Workforce Development Board Members
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Julie Cila, Chair I am a Colorado-based certified Human Resources professional who has served domestically and internationally in organizations like Budweiser, the United Services Organization, and ADP. I joined Lincoln Electric’s Global Automation Team in April of 2018 and am currently responsible for the Human Resources function in Fort Collins, Houston, San Diego, and Los Angeles. I have served on the Larimer County Workforce Development Board since 2020 and as Chair since January 2023. A Colorado native, I graduated cum laude from the University of Northern Colorado with degrees in Economics and Foreign Languages. I have three grown children, 13 grandchildren, and a 98-pound furry friend named Lucy. |
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Jackie Sindelar, Chair Elect Jackie is a dedicated professional and has served as the Board Chairman since 2017, and on the executive board since 2021. Plays a pivotal role in building strong regional partnerships that target training, education, and workforce development programs. Passionate about developing programs that educate students on the importance of the construction trades. |
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Tracy Mead, Secretary Tracy’s background includes sales, operations, and management in the construction equipment and coffee retail industries. As the CEO of Project Self-Sufficiency, she leads efforts to improve the economic mobility of single parents in Northern Colorado. As a member of the Colorado Workforce Development Council, she influences workforce development throughout the State. In 2023, she helped launch the NoCo Nonprofit Sector Partnership, and currently serves as Co-Chair. A first-generation college graduate, Tracy is passionate about improving economic mobility for marginalized individuals and is proud to have served on the Larimer County Workforce Development Board since 2012. |
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Mark Christensen, Treasurer Mark has 34 years of experience in the operations management of projects and corporate leadership. Experiences include projects exceeding a billion dollars and an extensive portfolio of a variety of project types. Residing in Fort Collins for 25 years and involved in leadership of Brinkman Construction for the past 10 years. |
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Janel Highfill Janel joined Front Range Community College (FRCC) as the Associate Vice President of Workforce Development & Strategic Partnerships in July 2022. Janel leads the college’s Workforce Solutions division which includes corporate training, apprenticeships, non-credit professional and continuing education, and two state-funded Small Business Development Centers. Her work focuses on expanding the college’s connections with employers to address incumbent worker upskilling and reskilling needs, and strengthening workforce pipeline pathways. |
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Eric Lea Eric |
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David Roecker I retired from a 20-year Air Force career that included Aircraft Maintenance, Computer Security, and National Intelligence. I love outdoor activities year-round, so Colorado was my top choice to settle down. I was fortunate to join the company that is now Broadcom back in 2008, and it's been an exciting journey. The Wireless Semiconductor Division here in Fort Collins manufactures semiconductors used in cell phones, so we stay pretty busy. I worked in various management roles until 2023 when Broadcom created a new position focused on training, retention, workforce development, and community outreach to respond to a drastically changed labor market. I moved into this role, and subsequently engaged with the community on many different fronts, including as a member of the Larimer County Workforce Development Board. My goal is to increase community recognition of Broadcom as one of the top employers in the region and a great place to work, as well as join community leaders and educational partners to help build the workforce of tomorrow. |
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Jonathan Comyn Jonathan Comyn is the Chief Operations Officer at Breeze Thru Car Wash where he is responsible for overseeing the operations of the car washes, training, recruiting and human resources. He serves on the Board of Directors for Breeze Thru Car Wash and is one of the owners. He has been instrumental in leading changes to setup the company for growth. |
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Bella De La Torre
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Colleen DePasquale Colleen DePasquale has more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, working with Marriott and Interstate hotels from Manhattan to Denver, as well as 2 years in Moscow, Russia opening Marriott brand hotels. She spent the past decade as the President and CEO of the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce and its Foundation. The Chamber’s focus on connecting, empowering and unifying the community provided opportunities for members to grow their businesses and advance their careers through educational and event programming. Colleen holds the values of collaboration and advocacy as core to a Chamber’s success. |
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Hope Hartman Hope Hartman has a diverse background that includes software, startups, technology transfer & commercialization, education and nonprofits. She has held roles in executive leadership, business development, training and client success. Currently she is the Executive Director of the Larimer Small Business Development Center (SBDC.) |
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Ann Hutchison 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. Shew was a key leader in the community pandemic economic Response, Recovery and Reignite efforts. |
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Jennifer Miller Jennifer Miller is a seasoned HR Professional with 15+ years of experience and is a proud graduate of The Ohio State University. Jennifer has been a resident of Northern Colorado for 10 years and currently serves as the Director of People & Culture at The Elizabeth Hotel driving employee engagement and organizational success. |
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Ridge Overholt Ridge, a Larimer County native, studied Entrepreneurship and Human Resources at the University of Wyoming before returning to Colorado. |
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Dawn Paepke Dawn Paepke is a Community Relations Consultant with Kaiser Permanente in northern Colorado. Dawn has over 20 years of experience working in leadership roles for nonprofits; in fundraising, marketing, sponsorships, grants, and management. Social justice, equity, and access to affordable health care are important to Dawn and she's fortunate to do this work through her role at Kaiser Permanente. Dawn has Bachelor’s degrees from Michigan State University and Colorado State University. She has been in Colorado since 1993, enjoys volunteering, reading, live music, running, and community development work. She's also a disc jockey at 105.5 The Colorado Sound, a public radio station in northern Colorado. |
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Jess Dyrdahl Jess Dyrdahl grew up in Fargo, North Dakota and now considers Fort Collins home. She works at Colorado State University and loves international travel, new adventures and being involved in the community. She enjoys serving on the Workforce Development Board and helping Northern Colorado grow for all who live here. |
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Jillian Fresa Jillian Fresa is an Economic Health Manager at the City of Fort Collins, supporting the Economic Health Office’s business retention, expansion, and attraction efforts. Jillian participates in workforce and talent initiatives and is passionate about supporting economic mobility and building inclusive communities. |
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Greg Gote
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Erin Hottenstein Erin is a Senior Advisor at Trebuchet Group. She works with leaders and their teams to take their performance to a higher level as they navigate change, take action and build on strengths they already possess. |
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Lucinda Kerschensteiner Lucinda Kerschensteiner has been in leadership roles with nonprofits and community programs for over the past 15 years. She is a graduate of Colorado State University's Global Social and Sustainable Enterprise MBA (now Impact MBA). Today, Lucinda runs a nonprofit for women in clean energy. She is also active in the Rotary Club of Fort Collin and has contributed to many community and international projects. |
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Heather Lelchook Heather Lelchook, MPH, MA is the Executive Director of the Loveland Campus and Continuing Education for Aims Community College. |
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Joe Martinez Joe is a 25yr. Member, Business agent/trustee with Denver pipefitters local 208. Being a union member for Local 208 has provided me the training, skills, and opportunity to earn good wages, Benefits, and a retirement! Pipefitters Local Union #208, strives to provide our members with a quality of life characterized by respect and social-economic security through promoting and representing the interest of all working men and women in the Piping Industry. |
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Richard Martinez Richard is a seasoned professional with extensive local involvement in public power work. His passion lies in addressing the pressing workforce needs within utilities and trads sectors. Richard strives to bring awareness about the well-paying trade jobs available. |
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Anne Million As Mentoring Coordinator for Poudre Libraries, Anne provides innovative programs to help non-native English speakers achieve their potential- making our community and workforce stronger and more inclusive. Her work has been recognized with the Fort Collins Human Relations Award. Previously, Anne ran her own Boulder-based software company for over 20 years. |
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James Newby
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Lauren Pellow Lauren Pellow (MA, M.Ed.) is the Larimer County Program Director for The Learning Source, a non-profit offering adult education classes. She has taught in various capacities at the secondary level, including English language acquisition and in a dropout prevention program. Lauren’s professional interests include literacy, student retention, and language acquisition. |
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Shawn Peters My name is Shawn Peters. I hold a Master's Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling and have worked in the field of vocational rehabilitation for over 20 years |
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Nick Peterson Nick Peterson is the Community & Business Development Coordinator for the Poudre School District. As part of his role, Nick is part of a collaborative group of educators and partners in Larimer and Weld County who work directly with businesses to create Work-Based Learning opportunities for students. Prior to this, Nick was a High School Counselor for 12 years, and a High School Band Director in Loveland before that. |
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Debi Triplett Debi Triplett (she/her) is a Human Resources professional with experience in employee relations, organizational development, and change management. |
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Mark Johnston Mark Johnston is the Economic and Workforce Development Director. He serves as the Staff Liaison to the WDB. |
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Adam Crowe Adam Crowe is the Economic Development Manager for Larimer County Economic and Workforce Development (LCEWD). He serves as the Member Liaison for the WDB. |
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Amanda Aquino As the Admin support for the Workforce Board, I am excited to support a group that believes in driving community growth, embracing diversity, and crafting impactful employment solutions. It has been a rewarding experience being a part of conversations that shape the future of workforce development.
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