Meet the 2023-2024Â Barney Ford Fundraising Team!
Maggie Wellman, the President of the Barney Ford Committee and a first-year dual masters student in MBA and Environmental Policy. She has a passion for reading and embraces the essence of classic Colorado through her love of climbing and live music/hiking/ occasionally eating green chili for all three meals. With a unique background, Maggie recognizes the importance of diversity and firmly believes that by embracing diverse perspectives and backgrounds, we can cultivate innovation, foster understanding, and pave the way for a brighter future.
Katie has devoted her career to improving educational access, working in pivotal roles across educational startups. She is driven by a vision to shape future workforces, prioritizing inclusion, belonging, and employee well-being as foundational elements of any organizational strategy. As a member of the Barney Ford Diversity Scholarship Committee, Katie's excited about building partnerships that will empower organizations to make a meaningful impact, and enable students from diverse backgrounds to excel at Leeds and beyond.
As the Co-Vice President of Sponsorships and Donations, Jackson, an MBA candidate at Leeds, has professional experience in technology and software account management. Recognizing the transformative influence of diverse perspectives on both educational and professional journeys, Jackson is enthusiastic about leveraging this understanding to actively foster opportunities for individuals from underrepresented groups at Leeds and within the broader business community.
Brett Kalpakjian is a first year MBA student at CU Boulder Leeds School of Business. He chose CU Boulder for its focus on sustainability and the real estate opportunities in the area. His career objective is to be involved in the design of next generation cities that are not dependent on cars. In his free time he enjoys skiing, soccer, and doing activities with friends. After growing up in a culturally homogenous city of Boise then moving to urban Atlanta for college, he understands how important DEI is in a college setting. He was exposed to so many different cultures and ideas that were lacking in his upbringing and is grateful to have added different perspectives to his worldview and understood some of the privileges he was afforded. He believes that embracing diversity is a way to foster creativity, innovation, and a more dynamic and inclusive environment. It promotes a broader range of ideas and perspectives, challenges biases, and contributes to a more equitable and just society.
Alden is a first-year MBA at the Leeds School of Business at CU Boulder. He is passionate about sustainability and inclusivity in the business world, and is excited about the opportunity to bring more diversity to the Colorado campus. He was fortunate to be surrounded by diverse, international perspectives throughout his educational career and looks forward to elevate similar perspectives both at CU and in his future professional endeavors. He earned his Bachelor's degree in Psychology and Film & New Media Studies from Wheaton College (MA), and has several years of digital marketing experience for small businesses.
Serving as Vice President of Event Planning, Franco is an MBA Candidate at Leeds and former US Army Infantry Officer. He has worked with diverse teams overseas, and on implementing gender and ethnic diversity with national-level institutions. Franco knows first-hand the positive impact that bringing underserved voices to the table can have and wants to ensure that people from a wide range of cultures, backgrounds, and life experiences can be represented at CU and in the business community at large.
Dave is a first year dual degree pursuing an MBA and MS in Business Analytics. He spent the previous 16 years owning and operating a small engineering firm before beginning at CU. Having seen first-hand the positive impact benefit diverse perspectives can make, he is excited to bring a career of balancing logistics to create a successful event Barney Ford fundraiser.