Read more about our featured Boettcher Scholars who are making a difference in their communities.
Alumni Profile: 1996 Scholar Danny McDonnall on Humanitarian Biotech, Opera, and Fueling Motivation with Passion
1996 Boettcher Scholar Danny McDonnall is a bioengineering expert turned opera singer. He was recently interviewed by 1995 Boettcher Scholar Katy Craig. They discuss humanitarian biotechnology, findin...
Scholar ProfilesBoettcher Scholars Making a Difference through the Mission Spark Fellows Social Impact Program
Mission Spark, a social impact consulting firm founded by 1994 Boettcher Scholar Kara Penn, continues a close relationship to Boettcher Scholars by selecting Scholars and other high performing undergr...
Alumni Board Scholar ProfilesChristopher Allison and Jake Fuhrman: Boettcher Scholars Chase Dreams Together
From going through the same degree program to working at the same company, Boettcher Scholars Christopher Allison and Jake Fuhrman have a lot in common. Christopher always wanted to be an astronaut – ...
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Boettcher Scholar, former Facebook exec “driven to build”
As a journalism major at the University of Colorado Boulder, Kelly Graziadei didn’t know she would one day build and lead critical functions from sales to product marketing for the world’s largest med...
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Boettcher Scholar Helps Advance Animal Care in Colorado
Will French has always loved horses, despite the fact that his parents were never really into them. He took riding lessons as a kid, and, in junior high, got horses of his own – but not in the most co...
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Boettcher Scholar Barry Shioshita Builds Pathways to Community Well-Being
Saturday mornings in the southeast Colorado town of La Junta (population 7,000) are more active – and muddier – than they used to be. Each Saturday, regardless of the weather, 1971 Scholar Barry Shios...
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Boettcher Scholar’s Journey Leads from Peace Corps to Warner Brothers
Gina Gonzales-Wagerman’s life has been defined by seizing opportunity. As a result, her journey has led to diverse pursuits ranging from teaching primary school in Bulgaria to working on marketing for...
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Boettcher Scholar Changing Community Through Storytelling
As a journalist and investigative reporter for 9News, Chris Vanderveen has been recognized at the national level for coverage of the Aurora theater shooting, opiate abuse, and a query into the fuel li...
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Boettcher Scholar an Emerging Leader in Wild Horse Advocacy
On the high plains of Colorado, an emerging leader is driving wild mustangs and the policies that manage them. Stephanie Linsley, 2011 Boettcher Scholar, is the head trainer and equine manager at the ...
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Boettcher Scholar Working to Advance Black Chamber
After a successful career in film production, 1970 Boettcher Scholar Lee Gash-Maxey is using her storytelling prowess to help advance black-owned businesses in the State of Colorado. Lee is executive ...
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Boettcher Scholar’s Career Driven by Love of Science, Logic
Dan Bishop’s varied career has included roles as a chemist, software entrepreneur, technical writer, and college professor. But the common thread that unites those pursuits has always been a love of s...
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Margaret Myers: 1968 Boettcher Scholar, Army Colonel and Director of Cyber Security
Margaret Myers, a 1968 Boettcher Scholar from Denver South High School, worked her way up the ranks of the U.S. Army, ultimately retiring from the Army Reserve as a colonel. Now the director of the In...
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1988 Boettcher Scholar Found her Calling in Teaching Colorado Students
There were times in college and even in her early career when 1988 Boettcher Scholar Carina Raetz felt directionless. Carina attended the University of Colorado Boulder and was involved in various act...
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Floyd Pierce: Boettcher Scholar, Reality TV Competitor, Fan Favorite
Floyd Pierce rushes into a downtown Denver restaurant for lunch, frenzied and apologizing for being late — on his way he was stopped by an excited fan who begged to take a photo with the reality TV st...
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Boettcher Scholar guides Greeley public policy
As a city attorney with decades of experience, 1972 Boettcher Scholar Doug Marek has helped set policy and guide legislation in both Colorado and Iowa. But before Doug was an attorney, he was a teache...
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1970 Boettcher Scholar spends career ensuring food safety
Robert “Skip” Seward has spent the last four decades ensuring that the food we eat is safe. A 1970 Boettcher Scholar, Skip has led food safety at Fortune 500 companies like ConAgra Foods Inc., Oscar M...
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Boettcher Scholar competes on “The Amazing Race”
Floyd Pierce had never been out of the country. That is, until the 2013 Boettcher Scholar embarked on a journey around the world as a competitor on the 29th season of the CBS reality show “The Amazing...
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Boettcher Scholar, historical reenactor helps museum with Viking exhibition
Chelsea Carr lives three lives. A 2006 Boettcher Scholar and recent graduate of the University of Colorado Law School, Chelsea is working as a law clerk in the 19th Judicial District. After hours and ...
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Starbucks director and Boettcher Scholar pays forward the college experience through new program
How does an economics major from Littleton, Colorado become the director of the Starbucks College Achievement Plan? In her own words, “by continually taking on new challenges and pushing myself to try...
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Boettcher Scholar helps refugees and hospital patients during visit to Kurdistan
When a recent trip to visit her ailing grandmother meant traveling to Iraq, Laveen Khoshnaw, a 2015 Boettcher Scholar, used her time to reconnect with family and while helping the local community. Lav...
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Boettcher Scholar returns home to improve her community in the San Luis Valley
Andréa Benton Mestas, a 1989 Boettcher Scholar, has given back to her home community of Alamosa for more than two decades in various roles at Adams State University. Currently the Title V activities d...
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Boettcher Scholar smiles his way through dental school
Matt Iritani has always wanted to be a dentist. In fact, before he could sign his own name, Matt used crayons to draw a picture of himself as a dentist — a picture that he has kept all these years as ...
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Boettcher Scholar juggles multiple roles as public servant
Professor, school board member, entrepreneur, and puppy trainer. Any of these roles could be a full-time gig for most people, but in true Boettcher Scholar style, JulieMarie Shepherd Macklin finds a w...
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Boettcher Scholar launches second act as Boettcher Teacher
A fortuitous speaker lineup helped Boettcher Scholar Leigh Gillette reconnect with the Boettcher Foundation and launch a second career as a teacher in Durango. Leigh, a 1989 Boettcher Scholar from Col...
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Alumni Board Scholar Profile: Q&A with current Scholar Tabitha Kalin
Members of the Boettcher Scholar Alumni Board are interviewing their fellow Boettcher Scholars to help the community get to know one another better. The following Q&A was compiled by Boettcher Sch...
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Alumni Board Scholar Profile: Q&A with 1984 scholar Noel Lenski
Members of the Boettcher Scholar Alumni Board are interviewing their fellow Boettcher Scholars to help the community get to know one another better. The following Q&A was compiled by Boettcher Sch...
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Boettcher Scholar Dee Bradley Baker gives voice to risk taking
Though you may have never seen Dee Bradley Baker, a 1981 Boettcher Scholar from Greeley, you’ve likely heard his voice. As a voice actor, Dee has brought literally thousands of characters to life, inc...
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Alumni Board Scholar Profile: Q&A with current Scholar Francis Commercon
Members of the Boettcher Scholar Alumni Board are interviewing their fellow Boettcher Scholars to help the community get to know one another better. The following Q&A was compiled by Boettcher Sch...
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Alumni Board Scholar Profile: Q&A with 1994 scholar Kara Penn
Members of the Boettcher Scholar Alumni Board are interviewing their fellow Boettcher Scholars to help the community get to know one another better. The following Q&A was compiled by Boettcher Sch...
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Boettcher Scholar connects communities through public radio
The vote of confidence inherent in being named a Boettcher Scholar allowed Tracy Wahl to feed her curiosity, search for her “inner spark”, and eventually find her place as executive producer for edito...
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Alumni Board Scholar Profile: Q&A with current scholar Ashlyn Stewart
The Boettcher Scholar Alumni Board is interviewing their fellow Boettcher Scholars to help the community get to know one another better. The following Q&A was compiled by Boettcher Scholar Gergana...
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Alumni Board Scholar Profile: Q&A with alumni Kyle Blackmer
The Boettcher Scholar Alumni Board is interviewing their fellow Boettcher Scholars to help the community get to know one another better. The following Q&A was compiled by Boettcher Scholar Gergana...
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Boettcher Scholar helps shape diplomacy in Foreign Service role
Arnold Chacon leads an agency responsible for such high-stakes, far-reaching work as negotiations with Iran to reach a nuclear agreement, opening a new chapter in the United States’ relationship with ...
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Scholarship launches businessman into diverse career in Denver
Jack Pottle, a 1973 Boettcher Scholar, has helped shape some of Colorado’s top industries — from working in cable to providing homes for some of Denver’s trendiest new restaurants. And though Jack has...
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Scholars help Iraqi youth “fail better”
A group of students from Iraq got a unique lesson in entrepreneurship and risk-taking when they visited Denver, thanks to a connection forged by a pair of Boettcher Scholars. Gergana Kostadinova and K...
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Boettcher Teacher grateful to learn ropes from Boettcher Scholar
Sam Bowersox-Daly got a double-dose of Boettcher during one of his earliest assignments in the Boettcher Teacher Residency. Sam, a 2010 graduate of Colorado State University, was selected for the Boet...
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Collaboration grants allow Scholars to research alongside Investigators
This past summer, the Boettcher Foundation launched a “collaboration grant” program that paired 12 Boettcher Scholars with Boettcher Investigators at Colorado institutions. The students had the opport...
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Scholar scales new heights, becomes board volunteer
Paige Claassen, a 2008 Boettcher Scholar and University of Colorado Boulder graduate, transformed her passion for rock climbing into a profession, an opportunity to support local communities and a way...
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Boettcher Scholar brings artistic process to Denver’s 16th Street Mall
Adam Buehler had just added a splash of white paint to the canvas at his feet when a woman in a black coat paused just feet away from him.“What direction is the top?” she asked, considering the giant ...
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Collaboration grants provide opportunity for Boettcher Scholars and Investigators
The Boettcher Foundation invests in Boettcher Investigators as a way to support the best minds in scientific innovation. Similarly, we support the best students in Colorado with the Boettcher Scholars...
Boettcher Investigator Profiles Scholar Profiles
