Colorado Mountain College

Colorado Mountain College

Minehart, Kira

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Kira Minehart

Assistant Professor of Geographic Information Systems and Field Science
719-786-4222 | kminehart@coloradomtn.edu

Headshot of Kira Minehart, Assistant Professor of GIS and Field Science at Colorado Mountain College Leadville

Education

  • B.S. Earth Systems with a Minor in Science Communication (Stanford University, 2016)
  • M.S. Earth Systems (Stanford University, 2017)

About

Kira firmly believes that the best classrooms are those without ceilings. As the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) instructor, she aims to prepare the next generation of natural resource managers, scientists, stewards, outdoor leaders, and advocates to address environmental challenges through geographic problem solving.

Her background in GIS includes extensive coursework at Stanford University where she was awarded the Miller-Marsden Prize for Innovative Research on the Environment (2016) through her project analyzing the diversity of California Wilderness Areas using GIS. Kira also worked as a GIS consultant for the Natural Resource Defense Council in Washington, D.C. where she created over 100 maps and visuals to advocate for western public lands.

Kira’s passion for protecting public lands doesn’t stop in the classroom. In her free time, she can be found rock climbing, skiing, backpacking, or biking through these wonderful lands that belong to all of us.

Spaulding, Susanna

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Susanna Spaulding

Professor of Business and Entrepreneurship
719-486-4209 | sspaulding@coloradomtn.edu

photo of Susanna Spaulding with a world map in the background.Education

  • Ph.D. in Education with an emphasis on Community College Leadership, Colorado State University
  • MBA in Corporate Finance, New York University Stern School of Business
  • BA, Liberal Arts with a major in French language and literature, including junior year in Paris, France, College of Wooster (Ohio)

Professional Certifications and Associations

  • Certificate in Financial Management, General Electric Company, New York
  • Certificat pratique de la langue française, Université de Paris, Sorbonne, Paris
  • Secondary French Teaching Preparation, University of Akron, Ohio
  • Colorado Teaching Certificate, Secondary French
  • Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, Faculty Advisor, Leadville Chapter
  • CMC Faculty Senate 2012-Present; President, 2014/15
  • American Association of University Professors
  • Council for the Study of Community Colleges
  • National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE)
  • Correctional Education Association

About

Originally from Ohio, Susanna’s developed an interest in multicultural learning after spending a year of undergraduate studies in language and culture in France. Her business and management career took place in New York City working for the United Nations, General Electric, Scholastic Inc. and the New York City Police Department in research, financial analysis, and budgeting.

Then Susanna spent six years overseas contributing to economic and community development in Botswana with Peace Corps and the Botswana Ministry of Education and in Bulgaria with Peace Corps. She also provided financial training for nonprofit and governmental officials in short assignments with a U.S. AID subcontractor in Chad and Madagascar.

Returning to the United States, Susanna found her passion for teaching and learning at Colorado Mountain College. Susanna developed and teaches courses in launching new ventures, small business management and planning, accounting, budget management, corporate social responsibility, and cultural diversity in business.

Drawn to cultural heritage, stewardship of natural resources, and community change, Susanna is a member of the Chaffee County Heritage Area Advisory Board and the League of Women Voters of Chaffee County. Susanna’s research and publications focus on the experience of teaching college curriculum for incarcerated populations and on the role of civic engagement for community college students.

Allaman, Erin

By

Erin Allaman, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Teacher Education
719-486-4225 | eallaman@coloradomtn.edu

photo: Erin Allaman

Education

  • University of Colorado Boulder Ph.D. Educational Foundations, Policy and Practice (2013)
  • Amherst College Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology (2002) magna cum laude

Awards

  • 2018-19 CMC Leadville full-time Faculty of the Year

Professional Certifications and Associations

  • American Anthropological Association Council on Anthropology and Education
  • Colorado 9 to 25 State Leadership team

About

Erin joined CMC’s teacher education program in 2017. As a teacher-educator, she hopes to inspire the next generation of teachers to embrace youth and community assets as they design learning opportunities, support the success of all students, and build more equitable schools and communities.

Erin is passionate about youth engagement and has served as an educator in public school, international, expeditionary and community settings. She believes that young people have an important role to play in shaping the schools, communities and state where they live.  Her dissertation, Updating Status: Tracing college women’s educational pathways with Facebook traced the educational pathways of talented and diverse women as they navigated family, work, schools and social media to attain their educational goals.

Prior to joining CMC, Erin’s passion for youth engagement led her to the dynamic world of community-based education and action research. Through Youth CultureWorks, Erin trained teachers, youth and community members in action research and new media as they made meaningful changes in their communities. Her community and youth partners have been recognized at local, state and national levels for their exemplary service and leadership by the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education, EPAs Presidential Environmental Youth Award and the Colorado State Legislature.

It is no accident that Erin is based in Lake and Summit counties! Erin loves mountain life for its strong and vibrant people, endless adventures, and opportunities to play with gravity. When she’s not teaching, you can find Erin exploring the mountains on skis or by bike and enjoying time with her family.

Rasmussen, Dirk

By

Dirk Rasmussen

Project Manager, Natural Resource Management
719-486-4239 | dmrasmussen@coloradomtn.edu

Photo: Dirk Rasmussen

Education

  • Master of Science in Geology, Western Washington University
  • Bachelor’s degree in Geology, Colorado College

About

Dirk Rasmussen started with the NRM Field Institute in 2016. Dirk obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Geology from Colorado College in 2012. Following graduation, he spent two years working for Colorado College where he taught geology, mentored student research, and assisted with faculty research.

Dirk also worked as an environmental educator for the Catamount Institute and continuously works to promote environmental stewardship through place-based education. Dirk earned his Master of Science in Geology from Western Washington University in 2016.

Dirk’s expertise is in sedimentary geology and stratigraphy. His research focuses on the Paleocene–Eocene transition and the provenance of sediment deposited in Laramide basins.

When Dirk isn’t conducting fieldwork, he spends his summers guiding in the high Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, Norway.

Warner, Katherine

By

Dr. Katherine Warner

Natural Resource Management Program Director
719-486-4057 | kawarner@coloradomtn.edu

Photo: Katherine WarnerEducation

  • Ph.D. in Ecology, Colorado State University
  • Master’s Degree in Land Resources, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Bachelor’s Degree in Wildlife Biology, Colorado State University

Professional Experience

  • Environmental Education Instructor, US Peace Corps
  • Restoration and Education Technician, National Park Service
  • Preserve Steward, The Nature Conservancy
  • Conservation Biology Research Technician, Lewis & Clark College
  • Acoustics Research Associate, Colorado State University

About

Dr. Warner started working at CMC in 2016, and looks forward to maintaining and developing diverse NRM projects and learning opportunities.

Dr. Warner obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Biology from Colorado State University, and received her Master’s degree in Land Resources from the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Warner returned to Colorado State University to complete her Ph.D. in Ecology, where she studied the impacts of natural gas development on a bat community in northwestern Colorado.

Dr. Warner is broadly interested in wildlife conservation and management, habitat restoration, and bioacoustics. She is thrilled to oversee the Natural Resource Management Field Institute, where classroom learning is complemented by hands-on work experience, paid summer technician opportunities, and collaborations with many natural resource partner organizations.

Links

Lazar, Brian

By

Brian Lazar

Instructor, Avalanche Science; Deputy Director, Colorado Avalanche Information Center
719-486-2015 | blazar@coloradomtn.edu

photo - Brian Lazar

Education

  • M.S. Civil Engineering, University of Colorado
  • B.S. Environmental Science and Biology, University of Colorado

Professional Certifications and Associations

  • Wilderness First Responder
  • American Avalanche Association (AAA), Certified Instructor Pro 1 and 2
  • AIARE, Curriculum Developer, former Executive Director, Board Member
  • AIARE Course Leader Levels 1 - 3
  • Snowmobile Safety Instructor, Colorado Parks and Wildlife
  • AMGA training, Ski Mountaineering, Rock, Alpine
  • Type 1 Explosives training, Permit for Avalanche Control, Colorado Dept. of Labor and Employment

About

Brian has been the Deputy Director of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) since 2010. Prior to his work with the CAIC, Brian was an avalanche educator and curriculum developer as well as the Executive Director with the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE), and former member of the American Avalanche Association Education Committee.

After more than a decade of guiding in a variety of snow climates on both sides of the equator, Brian returned to graduate school where he studied snow and ice mechanics in Alaska’s Chugach Range, and conducted research at the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research.

Thanks to a collaboration between Colorado Mountain College and the CAIC, Brian brings his years of expertise in avalanche education to the Avalanche Science curriculum. He looks forward to assisting in individual student development through the program’s unique mentorship structure.

“My hope is that students leave with a core skill set and competency that allows them enter the role as an avalanche professional,” says Brian, “and can easily accept and Incorporate training and mentorship.”

Links

Local Avalanche Experts and CMC Instructors

CAIC staff bio

 

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