Mile High Young Professionals Board of Directors

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Michael has been involved with Mile High Young Professionals for 4 years, serving in roles on both the Membership and Philanthropy committees, All Committee Director, and the organization's current President for a second term! His favorite thing about MHYP is that it is a hub for community involvement. He believes it is important to be a part of and give back to the community that you live in. Outside of MHYP, Michael is a Project Engineer and designs automated systems for large buildings to utilize energy more efficiently. Michael is passionate about immersing himself in new hobbies and learning new skills. In his free time, he enjoys running, hiking, 3D printing, woodworking, skiing, camping, and mountaineering. 

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Thomas Adams has been involved with MHYP since 2019 and has been aiding the organization through many channels since he first became a member. Beginning as the organization's photographer, he grew with the Communications Committee to help with the website, content creation and social media posting, and the newsletters. Thomas has served on the board for two years with this year being his third year. Thomas' favorite thing about MHYP is the lifelong friendships he's cultivated throughout the years. "The organization does a great job of creating events where you get to know people on much more than a professional level. Some of my best friends are from MHYP," Thomas said. Thomas owns Uno Media & Entertainment, a local media business which has expanded from photo and video into event planning and talent management. He and his wife, Haley Lucero, also love working together on their business Colorado Threads, a Colorado activewear brand that focuses on sustainability in all of their products. Outside of work, Thomas enjoys spending time with his wife and three dogs by hiking or skiing in the mountains. When not in the mountains, you can often catch Thomas and Haley eating at one of Colorado's numerous "foodie" spots, attending a concert or festival, or travelling around the state and the US.

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Emma has been involved with MHYP for 3 years, starting as a member, moving on to serve as the Co-Chair of the Education Committee and currently serving as the All Committee Director. Her favorite thing about joining MHYP has been making lifelong friends, a few of which have turned into business partners. She understands that friendships are the foundation of community and is one of the reasons she chose to put down roots in Colorado. In her day job as a Market Researcher she helps consumer brands understand their customers, shopping behaviors and collect product feedback. Emma spends her free time hanging out with her dog, hiking and camping in the summers, skiing in the winter, and above all else going to karaoke with friends!

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Lauren Ryan has been involved in MHYP for 2 years, previously serving as Philanthropy Committee Chair. She came to MHYP to network and learn about new career paths as she considered a change, but she stayed for the friendships. The organization has provided her opportunities to learn about others, volunteer with some great local organizations, and feel inspired by her peers and community. Outside of MHYP, she is Senior Marketing Communications Specialist for Quantinuum, a quantum computing company, where she is raising awareness about the unique advances of her company's technology and helping build this new industry. In her free time, she enjoys most things outdoors including hiking, camping, paddle boarding, running and visiting brewery patios.

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Lo joined MHYP in the fall of 2023, shortly after moving from Ohio to Denver to embrace the outdoors.  She first served on the Philanthropy Committee before stepping into her current role as Director of Brand and Marketing. Lo became involved with MHYP to connect with like-minded individuals, serve others, and explore new career opportunities. The experience has far exceeded her expectations, providing her with a true sense of community and purpose.  With a background in Product Management, she is now expanding her expertise in Marketing and UX Design. In her free time, Lo enjoys hiking, playing pickleball, trying new restaurants and coffee shops, and spending time with friends, family, her dog Stella, and her cat Louie.

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Thomas Gillin has with MHYP for close to 4 years! He originally came here when he started my Financial Planning career with Maia Wealth. He stayed because everyone that he met was so friendly and welcoming. After he started gaining real friendships and business connections, he wanted to get more involved. Tom loves playing all kinds of sports: football, basketball, volleyball, everything! Being apart of MHYP not only helped Tom grow his business but have core friendships that he wouldn't trade for anything!

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Ira was born in Fort Collins and raised in Iowa. He graduated from Luther College, a small, liberal arts school in Decorah, IA, with a B.A. in Biology and Spanish. A week after graduation, he returned to Colorado for nothing other than its world class skiing!

Currently, he is the Owner of Happy Llama Inc., a specialty print company that focuses on working with events. Throughout his professional career, he has been sole owner of a marketing company and part owner of a business networking organization. His previous experience includes everything from door to door sales to Director of Marketing in environments ranging from large international corporations to local 3 person start-ups.

Ira has previously served as an Ambassador with the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and currently serves on the Membership Committee at the Downtown Denver Partnership. In the community he has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, the People’s Fair, and the Cherry Creek Arts Festival. With his diverse array of experience Ira believes the one thing that remains the same is the absolute necessity of knowing, and learning from, as many people as possible.

When not working, you will find Ira bumming around the mountains skiing and camping with his two beautiful daughters, Finley and Lola Snow, and his wife, Robyn.

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Dan grew up in Rockford, IL about an hour west of Chicago. He was drawn to Colorado by the snowy mountains in the wintertime when his family would take a yearly ski trip. He moved out for good in the fall of 2001 and has found the Mile High City to be the perfect place to call home.

Dan is a partner at Campfire Digital which offers comprehensive digital marketing services including website design and development, content marketing and social media for businesses looking to grow their online presence.

Dan has been a committed member of the Denver Community, including a graduate of Leadership Denver 2018, The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce's Chamber 100 program, Leads Groups, and Ambassador program. He was honored in 2013 as one of Colorado's Finest by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Past Board Members

• Janna Hassan (2022-2024)
• Haley Lucero (2021-2024)
• Alex Dvorak (2021-2023, Past President 2022)
• Brandon Roll (2021-2022)
• Jay Samant (2020-2022)
• Jason Hart (2019-2022, Past President 2021)
• Anselma Lopez (2019-2022)
• Leah Harroz (2020)
• Darcy Borella (2018-2020, Past President 2020)
• Wyatt Cox (2018-2020)
• Adam Larkey (2017-2020, Past President 2019)
• Melanie Lewis Dickerson (2016-2020, Past President 2018-2019)
• Melissa Kienbusch (2017-2019)
• Tim Murphy (2018-2019)
• Bart Connolly (2017-2019)
• April Lambatos (2011-2018, Past President 2015-2016)
• Chelley Canales (2017-2018)
• Jordan Youngblade (2017-2018)
• Desiree Hall (2013-2017, Past President 2017)
• Michelle Preusch (2016-2017)
• Alex Cole (2011-2016)
• Nick Pirnack (2015-2016)
• Julia Gentry (2014-2015)
• Sev Martin (2013-2014)
• Nicole Relyea (2011-2013)
• Kristen Sonsma (2011)