Elizabeth Elliott
Advocate for Arts-Opera/Larimer Chorale
Elizabeth first came to Fort Collins in 1979 and worked as music director at the university radio station, which needed funds. She staged an opera to raise money for the station and an opera company was born. Elizabeth created Opera Fort Collins out of her fundraising efforts. She was the artistic director for five years. In 1997 she put an ad in the newspaper for singers to start a choral group and 100 people showed up. Thus, the Larimer Chorale began in December of that year due to her efforts. The Chorale has performed in Europe and gives three one-night performances in Fort Collins each year.
Read
Full Bio
Hope Sykes
Advocate for Russian/Germans-Author
(Deceased)
Hope was a visionary and her mission was to help local people understand and accept German-Russians. She was a role-model for families to learn about the needs of children. Hope made a difference by bringing attention to children made to work in the fields. She authored a book “Second Hoeing,” a sugar beet term about the German-Russian families who worked in the sugar beet fields. Her book stirred up controversy about families forcing their children to work in the fields, and in 1935 the New York Times review credited her book with contributing to the revision of child labor laws in America.
Read
Full Bio
Kathleen Baumgardner
Advocate for Homeless & Hungry
Kathleen created and ran the FoCo Café, a nonprofit, pay-what-you-can eatery, serving lunch daily and run 100% by volunteers. Her vision was to provide nutritious meals in an environmentally conscious manner. She is a role model demonstrating giving back to the community in a way that honors each person’s contributions, no matter what the amount. The FoCo Café was environmentally conscious, having virtually no food waste. Plate waste is composted. The Giving Tree is a cart with racks filled with essentials for people in need or for donations for others to leave. The Cafe provides breakfast for food insecure families for the summer to help children. and hosted a FoCo Fridge for donations of excess produce for farmer/gardeners to share.
Read
Full Bio
Dr. Janice Nerger
Natural Sciences for Women/Researcher Human Vision
Janice is the Dean, for the College of Natural Sciences at CSU. She co-founded the Women in Natural Sciences (WINS) program at CSU, helped to establish the CSU STEM Center, and is an internationally recognized researcher in the field of human vision.
Read
Full Bio
Mildred Johnson
College Business/Researcher IT Programs with Bell Labs
(Deceased - at the age of 92 January 12, 2017)
Mildred obtained her bachelors and masters’ in Business Administration from CSU and became an Assistant Professor and then professor of Business Communication in the College of Business. While at CSU she conducted research with Bell Telephone Labs in computer text analysis of business writing, opening the first such laboratory with a $300,000.00 grant. Mildred has received numerous awards from CSU.
Read
Full Bio
Dr. Patty Lopez
Engineer/Advocate for Women in STEM/Technology
Patty is an engineer at Intel in Fort Collins who was featured in the Brawny campaign to recognize four smart, accomplished women who have busted gender barriers in traditionally dominated professions. Her picture was on the spring 2017 Brawny paper towel packages. Patty has been involved with organizations that promote advocacy for women in technology and STEM fields. She has been a role model/mentor for many young girls and women. Patty was the first to graduate from college in her family and went on to earn both master’s and doctorate degrees. She was one of a few Latina’s to do so in the US in 1995.
Read
Full Bio
Sherry Pelton
Advocate for Children with Disabilities/Respite Care
As the Executive Director of Respite Care, Sherry influenced the local and national community, the staff and the children and families that she served. Her vision was to provide valuable assistance to families caring for children with disabilities, reducing family stress. Sherry set the standard for young people working at Respite are, most of whom were women, who aspired to make a difference in the nonprofit world. She exemplified the qualities of a successful, dynamic ‘business owner’, demonstrating to other women who strived to balance family, career and self. Sherry joined Respite Care when the organization was only 2 years old. It was failing financially. She worked hard to turn the agency into a stable and viable business and dedicated 28 years to making sure it would thrive far into the future, including securing the funds to build a 10,000-square foot facility and launching an Endowment which is now valued at $2,000,000.00.
Read
Full Bio
Vicki Grassman
Healthcare-Advocate for those with behavioral/mental health needs
Vicki’s legacy is dedicating her life to improving the health and wellness of our community, to be a voice for those whose voices are silenced or ignored in the behavioral health profession. He advocacy has focused on being an advocate for those with behavioral health needs. Vicki has been a role model, indeed an inspiration, in her service over 22 years as the Chief Operating Officer of Summit Stone Health Partners.
Read
Full Bio
