People

Mark Gasta was most recently a faculty member and Director of the Business Leadership Certificate in the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder. As the Faculty Lead for both the Introduction to the Outdoor Recreation Economy and the Leading a Sustainable Business in the Outdoor Recreation Economy certificates, Mark will teach and mentor values-driven leaders to conduct business with ethical, environmental, social and economic initiatives. Mark...

Clif Harald is the founder and principal of First Flatiron Consulting specializing in economic vitality planning and management. Clif's expertise draws on a career in community economic development as well as in private industry. For more than a decade he was executive director of the Boulder Economic Council (BEC), a cross-industry leadership group of business and community executives dedicated to sustaining Boulder’s economic vitality. While leading the BEC, Clif engaged...

Joel is a professor in the MENV and ORE professional graduate degree programs at the University of Colorado Boulder. Joel is a National Geographic Explorer, and for the last 20 years, Joel has worked as a researcher, consultant, engineer, and educator. He has projects across East and Southern Africa and Madagascar at national parks exploring issues of conservation management, climate change, health, resource extraction, human behavior, and recreation. He has...

Dr. Lydia Lawhon has nearly two decades of experience working on natural resource management issues in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem and Colorado. As faculty with the Masters of the Environment professional program at CU Boulder, she has taught courses on environmental policy, public lands policy, natural resource governance, and Capstone project management. She advises MENV Capstone projects with diverse partners from the government and non-profit sectors on topics related to...

Gregor MacGregor is a Faculty Fellow at the University's Law School, where he teaches courses on natural resources and directs the Acequia Project, a pro bono effort to provide Hispano irrigators in southern Colorado with legal services related to their land, water rights, and businesses. As a lecturer in the Outdoor Recreation Economy program he focuses on environmental law and policy. Prior to joining academia, Gregor worked as a water...

Sarah has run small and large-scale projects for a variety of companies in the retail and hospitality industry and loves sharing the practicalities of bringing strategy to life through the planning and execution of projects. She spent eight years in the outdoor recreation industry with Vail Resorts working with a variety of stakeholders on initiatives like employees, communities, operations, and legal/ compliance entities. She is a Principal Consultant & Client...

Georgina is a social entrepreneur, adventure athlete, international speaker, writer, transformation coach, consultant, mindfulness and energy practitioner, activist, and founder and CEO of She Ventures — a social enterprise unleashing the untapped power of women around the world in business and life. She has helped companies and leaders through change and transformation for nearly two decades across the world. Georgina’s work, thought-leadership, climbing, and activism has been featured and quoted...

Ann has been a leader in the non-profit sector as well as in federal and state government and private industry. Her career focused on natural resource management and conservation and she helped protect and conserve millions of acres across the West. She has served as the Senior Vice President/Western Division Manager of the Trust for Public Land, the Rocky Mountain Regional Executive Director with National Wildlife Federation, Vice President of...

Natalie Ooi is an educator and researcher who specializes in sustainable tourism and recreation. Her passion lies in working with industry and communities to prepare the next generation of leaders to contribute to an innovative, resilient and just tourism/outdoor recreation economy. She joined the Outdoor Recreation Economy Program at CU Boulder in 2021 as the Faculty Lead for the Community Economic Development and the Outdoor Recreation Economy certificate, after having...

Chris is a GM and leader with a track record of success in diverse environments. He has international experience across multiple industries including outdoor consumer products, technology, automotive, and financial services. After leading a fundraising round for RovR in 2021 (a consumer products company based in Colorado), Chris came on board as CEO to help drive the company’s next stage of growth. Prior to this role, Chris was President of...

As Program Manager for the Outdoor Recreation Economy Program at the University of Colorado Boulder, Pilar provides student, faculty and operational support for the ORE. Pilar is a world citizen; born and raised in Spain, she has lived in 4 countries in 3 continents. She has a JD and an MBA degree, and considers herself a multi-faceted professional who loves to connect people of different backgrounds and cultures. She has...

Mark Gasta was most recently a faculty member and Director of the Business Leadership Certificate in the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder. As the Faculty Lead for both the Introduction to the Outdoor Recreation Economy and the Leading a Sustainable Business in the Outdoor Recreation Economy certificates, Mark will teach and mentor values-driven leaders to conduct business with ethical, environmental, social and economic initiatives. Mark...

As the Enrollment and Communications Manager, Carly provides support for prospective students as well as works closely with faculty and staff to continue growing the ORE program and help cultivate creative, thoughtful leaders across the outdoor recreation sector. Carly has worked in higher education for the past several years in a variety of roles, which have allowed her to expand and grow her professional experience. She has lived in four...

Molly Thompson is an Assistant Director of Career and Professional Development at the University of Colorado Boulder. Ms. Thompson has over 15 years of experience in career counseling and industry relations and has designed and launched workforce development programs in both higher education and welfare-to-work environments. Ms. Thompson specializes in building experiential educational programs in STEM disciplines and has expertise in program management, curriculum development, fundraising, and conflict negotiation. Ms...