President’s Advisory Council
A bold-thinking group of strategic advisors committed to guiding Colorado Mountain College to even greater heights
The Colorado Mountain College President’s Advisory Council is a national group of volunteer advisors with distinguished and diverse backgrounds. While the President’s Advisory Council has no formal authority, members are nominated and selected based on their ability to offer counsel, generate big ideas and extend influence, connections, strategic thinking, resources and passion to support the college and its president.
The council meets annually at a CMC location and occasionally by conference or video call. Periodic meetings with the CMC president may also be arranged as needed and desired.
Jim Calaway, the late Carbondale philanthropist and former CMC Foundation board member, founded the CMC President’s Advisory Council (previously called the Board of Overseers). His vision was to launch and sustain a prominent, selective and influential group of strategic advisors who care about and support CMC’s mission and to establish a thought-provoking, dynamic forum to help guide the college and advance its innovation and excellence.
Biographies
He and his wife, Leslie, have five children – four boys who live in California and a daughter currently deployed in the Middle East – and have lived in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, since semi-retiring in 2010.
Bruce has served on numerous not-for-profit boards and professional boards in Fresno, California and Steamboat Springs, including serving as chair of Valley Children’s Hospital (California) and the Fresno Art Museum. He has recently concluded his term on the Colorado Mountain College Foundation board, where he served as treasurer. CMC Steamboat’s Allbright Auditorium is named in recognition of their family support.
The Allbrights have a deep interest in U.S. and world history and enjoy fly fishing, skiing, dogs, horses, travel, philanthropy and aviation.
During his career, he participated in many Federal Reserve system activities, including being chosen to lecture to managers at the People’s Bank of China. As a member of the bank’s management committee, he interacted with many private sector directors from a wide range of industries and occupations during his career.
Enis is a graduate of the University of Nebraska and the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin. He also completed the Executive Program in Organizational Change at Stanford University. Prior to joining the Federal Reserve, he spent five years as an officer in the U.S. Army, including an assignment in Korea. In Kansas City, he served as president of Inroads, Inc., a minority development organization, and served on its national board. He also served as president of the American Institute of Banking.
Since his move to the Roaring Fork Valley, Enis has served both as president of the Aspen Glen Homeowners Association and chairman of the Aspen Glen Club. He is also a member of the Sunset Rotary Club. Enis is an admirer of Colorado Mountain College and has taken several of its noncredit courses.
Amy served as executive vice president of operations and development at the Aspen Institute from 2000-2016. Under her purview, the Aspen Institute’s assets grew from $50 million to over $250 million. She successfully oversaw a $115 million capital campaign, which generated funding for scholarships and special initiatives. She also spearheaded the revitalization and renovation of the Aspen Meadows campus.
From 1990-2000, Amy served as the city manager for Aspen, Colorado. As the chief executive officer for the city, which operates under a council/manager form of government, she was responsible for a $45 million annual budget and over 220 employees. She is credited for moving the city from a financial deficit to one of Colorado’s strongest financial municipalities. Under her leadership, the City of Aspen implemented an innovative performance-based management system that monitors the results of governmental services and rewards employees accordingly.
Amy also worked as planning director for Aspen and Pitkin County and oversaw long range planning in Santa Barbara County, California. Prior to that she worked for the Santa Barbara County Energy Division, a public/private partnership and consulted on the Coastal Plan for the City of Carmel.
She holds a degree in planning from the University of California at Santa Cruz and a master’s degree in marine policy from the University of Washington.
Amy splits her time between Jacksonville, Florida and Aspen, Colorado, with her husband, Gilchrist Baker Berg.
Kathy believes she was fortunate to have great parents, both of whom were geologists (her father a professor at Barnard College and Columbia University). Their influence gave her a lifelong appreciation for education and the planet on which we live. At Smith College, she received her Bachelor of Arts in an interdepartmental major, bacteriology/chemistry.
After college, she worked as a research assistant at both Harvard Medical School and the University of Colorado Medical Center. She loves science and has kept up with its developments. Feeling the need to broaden her perspective on the world, she entered the Iliff School of Theology (Denver) and in 2000 received a Master of Arts in theology with a concentration in women in religion. Her master’s thesis was on “Women for Social Change – Religious Perspectives on the Environment.”
Over the years, she has served on boards that complement her science and theology interests. At present, she sits on the Walking Mountains Science Center as trustee emerita and former board chair; the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens as former vice chair; the Iliff Eco-Justice Center; and the Advisory Board of the Smith College Center for Environmental, Ecological Design and Sustainability. She also sits on the Borgen Family Foundation Board, which concentrates on funding education, humanitarian and environmental entities. The Foundation has generously supported CMC’s Mountain Futures Fund and other college priorities.
Former board service includes: Rachel’s Network (board chair), a nationwide group of women philanthropists active in environmental funding and women’s empowerment (named after Rachel Carson); Colorado Chapter of The Nature Conservancy; the Eagle Valley Land Trust; and the Iliff School of Theology.
In 2018, Paul chose to significantly expand his Fast Forward Scholarship by partnering with the Colorado Mountain College Foundation. The scholarship supports residents of any age in the Roaring Fork Valley who are “new traditional” and seek to alter their lives by pursuing career and technical training in careers that require post-high school training. Since its inception, the Fast Forward Scholarship program has enabled dozens of area residents to become certified as medical assistants, nurses, auto mechanics, among other skilled trades. Paul is a member of the CMC Foundation’s Davenport Legacy Society, including the CMC Foundation in his estate plans. He recently pledged a $1.5 million gift to support the capital campaign at CMC Spring Valley.
Paul also sponsors an annual 12-day study tour to the New Orleans WWII Museum and the battlefields of Normandy, France, for a dozen high school sophomores and juniors. A Korean War veteran, he is passionate about teaching kids the history of America’s role in world affairs. The local community benefits through a requirement that the students present what they’ve learned to other classes and local groups.
She founded Houston’s 100 Women and the Texas Institute for Arts in Education, in partnership with the Lincoln Center Institute in New York City. Connie was vice chair for the 1988 Presidential Victory Fund of the Democratic National Committee. She was a delegate to the Arias Peace Process in Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala. She has served on the boards of Houston Friends of Music, Houston Grand Opera, Westminster Choir College at Ryder University and National Alliance for Arts Advocates.
A resident of Carbondale, Colorado, Connie has served as chair of the Colorado Mountain College Foundation Board and chair for River Bridge. She served on Colorado Governor Bill Owens’ Commission for Science and Technology and on the Board of Governors for Colorado State University.
In addition to providing years of support to CMC students through the Calaway Scholars program, The James C. and Connie L. Calaway Academic Building opened in 1998 on the CMC Spring Valley campus. Connie and her late husband, Jim, also are included as members of the CMC Foundation’s Davenport Legacy Society.
Terrance was part of the legislature from 2003 until being term-limited in 2011, and he was known for being a skillful dealmaker as well as a critical and respected negotiator. 5280 Magazine listed him as one of the "50 Most Influential People in Denver."
Currently, Terrance is the executive director of Unite Colorado. He also serves as a reserve police officer with Colorado’s shared law enforcement reserve.
Additionally, Terrance has been listed as a power book industry leader in law by the Denver Business Journal. He is an alumnus of the Marshall Memorial Fellowship of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Terrance serves on the board of directors for the National Western Stock Show and the Denver Area Council of the Boys Scouts of America.
Terrance is a graduate of Morehouse College, University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law, and he holds a Master of Divinity degree from the Iliff School of Theology in Denver. He is also an ordained minister in the American Baptist Churches USA and the Progressive National Baptist Church.
Pat Chlouber and her family have lived in the mountains of Leadville for over 40 years. She has a Bachelor of Science from Oklahoma Baptist University and a Master of Arts from the University of Colorado. Her professional background includes teaching as an elementary reading specialist for over 20 years, serving on the local Lake County School board for nine years and being elected to the Colorado State Board of Education from the 3rd Congressional District from 1996-2001. She was also president of these boards.
During her service on the local school board (she served as secretary, vice president and president) the community faced challenges of the mine closure and the impact of the loss of residents and school closures. She helped transform two of the school buildings that closed, one became the National Mining Museum and the other an early childhood facility.
While on the Colorado State Board of Education, Pat served as western area director of the National Association of State Boards of Education and represented the Colorado State Board of Education on the Energy/Mineral Impact Advisory Committee for the Colorado Department of Local Affairs.
In 2001-2009, she was appointed by President George W. Bush’s administration to the position of the Secretary of Education’s regional representative to six states including North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, Montana and Colorado. She served as a liaison to state boards of education as well as House and Senate education committee members and leadership including the governors of each state. Governor John Hickenlooper appointed Pat to serve on the Colorado Charter School Institute board, an alternative authorizer in eligible counties, for two terms.
In 2011, Pat was elected to the Colorado Mountain College Board of Trustees and served two terms (2011-2019). Pat was the secretary of the board of trustees for six years and chair of the legislative committee.
Governor Jared Polis invited Pat to serve on the RISE (Response Innovation and Student Equity) Education Review Committee in 2020. The funding was targeted to educational institutions across states impacted by COVID-19.
Pat is married to Ken Chlouber (State Senator, ret), co-founder of the Leadville Trail 100 race series and president of the Leadville Trail 100 Legacy Foundation. Their son, Cole, lives in Colorado working with the Lifetime Company and the race series.
Charles Cunniffe, FAIA, is the principal of Charles Cunniffe Architects. He has worked as an architect in Aspen since 1979. Cunniffe holds bachelor’s degrees in architecture, fine arts and sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design, followed by studies at Harvard Graduate School of Design, MIT and Brown University.
He was elevated to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects for recognition of his notable contributions to the advancement of the profession of architecture. Charles Cunniffe Architects was selected by Outside magazine as one of the top 100 Best Places to Work in 2017, marking the fourth consecutive year the company has made the list.
Cunniffe served on Colorado Mountain College’s board of trustees from 2013 through 2021, and has been an active college supporter for many years, including as a member of the CMC Foundation Board.
In addition to his role with CMC, Cunniffe is involved with various community affiliations, including the AIA Colorado West Board of Directors (past president). He is currently the governance chair, and is a founder, of the renowned nonprofit Jazz Aspen Snowmass; is a founding board member of the River Bridge Regional Center and currently serves on its board of directors; is a member of the Aspen Rotary-Rotary International World Service Committee; and is a founding member of the Aspen Science Council.
Additionally, he is a member of the Society of Fellows of the Aspen Institute and the Aspen Elks Lodge #224, and serves on the Small Scale Development Council of the Urban Land Institute. Cunniffe enjoys sponsoring and providing pro bono services to many programs such as The Buddy Program, Mountain Rescue Aspen, Challenge Aspen and Theatre Aspen.
An avid traveler and lifelong learner, Cunniffe has taken a number of classes at the college over the years, as well as through the American Institute of Architects. He finds great joy in piloting his own plane, skiing, playing golf and, most of all, his family.
The longtime Colorado resident, banker and community volunteer initially served on a CMC Edwards Campus Consolidation and Development Steering Committee in 2003 and later joined the CMC Foundation Board in 2004. He served as chair of the board for three years before becoming a CMC trustee. During his time serving the Foundation, Glenn was most proud being a part of Doris Dewton’s and Alexandra Yajko’s efforts to establish the HERO Scholarship at CMC Edwards – an effort which came to serve as an effective template for campus-based fundraising across the college’s footprint.
As a trustee, Glenn’s goals included helping to strengthen community members’ knowledge of and appreciation for the entire CMC district, which stretches across 12,000-square-miles of western Colorado.
He said his first exposure to the mission of the college came with his work helping to select recipients of the Alpine Bank Latino/Hispanic Scholarship. The more he got to know the college staff, the more he was impressed.
Glenn, who earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Lake Forest College in Chicago, has worked at Alpine Bank since 1988 and currently serves as chief retail officer. He enjoys skiing with his family, including his wife, Rebecca, and their two young sons.
Glenn also has devoted time as a board member for Wings Over the Rockies, the Ski and Snowboard Club Vail, the Vail Mountain School, Vail Junior Hockey, The Literacy Project, and the Vail Valley Partnership. In the warmer months, the New Hampshire native likes to bike and play golf.
Prior to CNCC, Russ served as the executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation. Preceding CDOT, he was the executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. In this role, he was a member of Great Outdoors Colorado, the Colorado Water Conservation Board and the Colorado Ground Water Commission.
Russ also served as the director of the Colorado Division of Wildlife, now known as Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Russ had previously been elected four times to the Colorado House of Representatives. The district included Moffat, Garfield, Rio Blanco, and Pitkin counties in western Colorado. In his fourth term he was elected by his peers to serve as speaker of the House. In his early career, Russ practiced law in Rifle with the law firm of Stuver & George. He was admitted to the Colorado bar in 1972 and the Montana bar in 1975. Russ is a graduate of Rifle High School, Colorado State University and Harvard Law School.
Current public service includes the governor appointed role as Director of Compact Negotiations on the Colorado Interbasin Compact Committee. Russ and his wife, Neal, reside in Rifle, Colorado.
Scott has done a range of advertising/marketing consulting, speaking and training across the country. In Colorado, he consulted on projects with the chancellor for the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Campus as well as re-branding for the University of Denver’s chancellor. He has served as an adjunct professor at CMC, teaching an advertising class in CMC’s Bachelor of Science in Business & Administration program in Glenwood Springs. His volunteer activities center on the Pre-Collegiate Mentoring Program (a partnership of CMC, CU Boulder, and the Roaring Fork School District) as a board member and mentor. He also served on the boards of the Colorado Rocky Mountain School and the Chadwick School.
Prior to Habitat, Scott had a successful career in the advertising industry as co-CEO for Saatchi & Saatchi’s flagship New York office with over 500 employees. He focused on building the culture of the organization. Scott also served on the 12-person Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide Executive Board. Prior to that, as founder of the subsidiary’s ad agency, Team One, he was instrumental in launching Lexus and in building the Lexus brand for 10 years. He was selected as “Leader of the Year” by the Los Angeles Advertising Agencies Association in 2000 and 2001. Prior to entering the advertising field, Scott taught, coached and served on the administration as head of the middle school of Greens Farms Academy in Westport, Connecticut.
Mark has also served as a trustee on the Valley View Hospital Board of Trustees from 2002 to 2010 (chairman from 2005 to 2007), education chairman of the YPO Western Area Conference in 2002, chairman of the Colorado Chapter of YPO from 2000 to 2001, and a member of the Colorado Mountain College Foundation Board from 1996 to 2001 and 2009 to 2013.
Walter is a native of New Orleans and graduated from Harvard College and Pembroke College of Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He began his career at The Sunday Times of London and then the New Orleans Times Picayune. He joined Time magazine in 1978 and served as a political correspondent, national editor and editor of digital media before becoming the magazine’s 14th editor in 1996. He became chairman and CEO of CNN in 2001, and then president and CEO of the Aspen Institute in 2003.
He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Royal Society of the Arts and the American Philosophical Society. Walter serves on the board of United Airlines, the New Orleans City Planning Commission, the New Orleans Tri-centennial Commission, Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Society of American Historians, the U.S. Defense Department Innovation Board, the Carnegie Institution for Science and My Brother’s Keeper Alliance.
Walter and his wife, Cathy, are long-time supporters of Colorado Mountain College, funding student scholarships and making various gifts to the Isaacson School of Communications, Arts and Media, which bears his name.
Ann serves on the boards of directors of many blue-chip U.S. corporations, including Michael Kors, Harman International, Host Hotels & Resorts and the Kellogg Company. She is also chairman emeritus of the board of trustees of the Aspen Institute and the RAND Corporation, and is former chairman of the board of trustees of the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village, Colorado.
Prior to joining the Aspen Institute in 1999, Cristal worked in administration at Aspen Valley Hospital, in finance at the Aspen Skiing Company and taught skiing to adults and children. A fourth-generation resident of the Roaring Fork Valley, Cristal has been a committed member of the community by serving on the board of the Aspen Hall of Fame, participating as a member of the Leadership Aspen Class of 2000 and as one of the inaugural members of the Aspen Community Foundation Spring Board. She is chair of the board of the Aspen Chamber Resort Association, serves on the Colorado Mountain College President’s Advisory Council and on the board of Aspen Journalism. In 2017, the Aspen Chamber Resort Association honored Cristal with the prestigious Molly Campbell Service Award, recognizing a commitment to service and leadership in the community.
Cristal is married to Mark Logan, principal at Cadence Brand Marketing, and they have a teenage son.
He joined Denver Film following nine years of operating his own business and political consulting firm as well as the past three years serving as managing partner of Pan American Business where he helped diverse organizations access new markets across Colorado. He has also served as a regular on-air political expert for Denver’s NBC affiliate, 9News
Earlier in his career, James was recruited by former Denver Mayors John Hickenlooper and Wellington Webb to lead and manage some of the city’s most important, complex and challenging agencies and capital projects. He served as the founding president/CEO of the nationally-recognized Denver Preschool Program, as well as project manager for the $425 million bond project to build the Denver Justice Center.
James has also served as manager for the Denver Department of Parks and Recreation, deputy director of the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade, executive director for the Agency for Human Rights and Community Relations as well as president/COO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
A lifelong volunteer and community servant, James was the first Latino elected citywide to serve a four-year role as at-large member of the Denver Public Schools Board of Education. In addition, he has received numerous honors for his service and leadership on board and committees for some of the region’s most prominent organizations, foundations and charitable causes.
The ninth of 13 children born to educators, James graduated from Denver’s East High School before going on to earn a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Notre Dame, a master’s in business administration from Arizona State University and a master’s in public policy from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.
When Tyler’s head is not in the digital ethos, his heart is grounded with his partner, Oriana, and four children on their small biodynamic farm at the base of Mt. Sopris near Carbondale, Colorado. With the help of the Waldorf School community, they are raising conscious global leaders who wonder at beauty and stand guard over truth. In addition to CMC, he advocates for these organizations: Conscious Capitalism, Blockchain, COVENTURE and Lead With Love.
Tyler is currently the CEO and chairman of SmartMedia Technologies, his newest venture, based out of Carbondale. He is an avid telemark skier, mountain biker and whitewater enthusiast and can be spotted on many of the mountains and rivers in the Aspen and Roaring Fork valleys.
Carrie and her husband, John, are proud founders of the Student Support Foundation, a national organization that inspires youth philanthropy, as well as mindSpark Learning, an organization focused on empowering educators to tackle the most challenging conditions in their schools through “Design Thinking” and other strategies.
Carrie is an internationally sought-after speaker at education advocacy forums, poverty alleviation conferences and more. Recent appearances include two TED Talks and serving as a panel member for MIT Solve events. She serves on the advisory board at sparks & honey, a cultural consultancy, and frequently presents on “The Future of Giving,” a collaborative report between sparks & honey and The Morgridge Family Foundation.
Carrie and John divide their time between Montana, Colorado and Florida. As new grandparents, they especially enjoy visiting their two adult children and their families in Denver. In their spare time, Carrie and John are avid athletes. In fact, they mountain biked across the country on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route covering 2,774 miles from Canada to Mexico in 46 days. Carrie has completed ten Ironman competitions to date and never says no to a game of tennis.
The Morgridges have been longtime donors to CMC, and the CMC Aspen Academic Building as well as Morgridge Commons in downtown Glenwood Springs bear their name as a result of their generous giving.
Gino brought his 50+ years as an architect to CMC’s latest capital project, serving as an expert advisor on the design of CMC Spring Valley’s newest buildings: the J. Robert Young Alpine Ascent Center, the Outdoor Leadership Center and Fieldhouse and the renovated Student Commons.
Gino subscribes to and believes in a philosophy of architecture, which embraces three axioms – hard work, good taste and common sense. All three must be present to create excellence of design. The same can be said about Gino’s belief in the impact of education. Besides his support of higher education at Colorado Mountain College, he volunteers as a design coach with YouthEntity, a Carbondale based organization giving high school students real-world learning experiences in the field of design.
A registered architect in Michigan and 40 other states, Gino is a registered planner in New Jersey and is certified with the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. He has received several honors from the American Institute of Architects and the Michigan Society of Architects. His firm designs professional sports stadiums, arenas, entertainment venues, institutions and commercial buildings, often integrating his buildings into carefully designed overall master plans. He earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Detroit, and studied design at the University of Michigan.
Carole chairs the Rush University Board of Governors and is a trustee of Rush University Medical Center. She co-chairs the American Business Immigration Coalition, which focuses on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The Segal Family Foundation proudly helped launch Colorado Mountain College’s first-of-its-kind Fund Sueños program to support DACA students.
Carole is on the board of Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, a trustee of Chicago Theological Seminary, and is on the board of visitors of the Judd A. And Marjorie Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University. Carole is a trustee at the Illinois Institute of Technology and on the board of the Institute of Design. She is a trustee emerita of Bates College and graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Arts in English.
Marian’s career was professional community service. Within that field, she was a recognized statewide leader who received many honors, appointments and recognitions. Marian served on numerous boards and commissions that impacted the environmental, economic and social health of the county and city. She was appointed by the governor to several of these boards and served in leadership positions on many of them.
A few examples of her service include: Mt. Sopris Soil Conservation Service Board; Big Country Resource Conservation and Development Area Board; Colorado Geological Survey Board; Minerals, Energy, and Geology Political Advisory Board; Territorial Daughters of Colorado; Colorado Justice Assistance Grant Board; Garfield County Emergency Communications Authority Board; Club 20; Colorado Air Quality Commission and Colorado Natural Hazards Mitigation Council. Marian is also a donor to various local community nonprofit organizations.
Jon was a member of the Colorado Mountain College Foundation Board from 2008 to 2014 and served as board chair from 2012 to 2015. He and his wife Connie are long-time scholarship donors and members of the CMC Foundation’s Davenport Legacy Society.
He is also active in the Roaring Fork region and serves on the Valley View Hospital Foundation Board, was past president of the Roaring Fork Water and Sanitation District, was an ambassador for the Aspen Skiing Company, and was president of the Aspen Glen Homeowners Association. He also stays involved with the University of Colorado and University of Denver. Jon is an avid skier, road biker and golfer. He regularly takes classes at CMC and enjoys interfacing with other students, faculty and staff.
Erik Weihenmayer is one of the most celebrated and accomplished athletes in the world. In 2001, he became the first blind person in history to climb Mount Everest. When he stood on the top of Carstensz Pyramid in 2008, he completed his journey to climb all of the Seven Summits – the tallest peaks on each of the seven continents.
Erik is the author of the best-selling memoir “Touch the Top of the World” which was made into a feature film. He then wrote “The Adversity Advantage” an inspirational book that shows readers how to turn everyday struggles into everyday greatness.
In September 2014, Erik and blinded Navy veteran Lonnie Bedwell kayaked the entire 277-miles of the Grand Canyon. This stretch of the Colorado River is considered one of the most formidable whitewater venues in the world.
He detailed the journey in his latest book, “No Barriers: A Blind Man’s Journey to Kayak the Grand Canyon” but it is much more than an adventure story; it illuminates how we move forward in our lives towards growth and purpose–despite the barriers that get in our way.
Erik is an internationally recognized speaker and continually seeks out new adventures, focusing his efforts on empowering people traditionally swept to the sidelines of life. He founded an organization called No Barriers, which helps people with challenges tap into the human spirit, break through barriers and contribute to the world.
Joseph A. Yob is a seasoned corporate executive. He was a member of the team that started Discover Card in 1985, progressing through the ranks. Joe retired in 2001 as executive vice president of operations for Discover Card and a member of its management committee. He is still active serving on the board of directors of the Discover Card Bank.
Having spent 30 years working for Sears and its affiliates, Dean Witter and Discover Card, he was part of the transition team in 1997 when Dean Witter and Discover Card merged with Morgan Stanley.
Joe is a former member of the Colorado Mountain College Foundation, also serving as the board chair. He was a member of the advisory board of the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona. He served on the board of CASA of the Continental Divide, a social service agency serving Summit, Eagle, Lake and Clear Creek counties, providing advocates for children who have suffered child abuse. He previously was board chair for OMNI youth services in the Chicago area, an organization that focuses on youth at risk.
Joe has been married to his spouse, Joyce, for more than 50 years. The Yobs were both born and raised in Raton, New Mexico. He attended the University of Arizona in Tucson and earned a bachelor’s degree in business. Joe and Joyce have three children and four grandchildren. Upon his retirement, the Yobs moved to Breckenridge to enjoy the mountains. They both are avid skiers and golfers and love to travel. They have recently moved full time to their home in Santa Barbara, California.
Since 2013, Dr. Carrie Besnette Hauser has served as president and CEO of Colorado Mountain College, a dual mission, public institution enrolling 15,000 students annually at 11 campuses in the central Rocky Mountains. Previous to CMC, Hauser held leadership roles at the Kauffman Foundation, Metropolitan State University of Denver and the Daniels Fund. While at Daniels, she was a loaned executive advising Denver’s mayor on a citywide college scholarship program and assisting the Metro Denver Sports Commission on an initiative to attract top-tier sporting events, including the Olympic Games. She co-chaired the 2012 Women’s Final Four.
Hauser is currently chair of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission, a member of the El Pomar Northwest Regional Council, and serves on the Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) and Vail Valley Foundation boards of directors. At the national level, she serves on the American Council on Education Board of Directors and the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank Economic Advisory Council, and is past president of the National Scholarship Providers Association (NSPA).
Hauser’s prior board service includes American Rivers, the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association, Vail Valley Partnership, Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and its foundation, Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, Metro Denver Sports Commission, American Red Cross Mile High Chapter and Visit Denver. Previous gubernatorial appointments were to the Colorado Women’s Centennial Vote Commission, Colorado’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Health Care Reform and the Colorado Commission on Higher Education. She has been recognized as the 9News Leader of the Year and one of the Fifty for the Future of Colorado.
Hauser’s background includes teaching assignments at UCLA, the University of Denver and Colorado State University. She has held research and legislative staff roles as well as positions with the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education and the University of Arizona, her undergraduate alma mater. She earned her master’s and Ph.D. degrees from UCLA and completed the Advanced Management Program at the Wharton School of Business.
An avid outdoorswoman, Hauser has climbed to the Mt. Everest base camp and has summited Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Rainier, and 56 of Colorado’s highest peaks (14ers). She held the proud title of “Swamper” while working many summers for Hatch River Expeditions in Grand Canyon National Park near her beloved hometown of Flagstaff, Arizona. She and her husband enjoy skiing, hiking, boating, biking and exploring the Rocky Mountain West and remote places around the world.
A lasting legacy: James C. Calaway, Chairman Emeritus and Founder, CMC President’s Advisory Council
The late Jim Calaway (1931-2018) was a philanthropist and businessman who resided in Carbondale, Colorado, with his wife, Connie. He served as the chair of the Aspen Institute’s Society of Fellows before he became a trustee in 1997. In 2000, he was selected as a lifetime trustee and later served as chairman of the Lifetime Trustees of the Aspen Institute. Jim was in the oil and gas exploration business for more than 40 years and retired as chairman of Edge Petroleum in the late 1980s. He then partnered with his sons in building wind farms in several states to generate renewable energy and in producing lithium in Argentina.
After his retirement, Jim set his sights on philanthropy and fundraising for civic groups and nonprofit organizations both locally in Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley and nationwide. He served as a regent of the University of Corpus Christi, a trustee of Antioch College, and a board member of the Colorado Mountain College Foundation. At the CMC Spring Valley campus, the James C. and Connie L. Calaway Academic Building houses a theater and a number of classrooms. The building is a testament to the Calaways and their dedication and support of CMC (Connie chaired the CMC Foundation Board from 1999 to 2002). In 2012, Jim founded the Colorado Mountain College Board of Overseers, a volunteer board of advisors to the college’s president.
Jim served as treasurer for the American Civil Liberties Union on the national level and was a lifetime member of the NAACP. He cofounded the Colorado Animal Rescue (CARE) shelter that has taken in, cared for and adopted out more than 12,000 homeless dogs and cats. Jim received two presidential appointments during the Carter administration, to the National Petroleum Council and as commissioner of Presidential Scholars.
Jim served as treasurer for the American Civil Liberties Union on the national level and was a lifetime member of the NAACP. He co-founded the Colorado Animal Rescue (CARE) shelter that has taken in, cared for, and adopted out more than 12,000 homeless dogs and cats. Jim received two presidential appointments during the Carter administration, to the National Petroleum Council and as commissioner of Presidential Scholars.
In 1973, Bob and his friend and investor, Bill Vollbracht, began what is now known as Alpine Bank in Carbondale, Colorado. The bank has since grown into an organization that operates 40 locations in Denver, Boulder and many resort communities in western Colorado, and serves a total of nearly 150,000 customers. Since founding Alpine Bank, Bob has emphasized philanthropy and community involvement.
In addition to the hundreds of CMC students who have received the Alpine Bank Latino/Hispanic Scholarships that Bob started in 1996, future CMC students will benefit from a legacy gift he has established as well as a lead gift he pledged to name the J. Robert Young Alpine Ascent Center at CMC’s Spring Valley Campus. Bob served on the Colorado Mountain College Foundation Board from 1999 to 2004.
In 1988, Colorado Governor Roy Romer appointed Bob to serve as chairman of the Colorado State Banking Board. He served on that board for more than 17 years, having been reappointed numerous times by both Democrat and Republican governors. He stepped down in 2007. Bob served as chairman of the Iliff School of Theology Board of Trustees for many years. He was named Colorado’s Outstanding Philanthropist in 1995. In 2006, Bob received the Athena Award from the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association for his support of women's causes and women in the workforce. This is an international award and less than five percent of its recipients are men.
Bob was recognized by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008 as a result of being named a 2008 Benefactor of the Year by the Council for Resource Development. Wichita State University, his alma mater, bestowed Bob with their highest honor, the WSU Achievement Award in 2015. In 2019, Club 20, a western Colorado political organization, recognized Bob’s numerous contributions to the Western Slope with the John D. Vanderhoof Award.
