Speakers & Trainers

Introducing Tekla Miller, Keynote Speaker

Tekla Dennison Miller is a former warden who managed two prisons simultaneously (a men’s maximum and a multi-level women’s facility) outside Detroit, Michigan. Her published memoir, The Warden Wore Pink, Biddle Publishing, is about her 20-year career in corrections. A second memoir released January 2003, A Bowl of Cherries, is about her childhood in Central New York and California.

Ms. Miller taught children in South Central Los Angeles after the 1965 riots, worked with mentally challenged enlisted men while employed with the US Special Services in Germany, was the first female probation officer in Oakland County, Michigan, and the supervisor of the first prison camp for women in Michigan. Ms. Miller is a social activist, writer and national speaker focusing on women’s issues and criminal justice reform. She has had several nonfiction articles published in these areas.

Ms. Miller was among the women in law enforcement and criminal justice honored by the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame in 1997. In 2001, the Criminal Justice Women of Michigan again honored Ms. Miller with the Josephine Davis Community Service Award. In 2004, Ms. Miller received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Cazenovia College, New York. In May 2007, she was the commencement speaker at Cazenovia College and received an honorary doctorate of humanities degree.

Ms. Miller is a member of the American Correctional Association’s Women in Corrections and Juvenile Justice, Association of Women Executives in Corrections, North American Association of Wardens and Superintendents, American Correctional Association, Association of American University Women, the Women’s Resource Center of Durango, League of Women Voters, Sisters in Crime, and Southwest Writers’ Association. She is a past member of the La Plata County Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee and Jail Task Force. She also was past president and member of the Southwest Youth Corps Board of Directors.

Ms. Miller received her associate’s degree from Cazenovia College, her bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Los Angeles and her master’s degree from Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan.

Panelists, Speakers and Trainers

Jack Alexander. Jack is in his eighth year as President of the Helen K. and Arthur E. Johnson Foundation. Previously, Jack served as Vice President for Development at the Colorado Symphony, and for 35 years served with private, medium sized colleges and universities, generally as chief development officer. These institutions included Regis University, Loyola Marymount University, Cornell College, DePaul University, and Jacksonville University. He also operated a development and public relations consulting firm for a number of years. Jack has served as president of the Colorado Association of Funders and as president of the Colorado Association of Fund Raisers. He is married to Sally and parents of two grown children and seven grandchildren.

Paulette Church. Paulette Church has been active in collaborative efforts with agencies and non-profits since she joined the Durango Adult Education Center (DAEC) in 1999.  DAEC is one of 12 nonprofits that have partnered with the La Plata County Department of Human Services to serve Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF).   In 2001, Paulette brought together several community organizations that formed the La Plata Unity Coalition and were awarded a three-year grant from The Colorado Trust to support immigrants and refugees with health, mental health, and educational services.  A larger collaboration,  the La Plata Unity Project was formed under DAEC in 2007 and awarded a four-year grant from The Colorado Trust to help immigrants integrate into their new community.  In 2009, DAEC brought together two adult education centers and a family center through a grant from the Colorado Department of Human Services to provide courses in three counties and on two reservations for financial literacy, professional business skills, and advanced computer skills.  Paulette has presented on this topic at the state, regional, and national level.

Bob Dawes. Bob Dawes is a partner in the Durango law firm of Dawes and Harriss, P.C. He has been a resident of Durango since 1975. He was a Judge of the Durango Municipal Court and also served on the Durango 9-R School Board. Most recently he was a board member and volunteer with the Durango Discovery Museum project and served two years as board president. He is taken seminars in non-profit legal issues and is available to provide legal advice to local non-profits and board members concerning issues specific to non-profits.

Sarah Fischler. For more than 10 years, Sarah has worked with nonprofit organizations in a variety of roles, including multiple senior staff positions, and as a board member, volunteer, consultant, and grantmaker.  During her time with CRC, Sarah has served as Director of Consulting, Director of Organizational Development Services (consulting, training, and Rural Philanthropy Days), and as Interim Co-Director.  Before coming to CRC, Sarah served as the Director of Grantmaking and Mission Initiatives for the Denver Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure where she oversaw the distribution of nearly $10 million in funding. Sarah has co-chaired the Colorado Common Grant Application Revision Drafting Committee, chaired the Colorado Common Grant Application Revision Drafting Committee, and is a Board President of the Denver Young Nonprofit Professionals Network.  Sarah also initiated and served as the co-director of the Weathering the Storm project, a collaborative effort between CRC and the Colorado Nonprofit Association that received coverage on Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, ABCNews.com, and in the Chronicle of Philanthropy.  Sarah graduated from the University of Colorado with a bachelor of arts in history (summa cum laude), a bachelor of science in business administration (cum laude), and a master’s degree in public administration.  Sarah was the recipient of the Outstanding Student Award for her graduate thesis, A Capacity Building Needs Assessment for Colorado. 

Lisa Flores. Lisa is Senior Program Officer at the Gates Family Foundation, where she reviews capital grant proposals for small and large projects throughout the state of Colorado. Previously, she served as senior staff to Denver’s Mayor Hickenlooper. Earlier in her career (when she had more energy than experience), she served as executive director and raised operating and capital funds for the Denver Inner City Parish, a multigenerational community center. Flores received her Master’s in Nonprofit Management at Regis University and is an alumni trainer for the Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training.

Crystal Harris. Crystal Harris has lived in Durango for 12 years. Crystal currently works at the La Plata Unity Project and Del Alma (Durango Education Alliance for Multi-Cultural Achievement). She works directly with youth, family and community to bridge the gaps between needs and services, including program development. She helps youth in developing their self-identity through a multi-cultural curriculum and conducts outreach to the community by marketing the benefits of immigrant integration. She has her Masters in Social Work and has much experience and education regarding services in the Durango area.

Dan Harris. Daniel P. Harris advises nonprofit organizations in the areas of governance, management, and fundraising. He also advises families on accomplishing their philanthropic objectives through the creation and management of private foundations, charitable trusts, and other charitable planning strategies.   Prior to joining Wells Fargo in 2006, Dan was director of gift planning for Denver’s Community First Foundation, a position he held for five years.  Dan has over 19 years of financial markets experience, including positions in the United States, Japan, and Germany.  Dan holds a BA from McGill University in Montreal and an MBA in finance from The University of Texas.   Dan is a volunteer with a number of professional organizations including the Colorado Planned Giving Roundtable where he was President in 2007. He is also a member of the national Partnership for Philanthropic Planning.  Dan has served on the boards of many nonprofit organizations in Colorado. Current board memberships include those of the Metro Community Provider Network, the Dominican Sisters Home Health Agency, and the American Lung Association in Colorado.   Dan is a frequent speaker on gift planning and philanthropy.

Carol Hedges. Carol Hedges is a Fiscal Analyst at the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute, a project of the Colorado Center on Law and Policy.  She focuses her efforts on the effects of the TABOR amendment and is organizing grassroots efforts to understand and reform the tax and budget system in Colorado.  Carol is the primary author of Aiming for the Middle, Benchmarks for Colorado’s Future and The Bell Policy Center’s Ten Years of TABOR: A Study of Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights.  Carol’s employment history includes time as the policy director for Governor Romer in Colorado and Governor Carlin in Kansas.  She also spent six years working, in various capacities, for the National Governors’ Association in Washington DC.

Steve Linn. Steve Linn is recognized as the founder and creator of BuzzTown.com, a local social network and Internet directory. Steve’s forte is Internet business development, creating profitable business models for Internet entities. Steve currently manages BuzzTown sales & operations in Colorado & New Mexico while implementing new websites such as durangomenu.com and consulting with businesses and non‐profits on developing successful websites. In addition to his role at BuzzTown, Steve also serves as a professor of BuzzTown University, offering Internet marketing classes for local businesses. Steve has been a resident of Durango for 9 years. During his free time, you can find him fly‐fishing on one of the many area rivers.

Tom Kaesemeyer. Tom is Executive Director of the Gates Family Foundation, a position he has held since 1997. He was head of Kent Denver School from 1989 to 1997. Previous to his position at Kent Denver School, Tom was Headmaster (1978-1989), Curriculum Committee Chair and Instructor (1976-1978), and Director of Development (1970-1976) at Westtown School in Pennsylvania. Tom is a board member for Denver School of Science and Technology, Common Good Colorado and Colorado Association of Funders. He received his Bachelors of Arts in U.S. History from Lehigh University in 1965 and his M.A. in Latin American Studies from the University of Washington in 1970. Tom was also a Peace Corps Volunteer in Peru for two years.

Katie Kramer. Katie serves as Vice President & Assistant Executive Director of the Boettcher Foundation. In this role, she has come full-circle in her relationship with Colorado’s most prestigious merit-based, full-ride scholarship award. Her selection as a Boettcher Scholar in 1993 supported her decision to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder, where she was a President's Leadership Scholar and graduated with honors in her triple major of Leadership Studies, Organizational Management and Human Resources Management. Kramer served as the Boettcher Foundation’s Director of the Scholarship Program for five years prior to assuming her current role where she is responsible for all operational aspects of a $250M private family foundation, including the administration of $12M annually awarded in grants and scholarships in the State of Colorado. Her extensive knowledge on issues relating to access to higher education, merit-based scholarships, capital campaign funding, and the nonprofit sector, makes Kramer a frequent conference presenter and expert panelist in local, regional and national venues.

Tim Kroes.  Tim has been the Executive Director for the Adaptive Sports Association in Durango for the past 11 years.  Prior to his role as ED, Tim was the organization’s Program Director running the non-profit’s daily operations at Durango Mountain Resort.  The Adaptive Sports Association depends heavily on community volunteers for most aspects of its programming.  More than 200 volunteers annually contribute over 16,000 hours to ASA.  Over 80% of the organization’s sports lessons for individuals with disabilities are taught by volunteers.

Susan Lander.   Born in Columbia, South America, Susan is a leader in the Durango area nonprofit community. She served as Executive Director of the Women’s Resource Center for six and a half years, overseeing tremendous growth in membership, operating budget, and new programs. Susan was also the recipient of the 1997 El Pomar Awards in Excellence Award, Human Service, Self-Sufficiency and as well as the Outstanding Contribution to the Community 1998 Award by Durango Area Chamber and Resort Association.  Susan is presently the Executive Director of Music in the Mountains (MITM). Under her leadership, the Music in the Mountains budget has increased and concert attendance has doubled. MITM presents a year-round educational program, MITM Goes to Schools, a Conservatory summer camp program, and a classical music festival – presenting more than 40 concerts, in eleven venues over a three-week period, with concerts being held at Fort Lewis College, Durango Mountain Resort, Pagosa Springs, Kirtland, New Mexico and other venues.  In 2005 MITM was awarded the El Pomar Awards in Excellence, Arts and Culture.  In January 2008 they were awarded the Outstanding Contribution to the Community by the Durango Chamber of Commerce.

Rebecca Larson. Rebecca Larson is a Regional Prevention Consultant with OMNI Institute. Ms. Larson lives in Dolores and covers eleven counties in southwest Colorado. She has been working in the field of prevention for more than ten years including direct service with adolescents, coalition coordination, and infrastructure development. Ms. Larson works closely with providers in her region addressing their prevention needs in a community-friendly manner.

Julie Lerudis. Julie is the Director of the Grants Program at the Boettcher Foundation in Denver and is also a certified public accountant. She began her career with PricewaterhouseCoopers and has more than 16 years experience in project management and accounting in the nonprofit, healthcare, and real estate sectors. Prior to joining the Boettcher Foundation, Julie was an auditor at Kundinger, Corder & Engle, P.C. in Denver, which specializes in nonprofit accounting.

Sarah Macy. In 1999, Sarah Macy moved to Durango from North Carolina, where she had received a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Cultural Anthropology from Appalachian State University. She received her teacher licensure from Fort Lewis College in 2002, with a focus on linguistically diverse education. Since moving to Durango, she has worked in both her personal and professional life to unite her community and ensure equal opportunities for all its residents. She has been working at the Durango Adult Education Center since 2003 as the coordinator of the ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) program. Sarah has been on the Advisory Board of the La Plata Unity Project since 2006, working to promote intercultural understanding among all the diverse members of La Plata County and recently became a trained Code Red facilitator.

Chuck McAfee. Chuck McAfee, a Montezuma County native, retired from Hewlett-Packard after working 32 years in the company’s Northern Colorado branch as an electrical engineer. He and his wife, MB, returned to his family home in Lewis, Colorado, in 1998. He is a 1958 graduate of Cortez High School and attended the University Colorado and Stanford University to become an electrical engineer. In his retirement, Mr. McAfee is involved in a number of non-profit organizations that serve our communities. He is a member of the Southwest Regional Council of El Pomar Foundation, which has funded the Regional Substance Abuse Prevention Program (RSAPP). In that role he has provided administrative assistance to RSAPP. Chuck also co-chairs the Southwest Rural Philanthropy Days Steering Committee.

Mandy Mikulencak. Mandy Mikulencak is a communications specialist with Goodwill Industries International, the sixth largest nonprofit in the U.S., and owner of MLM Communications, a strategic marketing and communications firm. Previously, she served as executive director of the Women's Resource Center in Durango, publishing director for the American Nurses Association in Washington, DC, and publications manager at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. Mikulencak began her career as a journalist and magazine writer 22 years ago.

Jennie Miller. Jennie Miller is from Great Britain and started her career with a degree in hotel management. After graduation, she joined the Royal Navy and became a British Naval intelligence officer. Jennie has worked for two university student unions, the University of London and the University of Sydney in Australia, and she has also worked in the oil and gas industry. After completing a second undergraduate degree at the University of Colorado, she worked for a big four accounting company and an accounting firm whose clients are solely in the nonprofit sector. She has worked for Energy Outreach Colorado since 1998 and was originally the organization’s controller while doing program management, as well. Jennie now oversees the home energy assistance program.

Carol Nickell. Carol Nickell joined CRC as the Executive Director in January of 2010. Ms. Nickell’s career includes over 20 years as a Program and Executive Director in the nonprofit sector, 14 years in the for-profit sector and 4 years managing government social service programs and projects. She is a proven leader, as well as an experienced manager. She also has extensive program design and implementation experience, and has successfully implemented social services projects both at the local and state levels. Ms. Nickell has a B.A. in Public Administration from California State University, San Bernardino. She has one son who lives in Florida and she resides in Boulder Colorado with her 6 year old border collie Shiloh and her 26 year old Arabian horse Shah.

Marty Palecki. Marty Palecki is a founding partner/principal of ByDesign, a business consulting and coaching firm. Ms. Palecki has comprehensive senior management experience in all aspects of Human Resources consulting, change management, resource development and strategic planning. Her versatile background of 25+ years in Human Resources is inclusive of non-profit healthcare, rapid growth high technology start-ups, corporate turnarounds, and merger and acquisitions activity. Her employers ranged from family ownership to Fortune 500 companies. Ms. Palecki studied Psychology and Sociology at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. She is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources Management. In addition, she has conducted courses in Strategic Consulting and Coaching (in the Human Resource Leadership program) and Effective Management Principles at the UCSD Extension.

Grisela Picasso. Grisela Picasso was born in Cortez, Colorado. Her parents immigrated to the United States from Jalisco, Mexico in the 1980s. The first of her family to graduate from college, she did so in 2004 with a BA in Sociology from Fort Lewis College. She currently resides in Durango, where she is raising a family. She works for the La Plata Unity Project, a collaborative that works towards creating a community where diversity is celebrated and all people can reach their potential.

Lauren Price.  Lauren has served the Colorado nonprofit sector in many roles: grantmaker, grantwriter, program director, board member, and volunteer. A strong advocate for small and rural communities, she has traveled to 59 of Colorado's 64 counties. Lauren directs CRC’s Rural Philanthropy Days program; she also works with clients and trains across the state in board governance, grants and reporting, donor development, and fund planning to build their sustainability and increase their mission impact. Prior to joining Community Resource Center as a Consultant and Trainer, Lauren served as Campaign Manager for the Museum of Contemporary Art|Denver’s $19MM capital and endowment campaign; the campaign achieved over $3.9MM of new commitment during the year of her service. Lauren also participated in the competitive El Pomar Foundation Fellowship program. Fellows staff the Foundation’s grantmaking process and direct its statewide community outreach programs. Lauren graduated cum laude from the University of Notre Dame, with departmental honors for gender studies and theology.

Cathy O. Robbins. Cathy has an extensive background in nonprofit sector management, consulting and training. Robbins is a recognized facilitator and leader in the field of nonprofit management and has 23 years experience as a nonprofit chief executive officer. Since 1993 as an instructor at the University of Colorado, Graduate School of Public Affairs, she teaches nonprofit management curriculum. She is an Adjunct Faculty member for Community Programs for the Center of Creative Leadership. In 1991, she started the Colorado Springs Nonprofit Center. In 1996, the Chamber Foundation added two leadership initiatives, IntroSprings and the Colorado Springs Leadership Institute. In 1998, the Volunteer Center of the Pikes Peak Region joined the programs of the Chamber Foundation. In May 2003 Robbins joined the senior staff of El Pomar Foundation. She is responsible for the regional approach to grantmaking, whose purpose is to regionalize El Pomar Foundation operating programs and grant making throughout Colorado. She also oversees nonprofit leadership initiatives and expanding training and technical assistance programs in rural Colorado. Robbins has a BA in Sociology from Northern Illinois University and a Master’s in Urban Affairs from Wichita State University. She currently is on the Advisory Council for the Inasmuch Foundation, Secretary of the Board of the YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region, and Chair of the Penrose/St. Francis Health Systems Board of Trustees. In 2010 Cathy received from the Colorado Nonprofit Association the Steve Graham Award for Building Nonprofit Capacity for remarkable dedication and commitment to the quality of programs and services to the nonprofit sector as a whole.

Tim Schultz. Tim Schultz has served as President of the Boettcher Foundation since 1996.  A Colorado native, Tim is from Grand Junction and graduated from Colorado State University.  He began his career in banking and ranching.  A former Rio Blanco County Commissioner,  Tim earned his first cabinet level position in the state of Colorado when he was appointed Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture.  He then went on to serve as the Executive Director of the Department of Local Affairs for the state of Colorado.  Additionally, Tim designed a program of community development for Colorado’s small towns and served as the first Chairman of the Colorado Economic Development Commission.    As President of the Boettcher Foundation Tim continues to be deeply involved in the state of Colorado and has maintained his ties with Colorado’s rural communities as organizer of the Denver Rustlers, a group that supports young Coloradoans at the Colorado State Fair. 

Susan Steele. Executive Director of the Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation, Susan joined the foundation as controller in 1993 and was named Executive Director in 1998. During her tenure, she has helped guide the foundation to prominence as a leader in early childhood development throughout the state of Colorado. Susan received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Northern Colorado and began her career as a middle school math teacher. After several years of teaching, she moved into the business arena, serving in management and accounting positions for several family-owned businesses in Denver. Susan currently participates in numerous philanthropic activities both locally and regionally. She serves as a board member of the Colorado Association of Funders and coordinates the Early Childhood Funders Collaborative. She regularly gives informal presentations and consultations on the topics of early childhood and finance.

Michelle Sturm. Michelle has been with the Anschutz Family Foundation for eight years and is currently the senior program officer. Michelle chaired the two-year effort to revise Colorado’s Common Grant Application and served on the Common Grant Report Revision Committee. Prior to the Foundation, Michelle worked in the nonprofit sector for fifteen years in a variety of rolls including volunteer coordinator, program director, outreach director, and executive director in nonprofits focused on serving the homeless and urban poor, environmental stewardship and volunteer engagement, services for the disabled, and grassroots multi-sector community development work.

Tim Walsworth. Tim Walsworth has served as the President and CEO for United Way of Southwest Colorado since January 2003. He has over a decade of nonprofit management experience and has worked for two leading United Way’s prior to arriving in Southwest Colorado. In the past seven years, United Way of Southwest Colorado has generated $4.67 million in funding for local needs. The organization is also revamping the process it uses to invest the funds raised each year and is working to bring 2-1-1, a phone-based information and referral program, to Southwest Colorado.

Alexis Weightman. Alexis Weightman is the evaluation director at the Colorado Health Foundation. In this role, she works to implement appropriate evaluation strategies and ensure that each grant includes measurable results in support of the Foundation’s goals around health care, health coverage, and healthy living. Prior to joining the Foundation, Alexis worked for the Science and Technology Policy Institute, a federally funded research and development center based in Washington, D.C. In this capacity, she led large-scale program evaluations for the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the National Science Board. Additionally she conducted policy analyses for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Alexis holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and mathematics from Middlebury College and a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Denver.