Kamel Haddad

Interim President, University of Northern Colorado

Dr. Kamel N. Haddad, Ph.D. serves as Interim President of the University of Northern Colorado, bringing more than three decades of experience in public higher education and a deep commitment to shared governance, academic excellence, and student success. A respected scholar and senior academic leader, Dr. Haddad has built his career on the belief that strong universities are sustained through trust, transparency, and meaningful collaboration among faculty, staff, students, administrators, and governing boards. His leadership reflects a steady focus on UNC’s mission as a regional, public-serving institution with a profound impact on Colorado and beyond. Prior to becoming Interim President, Dr. Haddad served as Dean of UNC’s College of Natural and Health Sciences, where he led the university’s largest academic college and guided significant academic, organizational, and budgetary initiatives. His work at UNC has included launching new academic programs in health sciences, public health, computer science, and statistics; expanding industry-aligned credentials and experiential learning opportunities; and strengthening student success efforts with an explicit focus on equity, persistence, and completion.

Ann Hutchison

President & CEO, Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce

Ann Hutchison, CAE, became President & CEO of the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce on January 1, 2021. She started with the Chamber in 2003 as Policy Committee Coordinator and was promoted to Executive Vice President in 2005. Before moving into the CEO role, Hutchison directly managed the communications and event departments, assisted in the day-to-day operation of the Chamber and managed issues and political advocacy as well as the Chamber’s Leadership Fort Collins and Leadership Northern Colorado programs. Most recently, she has been a key leader in the community pandemic economic Response, Recovery and Reignite efforts. 

Cassandra Moseley

Vice President for Research, Colorado State University

Cassandra Moseley is Colorado State University’s Vice President for Research. She oversees the research, discovery and creative artistry portfolio at Colorado State, which is consistently ranked among the country’s top performing research universities. In her role, Moseley leads a robust research enterprise that has increased by 46% in the past decade. She works in partnership with the president, provost, deans, vice presidents and the campus community to expand CSU’s research portfolio and advance CSU’s research and innovation goals as a top-tier research institution. Moseley previously served for more than 20 years as an accomplished administrator and research professor at the University of Oregon. Her positions there included vice provost for academic operations and strategy and interim vice president for research and innovation.

Rose Nash

Founder & CEO, Biota

Rose Nash, PhD, is the founder and CEO of Biota, a Colorado-based environmental diagnostics company developing rapid testing technologies for PFAS and other contaminants in water. She holds a PhD in microbiology and is passionate about translating advanced diagnostic technologies into practical tools for environmental and public health.

Larry Pakowski

Vice President for Student Affairs, Aims Community College

Dr. Larry Pakowski serves as the vice president for student affairs and chief student affairs officer at Aims Community College. In this role, he strategically leads a comprehensive Student Affairs division encompassing five key units: Dean of Students, Enrollment Management, Student Accessibility and Well-Being, Student Success, and All-In Programs and Services. Prior to his arrival at Aims in July 2023, he established a reputation for innovation at Polk State College in Lakeland, Florida, where he served as the Associate Vice President for Student Services. He was instrumental in conceiving and implementing forward-thinking initiatives such as guided pathways, a novel appreciative advising model, onboarding coaching, and the College’s strategic enrollment management plan. These strategic moves resulted in significant improvements across key institutional metrics, including enrollment, retention, and completion, with a notable impact on underserved student populations. 

Tanya Ramond

Business Development Director, Colorado Quantum Incubator

Dr. Tanya Ramond thrives at the intersection of science and engineering; business and entrepreneurship; and investing & mentoring. She earned her PhD in quantum physics from the University of Colorado Boulder and her postdoc from the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Her technical career spans roles in aerospace systems engineering, engineering management and product development. 

As her passion morphed from technology creation to technology adoption, her interests pivoted to the business space. She earned her MBA from the University of Denver and moved into senior product strategy roles in various startup companies in aerospace, laser communications, and quantum technologies. Dr. Ramond offers an investor lens, as a reviewer for startup grants at the state and federal level and mentoring for Techstars and various other startup accelerators. She served as a board member of the Colorado Photonics Industry Association for six years. Dr. Ramond is the CEO of Sapienne Consulting, which specializes in commercialization and product strategy in deep tech companies. 

Ken Reardon

Associate Dean for Research, Colorado State University

Dr. Reardon joined the department in 1988 after a year of postdoctoral research at the Universität Hannover as an Alexander Von Humboldt Fellow. He is Professor and Jud and Pat Harper Chair of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and holds joint appointments in several other science and engineering programs at CSU, including Cell and Molecular Biology, Ecology, and Biomedical Engineering.  Dr. Reardon received his BS degree from the University of Pennsylvania and his PhD from the California Institute of Technology, both in chemical engineering.   He is the Director of the Sustainable Bioenergy Development Center and a co-Director of the Colorado Center for Biorefining and Biofuels. Dr. Reardon is also the founder and Chief Technology Officer of OptiEnz Sensors, which is based on research from his laboratory.  Dr. Reardon received the Faculty Excellence Award from the College of Engineering at CSU in 2009.

Phyllis Resnick

Executive Director & Lead Economist, Colorado Futures Center

Phyllis Resnick is the executive director and lead economist at the Colorado Futures Center at Colorado State University. The Colorado Futures Center is a CSU affiliated 501c3 organization dedicated to informing about economic, fiscal and public policy issues impacting community economic health and quality of life. Phyllis leads the center’s work on macro/fiscal forecasting, the fiscal sustainability of state and local government, and the impacts of tax and expenditure limitations. She also supports the center’s expanded research portfolio focusing on all aspects of family economic security and community economic health.

Matt Rupprecht

Managing Director, PMCF

Matt Rupprecht is a Managing Director of PMCF and co-leads the firm’s Business Services & Technology team. He has more than 15 years of experience advising clients with their buy side and sell side M&A transactions, leveraged buyouts, and the placement of senior and subordinated debt. In addition, Matt has extensive experience across multiple segments, including human capital management, advertising, facilities management services, managed services, and business process outsourcing. Beyond services providers, he has represented electrical contractors, value-added resellers, and product manufacturers. Prior to joining PMCF as an Analyst, Matt worked as a Consultant at UHY Advisors, a middle-market focused accounting firm, providing litigation consulting and valuation services. Over his tenure at PMCF, he was promoted several times, advancing to his current role as Managing Director. Additionally, Matt has authored numerous human capital management M&A industry publications, sharing his insight into various investment banking topics within the sector. Matt earned a BBA with high distinction with an emphasis in finance and accounting from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. He is a licensed securities representative holding his Series 7 and 63 registrations and a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Justin Siebert

COO, Ursa Major Technologies Inc.

Justin Siebert is the COO at Ursa Major, where he leads production and manufacturing across the company, scaling the industrial capacity and the affordable, high-rate methods behind Ursa Major’s hypersonics, solid rocket motors, and space mobility systems.

Siebert has held operations leadership roles across the aerospace, defense, and space sectors at both Fortune 100 and private equity-backed organizations, including large-scale space propulsion programs. He was previously COO of ArmorWorks and held leadership roles at Firefly Aerospace, BAE Systems, Magellan Aerospace, and Honeywell Aerospace.

He leads Ursa Major’s operations at all of Ursa Major’s locations, including Berthoud, Galeton, and Longmont, CO and additive manufacturing operations in Youngstown, Ohio.

Colleen Simpson

President, Front Range Community College

Dr. Colleen Simpson is the ninth president of Front Range Community College. During her tenure at FRCC, she has led efforts to reimagine the college for the future—with a focus on boosting educational excellence and removing barriers to student success.  In her time at the college, FRCC has launched 5 bachelor’s degree programs, created transformational new transfer partnerships with four-year universities and seen a significant increase in fundraising success for student scholarships and program support. Dr. Simpson has served as FRCC’s president since 2022. She represents the college on the boards of directors for UCHealth, the Boulder Chamber, the Colorado Community College System Foundation and Colorado’s Elevate Quantum consortium. 

Ann Stevens

Provost & executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, University of Colorado Boulder

Ann Stevens is the provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs. As the chief academic officer, she leads the university’s academic mission, overseeing all elements of research, teaching, and the student and faculty experience at the university. She oversees the recruitment, development, and promotion of faculty, deans, and other academic leaders, and coordinates academic planning with budget preparation and capital development needs. She works collaboratively with the deans, faculty, staff, and students in the exercise of shared governance for the Boulder campus. Her appointment as provost began in July 2025. Her research interests include the incidence and long-term effects of job loss, connections between economic shocks and health, and poverty and safety-net dynamics. Stevens’ research has been supported by numerous grants from foundations and federal agencies and is widely cited, placing her in the top 4% of economists worldwide. 

Rich Werner

President & CEO, Upstate Colorado Economic Development

Rich Werner joined Upstate Colorado Economic Development in his current role as president & CEO in 2015. Upstate Colorado operates in Weld County in Northern Colorado where they have partnered with local communities to support the unprecedented growth making Northern Colorado one of the fastest growing areas in the United States.  Prior to joining Upstate, Rich worked in Southern Colorado for six years. Rich has previously served as the Associate Director for the State of Colorado Small Business Development Centers for Former Governor Bill Owens and Bill Ritter. Prior to his appointment by the State, he acted as the Director of Marketing and Community Affairs for the Boulder Technology Incubator (CTEK). Rich spent his early career in the private sector in Washington DC after receiving degrees in Political Science and Communications from The American University.