Board of Directors

2 months ago

        

Andrew Karow

May 2021-June 2024

board.andrewkarow@rossmontessori.org

Andrew is the Chief Digital Officer at Alpine Bank and part of the five-person Senior Executive Team responsible for all aspects of Alpine Bank's more than 130,000 customers and 800+ employees. Andrew’s experience includes leadership development strategy, corporate governance, compliance, and change management. He has extensive experience serving on various local boards since 1996 and was appointed to serve as a board member of the Charter School Institute in Denver by the Governor. He was awarded the 2021 Founder's Day Award and is the dad of a Ross graduate.


Andrew Karow

Erik Kushto, Treasurer

May 2021 - June 2023

board.erikkushto@rossmontessori.org

Erik has 20 years of experience advising corporate and private equity clients globally on mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, strategic initiatives, and debt and equity financings, as well as expertise in all aspects of financial review and analysis, including planning and budgeting. Erik served on the Board of Directors for The Peterson Garden Project, which converted abandoned city lots into pop-up victory gardens, providing over 800 raised-bed plots to urban gardeners in Chicago and educational programming focused on gardening, cooking, nutrition, and food security.



Erik Kushto, Treasurer




Erik Kushto, Treasurer
Rob Nelson
May 2021 - June 2024
board.robnelson@rossmontessori.org
After earning a bachelor's degree in biology and chemistry, Robert completed the Physician Assistant program at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver. In addition to seeing patients for primary care and wellness visits, his clinical focus is caring for people with diabetes. He is board-certified in Advanced Diabetes Management and provides patients with various solutions, including insulin pump management and continuous glucose monitoring. Robert also functions as Valley View's Executive Director of Quality and Patient Safety and is committed to providing patient-centered care. His family is Robert's priority outside of work, and they enjoy the many outdoor activities Colorado offers.

 



Michelle Skagen, Vice President

June 2022 - June 2025

board.michelleskagen@rossmontessori.org

Michelle is the mother of a Ross graduate and an upper-elementary child at Ross. She is delighted to serve as a board of directors member with a unique educational background. Her belief in experiential education began when she built trails for ten summers in the City of Boulder Mountain Parks, both as a Junior Ranger and Senior Ranger. This, combined with a life-altering service trip to Nicaragua, led her to study social justice in education after graduating with a bachelor’s in Sociology. She became an educator for Girls Leadership, an instructor for World Leadership School, and a volunteer at St. Vrain Montessori. She is a graduate of Roaring Fork Leadership and works to advocate for the homeless in the Roaring Fork Valley.

   

Paul Smith, President

May 2021-June 2024


board.paulsmith@rossmontessori.org

Paul is a member of the State Bar of Colorado and the State Bar of New Mexico. Paul specializes in estate planning, business planning, probate, trust administration, guardianships and conservatorships, elder law, and long-term care planning. Paul is published in Colorado Law periodicals regarding trust and estate law and has regularly presented to the Colorado Bar Association on trust and estate case law. Locally, he serves on the Valley View Hospital Foundation Internal Funding and Legacy Committees. He received the Founder's Day award in 2021/22.


Paul Smith



Sarah Oates, Secretary 

February 2021-June 2024

board.sarahoates@rossmontessori.org

Sarah Oates has worked at Oates, Knezevich, Gardenswartz, Kelly & Morrow, P.C. since 2009 in the primary areas of legal, due diligence of land use, and real estate.

Growing up in Aspen and having worked in both the local government and non-profit sectors before becoming a lawyer, Sarah has an extensive understanding of the local community. Sarah also has strong local ties to Aspen. Sarah has served on the RMS board in the past and provides us with a community member's outlook.


Paul Smith







Kristin Davis

January 2022-June 2025

board.kristindavis@rossmontessori.org


Kristin has lived in the Roaring Fork Valley for the past 21 years. She and her husband Joe have two children: a Ross alum high school son and a lower el daughter. Kristin received two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Management and Marketing. Since attending Texas Lutheran University, she has pursued the entrepreneurial path and owned and operated a small appliance company in Santa Fe, New Mexico, for seven years, then moved to Aspen and began her career at Bishop Plumbing and Heating in 2001. Now the owner, she brings the experience of leadership and vision and has an extensive background in accounting, performing all financial duties for the company. She has continued management training throughout her career. Kristin brings board experience, having served on the Blue Lake Preschool board for several years. She volunteers as a former hockey player and a Grizzly Hockey team manager for her son's team. She heads up the training for new managers and coordinates goalie training sessions. It is rumored that she always gets in 10,000 steps a day, sometimes more. She has also volunteered at Ross, most recently as an Annual Fund captain.