M E M B E R S

Memes, in the Dawkins sense, are the cultural equivalent of genes. Just as biological evolution acts on the genetic pool, cultural evolution acts on the memetic pool. A common fallacy about evolution is that the strongest traits are selected for. In reality, ill-suited traits die out while the rest remain by default.

To what extent can we consciously select against ill-suited memes? Harmful memes pose a paradox: compromising perpetuates them, and opposing them risks embodying their flaws. Yet, inaction guarantees their persistence. Perhaps the only response is thoughtful and integrated action despite its imperfections.

Stephanie Sladnick supports Highland Institute's work of imperfect connections—of people, ideas, and actions. From building operations platforms that support businesses, non-profits, and NGOs to volunteering with kids and with TEDxBoulder Salons, Stephanie strives to contribute meaningfully to her local and global community.

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City Club's new Executive Chef, Tim Cook, hails from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Tim is a devoted father of two young children and a loving husband to Kaitlin, a dedicated pediatric dentist.

Growing up in a close-knit family, Tim cherished the nightly gathering around the family dinner table, a ritual that sparked his early passion for the culinary arts. His journey began humbly in a local café, where he was captivated by the kitchen's rhythm, energy, dedication, and teamwork, igniting a passion that grew stronger over time.

Formal training at culinary school laid the groundwork for Tim's love of cooking. But his experiences in the kitchens of top-tier restaurants, such as the three Michelin-starred Alinea in Chicago, shaped his culinary perspective. Working alongside renowned chefs, Tim honed his craft, embracing the discipline and creativity required in fine dining, nothing that great chefs have a unique ability to remain grounded and committed to the daily grind and the art of cooking. Formal training at culinary school laid the groundwork for his love of cooking, but it was his experiences in the kitchens of top-tier restaurants, such as the three Michelin-starred Alinea in Chicago, that truly shaped his culinary perspective. Working alongside renowned chefs like Grant Achatz, Tim honed his craft, embracing both the discipline and creativity required in the world of fine dining. Despite the accolades, Tim noted Grant’s unique ability to remain grounded, committed to the daily grind and the art of cooking, and stayed true to that path himself...

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Heather grew up in Eureka, Kansas, where she was a lifeguard, taught swimming, and worked as a country music radio DJ without knowing or particularly liking the genre! Traveling a winding road from a Peace Corps volunteer to an international development NGO communications manager, Heather has seen it all, from a business communications professor in Kansas City to a copywriter for healers in Boulder. Having practiced Transcendental Meditation since moving to Boulder in 2014, Heather sees spas, retreats, and resorts as sanctuaries for inner peace and well-being.

Heather has lived in Washington, DC, Kansas City, MO, and Togo, West Africa. Some of her favorite travels have included work trips to Kosovo and Ethiopia and personal trips to Bali and the Loire Valley.

Heather's work as a writer, soft-spoken marketer, and spa consultant has been about bringing out the best in others. As Gandhi said, “When you make yourself into zero, your power becomes invincible…

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Club member Stefan du Toit was born and educated in South Africa. For over twenty years, he has lived on and off in the United States. Nearly three years ago, he made Boulder his permanent home and feels blessed to reside here permanently with his two lovely young daughters, the apples of his eye, and cherishes every moment. 

Professionally, Stefan excels as an Integrator, assisting organizations in efficiently scaling up and growing with grace. His unique blend of skills results from his attraction to challenging environments, including international exposure across various sectors such as financial services, hospitality, the green economy, sports marketing, innovation commercialization, and venture capital…

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City Club member Amanda Couture is an experienced marketer, venture capital investor, and trained birth doula now residing in Boulder with her Mini Bernedoodle, Homer.

Originally from Virginia, she spent her undergraduate years at Virginia Tech studying marketing and cheering on the Hokies as a member of the dance team. Amanda has lived in NYC and Los Angeles growing in her career, picking up new hobbies and interests, meeting fascinating people, and exploring the US. She now calls Boulder home, and has immersed herself in the active community where she enjoys gravel biking, cross-country skiing, and frequenting local coffee shops…

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Club member Ashish Kothari is an executive coach, author, consultant, and the founder of Happiness Squad, a company dedicated to assisting individuals and organizations in harnessing the power of happiness and well-being to realize their utmost potential.

Ashish resides in Boulder with his lovely wife, Lizzie, and their 13-year-old son, Ashwin, and spends his time hiking in the mountains, working out on his Peloton, and connecting with friends. As an avid reader, he has consumed close to 625 books in the past six years and published his own work last year titled “Hardwired for Happiness”. This interdisciplinary book weaves together insights from spiritual wisdom traditions, philosophy, positive psychology, neuroscience, and organizational development. 

Before establishing Happiness Squad, Ashish Kothari was a partner at the global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, where he spent over two decades helping thousands of leaders to succeed by fostering new mindsets and capabilities…

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Club member Jay Hirsh leads Break Trail Ventures, a venture fund that partners with innovative entrepreneurs focused on customer-centric solutions and tackling significant challenges within their industries. Jay is passionate about collaborating with talented individuals, assisting in the realization of their visions and unique perspectives. His curiosity drives him to continuously explore new ventures and innovations. Prior to founding BTV, Jay gained extensive experience as an operator in the supply chain and logistics sector, with a significant portion of his career spent in Hong Kong and various parts of Asia.

On a personal note, Jay shares his life with his wife, Rachel, and their three young children—a daughter and identical twin sons. The family enjoys embarking on outdoor adventures, traveling, and engaging in activities in the mountains. Jay is an enthusiastic mountaineer, backcountry skier, pilot, trail runner, and endurance sports aficionado, embracing challenges and the thrill of exploration…

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Corey graduated from CU in 2010 and didn't think he'd ever come back to Boulder. In fact, for about a decade, Corey got about as far away as he could. He traveled extensively through Asia, Australia, Europe, and South America. He took some weird jobs (uranium exploration in the Outback, anyone?). He went to law school in Washington, DC, had a stint in Los Angeles, and spent years in New York City lawyering at a crazy tech company and a massive law firm. But you know what? None of these places ever felt like home.

One day a friend convinced Corey to visit Boulder again. It was his first time back since graduation and he immediately realized how wrong he had been to leave Colorado. The weather, the mountains, the people - this was home. Corey flew back to Brooklyn early, packed up his stuff, and moved right out to Boulder. He's been living here for almost four years now and for the first time in his life never thinks about going anywhere else.

Corey is an entrepreneur at heart, and last fall he launched a law firm called G2L with the goal of helping entrepreneurs and businesses navigate the legal issues that come up while operating and growing. He's really excited about it and is looking forward to joining Highland City and to meeting some of the great members in our community…

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City Club member Grace Yoon is a clinical herbalist, author of The Korean Herbal Apothecary, and the force behind Qi Alchemy, a Korean herbal company forging connections between ancient Korean herbalism and the contemporary world. Grace provides a wealth of cross-cultural knowledge in Korean and Western herbalism, nutrition science, and wellness practices for those seeking a link between ancient medicinal wisdom and modern life.

As a global citizen, Grace is deeply committed to environmental sustainability, health, education, and human rights. Her time is divided between South Korea, where her family's farmhouse is located, and the scenic landscapes of Colorado. Grace holds a Bachelor of Arts with honors in International Relations from Mount Holyoke College.

Grace and Qi Alchemy have been featured in Vogue, WWD, Oprah magazine, Forbes, and Bloomberg, reflecting her impact in the herbal and wellness spheres. In her downtime, Grace likes to forage, travel, hike, host laid-back dinner parties for friends, and dedicate her efforts to nonprofits like The Nature Conservancy's 13ers Advisory Council…

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Lucy grew up on a working farm in rural Kentucky. She has always felt very much at home in the natural places she loves--the question that has taken her on many of her life pursuits is: What helps people and the planet simultaneously thrive?

This curiosity has led her to: research the blue crab fishery in remote Baja, help restore Musqueam Creek in Vancouver, study human biology and environmental policy and creative writing at Stanford, and work as environmental and wellness journalist. The science of happiness, self-compassion, mindfulness, gratitude, and ecology are some of the disciplines that inform how she thinks about the world. Along the way she has written for The Atlantic, InsideClimate News, The Jackson Hole News and Guide, and Berkeleyside, in addition to other places. Most recently, she had her poem Wonderland Lake published in humana obscura…

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City Club member Jeremy Ciampa is a writer, guitarist, and entrepreneur. He came west in 2004, ostensibly for a university education. In truth, a saxophonist from boarding school needed a guitarist for an upcoming show at The Fox Theatre. Colorado University had rolling admissions and the Rocky Mountains. It was an easy choice.

Since then, Jeremy has obtained a degree in Literature, toured regionally and nationally with rock groups and traditional swing jazz ensembles, and studied for over a decade with legendary guitarist Dale Bruning. While working as a touring musician, he taught music and writing lessons on his laptop.

Capitalizing on a knack for standardized tests, Jeremy started Higher Learning Test Prep in 2010 at the beginning of the remote learning era. He has since taught thousands of students from all over the world. He now works as a writing coach, editor, and academic mentor. His current project, Ewald Hall, is a laboratory for Life of Mind– A counter society for thinking people…

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Julien is a seasoned freelance senior designer with over fourteen years of diverse experience. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with renowned agencies like Landor, Carré Noir, and Publicis, just to name a few. His portfolio boasts projects spanning various sectors from energy and transport with firms like EDF and SNCF, to consumer goods with brands like Nestlé, and even extending to the realms of banking and nonprofit organizations.

After establishing Cenitz Studio, Julien quickly garnered the attention and loyalty of major brands, including Nike, PSG, and Dassault Systemes. An alumnus of ECV with a master's degree in visual communication from Créapole, Julien's latest accomplishment is the launch of Cenitz Studio's innovative and award-winning website…

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Curiosity makes me tick, and I ask “why” a lot. I enjoy getting to the root of problems quickly. I believe one can quantitatively analyze anything and achieve operational efficiency in everything we do. 

My wife and I moved from Chicago to Boulder in 2020 and have thoroughly enjoyed life here. We are avid hikers, backpackers, and skiers. Mack, our samoyed, joins us for all of our adventures. I enjoy long, hard, mountain, gravel, or road biking and extended backpacking trips. My wife and I welcomed our son, Sebastian, in April 2023. We enjoy hikes and picnics in the mountains with Seb and Mack. 

I studied finance and economics at Loyola University Chicago and then obtained my MBA from the University of Chicago. I am the Head of Value Engineering at Cribl, a data observability platform company based in San Francisco. Previously, I have worked at Google and Palo Alto Networks, leading their Business Value Consulting practices…

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Born and raised in Chicago, Stuart earned a liberal arts degree from the University of Colorado and received his law degree from the University of Denver School of Law.

Stuart has been a member of the Colorado State Bar since 1986, and has represented clients before the Colorado Supreme Court, the United States District Court, the Tenth Circuit Federal Court of Appeals, and the United States Federal Claims Court.

Outside the office and courtroom, Stuart is an avid cyclist and devotes time to grass roots non-profit cycling organizations that promote youth cycling and road safety. He has competed in multiple ultra-endurance races, including the Leadville Trail 100, La Ruta De Los Conquistadores in Costa Rica, Transcordilleras in Colombia, Steamboat Gravel, Unbound Gravel, and many more…

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Geoff Keys is a Boulder native and second-generation real estate veteran. Geoff’s first tenancy at the Highland was in 1983, working with his team to develop the South Tech Center at 47th and Valmont, and working with Sina to design and develop The Registry on Spruce Street in Downtown Boulder.

In 1984 Geoff launched Keys Commercial Real Estate, a boutique commercial brokerage specializing in third-party fee commercial real estate services. With Crestone Capital as its main client, Keys Commercial built an office/retail portfolio in San Diego County, as well as the US/36 corridor in Boulder.

Geoff sold Keys Commercial in 2021 but just recently repurchased the brokerage arm of the business, which he operates daily at Highland City Club. In addition to real estate, Geoff owns and operates a high-end wholesale auto dealership, Keys Motors. 

Geoff serves on the Boards of Mile High United Way, and The Dairy Arts Center, while living in Downtown Boulder with Partner Lea Incandela, a renowned local artist, and their Labradoodle Jack…

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City Club member Timothy O’Donnell is an American long-course triathlete with over 50 podium finishes, including more than 25 wins at major events throughout the world. Among his wins are eleven Ironman 70.3 victories and two Ironman wins.

Before dedicating his career to Ironman racing, O'Donnell represented the Navy and the US with six consecutive wins at the Armed Forces National Championship and a win at the 2009 ITU Long Distance World Championship.

At the 2019 Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, O’Donnell finished in 2nd place, with his sub-eight-hour performance being the fastest time ever recorded by an American at the World Championship. Proving himself to be one of the most consistent athletes in Kona, he finished 2nd place in 2019, 4th place in 2018, 6th place in 2016, 3rd place in 2015, 5th place in 2013, and 8th place in 2012. In March of 2021, O’Donnell suffered a major heart attack during the Challenge Miami triathlon. After a year off in recovery, he returned to racing and the Ironman World Championship in 2022 where he once again finished as the Top American for the 5th time. In 2023 he completed his journey back to the top with a win at IRONMAN 70.3 Peru…

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Monica's roots are in a dairy farm in Wisconsin. Shortly after college, Monica moved on a whim to the Bay Area and landed a job on Apple's marketing team, where she had the opportunity to work on launching new products globally during tumultuous times. The entire experience netted incredible learnings which she parlayed into a successful marketing consulting business, working with other high-tech clients such as Adobe, Salesforce, Intuit, and others.

Today the entrepreneur bug has fully bitten and Monica is the co-founder of a new platform called Trumee, a storytelling, video-based alternative to LinkedIn for the younger workforce. Though the new company is in its very early stages, Monica is eager to connect with the HCC community to glean insights into the start-up journey.

In her spare time, Monica enjoys travel, making memories with her daughter and son, and adventures with her chocolate lab, Roxy. She's an avid foodie who enjoys cooking, yoga, farmers' markets, and paddle boarding…

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Andrew is the President of Brodsky Research and Consulting, with the mission to ensure that all children have an equal opportunity to thrive. He is a nationally recognized expert in the field of early childhood policy research, a writer, speaker, and mystic. His first book, Science for Seekers, explored the relationship between rationality and spirituality. 

Andrew is currently at work on a second book, How To Be God: A User’s Manual, which explores finding purpose beyond Self. His other interests include leveraging privilege, unbreaking capitalism, ultrarunning, adventure traveling, improv, and psychedelics, which have radically transformed his life. 

Andrew is proud to live in Longmont, where he spends quality time with his exceptional wife and two beautiful daughters.

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Howie Rubin was born as 'Howard' outside New York City and has been calling Boulder his home for over 27 years. 

Howie’s career consists of over twenty years of experience on the front lines of brand building for some of the most iconic consumer brands in the world. From 1999 through 2018, he was a partner at Action Marketing Group, an agency focused on groundbreaking experiential marketing programs which blended digital and social media with live events leading to brand recognition, cultural relevance, and sales.  

Howie currently leads First Tube, another agency creating live events to drive reach and engagement with online audiences through targeted media, influencers, and social platforms. He is also an investor and advisor to various organizations and technology startups, a designer, an inventor (OneClock.co), and a lover of all things outdoors…

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I was born and raised in NY around Manhattan and Long Island. I attended The Guitar Institute in Los Angeles and earned a degree in performance guitar. In addition to playing and recording with several bands, I went to work for the global leader in the nascent field of digital audio workstations.

After a successful first career in music technology, I went into the creative space, and for the past 30 years, I have been a film and TV sound designer and mixer in NYC. My projects have won Emmys for sound, Sundance Grand Jury prizes, NYFF Audience Awards, and a Cannes Palme d'Or.

I have produced films, TV pilots, albums, a live concert DVD, and have toured nationally with my music project, which was a rock band for children called Princess Katie & Racer Steve. That band had a #1 single on XM Radio and was named Nickelodeon's Parent Pick for 2017, with over half-million YouTube views…

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