Who We Are

As the Selection and Programs Coordinator, Maria directly supports the Director of Scholarships and Foundation Programs and joins a team working on developing the Boettcher Scholarship Program. Her role entails both aiding in the selection of new Scholars and continuing the investment in the Foundation’s current Scholars.

Before joining the team, Maria spent time at YouthRoots promoting youth philanthropy, Make-A-Wish Colorado as a Wish Granter (what she calls her “Fairy Godmother era”), and the African Community Center supporting newly arrived Middle Eastern refugees during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Beyond her passion for nonprofit work, Maria’s position as a 2018 Scholar led her back to Boettcher. The Foundation’s generosity allowed her to attend the University of Colorado Boulder, where she graduated with a Bachelor’s in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, followed by a Master’s in Learning Sciences and Human Development.

When she’s not working, Maria can be found hammocking with a book, cooking something new, or going on trips with no itinerary!

Tiffany Anderson oversees the Boettcher Foundation’s portfolio of programs and grants including the Boettcher Scholarship, Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Awards, and other grants. She also serves as the Foundation’s primary contact for scholarship relations.

Before joining the Foundation team, Tiffany developed and directed the Leeds Scholars Program at the University of Colorado’s Leeds School of Business. Prior to that, she served as the program director and senior program manager of the Presidents Leadership Class at CU Boulder for 10 years.

Tiffany is originally from a farm in Idalia — a small town on the eastern Colorado plains. For perspective, there were only 10 people in Tiffany’s high school graduating class. From there, she attended the University of Colorado Boulder.

Tiffany is an advocate for K-12 education and has also been active in numerous educational task forces in our state. She and her husband, Jason, live in Broomfield with their three energetic children: Hunter, Adelynn, and Sophia. In her free time, Tiffany enjoys participating in service activities with her family, watching her son’s band and her daughters’ soccer games, or exploring some of Colorado’s local breweries.

Community Involvement:

• National Scholarship Providers Association, board of directors, president-elect
• Colorado Governors Fellowship Program
• Rocky Mountain Partnership, board member
• Colorado Youth Congress, board of directors
• Former member of the Long-Range Planning Advisory Board for Adams 12 Five Star Schools and district volunteer
• Presidents Leadership Class, CU Boulder, board of advocates

Leslie Baldwin loves being part of the Boettcher Foundation team as the Grants and Database Manager. In her work, she gets to meet amazing, passionate and talented people across Colorado who are tirelessly serving their communities. She also helps to maintain the foundation’s Salesforce system. She has been with the foundation since 2011.

Prior to joining the foundation, Leslie’s experience included coordinating/managing nation-wide ADA & as-built survey projects and providing entitlement research reports for national companies. She also spent 7 years with the Tattered Cover Bookstore.

Leslie is a Denver native who graduated with honors from Metropolitan State University of Denver with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. After graduating, she promptly moved abroad for eight years to live and work – first in Tokyo for nearly 6 years, then in Chaing Mae, Thailand and finally a year in the French Alpine region of Chamonix-Mont Blanc.

In her free time, Leslie loves spending time with her friends & family. She also is grateful for the opportunities – both for work and leisure – to travel Colorado discovering the beautiful, quirky, fascinating and breathtaking places across our state.

Community Involvement:

• Board member, Community Resource Center
• Peak Grantmaking (Rocky Mountain Region chapter, past chair)
• Steering committee member, Southeast Rural Philanthropy Days 2014

Curtis leads Boettcher’s communications and outreach, ensuring that the Foundation connects with its diverse stakeholders through messaging, brand journalism, and community engagement. In addition, Curtis oversees Boettcher’s Doers & Difference Makers Fellowship Program and its statewide networks of leadership practitioners and rural leaders.

A natural connector, Curtis believes profoundly in the power of philanthropy to impact the lives of Coloradans.

Prior to Boettcher, Curtis spent nearly 20 years working in the education and nonprofit sectors in Colorado and New Mexico. His purpose is to champion organizations that are invested in the public good while in roles that support the leadership development and elevation of individuals who choose to serve their communities.

Early in his career, Curtis wrote professionally for newspapers in Colorado and California.

A native Coloradan, Curtis earned a Bachelor of Science with honors from the University of Colorado Boulder and an MPA from the CU Denver School of Public Affairs.

Community Involvement:

• Board Member (Vice Chair), Rocky Mountain Partnership
• ComNet Denver, Leadership Team
• Advisory Board, Colorado Media Project
• Leadership Council, Prosper Colorado
• Communications Committee, Governor’s Residence Preservation Fund
• GOLD Alumni Board, University of Colorado Denver School of Public Affairs
• Core Team, The Institute for Science & Policy, Denver Museum of Nature & Science
• Former Board Member, College Track Colorado
• Former Board Member, College Horizons
• Youth sports coach

As the accounting & operations manager at the Boettcher Foundation, Haley is responsible for the processing and management of a variety of accounting, investment, operational, and HR functions. As a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of Colorado, Haley’s work is focused on ensuring financial and operational compliance, but she has also loved learning about other aspects of the Foundation & its impact.

Prior to joining Boettcher, Haley worked as a senior audit associate at KPMG LLP where she focused on executing audits of companies spanning from large, SEC-traded corporations to smaller, private entities. She also loved staying involved in campus recruiting, focusing on connecting students to accounting opportunities at KPMG.

Born and raised in Arvada, Haley attended Colorado State University where she studied business administration with concentrations in accounting and finance and a minor in Spanish. Haley was heavily involved in leadership programs including the Dean’s Student Leadership Council and the University Honors Program.

Haley is passionate about education, career mentorship, faith, family, and baking treats! She lives in Arvada with her husband, Luke, and puppy, Wrigley.

Community Involvement:

• Colorado State University Dept. of Accounting, Early Career Advisory Board Member
• Mentor, CSU College of Business Flash Mentoring Program
• Colorado Society of CPAs, Member
• American Institute of CPAs, Member

As the Communications Specialist, Natalie assists with management of Foundation’s communication strategy. This includes gathering and curating stories for Boettcher’s content hub –LEAD, newsletter implementation, social media engagement, and website content management. Inspired by Boettcher’s 86-year legacy of transformative change in Colorado, Natalie uses storytelling across platforms to share the impact that leaders of all backgrounds can make with the support of Boettcher.

Natalie is a Hoosier, meaning she is from Indiana, and graduated from Indiana University with a bachelor’s degree in informatics, specializing in designing information systems to solve real-world issues. Post-graduation, she moved to Denver for the mountains and to be closer to family.

In her previous role with Volunteers of America Colorado, Natalie led comprehensive marketing, PR, and branding efforts while creating impactful internal and external communications to support programs that help feed, house, and provide wraparound services for Coloradans in need.

Passionate about contributing to Colorado’s well-being, Natalie believes in the power of volunteerism, philanthropy, and community engagement to foster unity. Living in Wheat Ridge with her husband, Tony, and daughter, June, she enjoys outdoor games, hiking, spending time with family, and savoring local cuisine.

As the office and administrative coordinator for the Boettcher Foundation, Skyler directly supports the accounting and operations manager providing office-wide support to ensure day-to-day operations run smoothly.

Skyler has been guided in her academic and professional career by a passion for empowering youth, nurturing their leadership potential within their local communities. She firmly believes that by fostering empowerment in others, we can collectively create a more promising world. After obtaining a bachelor of arts in Spanish language, literature, and culture from Colorado State University, Skyler embarked on a career fueled by her passion for youth development and community engagement. Following her undergraduate studies, she wholeheartedly dedicated herself to a non-profit organization in Fort Collins. In this role, she empowered young individuals by helping them recognize their capacity to be catalysts for positive change through community outreach and service-learning experiences.

Skyler strongly believes in the transformative impact of the Boettcher Foundation and is honored to be a part of the team. She values the Boettcher Foundation’s steadfast support and proactive initiatives in unlocking the potential of young individuals and promoting diverse leadership throughout Colorado.

Skyler lives in Westminster with her partner, Spencer, and her energetic dog, Arlo. She enjoys spending her free time outdoors, hiking, camping, and playing pickleball.

Community Involvement:

• Volunteer, Global Leaders Inc.

At the Boettcher Foundation, Stefani Harrison is the go-to person for all things tech. As the IT Support Specialist and Salesforce Administrator, she’s all about keeping things running smoothly—troubleshooting tech issues, optimizing Salesforce, or ensuring data security. As a certified salesforce administrator with over 12 years of IT and data management experience, Stefani loves creating technical solutions that make the lives of her teammates easier.

Stefani loves optimizing processes and enhancing data-driven decision-making, bolstered by her Master of Science in Entrepreneurship from the University of Florida. Prior to joining the Foundation, she led operations and data management at the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado Boulder, and spearheaded Salesforce innovations at the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida to strengthen communication and donor engagement.

Originally from Florida, Stefani is a world explorer, having visited 11 countries and lived in the Philippines and South Africa. Now she calls Colorado home, finding joy in its mountain adventures and the vibrant community she serves.

Community Involvement:

• Mile High Dreamin’, volunteer
• Denver Salesforce Administrator Community Group, member
• Denver Salesforce Developers Community Group, member
• Alliance for Neurodiversity, University of Colorado Boulder Affinity Group, founder and former group lead

As president and CEO, Katie has come full-circle with the Boettcher Foundation. She was selected as a Boettcher Scholar in 1993 and has been at the Foundation in various roles since 1997, including as the director of the scholarship program and vice president — a title she assumed at the age of 26.

Katie has been recognized as one of the Denver Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” and the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce’s “Top 25 Most Powerful Women.”

A fourth-generation Colorado native, Katie attended the University of Colorado Boulder, where she was a Presidents Leadership Class Scholar and honors graduate at the Leeds School of Business. In 2009, she completed her Executive MBA at the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business.

Katie has served extensively in the community on both local and national boards and is widely regarded as a national expert in scholarship selection processes. Recently, Katie and her colleague wrote and published All the Wisdom and None of the Junk: Secrets of Applying for College Admission and Scholarships in an effort to demystify the scholarship selection process and help the next generation of talented citizens apply for college and scholarships.

Katie is a harmonica-playing, trout-catching, Star Wars-watching, country-dancing, scuba-diving, elk-hunting, Grand Canyon-rafting, mountain-hiking, family-loving, outdoor enthusiast. She lives in Arvada with her husband and two sons.

Community Involvement:

• Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, board member
• Downtown Denver Partnership, board member
• Philanthropy Colorado, board member
• YPO Colorado, chapter chair
• Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation; past chair; Leadership Denver class of 2006
• National Scholarship Providers Association; past president

As the vice president of finance & operations at the Boettcher Foundation, Karen Kruse develops the financial strategies, oversees the execution of investment management, and provides operational oversight to ensure alignment with the Foundation’s donor intent and strategic objectives.

Karen is a proven operational and financial executive and entrepreneur with a unique blend of leadership, business, technology, and service expertise.

Karen most recently served as the vice president for finance and chief operating officer at the Boulder Chamber, where she was primarily responsible for overall organizational excellence, but also served as the Boulder Chamber community driver for areas including DEI and Leadership Fellows, and was responsible for the launch and growth of the Boulder Chamber Foundation.

Previously, Karen was president of a business providing strategic consulting for the private, education, and non-profit sectors, served as chief operating officer for the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation, and served as chief technology officer in multiple companies delivering technology solutions to the financial services, telecom, and e-commerce industries, both in the U.S. and internationally.

Karen received a dual B.S. degree from the University of Colorado in marketing/finance and electrical engineering/computer science.  Karen is a graduate of Leadership Denver and a Boettcher Scholar.

Karen enjoys tennis, traveling, camping, and hiking with her husband, daughter and two dogs.

Community Involvement:

• Impact on Education, board member and treasurer
• Governor’s Residence Preservation Fund, board member and treasurer
• Metro Volunteers (now Spark the Change Colorado), former board member and chair
• Canyon Cares, former board member and treasurer

As program manager, Garrett is the primary point of contact for organizations seeking information on Boettcher Foundation grants. He manages the Foundation’s responsive grantmaking programs as well as a portfolio of enrichment grants for Boettcher Scholars. Garrett’s favorite aspect of his role is connecting people and ideas with the right combination of opportunities and resources.

Prior to joining Boettcher Foundation, Garrett worked as a fellow at El Pomar Foundation in Colorado Springs. He attended the University of Colorado Boulder as a Boettcher Scholar, where he studied Spanish, Portuguese, and International Affairs and was a member of the Presidents Leadership Class.

Garrett is passionate about social enterprise and serves on the board of Blue Star Recyclers, a nonprofit that employs individuals with remarkable abilities through the ethical recycling of e-waste. Outside of work, he enjoys a variety of mountain adventures with his husband, Noah, and dog, Val. He is currently pursuing a master of business administration degree at the University of Colorado Leeds School of Business.

 Community Involvement:

• Blue Star Recyclers, board of directors
• Leadership Program of the Rockies, class of 2022

As the Alumni Engagement Manager, Floyd is responsible for creating and overseeing Boettcher’s alumni engagement strategy. Through building intentional relationships and connecting alum with opportunities, Floyd’s goal is to keep Scholars connected to the foundation and support them in all stages of their lives.

Before joining Boettcher, Floyd worked in the investment and finance industry for over five years. Despite knowing that he wanted to leave the investment space early on, Floyd earned his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation because he loves learning. After earning this designation, he briefly worked as a senior financial analyst at a firm that audited royalty fees for media & entertainment companies.

A native Coloradan and 2013 Boettcher Scholar, Floyd attended the University of Colorado at Boulder. During his time at CU, he served as the drum major of CU’s “Golden Buffalo” Marching Band, a position he considers to be the best leadership position that he has ever held. Shortly after graduating, Floyd lived out his life’s greatest dream as he appeared on the 29^th and 31^st seasons of CBS’s Emmy-winning reality show, The Amazing Race. Those that are curious can stream his seasons on Hulu and Paramount Plus.

• Community Advisory Board, PBS12
• Former Board Chair, YMCA Northern Colorado
• Former Board Member, Forever Buffs Advisory Board

Vanessa Roman loves her job selecting and supporting Colorado’s brightest leaders. As Director of Scholarships & Foundation Programs, she oversees the Boettcher Foundation Scholarship Program, the Doers & Difference Makers Fellows, and the Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Awards. In 2024, Vanessa was recognized as one of the Denver Business Journal’s “40 Under 40.”

Before joining the Foundation, Vanessa was Head of Outreach at AdvanceEDU, managing recruitment and outreach. She also spent nine years in the Office of Admissions at CU Boulder. Vanessa has dedicated her career to helping students access higher education.

 Vanessa is a Colorado gal through and through. She was born and raised in her beloved hometown of Pueblo. She then attended CU Boulder as a Boettcher Scholar, where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in psychology and Master’s Degree in educational, foundations, practices and policy. Vanessa lives in Denver with her husband Jack, their two young children, Lucy and James, and their dog, Cocoa. In her free time, Vanessa enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, eating, and cooking.

Community Involvement:

• WeeCycle TOTS Committee
• Former Board Member, CU Boulder Alumni Advisory Board
• National Scholarship Providers Association, Member
• Colorado Council on High School and College Relations, Member

Megan joined the team in February 2022 as the executive assistant to Katie Kramer, president and CEO of the Boettcher Foundation. She is passionate about leadership development and building community. She loves the opportunity to connect her passion and career through this work and has built a strong partnership with the Boettcher Foundation through her previous position.

Megan previously served as the manager of operations and engagement at the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation. In this role, she was responsible for program logistics for the annual Leadership Exchange trip, Colorado’s Civic DNA Fellows and Leadership Denver. She also led efforts in alumni programming, donations and oversaw a broad range of the organization’s administrative functions.

She holds a bachelor’s degree from Metropolitan State University of Denver where she was a member of the Urban Leadership Program.

Community Involvement:

• Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation, Impact Denver Fall 2020 graduate
• Mile High Young Professionals, member

As the programs & events specialist at the Boettcher Foundation, Jackie provides internal programming support across departments and helps to realize program goals through event implementation. She coordinates special projects for key Foundation programs and is a core team member managing student support services. She is passionate about elevating those in the communities around her and enjoys working toward this goal by supporting the people and partnerships integral to the Foundation.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Jackie travelled extensively through both professional and volunteer opportunities. Most notably, she worked in Uganda as an international program coordinator at the Foundation for Sustainable Development. Her primary roles included mentoring interns, building community relations, acting as a cultural liaison, and supporting various organizational initiatives and projects.

While growing up in Littleton, Jackie attended Dakota Ridge High School where she was deeply involved in the instrumental music program. She earned a BA in International Studies from Brigham Young University – Idaho before beginning her ventures abroad and is currently pursuing an MPA at the University of Colorado Denver.

Jackie is a big movie buff and can often be found at the movie theater or binge-watching Netflix at home. She also loves exploring new places and spending time with friends, family, and her Saint Bernard, Ruby Roundhouse.

Community Involvement:

• Volunteer, Colorado Saint Bernard Rescue
• Volunteer, DMK Rehoming