Our Leadership

Beryl Durazo, CFRE

Executive Director

Ms. Durazo began her nonprofit career as an AmeriCorps VISTA with the New York City Coalition Against Hunger working with youth who experienced the highest food insecurity rate in the country. During her 10+ years in the nonprofit sector, Durazo has been an avid member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and has raised over $7.1 million in grants, major gifts, and event-based fundraising. Ms. Durazo has a commitment to education and ethical practices in her non-profit career. She most recently earned her CFRE in December of 2020 and is an ambassador for CFRE International. She has a passion for assisting fundraisers earn their credentials to improve donor stewardship, ethics, and accountability across the nonprofit sector. 

Beryl.Durazo@frontrange.edu | 303-404-5238

Megan Taub

Associate Director of Development

Megan joined the Front Range Community College Foundation in January 2021. She holds a BA in Gender Studies from Indiana University and an MS in Sports Management from Florida State University. Prior to her time with FRCC, Megan served as a Development Manager for the American Diabetes Association and held development roles with the University of Denver and Duke University. Megan is originally from North Carolina and currently resides in Denver with her hound dog mix, Friday. She is a certified yoga instructor and enjoys hiking, swimming, and escape rooms.

Megan.Taub@frontrange.edu | 303-404-5464

Tanae Peninger

Associate Director of Operations & Programs

Tanae previously served as the Assistant to the Larimer Campus Vice President Jean Runyon and has been with FRCC for over 12 years. Tanae has been an enormous asset to the Larimer Campus over the years, and now she will have the opportunity to help grow and expand opportunities for our students College-Wide.  Tanae brings a unique set of skills to this role, and she will be responsible for growing the Foundation’s Stewardship program.

Tanae.Peninger@frontrange.edu | 303-404-5464

Ryan Tharp, Chair

Since 2019

Ryan is a corporate and regulatory attorney with the Denver law firm, Fairfield and Woods, P.C., where he focuses his practice on business, communications, and technology. Prior to joining Fairfield and Woods, P.C., Ryan was a legal intern at the Federal Communications Commission in Washington, D.C., serving in Chairman Genachowski’s office and in the Office of the Bureau Chief of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. Ryan holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature and a juris doctorate, both from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He also took an online class from FRCC. Prior to going to law school, Ryan taught English to college students in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Rick Samson, Treasurer

Rick, founder of Samson Law Firm in Longmont, donates time and expertise to a broad spectrum of non-profit, educational, and community organizations. He was a member of the St. Vrain Valley school board for eight years. Rick earned a Bachelor of Arts from Bethany College, where he later served on the board of directors, and a law degree from Washburn University Law School. He has received the Ron Porter Community Service Award from the Boulder County Bar Association, the Lee Shepard Memorial Volunteer of the Year awarded from Partners of Boulder County Inc., and the Larry Nelson Community Service Award from the Longmont Twin Peaks Rotary Club.

Kate Kimball, Secretary

Kate is a Senior Attorney for Ball Corporation, headquartered in Broomfield, CO. She provides legal assistance for various business groups through the company specializing in transactional matters, corporate compliance, real estate, environmental and benefits work. Prior to joining Ball, Kate worked for seven years in the Boston office of an international law firm. She completed her undergraduate studies at Colorado College and earned her law degree from Boston College School of Law. Kate is an active volunteer for her high school, Phillips Academy, Andover. Kate lives in Boulder with her husband and two young children.

Micheline Burger

Born in St. Andreasberg, Germany, Micheline practiced family law in Olathe, Johnson County, Kansas until her retirement in 2015. She is a frequent lecturer and presenter of seminars on the topics of divorce, division of property, child custody, child support and maintenance, representing the interests of children, and various political and social issues, especially human rights, and the separation of church and state. She is also a frequent guest writer and radio commentator on political and social issues and involved in numerous community projects. She has traveled extensively in North and South America, Europe and Asia. She teaches English as a second language through Intercambio in Boulder.

She is married to Phil Burger, founder and former owner of Burger and Brown Engineering Inc, in Grandview, MO. She has five children and six grandchildren.

Tom Cassady

Tom retired from Broomfield-based Ball Corporation in 2014 after 27 years with the company. He held various finance and accounting positions before being named the director of accounting systems. Before joining Ball, Tom was the finance director for the Toledo Zoological Society. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in accounting and finance from St. Joseph's College in Rensselaer, Indiana, and earned a master's degree in accounting from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. He is a Certified Management Accountant.

Terry Dye

Terry founded Dyecrest Dairy in 1970 in upstate New York, it has been located in Colorado since 1985. There are presently two dairies totaling about 5,000 head of cattle making it one of the largest registered Holstein herds in the country plus it has 2,000 acres of farm ground.Terry became intrigued with FRCC after his step daughter-in-law enrolled and earned a scholarship from the FRCC Foundation. In 2013 Terry established the Dyecrest Dairy Scholarship, giving preference to non-traditional students plus children and grandchildren of Dyecrest employees. The scholarship also funds non-traditional students who are single mothers and students that are pursuing careers in technical fields at the Larimer Campus.

Marilee Menard

Since 2014

Menard retired as executive director of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums, after 21 years. She started her career on Capitol Hill, joined a number of trade associations, and also worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Quality Service where she was the Director of Information and Legislative Affairs. Menard is a founder of Women in Government Relations and serves on the National Marine Mammal Foundation board.

Suzanne Miller

Suzanne Miller has been involved in a wide variety of local nonprofit organizations. She worked as a stay-at-home mom for years while raising four children, which led to opportunities to volunteer. She has been building deep and personal connections to help people in the community ever since. Suzanne is heavily involved with Women Give, which provides child care scholarships to single moms who are pursuing higher education. She has been a part of many area organizations that have benefited from the work of the Bohemian Foundation. She also served on the advisory board for GiveNext, a project that teaches middle and high school students about philanthropy. And for years, Miller served on the board of directors for Foothills Rotary Club making Mind+Body magazine after creating a local movement to promote acts of kindness and support for others. She began working on this initiative in 2008 after her daughter Liz passed away unexpectedly at age 24 as a result of epilepsy. #DoALizThing encourages people to focus on helping others—the way Miller’s daughter always did.

Suzanne attended Ball State University. Shortly after college and getting married, she moved to Colorado, where she and her husband Jim (now of 39 years) had their four kids—Liz, Alex, Sarah, and Ben. Miller now serves as community ambassador for Ginger and Baker in Fort Collins.

Sid Simonson

Sid Simonson is an FRCC alumnus and the deputy finance lead at Lockheed Martin Corporation for a NASA asteroid study. The goal is to help scientists learn more about the formation and evolution of the solar system, planet formation, and the source of compounds that led to life on earth. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting at Colorado State University and graduated with honors from the University of Denver with a MBA in Finance and Economics in Public Policy in 2014 and a Master’s of Science in Management in 2015. He was the first Chairperson of the Rocky Mountain Student Media Corporation and interned in the Colorado Senate. Sid currently serves on FRCC’s Business School Advisory Board and has received five President’s Volunteer Service Awards from the White House.

Heidi Williams

Heidi Williams is a Colorado Native and grew up in Brighton, Colorado. Heidi and her husband Toby married in 2001 and have three children, Michael, Chloe and Noah. Heidi was elected to Mayor in 2011 and served on multiple regional boards.  She was recently term limited and is now the Director of Opioid Response for the Colorado Attorney General’s office.  Heidi’s passion’s include child advocacy, substance abuse response, housing and hunger.  She is co-founder of Food for Hope, which feeds hungry kids and families on the weekend in Adams County.  She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Front Range Community College Foundation and as Board President for Ralston House Child Advocacy Center.

Alvina Vasquez

Alvina Vasquez, an alumna of FRCC, founder and president of PowerMap Ltd. which helps organizations with integrated, successful approaches to marketing, business strategy and public policy, and government relations, crisis management, and brand positioning. In 2018 Alvina led the political department for the Jared Polis for Colorado campaign. Alvina is a Denver Business Journal 40 Under 40 award winner. The award recognizes “40 outstanding local professionals under age 40 for their business success and community contributions.” Alvina also is a fellow in the Latino Leadership Institute Executive Program at the University of Denver. She began her career in Spanish language radio for Denver’s Radio Romantica and Radio Tri-Color.

Teri DePuy

Since 2005

Teri is an accomplished Senior Executive and Board Member, with more than 30 years of success across the technology, higher education, public safety, healthcare, and telecommunications industries. Throughout her executive career, Teri has held leadership positions with InsideOut Advising LLC, Knowledge Factor Inc., and Intrado Inc. In her current role as Principal of InsideOut Advising LLC, she has been responsible for achieving significant results with clients due to her executive coaching and facilitated workshops, creating long-lasting relationships with clients, and assisting in the entrepreneurial transition process. Teri holds Management Basics and Business Specialization Certificates from Front Range Community College. She also holds a Certificate in General Management from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. She has held board positions with Front Range Community College, and advisory board positions with WILD Summit, and Intrado Inc. She is also the Director of College Relations for the Boulder Area Human Resources board, a local SHRM chapter.

Nancy Hamilton

Since 2011

Nancy has more than 30 years of experience in finance and operations and is currently the CFO for Ubiterra Corporation. She has held CFO and COO positions for numerous technology companies in the Boulder/Denver area, including Fracture ID, Inc., Boulder Ionics, Local Matters, SpectraLink and Intrado. She has a Bachelor of Science degree from Regis University in Denver.

Harold Henke

Since 2011

Harold worked in the Information Technology industry for more than 30 years specializing in information design and learning. He is the owner of Flatirons Technical Communications, which specializes in helping customers create structured, reusable information for technical documentation and training. Previously, he had worked for Brocade, IBM, Lexis Nexis and Oracle. Harold earned a Doctorate in Computing Technology Education from Nova Southeastern University, and his dissertation focused on the design of electronic books. Harold supports FRCC students through the Harold Henke Scholarship. His connection to community college began when he graduated from Scottsdale Community College, home of the Fighting Artichokes. He believes that the community college system is vital to the development of a competitive workforce.

Harold is a participant in the Program for Avocational Archaeological Certification sponsored by the Colorado Archaeology Society and the Office of the State Archaeologist of Colorado. He has also completed more than 100 hours in training to use metal detecting for historical archaeology surveys.

Jeffrey Knight

Since 2008

Jeff, a territory manager for Oracle, has more than 30 years experience in sales, marketing, and management in computing, storage, and e-commerce industries. His work has taken him to Europe, South America, Australia, and Asia. While with Sun Microsystems, Jeff developed key relationships with Brigham Young University, the University of Colorado, the University of Utah, the Center for High Performance Computing, and the Scientific and Computer Imaging Institute. He has a Bachelor of Science in marketing and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Colorado.

Martin Ruffalo

Since 2005

Marty retired from Ball Corporation in 2008 following 18 years of progressive senior management positions in both Sales & Marketing and Operations Management.  Since early 2000, he was the Senior VP of Sales and Marketing for the Ball Beverage Can and Plastic Bottle divisions.  His previous work included finance and operations management at Schlitz Brewing Company in Milwaukee, and Stroh Brewery Co. in Detroit, following his initial position with Touche Ross & Co. (now Deloitte) in Milwaukee. Marty is a member of the United Way Tocqueville Society for philanthropic leaders and on the Board of Directors of EPIC of Colorado (Executives Partnering to Invest in Children).  A Certified Public Accountant, Marty has a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He is married with three children and five grandchildren. He enjoys traveling, skiing, golf, and following professional sports.

Colleen Simpson

President

Dr. Colleen Simpson takes the helm as FRCC’s president on August 1, 2022. Her decades of higher education experience have included work in enrollment management, student affairs, academic affairs, teaching and leadership.

Most recently, she served as the vice president of student services and regional learning centers at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. In that role, she oversaw multiple campuses and five regional learning centers—with a focus on:

• leading academic innovation
• designing “student-ready” experiences
• addressing the educational, economic and workforce development needs of the region

Prior to that role, Simpson worked at Bronx Community College—part of the City University of New York (CUNY)—as the administrator overseeing retention and student success. There she led and managed a comprehensive program of services that:

• promoted access to education
• kept students engaged and in college
• helped students complete their degree or credential

Dr. Simpson earned her doctoral degree (EdD) in educational leadership, administration and policy from Fordham University. She earned both her master’s degree (MSEd) in higher education administration and her bachelor’s degree (BBA) in international marketing from Baruch College (also part of the CUNY system).

 

Tricia Johnson, EdD

Vice President, Westminster Campus

Tricia Johnson, EdD, serves as the Vice President of the Westminster Campus. She serves as the campus executive officer, overseeing campus operations and representing the campus throughout the north Denver metro area, including Adams, Broomfield, and northern Jefferson counties.

Prior to joining the college in early 2021, Johnson was the Vice President for Academic Affairs at the Community College of Aurora and had led programs at the Colorado Department of Education and in postsecondary education and training institutions in Colorado and Oklahoma, focusing on high quality teaching and learning and connection with workforce. Over the last two decades, Johnson has worked in education teaching, promoting, designing, and administering programs in secondary, postsecondary, and career and technical education. During her tenure, Johnson has served as a classroom teacher, community college department chair, research analyst, and marketing manager. She is committed to issues of social justice and removing barriers for adult learners.

Johnson earned a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Denver, a Master of Education in Secondary Education, and a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Central Oklahoma.

Johnson has served as a board member for several non-profit organizations including the Juvenile Assessment Center, Leadership Aurora, and the Oklahoma City Ad Club. Currently, Johnson is a Workforce Development Board Member with Adams County and a Community Leaders Council Member with the Rocky Mountain Partnership.

Aparna Dileep-Nageswaran Palmer, PhD

Vice President, Boulder County Campus

Interim Vice President, Larimer County Campus

Aparna Dileep-Nageswaran Palmer, PhD, Vice President, Boulder County Campus. Palmer joined Front Range Community College (FRCC) as the vice president of the Boulder County Campus (BCC) in June 2021. In this position, she serves as the chief executive at BCC. She is also responsible for developing and expanding partnerships with community organizations, educational institutions, businesses, industries and donors, both regionally and nationally. She is a strong proponent of community colleges, which offer unparalleled access for students from all backgrounds to help them achieve the American Dream. Palmer is proud to be part of FRCC, which provides affordable, inclusive, and excellent student-centered educational experiences to its students in Northern Colorado and beyond. Before joining FRCC, Palmer was the Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs at Colorado Mesa University/Western Colorado Community College (CMU/WCCC) and was Professor of Biology. During her time there, she served as the Director of the Academic Honors Program, Faculty Senate President, and Faculty Trustee on the CMU/WCCC Board. Palmer holds a PhD in Zoology from Washington State University as well as a BS in Biological Sciences and a BA in English from Colorado State University. As a scientist, she studies the natural histories and molecular genetics of tardigrades (water bears) and polychaetes (sea worms).

Rebecca Woulfe, PhD

Vice President, Academic Affairs & Online Learning

Rebecca Woulfe, PhD, serves as the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Online Learning. In this role, she works college-wide to support the work of Academic deans, chairs, faculty and instructors. She has oversight for college and programmatic accreditation, areas of state and federal compliance, program review, and leads the online team. Woulfe is also the FRCC liaison to the Colorado Community College System office (CCCS).

Prior to joining FRCC, Woulfe was Vice President for Instruction and Provost for Arapahoe Community College. She has worked for community colleges for over 20 years, serving as a faculty, a Director of eLearning , and an Academic Dean. In her role as VPAA and OL, Rebecca leans on her experience from the classroom to support the success of faculty and students. In her previous role, she led the expansion of work-based learning through apprenticeships and internships and provided leadership in new program development to address industry needs. Woulfe has also been instrumental in the implementation of Guided Pathways. Guided Pathways is a researched-based approach to education that integrates student success practices and equity work to ensure positive outcomes for students and to close opportunity gaps.

Prior to her work with community colleges, Rebecca led the implementation of technology integration for the Daniel’s College of Business and University of College at the University of Denver. She provided consultative services to faculty and facilitated professional development sessions on a range of high-impact practices for using technology in the classroom and in online delivery of courses.

Rebecca has a PhD in Higher Education Leadership from the University of Northern Colorado and a Master of Arts Degree in Education with an emphasis in Instructional Technology from the University of Colorado-Denver. Rebecca is committed to creating an inclusive environment for students and employees and recognizes the importance of honoring unique perspectives.