Meetings

March Meeting: Porter-Billups Leadership Academy at Regis University

“Giving Denver Kids a Hand Up, Not a Handout”

The Lonnie Porter Leadership Academy was founded in 1996 by Lonnie “Coach” Porter.  In 2006, Chauncey Billups partnered with Coach Porter and the program was renamed the Porter-Billups Leadership Academy (“PBLA”).  PBLA helps youth from at-risk communities who have demonstrated academic and leadership potential to successfully graduate from high school and pursue higher education.  Students enroll in a three-week summer program during the summer before their fourth grade year and continue to attend the academy every summer through their junior year of high school.  Upon completion of the program, graduates who qualify for admission to Regis University are eligible to receive a scholarship to Regis University that covers tuition and fees.  Please join us to learn more about PBLA and how we are inspiring Denver’s young leaders.

Jennifer Clark is a former Denver Public School teacher who found her passion for educating young people was greater than the confines of a standard curriculum.  As a result, she started teaching at PBLA in 2015 and then became the Assistant Director of PBLA in 2017.  Jennifer’s contributions to PBLA have included recruiting students, assembling and leading a diverse faculty, developing a relevant curriculum that focused on overcoming barriers faced by the students, as well as establishing authentic relationships with the students that both support them while they navigate the world we live and while they hone their leadership skills for the future.

December Meeting – Catherine Peters, From Burnout to Badass

How to Beat Burnout and Love Your Life Again

Stress and burnout in the workplace are at all-time record highs.  Overall rates of burnout in the U.S. are believed to be as high as two-thirds of all full-time workers.  Chances are, either you, your colleagues or your clients are in burnout.  And that can be bad news.  If left unaddressed, stress and burnout can derail your momentum and hijack your dreams.  In this value-packed program, you’ll learn how to recognize the signs and often surprising causes of stress and burnout, as well as some surprisingly simple, life-changing tools to help leave stress and burnout in the dust.

Catherine Peters is a Certified Professional Coach and Energy Leadership Master Practitioner, International Award-Winning Speaker and Author on the subjects of stress and burnout.  After a successful career creating multiple businesses and traveling the world, Cat faced burnout on an epic level.  A breast cancer diagnosis changed the trajectory of her life and led her to discover the keys to managing stress and healing burnout.  Now she uses her expertise to help burnt crispy professionals beat stress, heal burnout, crush their goals and love their lives.  Cat lives in Denver, Colorado with her amazing husband, two wayward mutts and a cat that drools.  When she’s not creating amazing results for her clients, you can find her beating back the pet hair that threatens to overtake her home and her sanity.

November Meeting – Interactive Members Only Activities/Please Bring a Toy to Donate

November Meeting – Interactive Members Only Activities/Please Bring a Toy to Donate

Hello members!  The Member Engagement Committee is planning our November breakfast meeting and I have been told that we can expect a fun-filled, interactive meeting.  Keep your guest invites on pause until our December meeting … this meeting is about YOU.  Oh, and we are doing our Toy Drive at this meeting, so please bring a toy.  More details on that are included in this event post.  See you all then!

October Meeting – Colorado Gives Foundation, Kelly Dunkin

Kelly Dunkin joined Colorado Gives Foundation as President and CEO in February 2019. Previously she worked for a variety of nonprofit, business and social impact organizations. These include 11 years at The Colorado Health Foundation in Denver, where she grew into the role of Vice President of Philanthropy, and 10.10.10, where she served as National Director. 10.10.10 is a project of Colorado Nonprofit Development Center and inspires entrepreneurs to solve 10 “wicked” social problems.

Kelly also served as a consultant for businesses, nonprofits and social impact startups as well as projects in Lima, Peru, where she developed her Spanish-language skills.

Kelly’s education includes a Bachelor of Arts in English from Miami University, an Elementary Education Licensure from the University of Northern Colorado and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Colorado at Denver.

Community Participation:

  • Anchor Advisory Council Member, Jan 2023 – Present
  • Jeffco Connections Board of Directors, 2021 – Present
  • Jeffco EDC Board of Directors, 2020-present
  • Denver Metro Leadership Foundation Board of Directors, 2020 – present
  • SCL Health Regional Board of Directors, 2020-present
  • Yes on Initiative 301 (Caring for Denver), Volunteer, Oct. – Nov., 2018
  • Colorado Association for School-Based Health Care’s Inspiration Award, Community Champion, 2015

September Meeting – Economic Literacy Colorado, Investing in Colorado’s Youth

Economic Literacy Colorado’s mission is to equip teachers and students with the knowledge and tools necessary to achieve a lifetime of economic understanding and financial security. President & CEO, Amy Sherman, will discuss how Economic Literacy Colorado is creating a new generation of informed decision makers and financially savvy citizens.

Amy Sherman joined Economic Literacy Colorado in 2023 and brings over 30 years of experience in public service and decades of building partnerships with leaders and influencers to champion important work for the community. As the daughter of one of the first female FirstBank officers, Amy was taught financial literacy throughout her upbringing and is passionate to expand economic education and financial literacy to Colorado teachers and students. Most recently, Amy was the President & CEO of the Northwest Douglas County Chamber & EDC. Amy has more than 25 years of experience in the chamber of commerce, trade association and economic development industries. Her strong organizational management skills help her shine in being a catalyst for business growth, a convener of leaders and influencers, and a champion for the community. 

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. Additionally, Amy was awarded the Colorado Chamber President of the Year 2008, and top women of Jefferson County in 2011.

June Meeting – Overview and Future of the Butterfly Pavilion

Topics:
Patrick Tennyson: Overview and future of the Butterfly Pavilion, why invertebrates matter, why we should care.
Amy Yarger: Importance of pollinators, declining populations, what Butterfly Pavilion is doing around pollinator conservation, what individuals, communities, business, government can do to help protect pollinator populations.

About Our Speakers:
Patrick Tennyson, President and Chief Executive Officer
Patrick Tennyson is the President and CEO of Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster, Colorado. Patrick has been with Butterfly Pavilion since June of 1999 and has been the organization’s President and CEO since 2010.

Patrick has a master’s degree in Nonprofit Management from Regis University. He has a B.S. in Zoology and a Minor in Chemistry from Metropolitan State College. Patrick has been involved in environmental education and conservation since 1987, including over five years as an Interpretive Naturalist and nearly six years in youth and adult education program management. Patrick has dedicated over 20 years to professional leadership, administration and strategic planning. His leadership contributions include board and staff development, cultural and organizational innovation, responsible financial oversight and growth through fundraising and community collaborations.

He is actively involved with a number of environmental conservation awareness groups. He served on the board of Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education (CAEE) for over eight years, including a two-year term as Board President. Patrick is currently a board member of the Broomfield Open Space Foundation and is presently serving his second four-year term on the Broomfield Open Space Advisory Council. He is a member of the Governance Committee of 36 Commuter Solutions, and in 2010 he was appointed by the City Council as a member of the Broomfield Sustainability Task Force creating the City of Broomfield’s Sustainability Plan.

Amy Yarger, Director of Horticulture
Amy has been with Butterfly Pavilion since May of 2000. She currently leads Butterfly Pavilion’s local pollinator habitat initiatives, such as the Baseline Pollinator District and the Urban Prairies Project, which restores habitat in urban and suburban green.

May Meeting – Guests Welcome! Peter Hancock, Professional Employment Group of Colorado

After 15 years in recruiting and account management roles with national staffing firms, Peter founded Professional Employment Group of Colorado in 2019. In addition to running PEG operations, Peter is passionate about his roles on numerous nonprofit and workforce development boards where he strives to make Denver a great place to work and do business. Growing up in Wyoming and Montana, Peter developed a love for skiing, biking, running, golf and other outdoor activities, which now includes chasing after his kids. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with an emphasis in Finance.

April Meeting – Wendy Wadas, Supply Chain

April Meeting – Wendy Wadas, Supply Chain

Supply Chain Disruptions – When will it end and why can’t things get back to “normal”?

Join the conversation that has been top of everyone’s mind and every earnings call over the last 3+ years – Supply Chain

All businesses, services and consumers are impacted by supply chains and this discussion will cover what the current state of supply chain is and discuss key contributors that continue to plague our global supply chains. 

Wendy will bring insights from her practitioner days as well as from her current role at Gartner where she is an Executive Partner working with Executives on their key challenges and priorities.

To get the conversation started, it is good to level set on what the definition of Supply Chain is:

A supply chain is a connected system of organizations, activities, information and resources designed to source, produce and move goods from origination to a final destination—typically from a supplier to an end customer. There are 5 primary processes that make up the supply chain: Plan, Source, Make, Deliver and Return.

Sounds easy enough, right? If yes, why are things so broken and is there light at the end of the tunnel?