COLORADO SUCCEEDS - Key Persons
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- Director of Digital Aviation Implementation, Jeppesen, a Boeing Company
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- Senior Business Analyst, Janus Henderson Investors
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- Director of Corporate Social Responsibility, Delta Dental of Colorado
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- Senior Vice President, BOK Financial
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- Principal & President, Syntrinsic Investment Counsel
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- Retired Vice President of Government Affairs
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- Business Development Manager, Mortenson
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- Principal Consultant, Public Sector & Community Impact Lead, Slalom
Amadou Dieng is a Communications Manager at Colorado Succeeds, where he supports the organization's policy and advocacy, membership, and philanthropy initiatives. Amadou is passionate about storytelling that amplifies diverse perspectives leading to better understanding and more efficient and equitable resources and opportunities.
Prior to Colorado Succeeds, Amadou served as Media Strategist for African Leadership Group helping strengthen the organization's reputation managing internal, external and digital communications. A native of Senegal, Amadou Dieng migrated to the U.S. in 2015. He now lives in Denver and is pursuing a Bachelor's degree in International Studies from the University of Colorado, Denver.
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- Colorado Market Economic Opportunity Lead, Kaiser Permanente
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- Vice President of Corporate Relations
Ashley Andersen is the Vice President of Corporate Relations at Colorado Succeeds, where she oversees business member engagement and activation, leveraging their interests and passions to improve outcomes for learners. Ashley is passionate about creating meaningful connections with others and is authentic in her approach in building corporate champions for education.
Prior to Colorado Succeeds, Ashley served as Senior Director of Development for Denver Kids, Inc., where she helped to build a strong base of community supporters and investors for underserved youth inside Denver Public Schools. She attended undergrad and graduate school at the University of Dayton and is an alumna of the Institute for Leaders in Development at the University of Denver. She currently lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband and two children.
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- Rural Empowerment Programs Manager, Pax8
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- Senior Manager of Strategic Partnerships
Ben Gerig is the Senior Manager of Strategic Partnerships at Colorado Succeeds, where he oversees key partnerships and special projects aligning employer's workforce needs with statewide education initiatives and career connected learning development.
Prior to Colorado Succeeds, Ben supported thousands of high school Concurrent Enrollment students at Arapahoe Community College, worked as a Student Success Advisor for the Harvard Business Analytics Program and served as a Marketing Specialist at the University of Denver.
Ben graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a master's degree in Journalism & Mass Communication. He lives in Englewood with his wife and son.
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- Chief Executive Officer
- Founder
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- Director of Corporate Development
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- Senior Advisor, Sustainability & Communications, Suncor Energy
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- Director of Business Development, Eide Bailly
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- Chief Financial Officer, Summit Materials
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- Independent Strategy Consultant and President
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- President, US Engineering
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- Community Relationship Manager for Southern Colorado, Colorado Housing & Finance Authority
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- Vice President and Chief Disruptor
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- Chief Executive Officer
- Co - Founder
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- Executive Vice President of Business Development
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- Community Relationship Manager, Colorado Housing and Finance Authority
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- SVP Empowerment Programs, Pax8
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- Vice President of Sales, Marketing, & Business Development
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- Associate, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
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- Senior Manager AIR, Kaiser Permanente
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- Client Service Manager, First Western Trust
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- Vice President of Communications & Public Affairs
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- Vice President of Client & Community Relations, PNC Bank
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- Portfolio Manager, Johnson Financial Group
Erin Kerr is a Communications Manager at Colorado Succeeds, where she supports the Homegrown Talent Initiative in sharing the stories and learnings from eight rural school districts in Colorado as they develop and expand work-based learning opportunities based on community strengths and student interest. Erin is passionate about authentic storytelling that helps build school and community partnerships and increase collaboration across a variety of industries and interests.
Prior to Colorado Succeeds, Erin was a Fellow with El Pomar Foundation in Colorado Springs where she managed internal and external communications, and supported grantmaking related to military affairs, outdoor recreation, and conservation in the Pikes Peak Region, strategic planning, and place-based impact grants throughout the state. She earned her bachelor's degree in Geography and Political Science from the University of Vermont but now calls Denver, Colorado home.
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- Vice President, Bank of the West
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- Director of Insurance, AAA of Colorado
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- Vice President, Office of the CEO, Liberty Globa
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- Director of Community Outreach, Alpine Bank
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- Partner, Davis Graham & Stubbs
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- Director, Vectra Wealth Management & Senior Vice President, Vectra Bank
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- Financial Advisor, Raymond James
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- Category Vice President, Otter Products
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- President, WellBiz Brands
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- Director, Marketing and Community Relations, Colorado Housing and Finance Authority
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- Community & Sustainability Specialist, Ball Corporation
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- Chief Executive Officer
- President
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- Director of Public Sector
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- Senior Project Manager, JE Dunn Construction
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- Principal - Charter School Practice Leader, EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants
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- Director of Talent Acquisition & Workforce Strategy, Lockheed Martin
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- Chief Operating Officer
- Co - Owner
- Executive Vice President
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- Sales Director, CollegeInvest
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- Apprenticeship Program Lead, Pinnacol Assurance
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- Chief Development Officer, Weifield Group
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- Chief Marketing Officer, Eide Bailly
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- Senior Project Manager, JE Dunn
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- Manager of Community Affairs, MolsonCoors
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- Vice President of Government Affairs
Kelly Caufield is the Vice President of Government Affairs at Colorado Succeeds, where she oversees the policy agenda, government affairs, and advocacy strategy. In this role she helps to lead statewide coalition building efforts that bring diverse business, education, and community partners together in collaborative ways around a shared policy agenda. She is passionate about strengthening the business commitment to improving public education, which guides her approach in leading the Policy Committee that approves the policy agenda, examines ballot measures, and advises on other key advocacy strategies for business engagement.
Kelly brings over 15 years of policy, research, and advocacy experience to Colorado Succeeds. Prior to joining the team, she was a federal lobbyist for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), focusing on labor, workforce, and education lobbying efforts on behalf of 275,000 HR business professionals. She also worked for a U.S. Senator and U.S. Congressman in Washington, DC focusing on federal education legislation. She attended the College of William and Mary for her undergraduate degree and George Washington University for her master's degree in Public Policy. She currently lives in Denver with her husband and two sons.
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- Community Relations and Employee Engagement Manager, Lockheed Martin
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- Director of Community Relations
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- Chairman
- Chief Executive Officer
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- Community Investor - Oklahoma, Colorado & Utah, Boeing
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- Vice President of Community Development, McWhinney
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- Manager of Strategic Community Development, Climax Molybdenum
Larry Blackshear is a Policy Analyst at Colorado Succeeds, where he supports the organization in both advocacy and policy pertaining to K-12, higher education, and early childhood education. Larry is passionate about augmenting educational equity for all Colorado students and mitigating student learning loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which guides his approach to unpacking the mechanisms of policy concepts that promote student success.
Prior to Colorado Succeeds, Larry worked with both Senator James Coleman, as well as Representative Bri Buentello in previous legislative sessions to advocate for the voices of all Colorado students, an effort he is passionate about continuing in our organization as well.
Previously attending CSU-Pueblo, Larry is a transfer student at the University of Colorado Denver, and is finishing his Bachelors degree in Political Science. He loves playing chess, learning new languages, and enjoying Colorado nature.
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- Director of Community Relations, 9NEWS
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- Executive Director, OtterCares Foundation
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- Director of Strategic Partnerships
Madison Knapp is the Director of Strategic Partnerships at Colorado Succeeds, overseeing key partnerships and special projects such as the Homegrown Talent Initiative. Madison tenaciously translates innovative ideas into impactful strategies to help ensure all of Colorado's kids have high-quality learning experiences. Her expertise in grant writing, project management, and stakeholder engagement support the entire organization in achieving its mission.
Madison has served Colorado Succeeds since 2017. Prior to that, she supported the development team at PACER Center, an information and advocacy nonprofit serving children and youth with disabilities and their families, as well as the national bullying prevention center. She managed grant writing, donor relations, and numerous fundraising events annually.
Madison holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and master's degrees in business administration and nonprofit management from Hamline University in St. Paul, MN. While born in Colorado, Madison grew up in Minnesota, and currently resides in southwest Littleton.
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- Chief People Officer, Ibotta
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- Principal, Slifer & Smith Frampton Real Estate
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- Apprenticeship Program Manager, Pinnacol Assurance
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- Director of Partnerships, Midwest USA, Defined Learning, LLC
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- Associate General Counsel and Compliance Director, Delta Dental of Colorado
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- Senior Manager of Community Relations, Liberty Global
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- District HRPD Manager, PCL Construction
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- Director of Investment Management, Sage Hospitality
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- Executive Vice President, Lockton
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- Chief Executive Officer
- President
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- Director, Large Group Sales, Kaiser Permanente
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- Manager of DEI Programs, Pax8
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- Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs Manager, IBM
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- Chairman
- Chief Executive Officer
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- Vice President of Corporate Communications, IMA Financial Group
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- District Manager, PCL Construction
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- President
- President of Colorado Succeeds and Has Been
Scott Laband is the president of Colorado Succeeds and has been with the organization since 2010. He is passionate about creating relevant and valuable educational experiences for young people through policy, practice, and philanthropy. He is on a mission to unlock opportunity for all young people and make Colorado the best place in America to raise a child and grow a business.
Prior to Colorado Succeeds, Scott worked as the Legislative Director for Colorado Senator Mike Johnston, where he oversaw the policy agenda and served as the point person for both internal strategy negotiations with other Colorado state legislators and external relations and coalition-building with advocates and interest groups.
Scott began his career in business as an Associate at HVS International, where he provided asset valuation and investment consulting for commercial real estate developer and at Qdoba Restaurant Corporation, where he led marketing and branding campaigns nationwide. He is a founding board member of Rocky Mountain Prep, a charter management organization with three high-performing public schools in Denver and Aurora.
Scott graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a degree in Business Administration, and earned a master's degree in Education, Leadership, and Organizational Change from the University of Denver. Scott lives in Lakewood with his wife and three children.
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- Director of Government Relations, Kaiser Permanente
Shannon is Chief of Staff at Colorado Succeeds where she works closely with the President and the Board of Directors on the strategic priorities of the organization. In her role, she oversees the communications, advocacy, and program implementation teams. She considers herself lucky to be air traffic controller, cheerleader, and trail guide for Colorado Succeeds. Most days she just gets to work with really smart people. Shannon is passionate about educational equity and advancing opportunities for all young people in Colorado to experience an education that helps them unlock and live out their potential.
Prior to Colorado Succeeds, Shannon worked at the US Department of Education on federal policy and program implementation. She's worked in the private sector in public affairs and public relations in Los Angeles and Washington, DC. She began her career as a Teach For America corps member teaching high school in Las Vegas.
Shannon has a master's degree in Secondary Education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, a master's degree in Strategic Communication from the University of Southern California, and a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Davis. She lives in Denver with her husband, Jamie, an educator for 18 years, and their two boys, Harry and Max.
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- Director of Talent Management, Air Communities
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- Director of Investor Relations, Griffis / Blessing
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- Banking Advisor, PNC Bank
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- Director of Marketing, First Western Trust
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- Chief Financial Officer
- Vice President
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- CFO and Partner, Martines Palmeiro Construction
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- Senior Director of Programs & Grants, OtterCares
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- Chairman & Chief Executive Officer / US Engineering
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- State Government Affairs Manager, Xcel Energy