Kyle Samuel '92
Washington, DC
President

Kyle Samuel graduated from Colorado College with a degree in economics. At CC he was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity, the Colorado College football team, and the Black Student Union. Upon graduation, Kyle returned home to Denver, Colorado, where he worked as an underwriter for The Chubb Group of Insurance Companies followed by a long tenure with Aon, plc where he was senior vice president and director of sales in Denver before assuming the same role in Washington, D.C. In 2011, Kyle became managing director of the capital region of Wells Fargo Insurance Services. Kyle is responsible for business development, client service, bank cross-sell, and the overall financial performance of Wells Fargo’s insurance operations across the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. Kyle is a foodie and enjoys travel and playing golf. He is always open to sharing a glass of wine with a fellow Tiger who may be traveling through our nation’s capital.

Ed Bowditch '86
Denver, CO
President-elect
Governance Committee Chair
2nd Term

Since graduating from CC in 1986, Ed Bowditch has lived in Denver and worked at the state capitol. He was on staff at the Colorado General Assembly for 10 years, and served as vice chancellor for the Colorado State University System for seven years. Ed has worked as a lobbyist at the state capitol (focusing on education and human services issues) and as an education consultant for school districts and colleges in Colorado. In addition to a B.A. from Colorado College (in history/political science), Ed has a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard. Ed is married to CC alum Susan Garfield ’82.

Julie Kronenberger '87
Denver, CO
Secretary

Julie Kronenberger is a Colorado native. She earned a B.A. degree in fine art from CC in 1987. Julie is the coordinator in chief of a unique law firm called Blue Dot Advocates, a group of unbelievably bright, recovering Big Law lawyers who represent impact investors, nonprofits, social enterprises, and other stewards of the planet earth. After graduation, she honed her legal skills with a small law firm in Colorado Springs. In 1990, Julie moved back to Denver, and while providing moral support to her long-time partner Grant Gassman '89 through a law degree and L.L.M., decided against attending law school herself, finding that her strengths were in office and financial administration. Julie is an active volunteer in local politics and the nonprofit world. She endeavors to continue engaging alumni in every phase of their lives with other alumni, current students, and new graduates.

Susan White Burgamy '66
Denver, CO
Nominations and Awards Committee Chair
3rd Term

Susan graduated from Colorado College in 1966, a time that predates both the Block Plan and the biology major. She majored in zoology and completed the required credits for teacher certification at the secondary level. She learned how to write, to think, to listen, and to learn at CC, and credits these skills to helping her as she taught school, raised a family, and served on nonprofit boards in the Denver area. She greatly enjoys visiting CC and the magnificence of its setting at the foot of Pikes Peak, because it allows her to tap into deep memories of the place and its people. She feels that the connections among alumni at CC are often not present in the lives of others who had a different college or university experience. These are some of the reasons why she remains an active alumna and why she chooses to give back to the college. She considers her CC education a gift and continues to treasure it.

Les Goss '72
Colorado Springs, CO
Alumni Student Engagement Committee Chair
2nd Term

After graduating from CC, Les worked in a bike and ski shop for five years followed by a stint in department store management. He went back to CC for his MAT and then taught elementary school in the Springs for 15 years. After retiring from that, he created and ran a web design company and later got into real estate, flipping and wholesaling single-family homes. About six years ago he began buying fourplexes and ran a company that buys, manages, and sells multifamily apartments for groups of investors. He helps investors get a good return through real estate-backed notes. He has been running and lifting weights since his 20s and is still learning to play guitar.

Brianna McAleer '05
Fargo, ND
Scholarship Committee Chair
Alumni Student Engagement Committee
3rd Term

Brianna J. McAleer grew up in Moorhead, Minnesota -- made famous by the Coen Brothers in "The Big Lebowski." She found CC by way of fellow Moorhead (Go Spuds!) leaders and hockey players, who also had a desire to try something new like the Block Plan, the mountains, and the above-zero temperatures. She works as an external legal consultant for a large U.S.-based banking institution, and lives in Fargo, North Dakota, with her man-friend Casey and their dog, Tonic.

Dan Cooper '66 P'96 and Beth Cooper '66 P'96

50 Year Club Co-Presidents
1st Term

Dan and Beth were classmates at CC in the class of 1966, engaged in May that year, and married in December 1966. Dan joined the Air Force and received a commission via OTS. They spent three years in Berlin, Germany, arriving only six years after the wall went up. Daughter Julie was born there. Son, Clay (Class of '96,) was born after they returned to the states and Dan began his career with Monsanto. The Coopers lived in the St. Louis area until Clay's senior year in high school, when they were transferred to Brussels. After returning from Brussels, Dan worked in the academic health care field in St. Louis and Philadelphia.

They live in Buena Vista, Colorado, and are working together in real. Beth and Dan have been active in the affairs of Colorado College since the mid-1970s. In 1995, Dan was asked to join the CC Council as a Charter Trustee. Dan has been a Life Trustee for the past three years. They are pleased that they have been able to establish two scholarships, The Bethany Anneberg Cooper Scholarship in Art History (income provides funds to ensure all seniors are able to go on the annual New York art trip), and the Marie Coleman Cooper ’26 Scholarship for legacy students.

The Coopers co-chair the Fifty Year Club.

Gordon Aoyagi '67
Honolulu, HI
Nominations and Awards Committee
3rd Term

Gordon Aoyagi is a consultant with Justice and Security Strategies, Inc. as director of homeland security and public policy. Gordon retired after more than 30 years of local government experience at senior executive positions in homeland security, fire and rescue services, county government administration, and public transit management. He served as the first homeland security director for Montgomery County, Maryland and was the disaster manager for emergency response. Gordon is a Vietnam veteran. He holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Colorado and a bachelor of arts degree from Colorado College. He is a board member of the foundation involved with National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism in Washington, D.C.

Ed Casias '87
Dillon, CO
Nominations and Awards Committee
2nd Term

Ed is a first-generation college student who feels fortunate to have attended Colorado College. At CC, he was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity, the baseball team, and the Business and Economics Student Advisory Board. After graduating, he attended The Council on Legal Education Opportunities (CLEO) program at the University of Arizona College of Law before attending The Ohio State University College of Law. Upon graduation and passing the Colorado Bar exam, he worked for a civil law firm in Denver, then as a prosecutor in the 4th, 9th, and 5th Judicial District Attorney's Offices. Along the way, he was lucky enough to meet his wife and start a family. They have two boys and feel blessed to enjoy the Colorado mountain lifestyle. Since 2000 he has been a Summit County Court judge. He is a trustee on The Summit Foundation Board, a policy council member for Summit County Head Start, treasurer for the Summit Lake Dillon Optimist club, and a lacrosse coach for the Summit Stix lacrosse program. He assists CC by locating highly qualified students from non-traditional backgrounds and from rural areas of Colorado.

Lisa Hartwell Gardner '90  P'19
Minneapolis, MN
Engagement Committee
1st Term

Lisa grew up hearing about Colorado College from her father, Ken Hartwell ’61 and Uncle Ron Hartwell ’52, who both played hockey for CC. Lisa met and fell in love with her husband, Anj Gardner ’89, while at CC. She was active in her sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, and graduated in 1990 with a degree in theater. After living and working in Boulder, Salt Lake City, and Dallas, they decided to raise their family in Minnesota, where Lisa is from, and have enjoyed living in Edina the past 22 years.

Lisa has been involved in many volunteer opportunities, including 22 years with the Junior League of Minneapolis, Edina Public Schools, and Colonial Church of Edina. Her passions include working out, boating, water and snow skiing, and traveling.

She is proud of her three children, Zach, Emily '19, and Abby. It is very special to have a third generation Tiger (Emily) in the family.

Patrick Gorman '87 P'21
Bethesda, MD
Governance Committee
2nd Term

Patrick Gorman graduated from CC in 1987 with a major in political science and at least a minor in good times. He held executive positions at the Beta House, hosted and participated in campus symposia, and eagerly engaged in community service.

He graduated from the Catholic University School of Law in Washington, D.C. in 1991 and continued in community service, developing welfare-to-work opportunities at public housing authorities across the country. In 1999, he founded Gorman & Associates, a public and private sector business development firm in Washington, D.C. Patrick founded the Gunsinger Group, Inc., a Montana-based minerals extraction company focused on restarting operations at historic, former-producing gold mines. Patrick has two boys, Michael (17) and William (15), and lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with his brilliant wife, Abigail.

Meghan Groome '00
Brooklyn, NY
Alumni Student Engagement Committee
3rd Term

Meghan Groome is executive director of education at the New York Academy of Sciences where she created and oversees primary school through early stage faculty education programs. She is an adjunct assistant professor at SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry and the principal investigator and co-investigator on several National Science Foundation grants. Meghan was a consultant to the American Museum of Natural History. While at AMNH, she worked on special projects in the government relations and education departments. Prior, she was a senior policy analyst with the National Governors Association and worked on Gov. Janet Napolitano's Innovation America initiative and co-authored Building a STEM Agenda. At CC, she majored in biology and theater. She earned a Ph.D. .in science education at Teachers College Columbia University and is a certified science teacher.

Alison Henry '99
San Francisco, CA
Alumni Student Engagement Committee
3rd Term

Alison moved to NYC post-graduation to work for the now-defunct Bear Stearns. After five and a half years on the treadmill, she took six months off to travel to South Africa and Brazil, after which she took another job in finance in San Francisco. She married a CC grad Joseph Custodio ’98, whom she did not know while at CC. They met at a young alumni happy hour while he was attending grad school at UCSF. They now have a 1-year-old son Rye who was named after the bar, Rye, where they met. CC has an active community in San Francisco, and she feels very proud to be the primary organizer. Please join the SF FB group w/ 330 members: Colorado College Alumni in the San Francisco Bay Area.

David Hughes '76, P'09
Highland Park, IL
Alumni Student Engagement Committee
3rd Term

David Hughes graduated from Colorado College in 1976 with a political science degree and was a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. He went on to earn a M.B.A. at Harvard University. David possesses a variety of experiences dating back to his first position out of Harvard as a manager of multiple business units at 3M. He was director of product development, vice president of sales and marketing, and president and CEO for a handful of companies. Alongside his professional successes, David has been a volunteer for Colorado College serving in many important roles throughout his time on the Alumni Association Council. David and his wife Denise call Highland Park, Illinois, home and are great contacts for the Chicago area.

Sarah Lee Winstead '08
San Francisco, CA
Alumni Student Engagement Committee
1st Term

Sarah brings a rich and varied background to her volunteer work, including skills and experience in relationship cultivation, project management, editorial writing, and event planning/execution.

After studying theater at CC, Sarah earned a M.S. in marriage and family therapy from Northwestern University and spent several years at a nonprofit psychotherapy practice in Oakland. In 2012, Sarah launched a Bay Area-focused fashion blog before becoming an editor at 7x7 Magazine. Sarah works at Grow Marketing, an experiential/events marketing agency in North Beach.

Sarah serves as social media and events chair for ArtPoint, a young professional arm of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. She is a board member of Haight Ashbury Psychological Services, and had hosted fundraisers for Friends of the San Francisco Public Library.

When not working or volunteering, Sarah takes advantage of all that the Bay Area has to offer, whether it's hiking in Point Reyes, swimming in the bay, or visiting family. Sarah lives with her husband James and a large collection of Stephen King novels.

Alan Luzietti '92
Denver, CO
Governance Committee
3rd Term

Alan Luzietti earned a degree in economics and had a successful career in both basketball and football at CC while being an active member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity. In 2000, Alan founded Echo Concepts, which specializes in document imaging and digital storage/retrieval. Over the years, Echo Concepts has developed into a thriving company by converting paper-based information into electronic data. Parallel to his success professionally, Alan has been an extremely active volunteer with the Alumni Association Council and other institutional programs. Alan is a great resource in the Denver Metro area.

Maria Barsallo Lynch '07
Aurora, CO
1st Term

Maria’s work has been rooted in seeking systemic change for challenging social issues by leading funding and fundraising strategy in the nonprofit and political arenas. As a Fellow and Program Director at the El Pomar Foundation, Maria coordinated regional programs and served as a regional representative. Maria served as a Colorado Deputy Finance Director for U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet.

After consulting for Colorado College, where she coordinated a nationwide alumni re-engagement initiative, Maria joined The Knowledge is Power Program Colorado Schools’ team, serving as director of development.

Inspired by her family’s humble roots and her experiences as a Panamanian immigrant to the U.S., Maria founded and leads DESDE, a social enterprise that empowers marginalized Latin American artisans by providing them market access and the tools to navigate it. She is an alumna of the International DO School Fellowship and a NextGen Leader for the international FRED Leadership Forum.

She holds a B.A. in political science and history from Colorado College. Maria lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband Dermot.

Eric Mellum '90
Minneapolis, MN
Nominations and Awards Committee

Eric Mellum graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics. Eric started his career as a system engineer for EDS Corporation. He spent four years with EDS and then Deloitte. Today, Eric owns a business intelligence and information management consulting firm in the Minneapolis area where he lives with his wife Jennifer. He has been performing with The Minnesota Opera since 1998. Eric loves international travel and also playing soccer and hockey. Eric has been a volunteer for the Alumni Association for many years. If you are in the Twin Cities, you can reach out to Eric to get acclimated with the town.

Tara Moncure '08
Venice, CA
Alumni Student Engagement Committee
1st Term

Tara is a Los Angeles based creative, working as an integrated producer and voice artist. After CC, Tara returned home to New York to study Meisner at William Esper Studio. Before relocating to Los Angeles in 2016, she worked extensively on camera and on stage as talent and production lead. Today, she divides her time between producing for a global brand team and voicing characters for animation and radio.

Tara has stayed close to CC, working alongside fellow alumni ambassadors to curate events celebrating New York alumni. She is excited to serve as member of the CC Alumni Association Council, strengthening the college’s presence in Southern California and connecting current students to careers in the arts.

Judy Reid '65, P'02
Boulder, CO
2nd Term

Judy Reid received her degree in romance languages. She was a member of the Alpha Phi sorority, a class officer, and was on the Colorado College Honor Council. Judy and her husband Richard Collins live in Boulder and have been active supporters of many Boulder initiatives. Judy co-chaired the Mapleton School Centennial Committee and supported the Boulder County Arts Alliance, which acts as a catalyst to incubate, stimulate, and sustain a thriving arts community in Boulder County. Judy is a member of the Alumni Association Council and is eager to connect with alumni along the Front Range.

Mark Schlessman '74
Poughkeepsie, NY
1st Term

Mark Schlessman is a member of CC’s centennial class of 1974, the class that arrived with the Block Plan. At CC he sang in the college choir, participated in Mountain Club, worked for the SAGA food service, and figured out how to major in biology while his professors figured out how to teach on the Block Plan. After graduation, he earned M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in botany from the University of Washington, and then joined the faculty of Vassar College, where he has taught for 37 years. He credits his time at CC for instilling his lifelong commitment to liberal arts education.

Mark volunteers at First Congregational Church, where he has sung in the choir, served as deacon and trustee, co-chaired a pastoral search committee, spearheaded becoming an open and affirming congregation, and established an annual evolution Sunday. As chair of the board of the Poughkeepsie Farm Project, he has overseen extensive growth and development.

Mark’s first wife, Joy Baisinger ’73, died in 1984. Currently he has homes in Poughkeepsie and in Albany, where his wife Laura Graceffa is Head of the Robert C. Parker School. Mark part-time teaches under Vassar’s phased retirement program.

Jill Tiefenthaler
President of the College

Mark Hille
Vice President for Advancement

Tiffany Kelly
Director of Alumni and Family Relations