FOUNDERS

DVS Board Meetings
Board Meetings are on the 2nd Wednesday of every month from 4:00-6:00pm at the school, located at 2409 Arapahoe St. Denver, CO 80205 [Map].

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ADVISORY BOARD

Melissa Edison Barnes
Melissa is a full-time mother of three young children. Previously, she was co-founder of Blue Ink Solutions, an email marketing consulting company which she and her partners sold in March of 2002. She has also held marketing and business development positions with Exacxtis.com, Harley-Davidson, and General Mills. Melissa earned a B.S. degree in political science from Tufts University and a Master of Management degree from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.
return to top

Jon Boris
Jon is a founding member of the Jalex Group. He has extensive experience in corporate finance and capital markets and is responsible for transaction sourcing and deal execution with particular focus on the financing and acquisition strategy. He holds a B.S.B.A. in Business Administration from Villanova University and an M.B.A. from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. Jon and his wife Anne have three sons.
return to top

Melissa Canaday
Melissa is currently the Vice President of Education at Junior Achievement, a position she has held since 2005. She oversees the implementation of JA programs in over 500 Metro Denver schools which will impact 90,000 K-12 students in the 2007-08 school year. She has been dedicated to serving at risk youth with a focus on financial literacy and workforce readiness skills for the past 13 years. The past seven years have been spent helping the youth of Colorado; prior to that she spent six years in New York City working with their juvenile system. Melissa has a BA in Social Rehabilitation from Assumption College and an MA in Social Work from Columbia University.
return to top

Stephanie Chichester
Stephanie is an Executive Director in the Investment Banking practice of Morgan Stanley. She provides tailored financial solutions to top-tier state, municipal, transportation, higher education and not-for-profit issuers in the region. She has structured more than $5 billion in financing for higher education institutions. She has an MBA from the University of Colorado and a BS in Finance from the University of Northern Colorado.
return to top

Andy Fine, MD
Andy is a primary care/internal medicine physician in private practice and on clinical faculty in the Department of Medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, teaching both medical residents and students. He grew up in Atlanta, attended Emory University for undergraduate education, and the University of Georgia Medical School. Andy serves on the Board of Directors of Social Venture Partners and the Medical Education Committee of The Colorado Health Foundation. Andy previously served on the Board of Directors of the Colorado Medical Society and as past president of the South Metro Denver Medical Society. Andy has received the American Medical Association Emerging Leaders In Medicine Award. He frequently gives presentations to new physicians in practice on “Practice Essentials For New Physicians”.
return to top

Ken Glickstein
Ken is a Managing Director of Private Equity at Braddock Holdings. He has over 15 years of experience in management consulting, investment banking, private equity, corporate staff roles, and entrepreneurial endeavors. Ken’s prior professional experiences include roles as Vice President of Planning and Analysis at Corporate Express, founder of Dr. Digital, LLC, Principal at AGL Capital Investments, management consultant at Booz Allen & Hamilton and Ernst & Young, and financial analyst in the Corporate Finance Department at Salomon Brothers Inc. Ken holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and Management Science from Northwestern University as well as two graduate degrees from Northwestern – an MBA from its Kellogg Graduate School of Management, and a Master in Engineering Management from its McCormick School of Engineering. Ken and his wife have one daughter.
return to top

Francisco Gonima
Francisco is a Senior Partner with Topline Associates, a consulting firm that works with non-profit, government and corporate clients providing coaching and tools for strategic collaboration, start-ups, and new initiatives. He also designs and facilitates constituent/community-based participatory decision making processes. Francisco held several prior positions with the American Red Cross including five years as the Director of Youth Services for the Mile High Chapter. Francisco has BA from the University of Texas at Austin.
return to top

Marcy Heronimus
Marcy is currently a Lawyer with Sherman and Howard. Her areas of emphasis include class action, commercial, and securities litigation. She has extensive experience with representing companies and individuals in connection with investigations conducted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Colorado Department of Securities, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, and the United States Department of Justice. Marcy received her JD from the University of Iowa and her BA in Political Science from the University of Michigan.
return to top

Miguel In Suk Lovato
Miguel is Scholarship Program Officer for the Daniels Fund. He has worked in the nonprofit sector for over 16 years, with responsibility for various aspects of teaching, education, community relations, and program coordination. Miguel earned his Masters in Curriculum and Instruction in 2000 and his BA in Psychology in 1994 at the University of Colorado at Denver. In addition to being a board member of Denver Venture School, he also serves on the Board of Directors for Colorado Online Learning, the steering committee of the Expanding Nonprofits Inclusiveness Initiative, and the feedback committee for the educational publication, Head First.
return to top

Keith Kulesa
Keith is a senior Financial Advisor with the Wealth Management Group of Merrill Lynch. He assists corporate executives and business owners with investment management, tax, estate, and wealth transfer planning. He has held previous positions with Goldman Sachs, First Chicago Capital Markets, and NationsBank. Keith has an MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and a degree in finance from the University of Virginia. Keith has one son.
return to top

Kenny Sandhu
Kenny is the CEO and General Partner of CNC Industries Ltd, a manufacturer and supplier of superior quality wear parts for mobile construction and mining equipment worldwide. He has held previous positions in manufacturing and mechanical engineering at Dicon Fiberoptics as well as The Ford Motor Corporation. Kenny holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington and is an active member of the Colorado chapter of Entrepreneurs Organization.
return to top

Amy Slothower
Amy spent three years as CFO and co-founder of the Denver School of Science and Technology prior to its 2004 opening. DSST is widely recognized as one of the most successful schools in Denver and is currently one of only two high schools in Denver rated “excellent.” She previously served as the VP of Finance and Operations for the Colorado Children's Campaign, an advocacy organization working to improve the lives of all of Colorado's 1.1 million kids. She has extensive experience in high school reform and has been involved in the creation of several new high schools. Amy received her BA in History and Literature from Harvard University and her MBA, with an emphasis in entrepreneurship, from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.
return to top

Tim Sznewajs
Tim is an Associate with FMI Corporation, the nation's largest provider of management consulting and investment banking to the worldwide construction industry. Prior to joining FMI, Tim held a variety of positions in the technology and financial services industry. Tim has a bachelor of science degree in economics from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management. Tim and his wife Mary have two children.
return to top

ADVISORY BOARD

Jeff Carr
Jeff brings over 20 years of successful experience in software technology, business development and entrepreneurial executive management. Currently he is Vice President and General Manager, SIP Solutions Group for Borderware Technologies, a privately held software company based in Toronto, Canada. Additionally, he is co-founder of critically acclaimed Garfield Estates Vineyard & Winery, located in Palisade, CO. Jeff is a graduate of Colorado State University with a BS degree in Geotechnical Engineering/Soil Science. Jeff previously served on the Colorado Wine Industry Development Board and is currently on the Advisory Board for Lucidata Inc, a privately held Computer Forensic and eDiscovery firm.
return to top

Kevin Cudney
Mr. Cudney is a Shareholder in the Denver office of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck and co-chair of the firm’s Corporate and Business Department. His practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, private equity, public and private securities offerings, capital formation and securities advice (including SEC compliance) and complex business transactions. Kevin is a major contributor to the Colorado state-wide technology incubator. He lectures frequently to entrepreneurs and start-up businesses on capital formation, strategic alliances and commercial development issues. Prior to joining the firm in 2004, Mr. Cudney was a senior partner and the regional corporate practice group head of Arnold and Porter’s Denver office.
return to top

Katherine Gold
Katherine has spent the last twenty one years building one of the most successful children’s apparel businesses in the United States. Gold Bug is the largest distributor of children’s accessory products including socks, shoes, underwear, sunglasses, and travel products. Katherine has been an active member in the Young Presidents Organization and the international women in business group C-200. Today Katherine sits on the Board of the Colorado Children’s Campaign, is a member of the Denver Art Museum’s Young Associates, a member of the Mile High Club, and participates in the International UNICEF Corporate Partnership program. As an active volunteer and donor with the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, she sits on the President Leadership Council. Katherine’s commitment to children’s issues has led her to become active in the Denver Public School Foundation. She is the Corporate Chair for the DPS Foundation and Gold Bug has adopted an elementary school in the DPS system.
return to top

Kevin Johansen
Kevin is a Director for Capital Markets Group, an investment banking firm based in Dallas, TX, the Entrepreneur in Residence at the DaVinci Institute, the Host of the Startup Junkie Underground, and Founder of the Entrepreneurial Standards Forum. He is also a serial entrepreneur, a recognized innovator, author and has served as a business development consultant and interim CEO to a number of early stage high tech companies. Kevin has a broad understanding of early stage investment options for startup businesses, and personal experience working in both pre-funding and post-funding environments.
return to top

Joy S. Johnson
Joy is an active member of Denver’s philanthropic community and, as a mother, is a particularly strong supporter of women’s and children’s charities. As a community volunteer, Ms. Johnson serves on the Board of Directors of The Children’s Hospital Foundation, The Women’s Foundation, Urban Peak/The Spot, Tiffany and Company Denver Community Advisory Board, Newborn Hope and Children’s Garden Montessori School. Upon graduation from Colgate University with highest honors in political science, she worked in the U.S. Senate and later as a lobbyist in her hometown of Washington, DC. An interest in finance took her to The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where she earned a Masters in Business Administration in 1986. She enjoyed a successful career as an institutional trader on Wall Street as vice president of the New York financial firm of Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette from 1986 - 1990.
return to top

Jim Jonas
Jim is a founding partner of Peak Creative Media, a Denver-based creative services, event production and public affairs company. He holds a BA in Political Science from Guilford College and a MPS in Political Management from The Graduate School of Political Management at The George Washington University. He and his company are actively involved in many public affairs and non-profit projects in Denver. Jim and his wife Karin have two children.
return to top

Charles Knight
Charles is the past President of Boreal Energy, a leading Midwest wind energy developer. He has held previous positions as CEO of Amerivest properties, Vice President of Menda Scientific Products and Vice President of Public Storage, Inc. Charles is a member of the Board of Directors for the Downtown Denver Partnership, and is active with Social Venture Partnership. Past Board positions include Urban Peak and Denver Community Housing Resource Board. He has a BA from the University of California, Santa Barbara, a JD from the UCLA School of Law and an MBA from the UCLS Graduate School of Management.
return to top

Heather Mulvihill
Before moving to Denver 15 years ago with her husband Jimmy, Heather worked in promotions for various companies in New York, coordinating photo shoots, fashion shows ,and writing copy. She also worked for Revlon in sales and promotions. Heather’s passion for education grew out of her journey with her own children and their experiences. After years of work with various school and community organizations Heather volunteered for an equine assisted therapeutic program for disabled children. This experience fueled her desire to support diverse, creative and excellent educational opportunities for all children. Heather is an Associate Member of The Denver Art Museum, Alliance for Choice in Education and The Denver Film Society. Her passions include photography, film and literature.
return to top

Steve Murchie
Steve is the Chapter President of Keirestsu Forum for Denver and the Rocky Mountain Region. He has over twenty-five years experience in the software industry, starting as a programmer/analyst and progressing through a variety of roles in sales, marketing and general management. The companies he has worked with span the spectrum of the industry, including startups, turnarounds, a VC-backed roll-up and an eight-year stint at Microsoft, where he helped grow the SQL Server business from $300M to over $1B in under five years. While Steve is still very active in the software industry, his investing interests are evolving more toward cleantech and the LOHAS segment, which complements the Murchies’ love of the outdoors and sports that involve fighting gravity. Steve holds an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MBA from the University of Chicago.
return to top

Ellen Robinson
Ellen is a full time community volunteer. She currently serves on the boards of Metropolitan State College of Denver, Caring for Colorado and Colorado Uplift. She is also active in several family investments. Ellen received her undergraduate degree in Finance and Marketing from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She has 18 years of consumer packaged goods brand management and general management experience, working as a brand manager for Frito-Lay, general manager for Pepsi Cola, president of Ascent Sports (Denver Nuggets (NBA) and the Colorado Avalanche (NHL)), and then founder of EventConnex, Inc. She is a past board member of the Mile High United Way, the Denver Foundation, the Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce, the Anti-Defamation League and CityWide Banks. She and her husband, Scott, have two children ages 14 and 9.
return to top

Dr. Rahmat A. Shoureshi
Dean, School of Engineering and Computer Science (SECS), University of Denver. Rahmat Shoureshi completed his MS and PhD degrees at MIT in 1981. He was on the faculty of Purdue University (1983-1994) and was G.A. Dobelman distinguished chair professor and Vice-President for Technology Transfer at the Colorado School of Mines (1994-2003), as well as director of three research centers covering advanced technologies related to Advanced Electric Power and Energy Systems, Biomedical Engineering, and Robotics, Automation and Artificial Intelligence. He joined DU in Sept. 2003 as the Dean of SECS. He has received several awards and lectured internationally. He is a fellow of ASME, member of European Academy of Sciences, has over 200 technical publications, supervised 80 PhD and MS students, and holds several patents. His areas of research interests include: Bio-mechatronics, automation and robotics, biomedical engineering, MEMS and NEMS, smart structures, intelligent sensor and actuator systems, and advanced monitoring and diagnostics. He was the founding President of the Colorado Alliance for Bioengineering. He is the vice-chair of the Colorado Nanotechnology Alliance.
return to top

Rick Tallman
Rick is a veteran entrepreneur and founder of the Tallman Group, a nationally recognized consulting firm working to improve the governance and management of American non-profit organizations. He established his reputation as a successful entrepreneur, leading four early-stage companies through hyper-growth and eventual public offering or acquisition, and six non-profit agencies through successful start-up or total reorganization. Rick serves on a number of corporate and non-profit Boards, frequently lectures on the subject of social entrepreneurship, and holds both Bachelors and Masters degrees in Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines.
return to top