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 the El Pomar program staff. In 2007, Dave was recognized as the Colorado Springs Business Citizen of the Year by the (then) Greater Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce. He retired as El Pomar’s Chief Operating Officer in 2013.

He currently serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Broadmoor World Arena and the Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts, Chairman of the Colorado Springs Sports Corporation, President of the Air Force Academy Foundation and is a Board Member for the Great Outdoors Colorado Trust Fund and the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Hall of Fame.

Eudelia Contreras is the CEO of Full Circle of Lake County, an organization committed to empowering its community through youth development, family supports, immigrant services, and resource connection. Most recently, Eudelia was the Lead Community Organizer for Lake County Build a Generation in which she organized residents in Lake County’s manufactured housing communities to build health and health equity. She was also enormously instrumental in helping the members of Cooperativa Nueva Union purchase their mobile home park for $1.6M. This was a monumental undertaking that had to be accomplished on a tight time frame. Eudelia’s ability to bring community members together—even across culture, background, age, gender, and language—was remarkable, and was key to her success at Lake County Build a Generation.
Eudelia has lived in Lake County for nearly 30 years. She attended Lake County schools and has worked at several county agencies, including Lake County Human Services and Lake County School District. She currently serves as the president of the Lake County School District Board of Education. Eudelia feels that her experience working, living and learning in Lake County is a huge asset as she not only works for the needs of Lake County’s diverse community but also lives within the communities she organizes in. Eudelia’s family includes three daughters, Kayleen, Isabelle, and Sophia, and a Bluenose Pitbull (Benji).
Eudelia has lived in Lake County for nearly 30 years. She attended Lake County schools and has worked at several county agencies, including Lake County Human Services and Lake County School District. She currently serves as the president of the Lake County School District Board of Education. Eudelia feels that her experience working, living and learning in Lake County is a huge asset as she not only works for the needs of Lake County’s diverse community but also lives within the communities she organizes in. Eudelia’s family includes three daughters, Kayleen, Isabelle, and Sophia, and a Bluenose Pitbull (Benji).

Kristi Ferraro is a real estate and business lawyer with her own practice in Avon, Colorado. Kristi serves on the Board of Excellence Committee of the Vail Valley Foundation. Kristi was a Board Member of the Vail Mountain School from 2010 to 2017. She 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 previously served on the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments, the Upper Eagle Regional Water Authority and Bravo! Vail. Kristi also served as Chairman of the Board of the Early Childhood Learning Center 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 is Senior Policy Director at Keystone Policy Center. She joined Keystone after serving as a Colorado State Representative from 2011-2018. During this time period, she earned statewide respect for her bipartisan chairmanship of the House Education Committee and the Joint Budget Committee. As one of the prime sponsors of the original READ Act in 2012 and, as a leader in the implementation of the education vision work with the ELC in 2017, Millie is uniquely poised to provide leadership for the next steps of these critical efforts. Millie’s work in public education in Colorado from 1978-2011 as a teacher, school and district leader, and superintendent of schools provides the experiential background needed to engage communities and stakeholders in the development of a world-class education system. Millie earned a doctorate in education leadership from the University of Denver in 1996. She also holds a master's and a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education.

Tim Mauck served two terms as Clear Creek County Commissioner from 2010 - 2019. As commissioner, he focused on health care, enhancing Clear Creek's recreation and tourism, and working to bring about sensible transportation improvements along the Interstate 70 Mountain Corridor.

A Denver native, Tim received a bachelor's in political science from Catholic University of America in Washington, DC and has worked in various capacities of federal, state and local governments.

Tim is passionate about the outdoors and spends his free time hunting and angling, and serving as Chair of the Clear Creek Greenway Authority working to develop a recreational trail to the Continental Divide.
He currently serves as the Deputy Director for the Colorado Department of Natural Resources.

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.

Tamara Tormohlen is the former Executive Director of Aspen Community Foundation (ACF). Aspen Community Foundation is in its 40th year of building philanthropy and supporting nonprofits in the Aspen to Parachute region, which encompasses Pitkin, west Eagle, and Garfield counties. ACF currently holds $44 million in assets and in 2020 distributed $14 million in grants through its COVID relief funds, donor advised funds, community grantmaking program, scholarships, and other funds.

In 2012 Tormohlen launched the Aspen to Parachute Cradle to Career Initiative, which gathers nonprofits, schools, governments, civic groups, businesses and philanthropy to implement collaborative and innovative ways of working together to measurably increase youth success across our region. The Initiative has made strides in increasing preschool participation and in helping students create pathways after high school.

Tormohlen lives in Carbondale with her husband. She currently serves on the High Country Council of the El Pomar Foundation and on the Board of Philanthropy Colorado.

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.

Contact Shelby:
719-577-7090

Boe Gold joined El Pomar Foundation as a member of the 2022 class. As a 2nd year fellow, Boe serves as a senior program associate on Communications, Fellowship Round Up, Investment Challenge, National Recreation Foundation, Police Foundation of Colorado Springs, and Western Legislative Academy. In addition, Boe supports the Northeast and High Country Regions.

Boe grew up in Boulder, Colorado, and later moved to Colorado Springs to attend Colorado College where he attained a bachelor’s degree in Economics. During undergraduate, Boe was a member of the Men’s Lacrosse Team and was named a captain during his senior year. Boe was also a member of the team’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee, and a member of the Colorado College Investment Club. Boe also had the opportunity during undergraduate to volunteer at the Boulder Shelter for the Homeless, as well as being selected to give a speech at the site of the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial. In his free time Boe enjoys spending time with family and friends, golf and being outdoors.

Contact Boe:
719-577-7046

Riley Cronin joined El Pomar Foundation as a member of the 2023 Fellowship class. As a 1st Year Fellow, Riley serves as a Program Associate for American Council for Young Political Leaders, Awards for Excellence, Communications, and Fellowship Recruiting. She also supports the High Country Region.

Riley is from Zionsville, Indiana, a suburb of Indianapolis. She graduated from University of Dayton’s School of Business Administration with a Bachelor of Science in International Business Management with a minor in Spanish. During her time at University of Dayton, Riley participated in many extracurricular activities, volunteer programs, and internship experiences. Of note was her work for Flyer Consulting, a student run, pro-bono, non-profit consulting firm. Working her way up from Intern to Project Lead, Riley managed both marketing and business development projects involving social media marketing solutions, integrated donor management systems, feasibility studies, and capital campaigns. She also served on the Christmas on Campus committee, organizing this beloved Flyer tradition and one of the nation’s largest single-day, on-campus, service events. Riley received the Spirit of Community Award for her contributions to the 59 annual Christmas on Campus. Riley also studied abroad in Madrid, Spain for a semester and volunteered for WWOOF Portugal post-graduation. In her free time, Riley enjoys spending time outside, running, going to her favorite coffee shops, and planning new adventures.

Contact Riley:
719-577-7039