Kyle Samuel '92
Washington, DC
President
all committees
2nd Term

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
Nominations and Awards Committee
2nd Term

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 and Student Engagement Committee Co-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 and 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
Alumni and Student Engagement Committee
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.

Bill Altman ’81, P’17
Louisville, KY
Alumni and Student Engagement Committee
1st Term

William “Bill” Altman graduated from Colorado College, where he majored in sociology. He worked closely with his advisor, Professor Margie Duncombe, to craft a specialty in aging care and policy. Following graduation he was awarded a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship to conduct an independent study on the system of care for elderly people in Scandinavia and Israel. Bill’s career has been focused on the field of aging as a lawyer, consultant, policy advisor, and for the past 23 years as chief strategy officer at Kindred Healthcare, a provider of healthcare and support services for elderly people. He retired from Kindred but remains active in health and aging policy as an advisor, board member, and consultant. He serves an executive in residence and adjunct faculty member at the University of Louisville School of Public Health. Bill is married with two children. His daughter, Alayna Altman, graduated from CC in 2017.

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.

Julia Collins ’05
Truckee, CA
Nominations and Awards Committee
1st Term

Julia graduated from Colorado College with a degree in art history, then immediately began working on the $43.4 million expansion project at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. After the successful completion of the campaign, she relocated with her husband Tom Collins ’05 to the San Francisco Bay area. Since 2008 Julia has worked in fundraising for the performing arts organization, Cal Performances, at the University of California, Berkeley, where she leads their individual giving efforts. Julia enjoys all that the mountains and lakes have to offer with her husband, Tom, and their son Booker. Julia has served on the five and 10-year reunion committees for her class and acted as a class agent, deepening engagement and encouraging giving from her friends and classmates.

Lynda Duran ’08
Commerce City, CO
Nominations and Awards Committee
1st Term

Lynda Duran is a Ph.D. student in higher education at the University of Denver, where she serves as a graduate research assistant in Campus Life and Inclusive Excellence. She is an alumna of and mentor for the Public Interest Fellowship Program. She earned a B.A. in psychology from Colorado College and a master’s in counseling psychology at the University of Colorado Denver in 2012. Her interests lie in co-curricular student learning and exploring critical systemic factors that promote or hinder student success in higher education. Lynda lives in Commerce City with her family and enjoys reading, writing, and playing poker.

Lisa Hartwell Gardner '90  P'19
Minneapolis, MN
Alumni and Student 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 and 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.

Jennifer Hoglin ’91
Park City, UT
Alumni and Student Engagement Committee
1st Term

While at CC Jen enjoyed contributing to CC Women’s Soccer history as a member of the 1987–91 teams. After graduation and with her anthropology degree in hand, she moved back to Costa Rica, where she studied abroad, to be a fourth grade school teacher. Upon return to the states, she continued on to graduate school, earning a M.B.A. from Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis. Throughout her professional career, Jen has had the fortune to work in marketing, where she has traveled the world capturing voice of customer to improve products and strengthen global brands. Jen lives in Park City, Utah, with her husband, four children, and two dogs.

David Hughes '76, P'09
Highland Park, IL
Alumni and 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.

Kristin Largen ’90
Gettysburg, PA
Governance Committee
1st Term

Kristin Johnston Largen graduated from Colorado College with honors in English. After living (and running!) in Boulder, she attended Wartburg Seminary for her M.Div. degree and earned a Ph.D. in systematic theology from the Graduate Theological Union in 2002. An ordained Lutheran minister, she served a congregation in Arvada, Colorado, before taking a teaching position at Gettysburg Seminary (now United Lutheran Seminary) in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. She is a professor at the seminary and serves as associate dean of religious and spiritual life/college chaplain at Gettysburg College. Kristin is excited about building support for CC and strengthening the alumni network. She loves to travel, read, write, run half-marathons and spend time with her husband John and their Jack Russell Terrier, Henry.

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
Nominations and Awards Committee
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
Governance Committee
2nd Term

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 and 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
Nominations and Awards Committee
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
Nominations and Awards Committee
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.

Carrie Yakola ’93
Rye, NH
Alumni and Student Engagement Committee
1st Term

Carrie Wismer Yakola was a German major and music minor at CC. CC provided the foundation for her global career in international banking as she moved to Vienna, Austria, and then to Amsterdam, the Netherlands. After living overseas for 10 years, Carrie relocated to Chicago where she received a M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern. Carrie spent the past 20 years working for ABN AMRO and then Wells Fargo Bank as an executive in international treasury management. Her liberal arts foundation from CC was demonstrated by her work to pioneer a microlending program for the bank and her leadership of the diversity committee. Carrie holds leadership positions in the York Art Association, the Philanthropic Education Organization, and the Rye Education Foundation. She loves interviewing prospective CC students in her community. Carrie and her husband Doug reside in Rye, New Hampshire with their daughter Lucy. Carrie is passionate about her family, the environment, hiking, and travel.

Jill Tiefenthaler
President of the College

Mark Hille
Vice President for Advancement

Tiffany Kelly
Director of Alumni and Family Relations