High Country Regional Council

Dave Palenchar was raised in Southern California and first came to Colorado to attend the United States Air Force Academy. After a career in the Air Force, he returned to Colorado and joined El Pomar’s program staff. In 2007, Dave was recognized as Colorado Springs Business Citizen of the Year by the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC. He has been a Trustee of the Foundation since 1998 and retired as El Pomar’s Chief Operating Officer in 2013.

He has served in a variety of nonprofit leadership roles throughout Colorado Springs. Most recently he was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Broadmoor World Arena and Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts Board of Directors and Chair of the Colorado Springs Sports Corporation.

David Siegel, an El Pomar Fellowship alum from the Class of 2012, joins the Board as Fellowship Alumni Trustee. David serves as executive director for the Ent Center for the Arts at UCCS, supporting the Galleries of Contemporary Art (GOCA), Theatreworks, and the academic mission of the University. Under his leadership, annual participation in Ent Center programs increased 73 percent, Theatreworks subscriptions have surpassed pre-pandemic levels, and the venue now hosts more than 430 events each year.

Before joining UCCS, David served as chief executive officer of the Bee Vradenburg Foundation, where he worked with businesses, artists, arts organizations, and community leaders to support the arts in the Pikes Peak region. During David’s tenure, the foundation launched a direct support fund for individual artists affected by COVID-19 and created a low-barrier granting opportunity to support quick pandemic adaptions at local arts organizations. He received the Mayor’s Young Leader Award for Community and Economic Development in recognition of his work to support individual artists and the arts community during the COVID pandemic.

David is deeply engaged in Colorado Springs. He remains active on the Bee Vradenburg Foundation board of directors and is also a board member of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic and Garden of the Gods Foundation. David served for three years as chair of the Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services Advisory Board, co-chaired a statewide affinity group of arts funders, and served as board president for the Cultural Office of the Pikes Region (COPPR). In partnership with COPPR, David co-chaired the Arts Vision 2030 Cultural Planning process for El Paso and Teller Counties. An artist in his own right, David maintains an active performance schedule and holds a degree in violin performance from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City. He is a member of several performing ensembles including Grass it Up and Mango fan Django, named best bluegrass and jazz bands respectively by the Colorado Springs Independent. David has opened for artists including the Yonder Mountain String Band and serves as music advisor for the Green Box Arts Festival where he has commissioned several new symphonic, choral, and chamber works.

Hannah Berman is the Sustainability and Philanthropy Senior Manager at Aspen One where she works on environmental programs, community support, and initiatives to promote equity and justice. She is also the Executive Director of the Environment Foundation, which has donated more than $4.5 million to fight climate change, bolster clean energy at scale and policy level, and foster environmental stewardship. She helped pass a mill levy to increase teacher pay in the Roaring Fork Valley School District, a Pitkin County ballot measure to support affordable housing, and legislation to create the first special-district for childcare in the nation. She serves as the Board Vice Chair of Mountain Family Health Centers and was elected to Basalt Town Council in 2024. Hannah graduated from Bowdoin College with a degree in economics, environmental studies, and education.

Eudelia Contreras serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Full Circle of Lake County, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering the community through youth development, family support, immigrant services, and resource connection.

Prior to her role at Full Circle, Eudelia worked as the Lead Community Organizer for Lake County Build a Generation, where she organized residents in local manufactured housing communities to advance health and health equity. She played a key role in supporting the members of Cooperativa Nueva Unión in successfully purchasing their mobile home park for $1.6 million—an effort that continues to inspire community-led change in Lake County.

A proud Lake County resident of nearly 30 years, Eudelia draws on her lived experience and deep local roots to inform her leadership and advocacy. Her commitment to equity and community well-being is grounded in her belief that true change comes from within the community itself.

Kristi Ferraro is a real estate and business lawyer with her own practice in Avon, Colorado. Kristi was elected to the Avon Town Council in 2004 and 2008, and served as Mayor Pro Tem of Avon from 2010 to 2012. Kristi has served on the board of Vail Mountain School, Northwest Colorado Council of Governments, the Upper Eagle Regional Water Authority and Bravo! Vail. Kristi also served on the Board Excellence Committee of the Vail Valley Foundation, as Chairman of the Board of the Early Childhood Learning Center in Aspen and as President of the Pitkin County Bar Association.

Kristi graduated from the University of Colorado with a bachelor’s degree in business and from the University of California Berkeley with a juris doctor.

Millie Hamner lives in Summit County, Colorado and loves the beauty and outdoor experiences that come with life in the mountains. She dedicated her life’s career to public education serving the communities of Eagle and Summit counties as an elementary and middle school teacher and as a school and district leader. Millie served as the superintendent of schools in Summit County from 2004-2010 and then stepped up to fill a vacancy in the Colorado legislature. She served the rural and resort communities of Eagle, Lake, Summit, Pitkin, Gunnison, and Delta from 2011-2018 as a state representative and held leadership positions on the state’s Education and Joint Budget Committees. She worked as a senior policy director for the Keystone Policy Center for several years and currently serves as an affiliate to this organization. Millie continues her commitment to public service and was appointed by Governor Polis in 2022 to serve as a member of the Board of Trustees for Western Colorado University. She also serves on the Board for the Colorado Children’s Campaign and is a proud member of El Pomar’s High Country Regional Council.

Christine Scanlan is President and CEO of the Keystone Policy Center, a nonprofit organization which over the past 40 years, has built a portfolio of substantive work in energy, environment, education, health, and agriculture. Keystone has accomplished this work with a series of complementary approaches that reflect the diverse strategies utilized in leadership and successful issue resolution.

Christine joined the Keystone Policy Center from her role as Director of Legislative Affairs and Strategic Initiatives and Senior Education Policy Advisor to Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper. Prior to her senior staff role in the Governor’s Office, Christine was a Colorado State Representative for House District 56 and served in leadership as Majority Whip.

In earlier years, Christine had previously been at Keystone as Senior Vice President and COO. Christine has extensive public policy experience as a seasoned facilitator, negotiator and policy expert and is a respected leader in finding policy solutions through collaborative dialogue to complicated issues of urgency and import. Christine received both her MA Nonprofit Management and BA History from Regis University, Denver, Colorado.

As Executive Director, Jon Stavney leads the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments. Since 2016, NWCCOG has modernized internal systems, increased visibility, refined programs, doubled the employee base to expand and improve service levels across Western Colorado. Proudly, five program directors were recognized for excellence by peers at state and national levels during his tenure. Published monthly, Jon has written over 200 newsletter stories on current events. He facilitates for members, has authored 10 reports, co-developed Project THOR, and re-envisioned or created 5 regional programs. NWCCOG manages $14 million in fee-for-service work as well as federal or state grant funding, supporting senior services, business loans, economic development, and water policy among other programs at www.nwccog.org . Jon significantly increased positive impact to NWCCOG’s 31-member local governments. Prior to NWCCOG, Jon’s 20 years of public service included roles as Town Manager, Home Rule Committee, Town Trustee, Mayor, and County Commissioner. Ushering smart growth development for years, Jon is grateful to have led public projects like the Colorado River Open Space & River Access, Castle Peak Senior Center and Eagle Valley Land Exchange. Jon lives in Eagle, in a home he designed and built. He maintains a blog and is a voracious reader.

Shelby Pauka joined El Pomar Foundation as permanent staff in May 2022 as the Program Manager of the Regional Partnerships program. In this role, she supports the strategic planning of the Regional Partnerships program as well as oversees the day-to-day operations of annual projects that impact all regions. Shelby first joined the Foundation as an intern in 2017 and 2018, and then again in 2019 as a member of the Fellowship. Prior to joining the Foundation in her current role, Shelby worked as program coordinator for a military serving organization supporting military families in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, and Idaho. She graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in strategic communication with an emphasis in media design, a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in marketing, and a certificate in operations and information management.

Pablo Forsyth Simon joined El Pomar Foundation as a member of the Fellowship Class of 2024. As a 2nd Year Fellow, Pablo serves on Alumni Relations, Recruiting, and Pikes Peak Heritage Series. He also supports the High Country and Metro Regional Councils.

Pablo grew up in Golden, Colorado and graduated from the University of Puget Sound (UPS) in 2022 with a degree in Business Leadership and minors in Asian Studies and Politics and Government. During his time at UPS, Pablo participated in many organizations both on and off campus. On campus, Pablo was a tour guide, barista, and academic advisor for first-year students. Off campus, he completed AmeriCorps service at a local food bank and a consulting project for a local nonprofit, Young Business Men of Washington, and interned at the Center for Dialogue and Resolution,. Upon graduating, Pablo worked in Seattle for a year at the College Success Foundation where he coached 200 predominately first-generation and low-income students through financial, academic, and social situations at the University of Washington.

Pablo has traveled around Europe and Asia and is always willing to share a fun travel experience. In his free time, Pablo enjoys snowboarding, backpacking, fly fishing, live music events, and watching baseball or basketball.

Lucy Jarvis joined El Pomar Foundation as a member of the 2025 Fellowship class. As a 1st Year Fellow, Lucy supports the Alumni Relations, Recruiting, and PeOPLE programs, as well as the High Country and San Luis Valley regional councils.

Growing up in a military family, Lucy spent her childhood moving frequently, living in places such as Japan and Germany, before settling in Colorado Springs at the age of 10. She graduated from The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) in May 2025 with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Sociology. During her time at Penn State, Lucy was passionate about leading Young Life College, helping freshmen feel welcomed and find a community they love! She also enjoyed her time serving on the executive board of a service organization on campus where she had the chance to serve others in the State College area as well as her fellow students. While studying Political Science, Lucy’s favorite class was Political Psychology which sparked a strong interest in learning why individuals hold certain beliefs and why they remain committed to them.

Having lived in Colorado Springs for 12 years, Lucy has developed a deep appreciation for the city and Colorado as a whole. She is excited to take part in the work El Pomar does to better the state and serve its people.

In her free time Lucy loves coffee dates with her friends, road trips, thrifting, hiking, and reading a good book.