Mike Cooper
Director of Entitlements, Boulder Creek Neighborhoods
Mike Cooper draws upon more than 25 years of experience in community master planning, land entitlements, acquisition and development in leading the forward planning efforts of Boulder Creek Neighborhoods. With an education background in landscape architecture and urban planning, he facilitates the design of new communities and the subsequent zoning, platting, and legal entitlements required for land development and home construction.
Shannon Cox Baker
Regional Vice President, Mountain, Pennrose
Shannon Cox Baker has more than 15 years of real estate development experience in both the public and private sector in Colorado. As regional vice president of the Mountain Region for Pennrose, she is responsible for the execution and continued growth of Pennrose’s development pipeline in Colorado, Arizona and Utah, including all aspects of the real estate development process from initial conception through construction, to lease-up and stabilized occupancy or sale.
Harold Dominguez
City Manager/Housing Dir., City of Longmont
Harold Dominguez, the city manager of Longmont, was born in Lubbock, Texas, in 1972 and grew up in the nearby town of Sundown. After graduating from Texas Tech University, he earned a master’s in public administration. He describes his greatest challenge so far as city manager, which was the major flood in September, 2013; and his philosophy of public administration, which involves being in responsive partnership with the citizens of Longmont.
Kurt Firnhaber
Housing and Human Services Director, City of Boulder
Firnhaber joined the city in 2016 as deputy director of Housing after a 15-year career in affordable housing in the United States and South Africa. He started the Boulder Habitat for Humanity affiliate and built a housing community with volunteers at the Poplar project in north Boulder for the housing authority. Firnhaber also worked throughout Africa for 16 years developing affordable housing in South Africa’s townships and supported the work in post-war conflict areas with housing and reconciliation. For 10 of these years, he directed a health organization based in Johannesburg that focused on HIV services and pharmacy automation systems. He is a graduate of CU and Regis University.
Marc Painter
Partner, Holland & Hart
Marc Painter’s real estate practice focuses on complex real estate transactions, finance and development, as well as banking and related business counseling. For more than 30 years, his regional and national development and lending clients have sought his creative counsel in navigating difficult transactions to profitable completion. He specializes in a strong cost-benefit approach, using his past experience as an economist and banker, and seeks to structure deals to avoid litigation.
Jonathan Singer
Senior Director of Policy Programs, Boulder Chamber
Marc Painter’s real estate practice focuses on complex real estate transactions, finance and development, as well as banking and related business counseling. For more than 30 years, his regional and national development and lending clients have sought his creative counsel in navigating difficult transactions to profitable completion. He specializes in a strong cost-benefit approach, using his past experience as an economist and banker, and seeks to structure deals to avoid litigation.
Aaron Spear
Market President, Bank of Colorado
Aaron is the market president of Bank of Colorado in Boulder and has many decades of experience from numerous roles in banking and the financial services industry. He is on the Leadership Team and Board of Better Boulder, which advocates for a more vibrant, livable, and connected community through initiatives like cutting red tape to support attainable housing for all. He is currently serving in his tenth year as a Board Member of Commercial Brokers of Boulder and his eleventh year as a Member of the Boulder Chamber’s Community Affairs Council, which Co-Chaired in 2023 and 2024. He is also serving in his third year as a Board Member of Downtown Boulder Partnership where is currently the Chair of that Board.
For program and panel information, contact Jeff Nuttall, jnuttall@bizwest.com.
