Advisory Council

Juliet Abdel (Adams County) is President and CEO of the Westminster Chamber of Commerce. She is a Regent on the U.S. Chamber Institute for Organization Management’s National Board of Trustees, on the Advisory Council for Front Range Community College, the cohort for Leadership Diversity & Inclusion through the ACCE, and the Leadership Program of the Rockies Advisory Council.
DeAndrea Arndt (Weld County) serves as an independent communications contractor for various non-profits and political entities. She previously served as high school and middle school teacher, as well as in various leadership positions in schools and boards. She is a graduate of Leadership Program of the Rockies. DeAndrea also enjoys attending political events and volunteering in her community.
Francoise Bergan (Arapahoe County) serves as a Council Member with the City of Aurora. She serves on three city policy committees as well as the E-470 Authority Board, Aurora Economic Development Council and Cherry Creek Basin Water Quality Authority. She has over 20 years of sales and management experience in the staffing industry. She attended the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs and is a graduate of the Leadership Program of the Rockies.
Dawn Lamping (Pitkin County) currently serves as a teacher and private tutor in Aspen. She co-founded the Roaring Fork Valley Homeschool Network, and created the Roaring Fork Academy, a private umbrella school. Previously, Dawn served as a Master Trainer for Bank One, Motorola, USPS, and the Arizona Department of Economic Services. Dawn earned her honors B.S degree from University of MO-Columbia in Psychology and completed coursework for a Master’s at Arizona State University.
Kim Monson (Douglas County) serves as Lone Tree City Councilwoman for District 2. For the last twenty years, Kim has worked as an independent business woman specializing as a clothier and fit specialist. She is also a co-host of the Radio Show “Heart of the Matter” on 560 KLZ and volunteers with the Mount Saint Vincent Home for Children, Lutheran Family Services, Junior Symphony Guild, and as President of the Alliance of Professional Women. Kim is a graduate of the Leadership Program of the Rockies.

Stephanie Piko (Arapahoe County) serves as the Mayor of Centennial, CO (elected in 2018).  Prior to that, she served as Centennial City Councilmember in District 4 (2012-2017).  Stephanie, along with her husband, James and two sons, Austin and Conner, moved to Centennial in 2001. Growing up in Florida, Stephanie’s family chose Winter Park as their annual spring break trip, making Colorado one of her favorite places. After graduating from the University of Florida with a degree in Business Administration, Stephanie moved to Michigan, married James and worked in the financial planning industry.  Stephanie also received a degree in Environmental Science from the University of Michigan while living there.

Amy Sherman (Douglas County) is the President & CEO of the Northwest Douglas County Economic Development Corporation. She currently serves as Secretary of the Board to the Chamber of Commerce Highlands Ranch and is the Chair of the Douglas County Business Alliance. Amy was one of Denver Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 winners in 2012, Economic Development Rookie of the Year in 2013, and Denver Business Journal’s Top Women in Energy in 2015. Amy is a Douglas County native and lives in Roxborough with her husband, Steve, and boy/girl twins.
Kelind Thomas (Douglas County) is a Colorado native and a graduate of the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs where she majored in Rhetoric and Writing with an emphasis in Political Science. Kelind was a member of the Pi Beta Phi women’s fraternity and the Editor in Chief of the scholarly journal riverrun. Kelind established her own political consulting company while working on several local campaigns throughout the state of Colorado, as well as managing a State Representative race. She is currently the Director of Operations for the Leadership Program of the Rockies.
Andrea Calhoon (Yuma County) is the County Administrator for Yuma County, Colorado.  She is a former healthcare financial executive in the eastern plains region and is an intermittent adjunct business instructor for Morgan Community College.  She focuses her volunteer service as a volunteer EMT, a Victim’s Advocate and a Hospice Friend.  Andrea has a BS in Finance from the University of Wyoming and an MS in Organizational Management from Chadron State College.
Nancy Barlow (Denver County) is President of Barlow Advertising & Design, a strategic, creative marketing agency since 1991.  She has provided marketing, communication strategy and development services for candidates and ballot measures in Denver for the past 10 years.  Nancy has served as an active precinct leader and ran for Delegate for the Presidential election in 2016.  She is also co-founder and president of the East Evans Business Association, an organization formed to provide a voice to the Denver City government to inspire developmental change on the East Evans corridor.  Nancy is also president of Business Resource Alliance Group, a trusted business advisory group serving members across the front range in Colorado.
Dennie Talbott (Garfield County) is a Realtor in Garfield County.  She currently serves on the Governmental Affairs committee for the Aspen/Glenwood Springs Board of Realtors,  Dennie has served in various non-profits in Garfield County including the Pregnancy Resource Center, Rifle Regional Economic Development Council and Liberty Classical Academy.  She is also a strong advocate for education, special needs children and adoptive families. Dennie is a Texas native but was grafted into the Talbott family in 1991 when she married husband Russell.  Dennie currently lives in Parachute, Colorado with 3 of her 5 children and her parents.
Christine Jensen (Jefferson County) has devoted more than 39 years in banking and finance, specializing in mortgage lending for the past 29 years. She is a Certified Reverse Mortgage Professional, a Certified Mortgage Planning Specialist, a Certified Senior Advisor, and Producing Branch Manager for Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation in Olde Town Arvada. At her branch, she originates both Forward and Reverse Mortgages, which gives her the resources to help her clients throughout their entire lives. She loves working with older Americans and helping them select the best financing options for themselves as well as for their families. Christine is committed to helping people reimagine the way retirement is done in this country.

Christine and her husband, Dana live in Arvada, CO, a community she has called home nearly all her life. They have four grown children and four grandchildren. Community involvement has always been a cornerstone for her, and she lives to serve her community however she can, from political involvement to various volunteer roles at the Arvada Chamber of Commerce.

Tammi McCoy (Boulder County) is an attorney currently working with a technology start-up in Boulder, CO.  Prior to this new venture, Tammi was VP of Legal & Regulatory Affairs for the CO Automobile Dealers Association, advocating for this business sector before various regulatory bodies and the legislature.  She helped found the Coalition to Simplify CO Sales Tax—a group still actively working to reform Colorado’s insanely complex sales and use tax maze.  Before that, she worked as a Legislative Director for a member of the Texas legislature on sweeping lawsuit reforms.

Tammi has a B.S. in Actuarial Science from Drake University and a J.D. from University of Texas.  She is a 2008 graduate of the Leadership Program of the Rockies and serves on their advisory council. Originally from Iowa, she lived in Texas and California before ‘finding’ Colorado.

Heather Booth (Elbert County) has lived in Elizabeth with her family since 2003. She is a stay-at-home mom of four children. Heather has been a volunteer in the school district since moving to Elizabeth. She was the vice president of the PTCO at Running Creek Elementary for many years, and she was just elected to the Elizabeth School Board in November of 2021.  Heather has volunteered for many charities over the years, including March of Dimes, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Dolls for Daughters, and others.
Emily Crouse-Joo (Broomfield County) – Emily works as the Community Engagement Specialist for Broomfield FISH, the local food bank
and Family Resource Center serving Broomfield County residents. She is a board member for the Broomfield Chamber of Commerce and serves as the president of the Broomfield Chamber Young Professionals. Emily believes in connecting people in her vast network to advance their personal and professional visions. She takes great pride in facilitating opportunities for business owners and individuals to participate in community and give back to support our most vulnerable neighbors. She is a mom of three energetic boys and her favorite food is pizza from her family’s pizza restaurant, Infinitus Pie.

Anastasia Ratcliff (Larimer County) works as a Senior Principal Consultant and Project Manager for Oracle Corporation within the Health Science Unit focused on technology related to clinical trials. Having spent over 5 years in the health, public health, and technology industries, Anastasia is passionate about creating effective systems and products that empower individuals and communities to live healthier, freer lives. As a life-long learner, Anastasia holds a Masters degree in Public Health and is currently working towards earning a Masters in Business Administration. She is a 2021 graduate of the Leadership Program of the Rockies and a current member of the Emerging Leaders Council at the Steamboat Institute. Often, you can find Anastasia outside rollerblading or walking her two dogs, Nox and Arma.

 

Debra Irvine (Summit County) has been a full-time resident of Breckenridge since 2004 and comes from a strong military family. She has a Bachelor’s Degree with a double major in Government/History and Master’s focus in Political Science. She speaks German, Italian and French and lived 25 years in Europe (Germany, Italy and Belgium). Highlights of her career, Debra held a Top Secret clearance for her work with the Star Wars Missile Defense Program.  Debra was also a suicide hotline counselor for the D.C. metro area. Currently, Debra is a commissioned professional artist. In addition, she is on the Club 20 Board of Directors as the voting member for Summit County (an active member since 2009). She is a member of Elks, a lector at St Mary’s Catholic Church and was an active member of Rotary. For five years, Debra presented a scholarship to a deserving Summit County High School student in honor of her late husband, Robert Irvine. She was a ski instructor and continues to be an avid skier.  She loves spending time with family, traveling and enjoying the Colorado outdoors.

Pamela Chapman (Eagle County)  semi-retired as an executive C-suiter in 2006 relocating to Colorado. Here, she’s continued her love for guiding individuals, specifically women, encountering challenging life decisions. She accomplished such via spiritual-wellness life coaching.

In 2020, she found two new loves studying our Constitution and our Declaration of Independence. Hence, she has joined her coaching skills with her conservative advocacy motivating and inspiring others to find their voice and act in a local grassroots movement striving to preserve our Constitutional Republic at every government level.

Savannah Wolfson (Routt County) is a homeschool mom in Oak Creek, Colorado. She has dairy goats andmakes goat’s milk soap in her free time. She loves her community and is a proud third-generation military spouse. When she’s not hard at work with grassroots advocacy,running her campaign, or homeschooling activities, she can usually be found in her courtyard with her chickens.

Chris Rourke (Gunnison County)  is a former award-winning journalist and photographer in both print and broadcast media. Currently, she is a communications professional, consulting on political campaigns and working for a state university. Once a newspaper editor, Chris now is a freelance writer, contributing columns both locally and statewide, sharing a conservative viewpoint regarding issues facing Colorado. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, she holds two bachelor’s degrees: one in Agriculture with an emphasis in journalism, and one in Theology. Chris has been a resident of Gunnison County for the better part of two decades. An avid equestrian, she spends her spare time on the trail with her horse and dog.

Barbara Traylor Smith’s (Mesa County) received her BA in Accounting from Southwest Texas State University and earned her CPA designation in 1990. Following her career as a CPA, she began working in the financial services industry as the “The Advisors’ Advisor.” Barbara has trained many advisors in all aspects of the retirement and financial planning process including general investments, tax advantaged investments, life and disability insurance, long term care insurance and annuity policies. Through education and experience gleaned over a career spanning 36+ years, she is well qualified to help her clients plan their retirement utilizing many different tools and techniques.

In 2008, Barbara began operating Retirement Outfitters, LLC in Grand Junction, Colorado and is an Independent Wealth Advisor with Foundations Investments. She holds her certification from the CFP Board as a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) and has earned Certified Life Underwriter (CLU®) and Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®) from the American College.