About

Kevin was born in Colorado Springs and is a graduate of the Eisenhower-Evans Scholarship Program at University of Colorado-Boulder where he majored in Marketing. Since graduation he has held a variety of golf-related jobs. He began his career working on The INTERNATIONAL tournament staff. From there he was hired to run the Champions Tour event in New York (Northville Long Island Classic) and then hired by the PGA TOUR to direct the Senior Players’ Championship in Dearborn, MI. From there he moved to Southern California to run sports marketing for Mazda Motors of America’s advertising agency FCB Orange Country. Kevin returned to Denver in 1995 as Vice-President of Sales at Imperial Headwear. In 1997 he started KML Golf, LLC, directing made-for-TV PGA TOUR Challenge Season events and represented PGA TOUR professional Gary Hallberg. Kevin was also General Manager / VP of Sales and Marketing for Hallberg’s company, The Saturday Series Pro-Ams, PGA TOUR Official Events. From April 2006 to February 2007, Kevin returned to The INTERNATIONAL at Castle Pines Golf Club as the Director of Business Development. In March 2007, he joined the Colorado Open Golf Foundation as Director of Sales and Marketing. Kevin was appointed President of the CGA in February for which he served two years in 2006 and 2007 He is also a Director of the Western Golf Association, a member of the USGA Regional Affairs Committee, a board member of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame and board member of the Colorado PGA Foundation. Kevin and his wife, Charni, have a 14-year old daughter, Emma. Kevin plays out of Green Valley Ranch Golf Club.

Julie grew up in Craig, Colorado and is a graduate of the Eisenhower-Evans Scholarship Program at the University of Colorado-Boulder.  She grew up working and playing at Yampa Valley Golf Course crediting her mom and dad for getting her addicted to golf.

Her horizons within the golf industry are pretty broad, working in golf shops, on maintenance crews, caddying and tournament execution.  It is the golf industry where she met her husband, Matt, while working at Indian Tree GC. After a brief stint in the frozen tundra of Williston, North Dakota, where Matt was the Head Pro at The Links of North Dakota, they relocated the family back to Colorado joining the Green Valley Ranch Campus in 2006 where Matt is the GM.

Julie and Matt have two children who keep them very busy with golf as well as other activities, including baseball and volleyball.  Davis is a The First Tee Alumni and Emma is at the Eagle Level in the program, both giving back as junior coaches and volunteers.

Both children are very active in competitive golf.  Davis has competed in the US Junior Amateur Championship (2015, 2017); qualified for U.S. Open Sectionals (2018); played the Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach partnering with Mark Wiebe (2015); represented Team Colorado at Junior Americas Cup (2015-2018); PGA Junior Championship (2017 & 2018) and was named the 2017 Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s Boy’s Player of the Year.  Davis now plays golf for Colorado State University.  Emma represented Team Colorado at the 2018 Girls Junior Americas Cup, competed in the IMG Junior World Championships (2016), the Optimist Jr Championship (2017-18), and won the 2017 JGAC Girl’s Match Play Championship. In the same school year, both Davis and Emma won the 5A Individual (Boys and Girls) State Golf Championship (2017-2018) while playing for Eaglecrest High School.  Julie has little time for golf but does get to play when the kids have practice rounds.

Brandon was born and raised in Portland, Oregon and his family developed his love for the game of golf. He graduated from the Professional Golf Management program at Penn State in 2004 and received his Class A PGA Membership from the PGA of America in 2006. His career has included an internship at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, working with the Merchandise Department for The Masters, Assistant Professional at Kapalua – Plantation Course, Director of Operations for The Commerce Bank Championship (Champions Tour event), Assistant Operations Director for IMG, and the Tournament Director role with 3 PGA of America Sections (Central NY, Gulf States and Southern TX).

Brandon joins the Colorado Open Golf Foundation as Tournament Director, most recently moving from Houston, TX and the Southern Texas PGA. Outside of work and family visits, his interest in community involvement took shape while living in New Orleans. Brandon was a project leader, board member, and Executive Committee member of the Young Leadership Council (a non-profit dedicated to developing leaders through community service in New Orleans). He was also President of the Penn State Alumni Chapter in New Orleans. During his time in Houston, he was a member of the Young Professional Toastmasters in Houston, and volunteered with the Penn State Alumni Houston Chapter.

Brandon has family connections in Denver and Grand Junction, and his life is rounded out by his passion for the Portland Trail Blazers, Penn State Nittany Lions, and hours dedicated to yoga and an active lifestyle.

Zach is a native of Castle Rock, Colorado. He attended Castle View High School where he was a three-sport athlete playing golf, hockey, and baseball. After graduation, he attended Metropolitan State University of Denver where he majored in Sports Management with a minor in Marketing. During his time at Metro, he played for the school’s club hockey team, worked a full time job, all while being a full time student. After his playing career ended, he moved to coaching Junior Varsity hockey at Heritage High School. While Zach considers himself a hockey player at heart, he never lost his passion for the game of golf. He started learning golf at Family Sports Center, and then continued his career playing for his high school. After High school, Zach worked the cart barn at The Country Club at Castle Pines where he was able to improve his game after work and on his days off. Zach serves as the Program Director, moving through the ranks from programming intern and program coordinator.

Originally from Naples, Florida, Chase Kerlek graduated from the University of Florida with a B.S. in Telecommunication specializing in Digital Film and Television Production. After interning in the summer of 2018 and 2019 for the Colorado PGA Section, Chase is excited and passionate about growing the game of golf in Colorado. At a young age, Chase discovered his love for the game while taking lessons with his father continuing to play ever since. Recognizing the impact that golf can have on a young person’s life, Chase truly believes that the game brings out a competitive spirit, which inspires junior golfers to achieve for the rest of their career.

When Chase is away from the golf course he enjoys spending his time in the mountains either snowboarding on powder days or hiking trails in the summer.

James was born in Boulder, but grew up in Minnesota. He spent my summers in Colorado where he learned to play and enjoy golf at a young age. James played hockey and golf throughout his youth and after high school, went on to play Junior Hockey throughout Canada and the United States. After playing Juniors, he decided to go to college, attending Metropolitan State University in Denver pursuing a double major in Sport Management and Marketing.

During his free time, he likes to go to Rockies games, fish, golf, and anything in the mountains. After college, James would like to pursue a law degree and find his way into the Sports Law side of things, whether that’s in agencies, contracts, or marketing. He is excited to learn more about the behind-the-scenes of golf and the continued growth of the First Tee Program.

Patrick Hamill is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Oakwood Homes, LLC. In addition to Oakwood Homes, Pat’s other business affiliations include: Town and Country Title and Insurance, Green Valley Ranch Golf Club, Precision Building Systems and PKK Investments. He is a Past Chairman and current board member emeritus of the Boys & Girls Clubs of metro Denver, Founder of the Colorado Open Golf Foundation, and a Board Member of Colorado Concern. He is a past trustee of the University of Denver as well as past board member for HealthONE, and served on the Governor’s Early Childhood Leadership Commission. In addition, Pat has co-founded two community development organizations in the greater Denver area: Foundation for Education Excellence and 21st Century High Tech Academy. Pat received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Denver’s School of Real Estate and Construction Management. In 2016, Oakwood Homes is celebrating their 25th year in the home building business, as well as building their 14,000th home. He is an avid golfer and skier enjoying time in the fairway and on the slopes.

Molly Greenblatt, a native of Denver, Colorado, has been a contributor to the advancement of youth athletics most of her life. An avid participant in athletics and her passion for golf and its character building attributes have defined the role Molly seeks to play in the community. Discovering golf at the age of 14, Molly quickly ascended the ranks of Junior Golf. She led the Cherry Creek High School golf team to a state championship in 1996 and accumulated numerous Colorado Junior Golf Championships. Molly’s accomplishments earned her an athletic scholarship to San Jose State University. While a member of the women’s program at San Jose State, the team was consistently ranked in the top 25. The team played in the NCAA Championships in 1999, which was the same year Molly won Low Amateur honors at the Colorado Women’s Open. Upon completion of her collegiate playing career, Molly focused her passion for golf on coaching. She joined the University of Illinois Women’s Golf Team as an assistant coach helping lead the Fighting Illini to their first appearance in the NCAA Regional’s. Returning home to Colorado to complete her law degree at the University of Denver, Molly quickly found ways to give back to the community. Molly’s other community involvement activities over the years have included the Metro Denver Sports Commission, Morgridge Academy at National Jewish Health, Concert for Kids, Millennium Promise, and the Lupus Walk,. Currently, she is one of the three Colorado Board of Governors for the American Association for Justice and serves on the Executive Committee for the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association. Molly is a partner with the law firm of Leventhal & Puga P.C. in Denver.

David is the Founder and Managing Director of SRS Capital Advisors, Inc., a $600 million asset management and financial advisory firm which serves high net-worth families and individuals, businesses, and foundations.  Mr. Simon is also Owner and President of SimonDavis Brokerage Services, Inc. a wholesale distributor of financial services products.  In 2015, CNBC recognized SRS Capital Advisors as one of the top 100 Wealth Management firms in the United States.

David earned his MBA from The Colgate Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia and a B.S. from Arizona State University.  While attending the University of Virginia, he received advanced training in federal income taxation, estate planning, and gratuitous transfer taxation at the University of Virginia School of Law. David is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP^®) and a Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU).  In 2015, David was awarded an honorary appointment as a Visiting Executive Lecturer at the Darden Business School at the University of Virginia.

David is a current or past board member of Colorado I Have a Dream Foundation (Past President), ACE Scholarships, Darden Alumni Board, Parkinson’s Association of the Rockies, Southwest Counseling Associates (Past President), and NAIFA (Past President).  David and his family reside in Cherry Hills Village, Colorado where they enjoy skiing, golfing and the other outdoor activities Colorado has to offer.

Kelly is president of Reidy Metal Services, Inc., headquartered in Aurora. She graduated from the University of Colorado and during that time she learned every aspect of the business from her dad. She bought the company from her father in 2010. Kelly has worked with many charities; specifically raising money and volunteering for The Komen Foundation, The Denver Children’s Home and various toy drives during the holidays. She organized and ran The Rally For a Cure golf tournament for 10 years, benefitting the Komen Foundation here in Denver. She is an avid weight lifter and is excited to play golf with the kids and help the coaches out on the course. She is married to Jerry Homeyer and has two children; Kate and Brad. Kelly’s home course is Blackstone CC.

Arthur Hodges manages corporate communications for the bank, with responsibility for customer and shareholder communications, branding and corporate identity, events, internal communications, newsletters, advertising, websites, and corporate social responsibility programs. He is also a member of CoBank’s Senior Leadership Team. Prior to joining CoBank in 2007, he served as vice president of corporate communications for ProLogis, a global developer of industrial real estate, and for Level 3 Communications, an international Fortune 500 telecommunications company. Before that, Mr. Hodges worked as a reporter and editor at a number of daily newspapers around the country, including The Denver Post, where he served on the editorial team awarded the Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the Columbine High School shooting in 1999. Mr. Hodges holds a bachelor’s degree in American history from Harvard University.

Tom is a new Board Member of the Colorado Open Golf Foundation and is President of FirstBank – Cherry Creek, having been with FirstBank since 1994.  His primary responsibility is to deliver a high level of customer service, and to manage in such a way that contributes to the growth, profitability, safety, and soundness of FirstBank.  This includes loan management and growth, deposit management and growth, bank compliance, customer requests, bank earnings and profitability.

Tom is very involved in the community, having worked with several organizations. He is currently the board chair of the Cherry Creek Area Business Alliance as well the board chair of Qualistar of Colorado, where he works to advance early childhood education in the state of Colorado.

Tom graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Arts in 1991 and from Florida State University with an MBA in 1994.  He and his wife, Lauren, have lived in Denver for the past 25 years and have a high school aged daughter. He enjoys golf, college football and traveling.

Chris Nordling is a recognized expert in the Denver area industrial real estate market. He has over 30 years of experience providing client-focused real estate services and has sold or leased well over 12 million square feet of industrial and office properties. Chris has served as the president of the Denver metro Commercial Association of Realtors (DMCAR) and president of the Colorado Chapter of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR). He has earned numerous industry accolades, including receiving a NAIOP Industrial Broker of the Year award, recognition as DMCAR’s Commercial Realtor of the Year, and the Top 10 Producer distinction 12 times at the firm’s Denver office. Chris grew up in Colorado, played for Cherry Creek High School’s State Championship team in 1973, and attended the University of New Mexico where he earned a Bachelors in Business Administration while playing on the Men’s Golf Team alongside Tommy Armour III and Brad Bryant. Chris is a two-time former Colorado State Amateur Champion and played in the 1979 U.S. Open as well as numerous Colorado Open Championships. His passion for golf leads him to the course volunteering regularly on Play Days for The First Tee of Green Valley Ranch.

Eddie Ainsworth is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Colorado Section of the PGA of America, where he guides the staff in service to the Section’s over 800 PGA Members & Apprentices with the goal of making a positive difference in the lives of others while growing the game of golf. In addition to his role with the Colorado Section PGA, he serves as the Executive Director of the Colorado PGA Foundation, Board of Director Colorado Open Golf Foundation, Board of Director Colorado Golf Hall of Fame, and is Tournament Director for the T.A.P.S. (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors) Celebrity Invitational. Born in 1962 at Edwards Air Force Base California, and the son of thirty-year Air Force Chief Master Sargent Richard L. Ainsworth, Sr., he followed in his father’s footsteps serving the men and women who serve our country for over 20 years managing Air Force Golf Programs at Cannon Air Force Base, Norton Air Force Base, Patrick Air Force Base, and most recently The United States Air Force Academy for over 10 years. In his current position as Executive Director/CEO of the Colorado PGA, he oversees the organization’s Golf in Schools Program where close to 30,000 school children have been introduced to the game of golf at cost to the students or schools, delivers the most successful introductory golf programs in the PGA of America, provides Education and Employment assistance to the organizations Members and Apprentices, and through the Foundation funds well over $100,000 annually in growth of the game programs and college scholarships. His commitment to the military continues in his role with the Colorado PGA Foundation where annually PGA Members visit the Denver VA Hospital during Valentines Week, host an Annual Pro Am for the Soldiers at Fort Carson, established a Military Affairs Committee within the Colorado Section PGA Board of Directors, and will be launching PGA H.O.P.E. (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) in 2014. Ainsworth’s awards include the Air Force Sustained Superior Performance Award, Air Force Senior Civilian Manager Award and two Air Force Golf Program Awards. His Colorado PGA awards include the Bill Strausbaugh Award, President’s Plaque Award, Horton Smith Award and Junior Golf Leader Award. Most recently the Colorado Section was recognized as the leading Section out of the 41 Sections of the PGA of America in growing the game of golf and he has been recognized as one the most influential people in the game of golf in Colorado. Ainsworth and his wife of over 25 years, Kynda, have resided in Colorado Springs since 1998 and are the proud parents of a son, Jacob, and a daughter Jessica. He has been active in his local community by coaching youth soccer for over seven years, youth ministry for over ten years, is a member of the Pike Peak Roundtable, the Colorado Thirty Group and is the current Vice President of his community’s HOA

Miles is currently the Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for Apartment Investment and Management Company (AIMCO). Having earned his law degree from Northwestern University, he is licensed to practice in both Illinois and Colorado; and has been listed in “The Best Lawyers in America” (Business Litigation) and “Who’s Who in Law (Denver Business Journal). Miles has also served his country in the US Army. He has received numerous awards for his service including the Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal, Army Commendation Medal in addition to Vietnam Service Medals. Together with his wife Jan, they have four adult children and five grandchildren. Miles also enjoys giving back. He is on the Board of Trustees at Trinity University; served on the Board of Directors at Denver SafeHouse for three years; served on the Board of Directors for Girls Incorporated of Denver for three years as well as the Board of Directors for the Colorado Youth Tennis Foundation for three years.

Christena “Chrissy” Estes Faraci has almost 20 years of political consulting experience.  While her primary focus and expertise is in local governments, she has experience and relationships at both the state and federal level. She spent six years as Director of Government Relations for a government relations firm, until she formed Faraci Government Relations in September of 2002. Faraci Government Relations and David J. Cole & Associates, Inc. team up to assist several clients. Over the years, Ms. Estes Faraci secured Denver City Council votes for a host of issues ranging from the new Broncos Stadium to rezoning of the Stapleton redevelopment site, and works with other local governments throughout the Denver-metropolitan area.

Beyond lobbying, she has throughout her career developed and implemented communication plans and processes for major community projects including the old St. Luke’s Hospital site, the new Denver Academy School at the old Bethesda Hospital site, and the Denver City Council for the Women’s College rezoning. Additionally, she has successfully managed Lakewood Mayor Bob Murphy’s re-election campaign, as well as, consulted on four other Denver-metro mayoral campaigns. She was a finalist in the 2002 Outstanding Women in Business sponsored by the Denver Business Journal.

Active in the community, Chrissy serves on the organizing committees for two major fundraisers – the Invest in Kids and the Children’s Hospital Wine Events.  She has served on the Board of Director’s for Historic Denver as well as Friends of the Auditorium Theatre.  Additionally, she has been a mayoral appointee representing Denver business interests on the Living Wage Task Force, participated in the Empowerment Zone Facilitation, and currently is a mayoral appointee to Denver’s Judicial Ethics Commission and is a gubernatorial, senate-confirmed chairwoman and board member of the Colorado Student Leadership Institute and Colorado History Day.

Chrissy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Iowa in Political Science and History and a Master of Arts degree from University of Denver.  Her graduate studies focused on higher education, public administration and policy making. She enjoys golf, playing mostly at Commonground and Lakewood CC, and her son Nick is a freshman golfer at George Washington HS. Her daughter Sophia is 7^th grader at Int’l School of Denver and she is happily married to husband Paul of 18 years.

Jacob “Jake” Gilmore, Jr., grew up in Denver graduating from George Washington High School with honors, and played on the school golf team. Jake received multiple scholarships to attend the Univer­sity of Colorado at Boulder College of Engineering where he earned a B.S. degree in Architectural Engineering in 1980. He started his construction career working as a field engineer for Roberts Construction. Jake eventually worked his way up to Operations Manager, and in 1997 Jake and his lovely wife Edweena started Gilmore Construction Corporation. For 20+ years, Jake has successfully built a strong track record of construction excellence at GCC.

Since the company’s inception, Jake has been involved with an impressive 500+ projects for local clients in­cluding United Airlines (simulator and kitchen facilities, DIA Concourse B project), Denver Federal Center, City and County of Denver, City of Aurora, Denver Public Schools, University of Colorado Health and Kaiser Permanente, and various federal government agencies. His list of national clients include GM Saturn (plant modular building program), Pratt Whitney (automated storage and retrieval system), and Ford Motor (Design Center upgrade) among many others.

He is a firm believer in empowering the professional success of Gilmore Construction’s team, giving back to Colorado communities, mentoring smaller minority-owned companies and supporting non-profits focused on educating youth about community opportunities and about the construction industry.

Jake’s commitment to community and education is equally as impressive, and includes being a Youth Instructor at CO Association of Black Professional Engineers and Scientists (CABPES), an active member of the Associated General Contractors of CO and the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO). Jake serves on three boards including the CO Black Chamber of Commerce (since 2012), the Venture Prep High School (since 2014) and the Contractor Academy (since 2015).

Jake and Edweena reside in Green Valley Ranch, have two children and are proud grandparents to three grandchildren.

Born in Los Angeles, Porfirio moved to Kodiak Alaska at a young age. He was recruited as a track and field athlete to attend Jamestown College (now Jamestown University) in North Dakota where he majored in Education.  Upon graduation in 2007, Porfirio began his career with Walmart, managing stores in six different states. He currently is the store manager of the Evergreen Walmart.

Porfirio has served on the board of the Boys and Girls Club in Rawlins, Wyoming in multiple capacities, including Vice President.  He is a passionate outdoors man enjoying fishing, boating and camping as well as hitting the links at Fox Hollow Golf Course.

Originally from Texas, Janene has lived in Colorado 35 years.  She and husband Alan are members of Lakewood CC and Frost Creek.  She serves on several committees, including the Caddie Committee at Lakewood CC (17 years); Board of Director for the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame (4 years); Director for the Western Golf Association, Evans Scholarship Foundation (8 years); and Secretary on the Executive Board of the Colorado Golf Association. She also Chairs the Caddie Development Committee for the CGA (2 years) – the main focus is the Solich Caddie Academy on its 3 campuses.

Nominated and approved by the CGA Executive Committee, she became the President of the CGA January 1, 2019.

Jim Hajek, PGA is the Head Golf Professional at Fossil Trace Golf Club and has been with the City of Golden since February of 2003. Originally from southeastern South Dakota, Jim graduated from the University of South Dakota with a degree in education, emphasis in mathematics and computers. He began his golf career by managing a small country club in his home town of Tyndall. He and his wife Lisa moved to the Denver area in 1989 where she is the owner and operator of The Graceful Touch – therapeutic massage practices in both Lakewood and Englewood.

Jim has been fortunate to play golf at some of the greatest golf destinations in the world including Ireland, Scotland, Mexico, Argentina, and throughout the USA.  Although it is difficult to separate all the amazing properties, he would say the Bandon Dunes is the best pure golf experience around (without needing a passport) and has taken several travel groups to the Oregon coast.

Numerous awards have honored Jim: 2016 Colorado Golf Hall of Fame “Golf Person of the Year”, 2015 PGA Merchandiser of the Year (National Award) and 2014, 2012, 2007 Colorado PGA Merchandiser of the Year. He currently serves as the Vice President of the Colorado PGA Board of Directors.

Matt Hanson currently serves as the Colorado Market President for First Fidelity Bank.  FFB is a full-service Community Bank based out of Oklahoma and opened its first location in Greenwood Village, Co.  He joined the bank in March of 2020 and has lived in Colorado for 16 years.  He graduated from Marquette University with a B.A. in Finance and earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.  In addition to leading First Fidelity Bank, he is involved in the non-profit community.  He is also a Board Member and Treasurer for Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver and a Trustee for the Denver Public Library Friends Foundation.  Matt is an avid golfer and belongs to Colorado Golf Club in Parker, Colorado.

Matt and his wife, Suzanne, have two children and spend their free time with their kids and enjoying the mountains.

Jim Hillary is the Managing Member of Fios Capital, LLC.  Fios makes direct investments in small to mid-sized companies.  Between 2004-2015, Jim oversaw the investment operations of Independence Capital Asset Partners, LLC, a private investment firm serving endowments, institutions and high net-worth individuals.  Between 1989 and 2004, Jim worked as an analyst and portfolio manager for several investment firms.  Prior to that Jim worked in various capacities in the NY headquarters of Price Waterhouse.  Jim has a BA Degree from Rutgers College and a law degree from Fordham Law School.  Jim came to Denver in 1997.  He and his wife, Anne, have been active in the community through their support for organizations such as the Colorado Ballet, Mizel Museum, John Lynch Foundation & Judi’s House.  Jim is a member of Cherry Hills Country Club and has served on various committees including a committee charged with running the 2012 US Amateur.  Jim currently serves on the mutual fund board of Great West Financial, Inc.  Jim and Anne have three children, Peter, Mark and Charlotte.

Melissa Hubbard is an attorney and avid golfer, holding a 11.2 at her home course of Pinehurst CC. She joined the law firm of Jones & Keller, P.C. in January 2014 where her practice will continue to focus on business, securities, franchise and telecom transactions. In addition, she serves as an arbitrator and mediator for the American Arbitration Association and FINRA, as well as on specialty arbitration panels focusing on securities, franchise, employment, telecommunication and technology matters. She left Daniels & Associates in 2001, having served as General Counsel to this leading M&A banking firm for ten years. She went on to become a partner at Berenbaum, Weinshienk & Eason and then General Counsel to Keating Investments, LLC. Melissa began her legal career at Holland & Hart, LLP, and became a partner in the corporate/securities group before taking the position at Daniels. She received her A.B. in Political Science from Stanford University, with high honors, and then attended Georgetown Law School for a year before moving to Colorado and graduating from the University of Colorado Law School. Melissa’s claim to fame is being the mother of professional golfer, Mark Hubbard, who was the CGA junior golfer of the year in 2006, WAC Champion and San Jose State University All Academic Scholar graduate in 2011. Mark made the Order of Merit for PGA Tour Canada in 2013 as the 3rd highest money winner, and competed on the Web.com tour in 2014, along with various PGA Tour events. Mark gained his PGA Tour card for 2015 and as of January, has already made over $130,000. Mark has participated in numerous Colorado Open Championships and Melissa has been a loyal spectator of the event for over 20 years.

Sandy is the Chairman and Executive Director of GREAT Girls and Golf (co-founded in 2015 with LPGA Tour veteran Lauren Howe). a non-profit focused on a 3-D approach to golf instruction (Head•Heart•Game) and providing charitable funds for scholarships, tournament fees/travel costs, instruction and mentoring to help young girls realize their potential as golfers, and in life.  Golf is one of Sandy passions, and she loves to watch it, take lessons, practice, play and compete in member events and interclub team matches.  She hopes to expand her future tournament savvy to include amateur women’s senior, four ball and mid-am events.

Sandy has the attitude that if something needs to be done, she will take on the challenge.  That helped mold her diverse background in her 30+ years in business—from project and people management, business development and technical sales in the telecom world, to real estate brokerage.  A constant throughout Sandy’s life has been the gift of music.  She has expressed her creative side as the lead singer for over 20 years for several different well-known local bands (Cinema, the legendary Nikators), playing guitar and piano, and as a songwriter of tunes for her own use and custom songs for others, including a theme song for the non-profit, UMOM, in Phoenix, and a song co-written with Lauren Howe called “Champ It Up” about the shift to a positive competitive attitude.  Sandy returned to college at age 48 to pursue her dream of a music degree, graduating Summa Cum Laude from the University of Colorado.

Sandy and husband Chris have lived in Denver for most of their lives supporting many organizations including Boys & Girls Clubs, Hope House and LaAcademia, and enjoy life with their 5 girls, 3 son-in-laws and grandson, and soon to be grandsons!

Gary E. Leeper, CEO of IMI is a native of Colorado. His company Interactive Management, Inc. performs executive and administrative functions for International, National and regional trade and professional associations. Currently, Gary is executive director for the Rocky Mountain Golf Course Superintendents Association, based here in Colorado. Gary is a graduate of Mesa College (now Colorado Mesa University) in Grand Junction, Colorado and a graduate of the US Chamber of Commerce School for Association Management, University of Oklahoma, a six year professional development program for association executives. Gary is a retired high school football coach from Denver North High School where he was the head coach in the 90’s. Gary has stepped over to the other side and is now a collegiate official for the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. He and his family reside in Broomfield.

Kim is a Shareholder at Otten, Johnson, Robinson, Neff and Ragonetti, P.C., practicing in the land use and real estate practice groups. Kim represents real estate developers and owners of residential, commercial, industrial, resort and mixed-use projects, with a focus on all aspects of land use entitlements, general real estate development matters and public-private partnerships. Kim earned her undergraduate degree in Aviation Management from the University of North Dakota. A licensed pilot, she worked in project management and Federal Aviation Administration compliance matters at various airports in Washington and Colorado prior to earning her law degree at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in 2004. Kim has been involved in the game of golf since high school, participating in the Colorado Women’s Open as a net amateur for the past several years, and is thrilled to have the opportunity to serve on the Board of Trustees and to further contribute to The First Tee Green of Valley Ranch. Kim and her husband, Dave, reside in Commerce City. Any additional free time Kim is able to find is spent enjoying travel, happy hour with friends, working out and watching sports.

Ed Mate is Executive Director for the Colorado Golf Association (CGA). He is a Denver native who grew up playing City Park Golf Course and caddying at Denver Country Club. He graduated from East High School in Denver and is a graduate of the University of Colorado where he attended college on the Chick Evans Caddie Scholarship program. Ed began working for the CGA in 1985 as a summer intern and has never looked back! The CGA conducts state championships, administers the handicap system for the state, conducts an extensive junior golf program, serves as the authority in the state on the Rules of Golf and operates CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora which serves as a laboratory for association programs to grow the game and create youth programs that build character through golf.

A Denver native and product of Wheat Ridge High School, Janet learned how to play golf from her parents Sub and Reta Ruma at Lakewood Country Club.  She went on to play golf at the University of Arizona, making the Pac-10 All-Star team in 1986 and playing in three U.S. Women’s Amateurs during her college days. She has played in 25 USGA National Championships total.  Janet was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame at the age of 36. She has won the Colorado Women’s Golf Association Stroke Play 5 times (4 consecutive). Janet serves on several boards, including Young Life, Open Door Ministries and the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame.  She also works with Arapahoe County as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate). From 2011—2015 Janet was the Wheaton College Women’s Golf Coach.

She is married to Kent Moore and they have 2 married children and 2 grandchildren.  Janet and Kent are members at Cherry Hills Country Club.  In addition to golf, Janet also enjoys photography, fly fishing, and spending time with family and friends. She is honored to be part of the Colorado Open Golf Foundation.

Joanna grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and attended the University of Arizona, graduating in 1993 with a degree in Fine Arts.  While at school, she interned for the Colorado Rockies, and upon graduating, continued with the Rockies for two years at Mile High Stadium while Coors Field was being built.

Joanna turned her attention to starting a family with her husband, Alex.  She is the proud and active mom of three children, all of whom are outstanding students and athletes.  Her oldest, Calli, was the 5A State High School Girls Golf Champion while at Cherry Creek and has recently graduated from Stanford University where she played college golf. Daughter Lexi was a multi-sport athlete lettering in Golf and Field Hockey all 4 years while at Cherry Creek, and now attends UC-Berkley majoring in Chemical Engineering.  Son Jimmy is also an avid golfer and has competed all four years for Cherry Creek HS from which he will be graduating in May.

Joanna, who came from a golfing family herself with two brothers having competed for University of Michigan, is also an accomplished golfer playing out of Denver Country Club and Castle Pines Golf Club, where she is twice DCC Club Champion and competed on her Washington High School team.

Timothy Steidle is the Treasurer of CoBank and oversees management of the bank’s interest rate risk position incorporating its investments, funding and derivatives portfolio. His team is responsible for managing the bank’s liquidity position as well as its transfer pricing function. Mr. Steidle is primarily involved in strategy and policy formulation governing the bank’s overall asset liability management. Mr. Steidle joined CoBank’s Treasury Division in 1994. Previously, he held various positions in the treasury group at Independence Bancorp, a commercial bank holding company in Pennsylvania. Tim grew up in Easton, Pennsylvania and received his bachelor’s degree in finance with a minor in economics from Pennsylvania State University where he started playing golf his freshman year. In 1994, he moved to Colorado He and his wife of over 10 years reside in Castle Rock.

Allen J. Walters is the President & Group Publisher of Colorado AvidGolfer and AvidLifesyle magazine. His magazine and newspaper career spans almost three decades, which includes a twelve-year career with the Gannett Co. and fourteen years with Media News Group, the owner of The Denver Post. Walters has been the publisher of Colorado AvidGolfer magazine since June 2002.

Prior to joining Colorado AvidGolfer, Walters was the Vice President of Advertising at The Denver Post and the Denver Newspaper Agency. In addition, Walters has held various advertising management positions with The Denver Post, The Idaho Statesman (Boise, ID), and The Santa Fe New Mexican. He has served on the following boards: Better Business Bureau, Downtown Denver Partnership and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Walters, a native of Stockton, California, moved to Colorado in August of 1988. He and his wife Nancy have two children. In his spare time, Allen enjoys playing golf and tennis, skiing, traveling and spending time with his family and friends.

Tony is the Colorado Open Golf Foundation Immediate Past Chariman and is President of FirstBank – South Jefferson County, having been with FirstBank since 1986. His primary responsibility is to deliver a high level of customer service, and to manage in such a way that contributes to the growth, profitability, safety, and soundness of FirstBank – South Jefferson County. This includes loan management and growth, deposit management and growth, bank compliance, customer requests, bank earnings and profitability. Antista is very involved in the community, having worked with several organizations. He is currently a board member and treasurer for the Jefferson County Economic Development Corporation. Tony also serves on the Emeritus Board of the YMCA of Metropolitan Denver. He assists the organization with their mission to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind, and body for all. He has served as Board Chair on its Finance and Executive Committees. Tony graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from University of Colorado at Denver in 1986. He and his wife, Kira, have four children. He enjoys golf, running and reading and is a member of Pax Christi Catholic Church.

Mark Brown is the Managing Partner of Brown & Tedstrom, Inc., a Denver-based comprehensive wealth management firm. A 29-year veteran of the field, Mark and his partner, Peter Tedstrom, formed their business in 1991. A graduate of the University of Colorado, Boulder, he earned his Certified Financial Planner™ designation in 1989. The firm is a Registered Investment Advisor and he is NASD Series 7 and Series 63 licensed. Mark is consistently ranked a Top Wealth Advisor in America by Barron’s, Worth and Registered Rep. magazines, and is a frequent commentator for both national and local media on financial planning and investing, markets and the economy. Mark has appeared on CNBC, 9News, Fox31 and KOA Radio and has been an expert for stories appearing in the Denver Business Journal, the Denver Post, the Rocky Mountain News, the LA Times, the Chicago Tribune and the Wall Street Journal, as well as various industry publications, including Financial Planning, Journal of Financial Planning and Investment News. Mark lives in Denver with his 3 sons, and he and wife, Rachel, are active in the community. His current and past civic and board responsibilities include Colorado Concern, Colorado UpLift, Financial Planning Association, First Tee of Green Valley Ranch , 50 for Colorado, I Have A Dream Foundation (IHAD), Metro Denver Executive Club, Mile Hi United Way, Quarterly Forum, Rotary Club of Denver Southeast, and Rotary Foundation.

Gail Godbey has spent the past 35 years supporting golf programs and related causes. He founded the Colorado Women’s Open in 1995 after introducing a women’s flight to the Colorado Open in 1992. He was Executive Director of the Colorado Open from 1992-98, as well as Executive Director of the Colorado Women’s Open from 1994-98. In 1998 he put together all sponsorships and laid the groundwork for the Colorado Senior Open that was first played in 1999. Godbey spent 20 years at Frontier Airlines where, in addition to his sales-marketing-advertising responsibilities, he ran the very popular Frontier Invitational Pro-Am golf tournament. He spent five years at The Denver Post as Director of Public Relations, Promotions and Marketing with the Post’s Champions of Golf senior tournament under his direction. In 1987-88 he was Director of Marketing at The INTERNATIONAL at Castle Pines. Godbey has spent 15 years with the CU Foundation, fundraising for the University of Colorado Cancer Center, his last seven years as Board Relations Officer working with Regents, Trustees and the Foundation Board. In 2001 he helped found the Fitz Frolic for Research Golf Tournament at the new CU Anschutz Campus at Fitzsimons serving as Tournament Director and Board President. Godbey has served on the boards of the American Cancer Society, CU golf team Fairways Club, president of the LoDo Neighborhood Association, the Downtown Denver Residence Organization, the CU Buff Club, and the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. In 2005 Godbey served as the 2005 Chairman of the Volunteer Uniform Committee for the US Women’s Open held at Cherry Hills Country Club. He also serves on the Board of Governors of the Colorado Golf Association. Godbey and his wife Vicki live in Lower Downtown Denver.

Jerre Hause is originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, and came to Colorado in 1966 to attend Colorado State University. He received a B.S. in Economics in 1970, and in 1974 an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Denver. He took up golf after college and plays to a 5 handicap. Hause got involved with the CJGA when his son was coming up through the junior ranks in 1985. After his son went to college, Hause moved on to the Board of Governors of the CGA where he served as President from 2004-2006. He was a banker for 20 years and then ran two golf companies, Imperial Headwear and Carlyle Golf. He is currently with US Bank. Jerre Hause is a member of Pinehurst Country Club and serves on their Golf Committee.

Eric Kenealy founded the Novarus Capital Group in 2005 and serves as the Chairman/CEO. In his current position, he is involved in the start-up and management of business ventures in the Rocky Mountain Region. Kenealy is also a multi-unit Franchisee with Massage Envy Spa, a health and wellness company based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Prior to founding Novarus, Kenealy served as President/CEO of SunCorp in Westminster, Colorado from 2000 through 2005. During his tenure with SunCorp, the company was highly successful, growing from $850 million to $3 billion in assets, and expanding business operations from Colorado to the Mountain West region. Prior to SunCorp, Kenealy was Chief Operating Officer of Mid-States Corporate Federal Credit Union in Naperville, Illinois. Kenealy began his career at Mid-States in 1982 and served through 2000. During the years 1988 – 1991, Mr. Kenealy served as Director of Transactional Services for the Illinois Credit Union League Service Corporation. In his role with the League, he was responsible for the management of check processing, credit/debit card operations, data processing, and endorsed services. Kenealy’s professional experience includes acting as a member of the CUNA Payment Systems Sub-Committee and a past Vice-Chairman of the Corporate Network Brokerage Services (CNBS) Board of Directors. Kenealy has also held positions as president of the Massage Envy National Franchise Advisory Board, member of The Board of Trustees of Light Up Hope, Chairman of the Corporate Operations Forum, member of CUNA Technology Council, member of the CUNA CFO Council, member of the Illinois State Treasurer’s Banking Advisory Board, and member of the Public Investors Task Force of the State of Illinois. Kenealy holds a BS in Accounting from Elmhurst College and an MBA in Finance from DePaul University. He also is a Certified League Executive. He enjoys golfing, fishing, camping, skiing and outdoor activities. Eric plays most of his golf at the Colorado National Golf Club, Ranch Country Club and Vail Golf Club.

Bill Loeffler’s accolades in golf are numerous in Colorado as well as nationally. He competed in the 2010 Senior PGA Championship, won the 2007 Senior PGA Professional National Championship, won the 1992 PGA Assistant Professional Championship, won the 1986 US Mid-Amateur, was a member of the 1987 US Walker Cup team, and played on the PGA Tour in the early 80’s. Colorado is home to Loeffler where he has been named the Section’s PGA Player of the Year four times (1994, 2000, 2002 and 2004), is a member of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame, a three-time Colorado Open Champion (1991, 1993 and 2004), and Colorado Senior Open Champion (2009). Bill was one of the inaugural Board of Trustees of the Colorado Open Golf Foundation in 2004 and brings a wealth of knowledge to the game of golf as a player and a businessman.

Stephen G. McConahey is the Chairman of SGM Capital, LLC, where he oversees various public and private investments and participates directly in developing, financing and advising start-up and early stage companies, particularly in the financial services sector. He was the Co-Founder, President, COO and a board member of EVEREN Capital Corporation and EVEREN Securities, Inc. from 1994-99. Before that, he spent six years with the Kemper Corporation. McConahey’s career also includes a stint at the White House, where he was Special Assistant to President Gerald Ford. From 1975-76, he directed the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs with responsibility to the President for all issues, policies, legislation and communication relating to the nation’s mayors, governors and other state and local officials. McConahey earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin. McConahey’s board and community activities include the AMLI Residential Trust Board of Trustees, the IQ Navigator Board of Directors, the University of Denver Daniels Business School Advisory Board, the Colorado Forum, the Woodrow Wilson International Center Advisory Council, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver Board of Directors, the Metro Denver Sports Commission Board of Directors and the Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. He has also served as Greater Denver Corporation Chairman, as well as on the Downtown Denver Partnership, Denver Symphony Board of Directors, Denver Winter Games Olympic Bid Committee, US Ski and Snowboard Team Foundation Board and Chicago Field Museum Board of Directors.

As president of its Great Plains Commercial and Specialty Region, Oftedahl oversees strategy and operations for Humana’s commercial and specialty products in Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Eastern Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota. He has responsibility for the financial performance and growth of a portfolio of products, including medical plans and specialty benefits. From 2008 to 2011 Oftedahl was president of Humana’s Colorado market, overseeing Humana’s commercial health insurance business in Colorado, including the company’s strategic direction, growth, retention and profitability. He has also served as Regional Vice President of Sales for KMG America, a subsidiary of Humana specializing in group and voluntary insurance based in Minnetonka, Minn. While with KMG, Oftedahl was responsible for building and managing the sales and account management team and served as sales liaison to the Chief Management Committee. Before KMG, Oftedahl spent 6 years with Reliance Standard Life in Bloomington, MN in various sales and management roles. Oftedahl began his career with United HealthCare and held various finance and sales positions with them in Minneapolis and Denver. In 2010, Dan was named one of Denver Business Journal’s ‘Forty Under 40’ given to business leaders whose efforts in both the office and the community are helping shape the future of the Denver area. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Management from St. John’s University and lives with his family in Denver. He is active in various Charity organizations and spends evenings and weekends coaching his kid’s sports teams.

Brent is the President and CEO of Powers Products Co., a commercial construction subcontractor with operations primarily in Colorado and Wyoming and is also the Principal of Rodeo Wind Power, LLC, a facilitator and developer of wind energy resources in Wyoming and Colorado. Powers received a B.S. in 1994 from the University of Arizona, and in 1999, an M.B.A. from Northwestern University. He serves as a member of the Board for the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Denver and is a member of the Colorado Chapter of Young Presidents Organization, the Colorado Chapter of Associated General Contractors; the Colorado Chapter of American Subcontractors Association and represents both Colorado and Wyoming on the Distributors Council. Brent is a member of Cherry Hills Country Club and enjoys playing golf, skiing, fly-fishing and hunting. He and his wife, Andrea have three children, Karson, Presley and Rex. Brent claims the frequency of his hobbies are inversely related to the number of his kids right now!

Alex graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Arizona in 1992 and began his career with Cushman & Wakefield in 1993 as an industrial and land specialist. In his first year, he was named to both the Denver Business Journal and Cushman & Wakefield’s Rookie of the Year. Alex went on to consistently be the Top Industrial Producer at C&W in Denver. Alex also earned honors such as the distinguished C&W Brokerage Excellence Award, the “Forty under 40” Award from the Denver Business Journal and is consistently placed on the city’s “Heavy Hitters” list of top producing brokers. He is the Treasurer of the Colorado Chapter of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR) as an industrial specialist and served on the Board of Directors of the Denver Metro Commercial Association of Realtors. In 2002, Alex founded Ringsby Realty Corporation which specializes in office, industrial, land and investment brokerage. RRC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ringsby Terminals, Inc., which owns and manages properties in twelve states across the country. Alex and Ringsby Realty Corporation are active in the following charitable organizations: Children’s Hospital, The First Tee, Boys and Girls Clubs of Colorado, Graland School, Denver Art Museum, Colorado Uplift and the University of Colorado. He and his wife, Joanna, live in Denver with their three children and are an active golfing family.

Jay Small grew up in the golf business in Michigan and worked in a family owned golf shop all through the high school and college years. Graduated from Ferris State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and then went on to work in the Publishing Industry with McGraw-Hill. His 12 years with McGraw-Hill was spent in Detroit and in Southern California and he held various Sales and Marketing positions. In 1995 he was asked to start up a roof tile operation in Colorado for an Australian company, and he has been a Colorado resident since then. He has held various positions within his current company over the last 12 years, and spends most of his time traveling around the U.S. working with the large production builders. He is an avid, albeit mediocre, golfer and plays when he is in town. His two kids are the loves of his life. Jay is also active in the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver and Conservation Organizations such as Safari Club International and FNAWS.

With more than 20 years of broad banking experience, Vance Wagner brings a wealth of knowledge and leadership to the Bank’s Colorado Region as Regional President. Vance first joined American National Bank’s Denver Office as the Senior Credit Officer in the Commercial Banking division after nine years at the Bank’s Glenwood Springs banking center serving Colorado’s western slope. There, he served as Branch President and Regional Manager, and was honored as the first recipient of the Branch President of the Year award. His lengthy experience encompasses nearly all industries and facets of banking, with an emphasis in commercial, real estate and construction lending – enabling him to help businesses of all types and sizes navigate the business landscape successfully. Vance has been a Colorado resident for more than 30 years and attended Adams State College in Alamosa and the Graduate School of Banking at the University Of Colorado. Additionally, he graduated from real estate school, earned a real estate license, and received the Edgar M. Morsman Leadership Award in 2004 from The Risk Management Association (RMA). Vance has a lengthy history of Community involvement that includes serving on the boards for a hospital and the Governmental Affairs Committee for the Colorado Bankers Association. He also is involved with a local Rotary chapter, and education foundation, in Chamber of Commerce activities, and is a coach for youth sports.

Since 1992, Gordon has been a Market Manager for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. servicing multiple stores in the Denver metropolitan area. He has been in the retail industry for over twenty years, all with Wal-Mart. He offers a strong background in leadership, management and community knowledge, etc. Gordon has been an avid golfer for the past 30 years, and also enjoys skiing and fishing. He and his wife Rhonda have two children, Ashley and Megan. Rhonda is an active volunteer for the HealthONE Colorado Open Championships as well as The First Tee of Green Valley Ranch. As an active volunteer, Gordon has worked with the CNN Children’s Miracle Network through the Children’s Hospital in Denver, the John Lynch Foundation, Bonfils Organization, The First Tee of Green Valley Ranch, YMCA in Garden City, Kansas and was a Board Representative for the University of Kansas Alumni in Garden City as well.