Board of Advocates

Since its beginnings, the Presidents Leadership Class has been guided and supported by leaders from across the community, from for- and non-profit businesses, from academia, and from the alumni ranks. The governance body of PLC has evolved over the years to its current iteration as the PLC Board of Advocates.

The purpose of the Board of Advocates is to support the vision, mission, programs, students and alumni of the Presidents Leadership Class at the University of Colorado Boulder, and to:

  • Advocate to increase the visibility, vitality, and utility of the PLC program;
  • Promote and generate financial and other resource development through fundraising and related strategies from corporate, foundation, and individual private gifts;
  • Support the development of an active and engaged alumni community; and,
  • Advise PLC staff and faculty on policies, strategies, and programming.

Most recently, the program initiated a DEI program audit done by Project Deviate. The results of the audit can be seen here. Training, coaching, and plans for improvement and progress are being done concurrently.

Board of Advocates

Chair

David Ettenger
CFA, Bow River Capital

Members

Larry Allen, MD
Cardiologist, Medical Director Advanced Heart Failure, University of Colorado School of Medicine

Tiffany Anderson
Vice President, Grants & Programs

Gretchen Bliss
‎Cybersecurity Director
Pikes Peak Community College

David Davenport
Senior Technical Analyst, CoBank

Brad Dempsey
Partner, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Nikhil Dandavati
Account Executive, Valve Systems, Inc.

Ashley Elmblad
On hiatus - sail seamstress

Kevin Kearney
Corporate Strategist

Mike Kercheval
Executive Director - CU Real Estate Center at Leeds School of Business

Forrest Hobbs 
Advisor, Investor, Fish Deceiver

Rick Wilhelm
CFO at DW Healthcare Partners

Keri Ungemah
Chief Marketing Officer at Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade

Garret Mayberry
Grants Program Officer at Boettcher Foundation

Lia Dino
Student Board Seat

Kerem Gurkan
Student Board Seat

Olivia Omega
Senior Director MarComm, Denver Scholarship Foundation

Dr. Joe Pesce, Ph.D. 
Astrophysicist; Program Director, National Science Foundation; Professor, University of Colorado and George Mason University.

Abby Robertson
Brand Development Manager - Western U.S. at Barefoot Wine (E&J Gallo Winery)

Robin Struve
Retired Partner - Latham & Watkins

Catherine Tinucci
Retired - Principal, Skyview Middle School, Colorado Springs

Julia Traylor
Account Executive at ValveSystems, Inc.

Dana Blake 
Director - Sales Operations at AT&T

Cassandra Roeca
Assistant Clinical Professor, OB-GYN-Advanced Repro Med

Stacy Baum
Vice President, Marketing & Community Engagement at Catholic Charities of Denver

Shaun Davies 
Associate Professor of Finance with Tenure at University of Colorado Boulder, Faculty Director of the Burridge Center for Finance, Quinby Family Endowed Faculty Fellow