The Alumni Board is made up of 21-25 members who attended Colorado Academy, Colorado Military School, or Colorado Military Academy. They may be graduates or non-graduates. The Alumni Board administers the activities of the Colorado Academy Alumni Association and upholds its Bylaws and Mission Statement. The Alumni Board helps plan alumni events, raises funds for the alumni annual campaign, and represents CA and the Alumni Association in the community.
Alumni Board Members are elected in May to a three-year term, commencing on the first day of July following their election. No Board Member may serve more than two consecutive three-year terms.
Get to know the 2021-2022 Alumni Board Members:
Chris Bailey ’02 attended CA for 14 years. His sister Amber Bailey graduated in the class of 1988. Chris attended CU Boulder for undergrad and DU for law school. He met Bree, his wife of 10 years, at CU. They have two dogs, Milo and Logan, and currently live in Englewood.
Andrew Bourke ’04 attended CA for high school prior to attending the University of Denver. At DU he earned a BSBA in Finance and Marketing and played lacrosse for the Pioneers. Upon graduating, Andrew lived in Tanzania, Jackson Hole, and New York City before landing back in Denver, where he lives with his fiancée, Jessica. Currently, he is the co-founder and President of Tenayo Foods, a national Hispanic food brand. In his spare time, you can find him on the river, in the mountains, or hacking away on a golf course.
Austin Carpenter ’05 attended CA for all but his Freshman and Sophomore years of high school. He graduated from Western State University in Gunnison, Colo. After time in the corporate world, he spent time in the U.S. Army. Austin returned to Colorado to pursue a graduate degree in international business and is currently working with Arrow Electronics in cyber security. He is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys climbing, skiing, biking, mountaineering, and much more.
Katie Cordes ’03 attended CA for Grades 1-12 and then attended Washington University in St. Louis. After some time in New York City, she moved home to Denver in 2014 and now works in corporate strategy and development. She loves spending time with her dog, Bleecker, and thinks that a good time outdoors involves a patio, a book, and a glass of wine.
Caroline Cramer ’11 is a CA lifer and attended Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, graduating with a BS in Business Administration and an MS in Accounting. After several years in Austin, she moved back to Denver and is currently working in strategic finance at PagerDuty. When not crunching numbers, she enjoys spending her free time hiking new 14ers, golfing, skiing, collecting bourbon, and watching all of the sports. Go Broncos!
Lisa Harrison Ellsworth ’79 was a part of the early movement to add girls to CA. She had the privilege to work with all of CA’s headmasters as either a student or a parent. Her three children graduated from CA in 2010, 2013, and 2017. Lisa has enjoyed working with the younger alumni who are currently on the Board and being a part of CA’s continued growth as an innovative school. She is currently working at a Denver Public School in Grade Two as a paraprofessional and is a retired women’s sports official in field hockey, basketball, and lacrosse.
Brian Fisher ’02 began at CA as a Sophomore. While his time at CA was relatively short, it did not diminish his appreciation for the school. Brian played Baseball and Golf at CA. Both sports teams have been much more successful since Brian graduated, but he is pretty sure that is a coincidence. Brian graduated from CU Boulder with a degree in history and received his JD from DU. Brian worked as an attorney for four years before happily exiting the legal world. Brian now works in commercial real estate finance for Northmarq Capital. Brian and his wife Jamie live in Denver with their daughter Riley and son Chase. In his free time, Brian enjoys golfing and brooding over the downfall of the Husker football program.
Georgia Grey ’08 graduated from Southern Methodist University in 2012 with a major in English literature and minor in elementary education. Georgia founded her own holistic nutrition business, Whole Body Healing Nutrition, where she specializes in autoimmune disorders and Lyme Disease. She works one-on-one with her clients to help them feel their best through the healing power of food. When she is not coaching her clients, you can find her skiing, hiking, doing anything outdoors, or being with friends and family.
Elsa Woolley Harberg ’11 joined the Alumni Board in 2017 and now serves as President. Elsa studied art history and business at the University of Puget Sound, and works in commercial real estate development in Denver, focusing on historic preservation and affordable housing. She is also pursuing a master’s in real estate and the built environment at the University of Denver. She serves as a trustee on the Four Mile Historic Park Board, loves volunteering her time on several committees serving organizations around Denver, and serves as her university’s class president. In her spare time, Elsa enjoys spending time in the mountains with her husband Joe and their two dogs. She has loved reconnecting with CA through the Alumni Board and is eager to help other alumni reconnect also!
Jared Harding ’97 attended CA for Grades 1-10 and looks back fondly on incredible learning experiences, friendships, Giant Relay Days, field trips, sports, Interim, and so much more. Currently, Jared works in digital marketing for Kroenke Sports & Entertainment and lives in Denver with his wife, Rachael, and their three daughters, Emma (11), Lucy (8), and Josie (6).
Isabel Gary Harper ’09 graduated from Colorado College in 2013 with a major in environmental science and minor in education. She then earned an MS in Geology and Geological Engineering at Colorado School of Mines in 2016. Isabel began her career in the oil and gas industry as an exploration geologist for EOG Resources in Midland, Texas, and is now back in Denver doing the same work for Centennial Resource Development. Isabel is an avid outdoor person and spends her free time fishing, skiing, and traveling with her husband, John, or bird hunting with their two English Setters.
Ben Hock ’07 is the Senior Director of Creative Services at CenterTable, a digital marketing agency located near Coors Field. He earned his BFA in Animation at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, where he also met his wife, Andrea. In his spare time, he serves as the Marketing Director for PawsCo, a local animal rescue. He’s also a Certified Cicerone® (beer sommelier) and home brewer. Ben and Andrea live in Virginia Village with their daughter Lily and rescue dog Lenny.
Emma Harrington Kane ’07 attended CA for Grades 6 through 12 and headed up to chilly Maine to attend Colby College, where she graduated with a BA in Psychology. As a fifth-generation Colorado native, Emma couldn’t resist her long-standing Colorado heritage, and she returned in 2011 to start her career. She is passionate about identifying strategic growth opportunities and building efficient business models to support expansion across industries as they integrate ecommerce. Emma’s favorite time is spent with her giggly and active 18-month-old daughter McKenna, her loving husband Eddie, and a wiggly pup.
Marcus King-Stockton ’04 attended CA from grades 8-12. He played collegiate basketball at CU Boulder from 2004-2008 and graduated with a degree in political science. He met his wife, Sarah Brill ’02, at CA. They now have a son, Zaiyan, a dog, Mayhem, and a hedgehog, Denzel. They live in Park Hill. Marcus enjoys spending time with his family, training and coaching basketball, and cooking. Marcus currently works as a financial advisor at Prudential.
Myles McGinnis ’08 attended CA for Grades K-12 as a lifer. At CA he played Golf, Soccer, and Lacrosse. Myles graduated from The College of Wooster in 2012, where he played lacrosse for the Fighting Scots. In May 2021, he earned his MS in Real Estate from CU Boulder. Myles has worked in various roles in the Colorado real estate world, from commercial and residential sales to land development. He enjoys spending time with his wife, son, and family.
Aimée Nieuwenhuizen ’06 attended CA for Grades 4 through 12. While at CA, she was a Cross Country runner and Soccer player; she also served several leadership roles in the AfricAid club and played piano in several honors recitals. Aimée obtained a BA in Spanish from Davidson College, a BA in Psychology from Queens University of Charlotte, and an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from CU Denver. She is the lead clinician at the inpatient level of care at a psychiatric hospital. Aimée specializes in treating individuals with chronic suicidality, depression, anxiety, complex trauma, and personality disorders. In addition to sitting on the CA Alumni Board, Aimée served on the board of directors for the Eating Disorder Foundation for the last three years.
Zak Pollack ’08 attended Boston University and graduated in 2012 with a degree in international relations with a focus on security studies in sub-Saharan Africa. He has worked in the tech industry for the last decade, focused mainly on scaling out user support. He currently leads Android user support at Google. He lives in Arvada with his wife Antoinette, puppy Wilbur, and is expecting his first child in November.
Brian Pushchak ’04 attended CA for Grades 1-12. While at CA, Brian missed valuable opportunities for daily Golf instruction, opting instead for injuries in both Tennis and Lacrosse. Brian went on to graduate from the University of Colorado Boulder where he earned his undergraduate and law degrees. He has been married to Christy Pushchak for 12 years, lives in Denver, has two dogs, and manages his personal injury law firm in Cherry Creek. Brian’s family enjoys golfing, travelling, hiking, and skiing.
Kyle Rajaniemi ’07 attended CA for Grades 3-12. While at CA, Kyle sang in Cindy Jordan’s choirs and played Lacrosse. He moved on to Hamilton College, where he graduated in 2011 with a degree in communications, while also playing NCAA hockey for the Continentals. In 2015 he earned his MPS in Branding from the School of Visual Arts in NYC and finally made it back to Colorado in 2017, after marrying his wife, Laura. Kyle is now the Marketing and Brand Manager for Yeti Cycles and spends far too much time biking and skiing, and even more time with his dog, Mowgli.
Natalie Newcom Ralston ’99 is a CA lifer. As a student, she enjoyed singing and musical theater, and she played Tennis and Field Hockey. She received a BA in Economics from Trinity College in Hartford, Conn. Natalie is a development and alumni relations professional with extensive fundraising experience. She has worked in various roles at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Buckingham, Browne & Nichols School in Cambridge, Mass. In 2015, Natalie returned to Denver and CA to serve as Director of The CA Fund and Associate Director of Advancement, a position she held until June 2021. Natalie and her husband, Toby, have two children, Hattie (a CA First Grader) and Sebastian (3). Together, they enjoy biking, camping, reading, hiking, and family dance parties. Natalie is delighted to continue to serve and support CA as a member of the Alumni Board.
Liz Robinson ’01 attended CA for Grades 9-12. She attended the University of Pennsylvania for bioengineering and then Columbia University for medical school. She always planned to come back to Colorado and finally moved back a couple of years ago with her husband Alex and children Maddie (5) and Henry (2). She works as a dermatologist and clinical researcher at Colorado Dermatology Specialists, and in health policy and patient advocacy through the American Academy of Dermatology.
Evan Simmons ’06 attended CA for Grades 8-12 and then attended the University of Houston (Texas) where he studied political science and Spanish. After graduation, Evan spent a decade working in a multitude of roles with the Sherwin Williams Paint Company in the Denver area. In June of 2019, Evan left Sherwin Williams and founded Panoramic Pro Painting, an interior and exterior painting company that specializes in both residential and commercial painting projects and is based in the Denver Metro area. Evan currently lives in Denver with his wife Gisa and daughter Taylor (14 months).
Zach Tucker ’01 attended CA for Grades 8-12, commuting each day from Evergreen. After making one fateful attempt at rappelling from the old gym as the mustang mascot and losing the headpiece, he stuck to playing Tennis and Baseball and oddball experiments in the chemistry lab. Zach received a BS in Management Science & Engineering from Stanford University, then spent the next 13 years in New York as a bond trader. He returned to Colorado in 2017 to work with Smith Capital Investors, living with his wife Emily and children Whitney and Micah in LoHi. They like to hike, ski, and drop discarded yogurt on their dog Crosby.
Terrie Dickinson Warren ’73, a “pioneer” when CA went coed in 1971, loved the academic, athletic, and theatrical opportunities CA offered. Even though she lived outside of Colorado from CA graduation until 12 years ago, she has maintained friendships with many of her classmates from ’73 and also friends from ’72, ’74, ’75, and ’76. After working in college admissions and coaching middle and high school field hockey, soccer, and lacrosse in Texas for over 20 years, Terrie has opened her calendar to spend more time with her family and to “give back”—and is eager to serve on the CA Alumni Board and also to offer pro bono advice/assistance to aspiring college applicants, especially for first-generation applicants. She is most often found on various mountain golf courses, hiking trails, and ski runs, or trying to succeed at mountain gardening, Terrie is also well known in Breckenridge for her intricate knowledge of Summit County happy hours.
Honorary Board Member
Gordon Smith ’79 serves as an emeritus member of the Alumni Board. He graduated from Colgate University, majoring in economics and psychology. He then obtained his MBA from CU Denver in ’89. Gordon began in the family horse business and then moved into financial services. He finally found his passion when entering the fundraising field in ’95 with National Jewish Health, specializing in planned giving. Still with National Jewish today, he is now the Associate Vice President of Development, Planned Giving. He travels the country meeting with dedicated donors to discuss creative, non-cash opportunities to support the hospital. He also speaks nationally on gift planning. Gordon spends his spare time skiing, biking, playing tennis, and competing in triathlons and such.