and dispositions, marketing, sales and leasing, project design, construction management,
project financing and community and government relations.
From 1985 through 1999, Ray served in a variety of brokerage and senior management roles with CB
Richard Ellis. He was named President of Corporate Services and Global Account Management in 1998.
In this position, he oversaw the development and servicing of major corporate accounts and
assignments and also led the global account management team responsible for relationship
management and worldwide service delivery for many of the firm’s largest corporate and institutional
clients. Prior to this role, Ray held a number of management and leadership positions for CB Richard
Ellis, including Executive Managing Director for the company’s Midwest Region, and Executive Managing
Officer for the Denver area.
Ray graduated with high honors from the University of California, Santa Barbara and has completed
additional course work in real estate and finance at the University of California, Los Angeles and
Stanford University. He resides in Greenwood Village, Colorado with his wife, Kristin and their three
children.
Chad R. Preiss
President, Engine Systems
Woodward
Chad R. Preiss was named Woodward Engine Systems President in
August 2008. He joined the company a decade earlier, and served in
a variety of roles in engineering and marketing/sales management.
Prior to his current role, he was Vice President and Director of
Business Development focusing on Woodward's merger and
acquisition activities, strategic planning and sales channels.
Chad has a Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from Iowa
State University and a master's degree in business administration
from Rockford College.
Doug Quimby
President and CEO
La Plata Communities
B. Douglas Quimby is the President, Chief Executive Officer and
principal owner of La Plata Communities, Inc., a master
planned community development company in Colorado
Springs, Colorado. La Plata's communities include Cordera,
North Fork at Briargate, Briargate Crossing and The Farm. From
2002 through 2007, Doug served as the Chief Operating Officer
of La Plata Investments, LLC, the developer of the Briargate and
Pine Creek master planned communities. Briargate, Pine
Creek, Cordera and North Fork together comprise nearly 9,000
acres of residential, office, commercial and other property.
Prior to joining La Plata Investments, Doug practiced law for
many years. As an associate and partner in Holme Roberts and
Owen from 1978 to 1991, and later with his own firm, he served as legal counsel for the
developers of master planned communities in Colorado Springs, including Cheyenne Mountain
Ranch, Mountain Shadows, Peregrine, Northgate and the Broadmoor Resort Community. Doug
was also General Counsel, Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and Treasurer of Professional Bull
Riders, Inc. from January, 1994 through October, 2001. He is currently a trustee for Colorado
Mesa University in Grand Junction, President of UCCS Development Corp. (an affiliate of the
University of Colorado, Colorado Springs), and the President of the Pikes Peak Real Estate
Community Foundation. Doug is a past chairman of both the Colorado Springs Regional
Economic Development Corporation and the Colorado Springs Regional Business Alliance and
has served as a director of several other non-profit organizations. He graduated from Harvard
College in 1975 and earned a law degree from Stanford Law School in 1978.
Kevin G. Quinn
President and CEO
Citywide Banks
Kevin G. Quinn is President and CEO of Citywide Banks. Founded in 1963
in Denver, Citywide Banks is locally owned with 12 branch locations in
the region and over $1 billion in assets and more than 250 employees.
Previously, Kevin was President and Chief Operating Officer of Arizona
Business Bank, (CoBiz Financial) a position he held from 2001 to 2009.
Arizona Business Bank served the business banking community in the
Phoenix Metro Area and grew to approximately $1 billion in assets with
eight banking locations. Quinn was responsible for the initial transition
by CoBiz Financial into the Arizona market. Prior to that he served as
president of Colorado Business Bank- DTC (CoBiz Financial).
From 1988 to 1998 he was with Norwest Banks-Denver (Wells Fargo) as a
Senior Vice President and part of the senior management team of the
Denver Community Bank.
A Denver native, Kevin is and a 1983 graduate of the University of Northern Colorado with a degree in
business administration/general business. He also received a graduate degree in banking from Stonier
Graduate School of Banking, University of Delaware in 1992.
Upon his return to Colorado in April of 2009, he has been active in business organizations and local charities
throughout the Denver Metro area, including:
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Board member/Secretary of The Denver Health Foundation, which is the foundation arm of Denver
Health. Denver Health is Colorado’s primary level one “safety net” hospital for health care services
in Colorado.
Executive Board member of the Boy Scouts’ of America and currently chairing the 2012 Investment
in Character campaign.
Board member of the Aurora Economic Development Council, which provides a partnership between
business and government in economic development.
Member of the Finance Committee for Cherry Creek Academy a charter school within Cherry Creek
Schools.
Member of Colorado Concern, an alliance of top executives with a common interest in enhancing
and protecting the Centennial State's business climate.
Kevin is married and enjoys most of his free time with their six children.
Norton Rainey
President and CEO
ACE Scholarships
Norton Rainey is the President and CEO of ACE Scholarships, a
foundation based in Colorado that provides tuition scholarships
to children of low-income families. Now in its fifteenth year,
ACE has provided more than 15,000 scholarships and funding
commitments exceeding $26 million.
In 2012, ACE expanded its efforts to the State of Montana with
more than 500 scholarships provided in year one. ACE is
expanding to Louisiana in 2015 and also considering other
states for expansion.
Norton attended the University of Colorado on a golf
scholarship and received his degree in business marketing. He
is actively involved in the Denver community and is the founder of Men of Faith, a quarterly
breakfast series targeted to men in the Denver area. He is also the founder of Rough Riders, a
quarterly breakfast series that features local and national political leaders.
Norton is the coach for his boys’ competitive baseball team, plays golf at Colorado Golf Club
and enjoys fly fishing. One of his dreams is to cliff dive with some buddies in Switzerland when
he turns 50.
Norton and his wife, Kara, have been married for 12 years and have two sons and one
daughter.
Tom Ragonetti
Senior Shareholder and Director
Otten, Johnson, Robinson, Neff & Ragonetti
EDUCATION
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J.D., Harvard Law School (1977); Cum Laude
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M.R.P., Cornell University (1973); National Science Foundation
Fellow
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B.A., Cornell University (1971); Summa Cum Laude; Phi Beta
Kappa
ADMISSIONS and AFFILIATIONS
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State of Colorado
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American Bar Association
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Colorado Bar Association
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Denver Bar Association
OVERVIEW
Tom Ragonetti is one of the top land use attorneys in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region. His practice
is focused on land use, government regulation, public-private transactions and related matters. He is a
recognized specialist in land use planning and regulation, public finance for private development, annexation,
urban development, zoning and historic preservation. Beyond his unparalleled expertise in land use and
governmental regulation, Tom has comprehensive and diverse experience in real estate, construction and
eminent domain matters.
Tom is keenly interested—both personally and professionally—in Colorado and Denver development issues.
He has been working in the area for over 35 years. He has authored, and served as lead advocate for,
comprehensive growth management legislation in the State of Colorado. Additionally, Tom is an adjunct
professor at the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of Colorado at Denver, where he
teaches in the urban and regional Planning program and is a lecturer in the University of Colorado Leeds
School of Business where he teaches in the real estate program. He is also an adjunct professor at the
University of Denver College of Law, where he teaches Land Use Planning and related topics. He is also the
Chairman and past President of the Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute. Tom has served on numerous civic
boards and commissions devoted to city planning and community development, and he is a frequent speaker
at and chair of local and national continuing legal education programs concerning land use topics.
Prior to his career in law, Tom received a design degree in city and regional planning and worked in urban
planning and public financing capacities for the City of Boston, the Economic Consultants Organization, Inc.,
the State of New York and the United Nations. A founding member of the firm, Tom serves as the Chairman
of the firm’s Executive Committee.
Michael S. Ramseier
President and General Manager, Colorado
Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield
Mike Ramseier was named president of our Colorado
plan, effective Sept. 1, 2011. Anthem is one of Colorado’s
largest carriers, with a membership of about 950,000.
Mike brings more than 20 years of experience in the
health care industry to his role. He joined WellPoint in
1998 as a senior contractor responsible for negotiating
provider contracts with Northern California hospitals and
physician organizations, and over the years Mike has
been promoted to a series of positions within Provider
and Engagement Contracting. Mike previously served as
Vice President of Provider Engagement and Contracting
for WellPoint’s western states. In this role, Mike led all
contracting and network strategies for WellPoint’s
Commercial, Senior, State Sponsored and Workers
Compensation lines of business for California, Colorado and Nevada. Most recently, Mike
assumed the sole Network Development and Strategy role for the California market as well as
enterprise responsibilities for State Sponsored Business and Senior. In his current position, Mike
and his team have focused on transforming Anthem’s delivery model in Colorado by pioneering
innovative network and benefit designs to encourage partnerships with physicians to reward
quality of care and reduce overall medical costs.
Mike is a committed corporate and community leader, husband and the father of two young
children. In 2012, he oversaw and directed the distribution of $1.4 million in charitable
contributions to Colorado nonprofit organizations. As an avid cyclist and health enthusiast,
Mike enjoys recreating in the mountains. Mike earned his Master’s Degree in Health Care
Administration from Saint Mary’s College in California.
Blair Richardson
Managing Partner
Bow River Capital Partners
Blair Richardson is Managing Partner of Bow River Capital
Partners. He held executive positions in international sales and
trading of public equity and debt securities for nearly 25 years
(Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley & Co.).
Prior to forming Bow River Capital Partners, Blair was
Managing Partner of B.E. Richardson Investments, which
invested in a variety of industries throughout North America.
Between 1996 and 2002 his company made over 20 private
equity investments.
Previously, Blair was with Morgan Stanley & Company from
1987 to 1995. During his time at Morgan Stanley, Blair served
as President of Morgan Stanley Japan in Tokyo, Vice Chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia in Hong
Kong, and Managing Director of the Equity and Fixed Income Department in New York.
He was born in Canada and has traveled extensively throughout the world. Blair is a member of
the boards of AUC Group L.P., Colorado Concern, Colorado UpLift, Focus Group Holding, Inc.,
Holman Boiler Works, Inc., Mizel Museum, National Jewish Health, and is Chairman of the
Pinnacol Assurance Board.
In 2001, Blair was named one of the most influential people in Denver by 5280 magazine (“The
5280 Fifty”). He serves as the Chairman of Colorado Concern and is the Chairman-Elect of
National Jewish Hospital.
Chip Rimer
Senior Vice President – US Onshore
Noble Energy
Chip Rimer graduated from the University of Texas in 1983
with a degree in petroleum engineering. He has a total of 30
years of oilfield experience as an engineer and manager in
Operations Services (Drilling, Completions, Supply Chain, and
EHSR)
Chip began his career with ARCO Oil & Gas Company and
served as drilling and completion engineer for seven years
from 1983 to 1990. He worked in numerous US onshore areas
including the Rockies, Oklahoma, West Texas and Gulf of
Mexico Regions.
He worked as Superintendent/Senior Operations Engineer for
Vastar Resource’s Gulf of Mexico Region from 1990 to 2000.
Chip focused on offshore deepwater and high pressure onshore areas.
From 2000-2002, Chip worked as Drilling Manager for Aspect Resources. In 2002, he was hired
by Samedan/Noble Energy Inc. as Drilling Manager for the Onshore Region. He was promoted
to Noble Energy’s VP of Operations Services, managing Noble’s world-wide drilling and rig
operations until the end of 2011. In 2012, Chip managed Noble’s International West Africa,
Non-Operated and New Ventures Division. In 2013 he was promoted to Senior Vice President of
Global EHSR & Operations Services and served until the end of 2014. In November 2014, he
moved into his current role, as Senior Vice President of US Onshore operations.
Dan Ritchie
Chairman and CEO
Denver Center for the Performing Arts
Daniel L. Ritchie has served as Chairman/CEO of The Denver
Center for the Performing Arts since January 2007, succeeding
Donald R. Seawell, who founded The Denver Center in 1972.
He was Chancellor of the University of Denver from 1989 to
2005 and served as the University’s Chairman of the Board
from 2005 to 2007.
In addition to serving as The Denver Center’s Chairman, Dan
serves as President of the Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation.
He also serves on the Boards of the Daniels Fund and the
Denver Art Museum Foundation, and is Chairman Emeritus
and Honorary Member of the Board of the Central City Opera
House Association.
Dan’s awards include: The Citizen of the West Award, given by the National Western Stock
Show to an individual who exemplifies the spirit and determination of the Western pioneer; the
National Samaritan Institute Award; Outstanding Philanthropist at National Philanthropy Day;
the National Human Relations Award from the American Jewish Committee; the Community
Cultural Enrichment Award from the Mizel Museum of Judaica, the Woodrow Wilson Award for
Public Service and the Ethical Leadership Award from the University of Denver. He is a Laureate
member of the Colorado Business Hall of Fame.
Dan has held several corporate executive positions, including Executive Vice President of MCA
Universal and CEO of Westinghouse Broadcasting, and holds undergraduate and MBA degrees
from Harvard University.
Dick Robinson
Manager
Robinson Management, LLC
Richard L. “Dick” Robinson is a fourth generation native of Denver. He
attended schools in Denver, graduating from East High School, and then
attended Colorado State University, graduating with a B. S. degree in
Agriculture.
Dick was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U. S. Army after
completing his college ROTC. He served on active duty for two years in
the Field Artillery. He spent a majority of his time in Korea, where he
was decorated with the Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
He then began his career in the dairy business, working in the milk plant
operated by his family. He has spent his entire working career in the
dairy business.
He has been active in a multitude of community and charitable organizations. He presently serves
on the boards of the Denver Art Museum, HCA-HealthONE and Regis University. He is past
Chairman of the Rose Community Foundation, past Director of US Bancorp in Minneapolis, past
Chairman of the Denver Area Council Boy Scouts of America, past Chairman of the Greater Denver
Chamber of Commerce, past Chairman of Mountain States Employers Council and past Chairman of
the CSU Board of Governors. Dick is also the past Chairman of the Milk Processors’ Education
Program that presents the milk moustache ads.
Dick, an avid golfer, is a member of the Castle Pines Golf Club and Denver Country Club. He has
been married to Marcia for 59 years and has two children, John and Ellen, and two grandchildren.
Dick and his brother Eddie formed Robinson Dairy in 1975, by purchasing the assets of Roberts
Dairy for their operations in Denver. They sold the Company to Dean Foods in 1999 and presently
serve as Co-Founders of the Denver operation.
Hassan Salem
President
U.S. Bank
Hassan Salem is president of U.S. Bank in Colorado, and regional president
of commercial banking for Colorado, Nevada, Arizona and Utah.
Hassan is a 23-year, career-long veteran of U.S. Bank. He is responsible for
developing client relationships and growing the middle-market commercial
banking business. Hassan’s group specializes in structuring and delivering
comprehensive financial solutions to middle market clients with annual
revenue between $20 million and $500 million. He is well known and
respected as one of the ski industry’s leading lenders, and currently
oversees the bank’s national gaming business based in Las Vegas.
As president, Hassan also leads the bank’s cross-functional market
leadership committee, and chairs U.S. Bank’s local advisory board, which
comprises respected business and community leaders from the Denver
metropolitan area.
An active member of the business community, Hassan served on the executive committee for the Denver
Metro Chamber of Commerce, where he was previously board chairman. He also serves on the board of
National Jewish Health, Delta Dental of Colorado and the Colorado Bankers Association. He is member of the
Young Presidents Organization and Colorado Concern, and is a graduate of the 2004 Leadership Denver
program for influential business area leaders. He served as co-chair of the Transition Committee for
Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) under the leadership of Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper.
Hassan earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Economics from the University of
Arizona. He resides in the Denver area with his wife and their two children. He enjoys skiing and golfing.
Hassan sits on the Boy Scouts of America, Denver Area Council, Board of Trustees.
U.S. Bank, lead bank of U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB), has 2,000 employees and 89 branches in the Denver
metropolitan area, with 2,600 employees and 165 branches statewide. The company ranks 3rd in deposit
market share in both the Denver metro area and statewide. Among its recent accolades, U.S. Bank earned
“Best Places to Work” recognition from the Denver Business Journal in 2014. Visit U.S. Bancorp on the web at
usbank.com.
Michael Salem, M.D.
President and CEO
National Jewish Health
Michael Salem, M.D., FACS, has served as President and CEO of
National Jewish Health since January 2006. He also holds an
appointment as Professor of Surgery at the University of Colorado
Denver.
A native of Washington, D.C., Dr. Salem received his
undergraduate degree at Washington University in St. Louis, and
his medical degree from George Washington University School of
Medicine and Health Sciences. He completed his surgical
residency training at Boston University Hospital and George
Washington University Hospital. He also completed research and
clinical fellowships in Critical Care Medicine at Massachusetts
General Hospital in Boston and Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.
After the completion of his medical training, Dr. Salem practiced and taught general surgery
and critical care at George Washington University Hospital, where he later served as Vice
Chairman of the Department of Surgery. Later in his career, Dr. Salem served as the Executive
Vice President of a healthcare company that develops and commercializes biotechnology and
medical technology products from academic medical centers.
Dr. Salem and the National Jewish team are implementing the Decade of Innovation: Strategic
Plan 2017, which will allow National Jewish Health to continue to lead in medicine and science.
The ten year vision and plan is a compelling set of ideas and solutions that will result in the
integration of research and clinical efforts at the point of the patient. National Jewish Health
will be in the forefront of efforts to implement preventive and personalized medicine that will
improve peoples’ lives worldwide.
Richard M. Sapkin
Managing Principal
Edgemark Development
Rick Sapkin is a founder and Managing Principal of Edgemark
Development. Since 1999, Edgemark has been one of Denver’s
most significant commercial development firms, with a strong
presence throughout the Midwest, Rocky Mountains and western
United States.
With more than 25 years of commercial real estate experience,
Rick has been involved in more than a billion dollars of real estate
transactions, several million square feet of retail development
and has established a proven track record for entrepreneurial
business development specializing in retail development,
brokerage, tenant representation and retail expansion.
Rick received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Denver
in 1983, where he remains involved in the Burns School of Real Estate and Construction
Management. He currently serves on the University of Denver Board of Trustees, and is a
member of the Franklin L. Burns Society. Rick served as Chairman of Colorado Concern, and
continues to be part of the Board of Directors. He is a board member of the Denver Center for
Performing Arts, a member of Realty Resources and International Council of Shopping Centers
and, is involved with a number of charitable organizations throughout the community,
especially those focused on cancer research. Rick is married and has three children.
Richard W. Scharf
President and CEO
VISIT DENVER
Richard W. Scharf Jr. was named president and CEO of the VISIT DENVER,
the Convention and Visitors Bureau in March 2004. Richard has worked for
VISIT DENVER since 1993, most recently as the executive vice president of
sales and marketing. From 1988-1993, he owned a publishing and
consulting company representing more than 400 colleges and universities
as conference sites. His career in the hospitality industry began with Hilton
Hotels in 1983.
As president of VISIT DENVER, Richard is responsible for managing a staff
of 63 people, which includes regional sales offices in Chicago and
Washington, DC. VISIT DENVER acts as Denver’s official sales and
marketing arm and annually produces more than $500 million of direct
economic impact to the Denver metro area. VISIT DENVER is a nonprofit
501(C)6 with more than 1,200 private business members and a $16 million
annual budget. In 2005, Richard led a successful campaign to increase the
lodging tax in Denver in order to competitively market Denver as a convention and leisure destination. Voters
approved the measure by a margin of two to one, resulting in a marketing budget increase of nearly 50 percent.
Under his supervision, VISIT DENVER has won all five of the meeting industry’s top convention service awards for
the past 17 years. In 1999, Richard was the second person to be awarded the Colorado Hotel Sales and Marketing
Association’s Hall of Fame Award. In 2000, he won the Executive Excellence Award given by the Association of
Convention Operations and Management, in 2002 he won the Governor’s Tourism Award and in 2007 he was
named Business Person of the Year by the Rocky Mountain News. In 2007, he was awarded the Meetings Industry
Council of Colorado’s Leadership Award. And most recently in 2009, he was awarded the Hall of Fame Lifetime
Achievement Award by the Readers of Colorado Meetings and Events Magazine. In 2009, he received and
honorary degree, Doctor of Business Administration from Johnson and Wales University.
Richard has been selected annually by the Denver Business Journal as Who’s Who in Travel and Tourism and Power
Book winner for Travel and Tourism. Richard is an active member in all of the travel industry associations. Richard
currently serves on the board of the Governor’s Colorado Tourism Office, where he is Chairman of the Board and
past chair of the International Promotional Committee. He was past president of the Tourism Industry Association
of Colorado (TIAC), where he played a significant role in the effort to restore state tourism marketing funding.
Richard currently serves on the board of directors for the, Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI)
Foundation, US Travel Association, Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, the Metro Denver Sports Commission, and a past
board member of the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts. He was also campaign co-chair for the Justice
Center, served on the steering committee for the 2007 Downtown Area Plan, and for three years served as the
fundraising co-chair for the Mayor’s Task Force to End Homelessness. Richard is also a member of Colorado
Concern, which is a nonpartisan association of CEO’s who work towards solutions to mutual statewide business
challenges. In addition, he is a member of Trinity United Methodist Church. Richard is a graduate of Purdue
University and lives in Littleton, Colorado, with his wife Cindy and their two daughters.
Dan Scherer
General Manager
Outfront Media
Dan Scherer is the General Manager for OUTFRONT Media,
overseeing the Colorado and Nevada outdoor advertising markets.
Dan has more than 20 years of leadership experience in the outdoor
advertising industry. He began his career in San Francisco, and has
worked in Detroit, Chicago, and Las Vegas, before returning home to
his native Denver, in 2005. Dan sits on the Board of Directors for The
Denver Health Foundation, Visit Denver, American Transplant
Foundation, and enjoys giving back to the Denver community.
Dan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the
University of Colorado, Boulder. Dan and his wife Sally, have two
boys, William and John. He enjoys spending time with his family,
coaching little league, skiing, traveling and playing golf.
Mike Severns
President
Mountain States Employers Council
Mike Severns was elected President and CEO of Mountain States
Employers Council effective July 1, 2002. Only the fifth president in
MSEC’s 75-year history, Mike joined the company in 1979 out of law
school.
Previously, Mike was Vice President of MSEC having responsibility for the
labor and employment law attorneys on the staff, information technology,
facilities management and the Council’s Southern Colorado office. Mike
began his career with the Council as an attorney in the Labor Relations
Department, then moved on to become Director of that department in
1989, before taking on the position of Vice President in 1996.
Employed by the Council for over 35 years, Mike’ legal career focused on
representing employers in labor and employment matters; more
specifically, unionized employers in union contract negotiations, election campaigns, and arbitrations. He also
assisted employers in administrative proceedings that arise before the EEOC, Colorado Civil Rights Division,
OSHA, Department of Labor and other administrative agencies. In addition, he counseled and assisted
employers with day-to-day employee relations problems.
Mike contributes time and energy to the community through various organizations. He currently serves
on the Board of Directors of the Boy Scouts of America Denver Area Council, Christian Living
Communities, Samaritan Institute, Employer Associations of America and Workers Compensation
Coalition, as well as serving as an ex-officio Board member of the Colorado Judicial Institute. He is also a
member of the Colorado Ethics in Business Alliance Leadership Council. He is serving now as the Vice
President of Membership for the Denver Area Council, BSA. He is past board member and chair of the
Employers Associations of America, the national trade association for employer councils around the
country, and Denver Kids, Inc. He is also a past member of the Health Policy Committee of the Denver
Foundation. Nationally, Mike is a past member of the Board of Directors of The National Association of
Manufacturers. He is a member of the Colorado and Denver Bar Associations and Colorado Concern.
Mountain States Employers Council, Inc. provides over 3,500 member employers of all different industries
and sizes with the employment law, human resource, training and survey services needed to build and
maintain effective, successful organizations.
George Sparks
President and CEO
Denver Museum of Nature and Science
George Sparks has been the President/CEO of the
Denver Museum of Nature and Science since
November 2004. Prior to that he was a management
consultant with NorthStone Group in Louisville, CO. He
spent 24 years in the electronics measurement
business at Hewlett-Packard and Agilent Technologies
(Agilent is a 1999 spin-off from HP). He was General
Manager for several HP divisions from 1987-1999,
eventually leading a division of 1800 people worldwide. His career included marketing, sales,
and general management of global businesses in software, systems, and services.
Prior to joining Hewlett-Packard, George spent nine years in the Air Force as a pilot and as an
Assistant Professor of Aeronautics at the USAF Academy (1976-1978). He is a Distinguished
Graduate of the USAF Academy with a BS in Aeronautical Engineering, and also holds an MS in
Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT.
George's passion is educational public policy, particularly around STEAM (adding Arts to
traditional math and science, STEM). He is a member of Colorado Concern and the Colorado
Forum, and is on the Boards of the Denver Foundation, Aspen Academy (an
independent school), the Colorado Education Initiative, Visit Denver, Denver Metro Chamber of
Commerce, Colorado Bright Beginnings (Emeritus) and the Public Education and Business
Coalition (Emeritus). He is also on the United States Committee of the International Council of
Museums.
Kent Thiry
Co-Chairman and CEO
DaVita HealthCare Partners
Kent Thiry is co-chairman and CEO of DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc, a
Fortune 500® health care provider.
The company has approximately $12 billion in annual revenue and 60,000
teammates across 44 states and 10 countries. DaVita HealthCare Partners
has two primary businesses and is a clinical leader in both:
a) DaVita Kidney Care is a leading provider of kidney care in the
United States, delivering dialysis services to patients with chronic
kidney failure and end stage renal disease. As of Sept. 30, 2014,
DaVita Kidney Care operated or provided administrative services
at 2,152 outpatient dialysis centers located in the United States
serving approximately 170,000 patients. The company also
operates 87 outpatient dialysis centers located in 10 countries
outside the United States.
b) HealthCare Partners manages and operates medical groups and affiliated physician networks in
Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Florida in its pursuit to deliver excellent-quality health
care in a dignified and compassionate manner. As of Sept. 30, 2014, HealthCare Partners provided
integrated care management for approximately 836,000 patients.
DaVita considers itself a community first, a company second. Teammates strive to improve the quality of life
for patients, each other and communities around the world. DaVita’s management philosophy has been
shared in various forums including Harvard and Stanford business school case studies, national periodicals
and speeches at many companies and business schools.
DaVita’s leadership philosophy and specific practices have been discussed in various prestigious forums,
including Harvard, Stanford, Kellogg and Vanderbilt business schools, UCLA, University of Michigan Ross
School of Business, Denver Public Schools, the Wall Street Journal and Modern Healthcare. Kent is frequently
requested by leading corporations and other organizations that to speak about employee empowerment and
creating a sense of community in the workplace. Such organizations include Bain & Company senior
management, Caesar’s Palace executives, The Leadership Institute, Young Presidents’ Organization and the
Bonfils-Stanton Foundation’s Livingston Fellowship Program.
Kent earned his B.A. in Political Science, with distinction and Phi Beta Kappa, from Stanford University in
1978. He earned his M.B.A., with honors, from Harvard Business School in 1983, where he was also elected to
the Century Club.
Rich Todd
Chief Operating Officer
Innovest
Rich is the CEO and co-founder of Innovest Portfolio Solutions LLC. He is a
member of Innovest’s Investment Committee, which makes decisions on
investment related research and due diligence. He has more than 28 years
of experience in investment consulting and currently provides consulting
services to both institutions and families.
Rich has earned the Certified Investment Management Consultant (CIMC)
designation from the Institute for Investment Management Consultants. He
has a business degree from Western State College. He is a Registered
Fiduciary™, earned through Strategic Ethos and Dalbar, Inc., in conjunction
with the Foundation for Fiduciary Studies at the University of Pittsburgh's
Katz Graduate School of Business. This designation represents Rich's
commitment to acting in the best interest of clients.
Rich has been a frequent author on fiduciary and investment related matters.
He has been a columnist for the Denver Business Journal and has been published in Financial Advisor
Magazine, Private Asset Management, Defined Contribution News, On Wall Street, Journal of Compensation
and Benefits, Colorado Society of CPA’s News Account, Registered Rep, Pensions & Investments, The Denver
Post, Accounting Today, and PLANSPONSOR. Rich also wrote a chapter in The World of Money Management,
a 380-page compendium of scholarly research, opinions and information developed by many of the top
investment industry professionals. Additionally, Rich has been a guest lecturer at several conferences in
Colorado and Rocky Mountain Region and across the nation.
Rich has served the community as former President of Legatus of Colorado, an organization fostering
business ethics. Rich is a member of The 100 Club of Denver, which provides financial support to the families
of police and firefighters who are under stress. He was formerly on the finance council for Our Lady of Loreto
Catholic Parish and he serves on the Investment Committee of Regis Jesuit High School Foundation. He is
also a member of the Philanthropy Roundtable. In addition, he is the Past Vice Chairman of Seeds of Hope
Charitable Trust, an organization that provides educational opportunities to at-risk children, as well as the
Vice Chair of Families of Character, a national organization that helps parents raise children with strong
character and moral integrity. He is also a trustee of Colorado Family Action, a non-profit organization that
promotes tenets of faith, family and religious freedom. Rich is also a member of the Arrupe Jesuit High
School Board of Trustees. Arrupe is a member of the Cristo Ray Network, a consortium of inner city religious
schools that provide a college preparatory education to disadvantaged youth through a corporate work-study
program providing tuition assistance. Rich and his wife Joanie have been married for more than 30 years and
have two children, Alex and Reagan.
Paul Washington
Executive Director
City of Denver Office of Economic Development
Paul Washington is the Executive Director of the Denver Office of
Economic Development. Prior to that, Paul was the president of
LJS Holdings LLC, a leading finance advisory firm that specializes in
international mergers, acquisitions and investment banking. LJS
Holdings represents a select group of clients, including companies
in Kuwait, India and Germany. Paul is also an adjunct professor at
the University of Colorado in Boulder, where he teaches a graduate
course in Business Planning.
Paul began his professional career as an attorney at the law firm of
Hogan Lovells, specializing in large merger and acquisition
transactions. Paul holds a Series 7, 24 and 28 securities license and
is a member of the California and Colorado Bar Associations. He
was appointed by Colorado Governor Bill Ritter to the State Securities Board in 2009 and by
Governor John Hickenlooper to the University of Northern Colorado Board of Trustees in 2012.
In 1991 Paul earned his B.S. in business (finance) from the University of California at Berkeley
and in 1996 received his JD from that institution’s Boalt Hall School of Law, where he was
president of the graduate student body. He also earned his Master’s in Taxation from the
University of Denver in 2012. Paul currently resides in Boulder, Colorado with his wife Nadia.
Scott Wylie
First Western Financial
Chairman and CEO
In 2002, recognizing the need for an integrated approach for
delivering financial services to the growing affluent market,
Scott Wylie founded First Western. As chairman and CEO of
First Western, Scott provides leadership for the holding
company, as well as management of the bank and trust
services.
Most recently, he served as chairman and CEO of Northern
Trust Bank of Colorado after having sold his prior institution,
Trust Bank of Colorado, to Northern in 1998. Prior to that, he
led the acquisition of Equitable Bankshares of Colorado, a
Denver-based bank holding company with two subsidiary
banks, now known as Colorado Business Bank. In 1987, he started his first bank as a subsidiary
of the First Boston Corporation. He later led a management buyout and renamed it the Bank
and Trust of Puerto Rico, successfully introducing the private bank and trust niche to the
banking industry there.
Scott earned his Master's of Business Administration from Harvard Graduate School of Business
and his Master’s of Arts in economic development from the School of International Service at
American University. He also holds a BA from the College of Literature, Science and Arts at the
University of Michigan. Scott plays an active role in the greater Denver community, having
served on several nonprofit boards including Central City Opera House Association, Denver
Botanic Gardens, Colorado Succeeds, and Boys and Girls Club of Metro Denver. He is a founder
and past Chairman of the Colorado chapter, and a past member of the Rocky Mountain
chapter, of the Young Presidents’ Organization.
Shaun P. Yancey
President and COO, US Operations
PCL Construction Enterprises, Inc.
In his role as President and COO, Shaun oversees PCL
Construction’s commercial building and civil infrastructure
operations throughout the United States. Shaun has been a
member of PCL’s Board of Directors since 2009.
Shaun joined PCL in 1982 as a project engineer and has held
numerous roles in project, operations, and executive
management. He has worked on several notable local projects
including the Denver International Airport Terminal, Disney’s
Animal Kingdom and the Ritz Carlton in Aspen. As a passionate
advocate for adopting new and innovative construction
processes and policies, Shaun was instrumental in developing
PCL’s virtual construction program, sustainability and diversity
initiatives.
Shaun received his Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Management from Colorado
State University and completed an executive program from the Darden School of Business at
the University of Virginia. Currently, he serves on the board for the Mile High United Way, and
has previously served on the boards of The Tennyson Center for Children, Parent Pathways,
House of Hope, Design Build Institute of America, Associated General Contractors, and
Associated Builders and Contractors.
Sylvia Young
President and CEO
HealthONE
Sylvia Young became President and CEO of HealthONE in June of
2012. This appointment marks a return to Denver for Young, who
served in various hospital leadership roles there from 1985 to
2007.
The HCA Continental Division, which Sylvia oversees, comprises
seven Denver-area hospitals in the HealthONE system and Wesley
Medical Center and Galichia Heart Hospital in Wichita, Kansas. It
also includes 15 surgery centers and dozens of other outpatient
centers in Colorado and Wichita.
Young began her career in hospital administration in 1985. From
1995 to 1998, she served as COO of HealthONE’s The Medical
Center of Aurora, a two-campus hospital. From 1998 until 2007, Sylvia served as Chief
Executive Officer of The Medical Center of Aurora and Centennial Medical Plaza, a threecampus hospital that included a Level II trauma center, two emergency departments, four
outpatient imaging centers and 20 operating suites. In 2007 she became President of the 1,071
bed Sunrise Health System in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she stayed until 2012.
Sylvia received her Master’s of Science degree in Health Care Administration from the
University of Alabama in Birmingham, and her Bachelor of Science degree in Public
Administration from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. She and her husband, David,
have two daughters.
David J. Younggren
President and CEO
Piton Foundation
David J. Younggren is the President and CEO of Gary Community
Investments, which includes The Piton Foundation. Gary
Community Investments deploys for-profit and philanthropic
capital to improve outcomes for Colorado’s low-income children
and their families.
Prior to these roles, David was Senior Vice President of GaryWilliams Energy Corporation. In this capacity, he was responsible
for managing the finance, accounting, tax, legal and risk
management functions, as well as serving on the board of
directors. He also was responsible for managing the company’s
real estate portfolio.
David’s 39 years of energy and real estate industry experience
includes three years as a CPA in accounting and taxation with Peat Marwick; four years with
Cairn Investment Company, a diversified private holding company; and 32 years with GaryWilliams.
David has served as a board member of The Piton Foundation for more than 17 years. He also
serves on the boards of Urban Land Conservancy (past chairman), Colorado Children’s
Healthcare Access Program (chairman), Belle Creek Metropolitan District (President) and
Colorado Forum Fund (chairman). He previously served on the board of directors of Urban
Peak, The Spot, Colorado Nonprofit Development Center, Mackintosh Academy and Denver
Academy.
He is a graduate of Augustana College and Stanford Graduate School of Business. David served
for three years as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy.
Ed Zebrowski
Senior Vice President
Starwood CPG Operations, LLC
During his career, Ed Zebrowski has been involved in the
acquisition, entitlement, development and sales of over 30,400
residential lots, over 1,000 acres of mixed-use assets,
construction of 1,000 homes as well as the design and
construction of three country club communities, totaling over
$2.4 billion in value. He has overseen the establishment and sale
of over $120 million in public financing, managed 9 joint venture
projects, and facilitated over 4,700 lots in off-balance sheet
transactions for public homebuilders.
In addition, Ed has been responsible for managing the actual
design and development of all public and private infrastructure
requirements for LNR, totaling over $500 million of land
development improvements installed, with another $1.3 billion
to be complete at a future date. Before coming to Colorado, Ed worked for a regional developer
in Southern California overseeing the processing of all acquisition/disposition and entitlement
and development activities. He also assisted in the capital generation for the firm and oversaw
the product development of a housing operation.
Ed received Masters in Business Administration from the University of Denver and a Bachelor of
Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Michigan. He is a licensed broker in
both Colorado and California.
Evan Zucker
Principal
Black Creek Capital
Evan H. Zucker is a co-founder and principal of Black Creek Group,
an institutional real estate investment management and private
equity firm that has acquired and developed approximately $13
billion in assets since 1991. Evan currently serves as the Chairman
of Industrial Income Trust, a leading owner of industrial real
estate assets across the U.S. with over 60 million square feet. He
also served as the CEO of DCT Industrial Trust (NYSE: DCT), a
national industrial REIT, from its inception in 2002 through
October 2006. Evan has been active in real estate acquisition,
development and redevelopment activities since 1989. Evan
graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor’s degree in
Economics.