| Laura Austin-Eurich, M.A. | Principal Instructor/Co-Chair Department of Communication | bio |
| Jacqueline R Berning, PhD, RDN, CSSD | Professor and Chair Health Science Department | bio |
| Sara Espinoza Blackhurst | President & Chief Executive Officer, Action 22 | bio |
| Audrey Bloomquist | UCCS Student and Track & Field Athlete | bio |
| Axel Brown | UCCS Student Body President | bio |
| Leonard Dinegar | Senior Vice President for Internal Operations & Chief of Staff to the President, CU System Office | bio |
| Angelique Foster | Assistant Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, CU System Office | bio |
| Kyle H. Hybl | President and Chief Executive Officer for El Pomar Foundation | bio |
| Gen. John E. Hyten | Retired General & Former 11th Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Department of Defense | bio |
| Jena McCollum, PhD | Associate Professor and Director, Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory | bio |
| Yemi Mobolade | Mayor of Colorado Springs | bio |
| Ken Montera | Vice Chair University of Colorado Board of Regents | bio |
| Jeffrey Montez de Oca, PhD | Professor of Sociology | bio |
| Jevita R. Rogers | Senior Executive Director, Office of Financial Aid and Student Employment | bio |
| Craig Smith | Chief Revenue Officer of Angi and UCCS Alumni | bio |
| Vic Tise | Retired Army Officer, West Point Graduate (Class of 1977), Retired U.S. Air Force Academy Assistant Professor | bio |
| Lynn Vidler, PhD | Professor and Dean of the College of Letters, Arts & Sciences | bio |
| Heath Wagner | Director of Dining and Hospitality Services | bio |
Search Committee Staff
- Leonard A. Dinegar
Committee Search Chair
Senior Vice President for Internal Operations & Chief of Staff to the President
University of Colorado System Office - Angelique Foster
Assistant Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, CU System Office
University of Colorado System Office - Andrea Cordova
Campus Liaison
Chief of Staff, Office of the Chancellor
University of Colorado Colorado Springs - Kristin Turner
Human Resources Representative
Assistant Vice President HR, Learning & Development
University of Colorado System Office - Haley Coffman
Executive Assistant to the Senior Vice President for Internal Operations & Chief of Staff
University of Colorado System Office
Leonard Dinegar
University of Colorado Colorado Springs Search Committee Chair
Senior Vice President for Internal Operations & Chief of Staff to the President
University of Colorado System Office
As senior vice president for internal operations and chief of staff, Leonard Dinegar works closely with the president, vice presidents, chancellors, and regents, and assists the president in managing the day-to-day operations of the Office of the President for the four-campus CU system. Dinegar currently oversees multiple departments in the Office of the President at the University of Colorado.
Dinegar previously served as the chief lobbyist at the state capitol for the University of Colorado system. Prior to that, he served as the chief lobbyist for the CU Health Sciences Center (now the Anschutz Medical Campus) and the University of Colorado Hospital.
Dinegar served as an executive in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and worked at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Dinegar, originally from Queens, N.Y., earned his Master of Humanities degree from the University of Colorado Denver and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He and his wife, Christina, have three children (Sarah, Charles and Sandy).
Laura Austin-Eurich, M.A.
Principal Instructor and Co-Chair
Department of Communication
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Laura Austin-Eurich is a principal instructor and co-chair of the Communication Department. She has been teaching at UCCS for more than 20 years. She earned her BA from UCCS and her MA from a program shared between the Colorado Springs and Denver campuses. Laura went on to a career in print journalism before returning to teach full time in 2002. In addition to teaching, she is the co-chair of the Faculty Assembly IRC Committee and serves as the advisor to The Scribe, the campus student newspaper. She is the 2023 Faculty Assembly Service Award recipient.
Jacqueline R Berning, PhD, RDN, CSSD
Professor and Chair
Health Science Department
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Dr. Berning received her Ph.D. in Nutrition from Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, Colorado. She is a Registered Dietitian (RDN) and board certified by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics as a Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD). She is a Professor and Chairs the Health Science Department in the Helen and Arthur E Johnson Bethel College of Nursing and Health Science. Dr. Berning has been the recipient of numerous teaching and service awards at UCCS and from her professional organization including:
- President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition; Community Leadership Award, 2019
- The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Medallion Award, 2020
- UCCS Chancellor’s Award 2021
Dr. Berning’s research interests lie with nutritional requirements for sport and exercise. She has numerous publications and is a co-author on a McGraw Hill Nutrition textbook entitled, “Wardlaw’s Perspectives In Nutrition.”
She has been employed at UCCS for over 30 years.
Sara Espinoza Blackhurst
Chief Executive Officer
Action22
Sara Espinoza Blackhurst has been President of Action22 since June of 2017. She came to the organization as a Nonprofit Development Professional with more than a decade of experience in program development, fundraising, grant writing and nonprofit administration. Sara began her career as the Executive Director of the Greenhorn Valley Chamber of Commerce, then served as Director of Development for Sangre de Cristo Hospice. She went on to work with the El Pueblo Adolescent Treatment as the Chief Development Officer. Sara has led Action22 to be a powerful voice in public policy for the 22 counties it serves in Southern Colorado, as well as across all the rural counties of the state. Sara’s philosophy centers on the power of questions. In everything she does she asks, “What matters most to those we serve?” and “What do our communities need from us?”
Audrey Bloomquist
UCCS Student and Track & Field Athlete
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Originally from Helena, Montana, Audrey Bloomquist is a fifth-year student at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, competing as a sprinter and jumper on the UCCS Track and Field team. Audrey graduated in Spring 2023 with her Bachelor of Science in Business with a Dual Emphasis in Sport Management and Marketing, becoming a third generation CU system graduate. She is currently pursuing her Master of Arts in Communication at UCCS, while serving as a Graduate Assistant for the Athletics Department.
Audrey is President of the UCCS Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and Communications Coordinator for the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference SAAC. She is a peer leader for Mountain Lion Strong, a program supporting the mental wellness of UCCS student-athletes and is passionate about enhancing student-athlete development initiatives.
Aside from her scholastic endeavors, Audrey enjoys being with friends and family, skiing, riding horses, and fishing at her parent’s home in Wyoming.
Axel Brown
UCCS Student Body President
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Axel Brown is a graduate student pursuing a Master of Social Work within the College of Public Service. He is an enthusiastic supporter of student life and development. He is also a social worker. He is deeply passionate and committed to helping people and communities, which has led him to lead the Mountain Lion pack.
Angelique Foster
Search Administrator and Search Advocate
Assistant Vice President for Strategic Initiatives
University of Colorado System Office
As the Assistant Vice President of Strategic Initiatives for the University of Colorado, – Angelique Foster is responsible for leading and facilitating processes that ensure appropriate prioritization and implementation of the University’s strategic resources along with supporting the Senior Vice President for Internal Operations & Chief of Staff to the President in managing the day-to-day operations of the Office of the President.
Prior to joining the University of Colorado, Foster served as the Chief of Staff to the President at the University of North Dakota, where she served as senior advisor to the President and led a broad set of initiatives and programs. Foster brings 10 plus years of higher education service in the areas of strategic planning, operations, project management and budgeting.
Foster is a proud alumnus of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A&T) and the University of California, Irvine.
Kyle Hybl
President and Chief Executive Officer
El Pomar Foundation
President of The Garden City Company. Kyle is Chairman Emeritus of the University of Colorado System, a board he served on from 2007-2018. Kyle currently serves as Chairman of National Cybersecurity Center, Corporate Secretary for Junior Achievement, USA and on the boards of American Council of Young Political Leaders and Exponential Impact. In 2018, Kyle was appointed as a member of the Air Force Civic Leaders Program.
Kyle earned bachelor's and juris doctor degrees from the University of Colorado, Boulder. He is a former Air Force Captain and Judge Advocate.
John E. Hyten
Retired General and Former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
John Hyten is the President of Hyten Group LLC, a strategic consulting group based in Colorado Springs. Previously, he served over 40 years in the Air Force, retiring in 2022. His military career concluded with his service as the 11th Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In this role, Hyten served as the nation’s second-highest ranking military officer and was responsible for supporting and overseeing joint military requirements for nearly 1.5 million service members and their families across the U.S. Armed Forces. Hyten previously served in leadership roles as Commander of the United States Strategic Command and the Air Force Space Command. Additional commands included the 6th Space Operations Squadron, 595th Space Group, and 50th Space Wing. He also deployed into Southwest Asia in 2006 as Director of Space Forces for both Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
He attended Harvard University on an Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps scholarship, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and Applies Science. He earned an MBA from Auburn
University at Montgomery. He is a distinguished graduate from Squadron Officer School and Air Command and Staff College. He was also a National Defense Fellow at the University of Illinois.
Jena McCollum, PhD.
Associate Professor and Director, Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory
College of Engineering and Applied Science
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Dr. Jena McCollum is an Associate Professor and the Director of the Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory in the department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at UCCS. She earned her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Texas Tech University in 2015, focusing on manipulating metal particles for altered burning behavior. Following a National Research Council postdoctoral fellowship at the US Air Force Academy, she joined the faculty at UCCS in 2016. Dr. McCollum collaborates with the US Departments of Defense and Energy on energy-related composite manufacturing. Her research delves into particle/binder interactions, polymer structure's impact on material response, and innovative processing techniques for particulate composites. As a first-gen college student and caregiver, Dr. McCollum champions fellow first-gen and caregiver students. Leading the international "Fluoropolymer" conference and an alumnus of CU's Leadership Program, she blends expertise and leadership to uplift underrepresented voices in academia and spearhead international collaborations on global issues.
Yemi Mobolade
Mayor of Colorado Springs
Blessing ‘Yemi’ Mobolade was sworn in as the 42nd Mayor of Colorado Springs on June 6, 2023. This is his first four-year term as mayor. He is the first Black man and immigrant to be elected mayor of Colorado Springs and one of the youngest.
Mobolade moved from Indiana to Colorado Springs in 2010, where he started a church as part of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. After identifying a need in downtown Colorado Springs for cultural gathering places, he became one of the first entrepreneurs to invest in downtown after the Great Recession when he co-founded The Wild Goose Meeting House in 2013.
Seeing a greater need for collaboration within the faith community, Mobolade began working as director of outreach and engagement at First Presbyterian Church, where he would go on to co-found COSILoveYou, a nonprofit that unites more than 100 area churches under the common mission of serving the Colorado Springs community.
In 2017, Mobolade co-founded Good Neighbors Meeting House in the Patty Jewett neighborhood to provide an additional gathering place in the downtown area. He also began to leverage his success as an entrepreneur and business owner and began working as the vice president of business retention and expansion at the Colorado Springs Chamber & Economic Development Corporation. Here he was instrumental in caring for local employers and attracting new companies during a period of record job growth for Colorado Springs.
In 2019, Mobolade served the City of Colorado Springs as a small business development administrator. In this role, he established tools to assist entrepreneurs with starting a business, COSOpenForBiz.com and
Permit Partner, and led many collaborative efforts across the community’s public and private sectors. Mobolade stepped down from this position in March 2022 to officially launch his mayoral campaign.
Mobolade was born in Nigeria to two bi-vocational pastors. His father was in finance and his mother was a secondary education teacher. At age 17, he immigrated to the United States, following in the footsteps of his brother to pursue the American Dream through education. He has bachelor’s degrees in business administration and computer information systems from Bethel University (Mishawaka, Ind.) and master’s degrees in management and leadership from Indiana Wesleyan University (Marion, Ind.) and theology-intellectual leadership from the A.W. Tozer Theological Seminary, part of Simpson University (Redding, Calif.).
He lives in Colorado Springs with his wife, Abbey, a nurse and nursing educator, and their three young children.
Ken Montera
Vice Chair University of Colorado Board of Regents
University of Colorado
University of Colorado Regent Ken Montera was appointed to the Board of Regents by Governor Jared Polis in December 2021, and elected in 2022 for the remainder of the term for Congressional District 5. Montera spent over 30 years as a senior executive in four Fortune 200 companies leading strategy, multi-billion-dollar budgets, and direct responsibility for over 40,000 associates.
Regent Montera is a third-generation Coloradan and the first in his family to attend a major university. He received the Presidents Leadership Class scholarship allowing him to attend CU Boulder. His education and time at CU built the foundation that launched a very successful corporate career with increasing levels of responsibility at Johnson & Johnson, Baxter Healthcare, PepsiCo, and Limited Brands. At Limited Brands, Montera was Chief Stores Officer and Executive Vice President of Retail Operation.,
Regent Montera has three children, two that live in Columbus, Ohio, and one in the Denver area. He is the proud grandfather of two grandchildren. Montera lives in Colorado Springs with his fiancé Theresa.
Jeffrey Montez de Oca, PhD.
Professor of Sociology
Department of Sociology
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Jeffrey Montez de Oca is a Professor of Sociology and the founding director of the Center for the Critical Study of Sport at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Dr. Montez de Oca works to promote racial justice at UCCS. He is a former-chair and the current co-chair of the Faculty Equity and Inclusion Committee; a faculty fellow for Project CREST; and a former faculty fellow for the UCCS Office of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion.
Jevita R. Rogers
Senior Executive Director
Office of Financial Aid and Student Employment
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Jevita Rogers oversees the UCCS Office of Financial Aid and Student Employment and has been with UCCS since 2011. Yearly, her office assists over 8,000 students in utilizing on average $110 million in financial aid to provide students opportunities to finance their college education.
In 2016, Rogers served for six months with four others as leaders of the Division of Student Success and Enrollment Management. For their 2017 cohort, Rogers was selected to the CU Excellence in Leadership Program (ELP). Rogers was named UCCS Employee of the Quarter in November 2017. She also serves on dozens of UCCS committees covering topics from retention to housing appeals to strategic enrollment governance.
Rogers has 30 years of experience in higher education and has served on state, regional, and national committees from NCAA to the U.S. Department of Education. She currently lives in Colorado Springs with her husband Marc (UCCS Class of 2015).
Craig Smith
Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), Angi
UCCS Alumni
Craig Smith is a fourth-generation Coloradan with a deep love for his home state. He graduated Magna Cum Laude in Finance from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs in 1997 and earned a Fellowship with El Pomar Foundation. Craig joined ServiceMagic (now Angi, NASDAQ: ANGI) and played a crucial role in its growth, serving as CEO and later as President & COO. In 2021, he became COO at Vacasa (VCSA), leading the company to a $4.5B SPAC merger. In 2023, he returned to Angi as CRO to focus on expanding the company's professional network and partnerships. Craig has served on the boards of multiple community organizations, including the Children's Hospital Colorado Foundation and the University of Colorado Board of Trustees. He's a recipient of the Colorado Governor's Citizenship Medal for his positive impact on the community.
Vic Tise
Retired Army Officer, West Point Graduate (Class of 1977)
Retired U.S. Air Force Academy Assistant Professor
Vic Tise was commissioned in the US Army from West Point in 1977 as a Military Intelligence Officer. He completed a Master of Arts in International Relations in 1986 from UCLA. Most of his military career was spent in Latin America assisting partner nations in intelligence training, intelligence collections and operational planning for Counter-guerrilla and Counter-drug operations. He participated in Joint, Combined, United Nations and Inter-agency missions in the Western Hemisphere and the Far East. His last military assignment was as the Senior Army Officer and Assistant Professor of Political Science at the US Air Force Academy. As a defense contractor he conducted end-to-end program management in Homeland Security and Defense, Theater Security Cooperation, Joint Test and Evaluation, and Cybersecurity. He served as the running Coach for USA Modern Penthalon and currently coaches the
Colorado College Women’s Rugby team. Vic has been very civically engaged in the Colorado Springs community and non-profit boards.
Lynn Vidler, PhD
Professor and Dean
College of Letters, Arts & Science
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
L. Lynn Vidler, Ph.D. (they/them) is a graduate of New York University (BA ‘92) and the University of California, Irvine (MA ‘95, PhD ‘02) and has served as Professor of Spanish and Dean of the College of Letters, Arts & Sciences at UCCS since 2020. They previously taught at the United States Military Academy (West Point) and at the University of South Dakota. Their leadership interests lie primarily in organizational change management, DEI and building leadership capacity for the team. Locally, Dr. Vidler serves on the Pikes Peak Workforce Development Board, and as a trustee for the Bee Vradenburg Foundation and the Unity Project.
Heath Wagner
Director
Dining and Hospitality Services
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Heath Wagner has been in the world of hospitality and retail for 34 years and has worked at UCCS for nearly eight of those years, holding many positions in Dining and Hospitality Services from Cook to Director. Dining and Hospitality Services is the largest department on campus with nearly two hundred students and career employees spanning across two dining halls, a retail facility, a gastropub, catering, and three coffee shops.
Heath's impact extends beyond dining. He's been involved with search committees as a Diversity Champion, served as an A-Team mentor, co-chaired the past ideation of the Student Affairs Strategic Plan (Diversity and Global Consciousness), and currently acts as the Treasurer of the Staff Association. Heath's student-centric approach ensures that the UCCS community receives quality meals while gaining academic knowledge and life skills that have positive impact on their growth.