Our board members come from diverse backgrounds, but have a common goal in mind: making sustainability attainable.
SUZANNE CONNORS
Suzanne is the owner of Avid Nonprofit Strategy. She founded Avid in June 2009 as a startup consulting practice, building upon more than a decade of experience in the nonprofit sector. For the first two years of Suzanne's career, she served as a Fellow at El Pomar Foundation’s Fellowship in Nonprofit Leadership and Management. Upon exiting this program, she went to work for a public finance firm while also going to business school at CU-Denver, graduating in 2000 with my MBA. Suzanne joined the family business (The Robert B. Sharp Company of Colorado, Inc. or RBSCo), a nationally prominent fundraising consulting firm, in 2000. For the past nine years, Suzanne served as both the President and as a senior consultant for RSSCo. Her current practice allows her to enjoy direct service to nonprofit organization as well as spend more time with her young family. Suzanne's work emphasizes Capital Campaign design and implementation, and spans all traditional annual fundraising techniques.
jamie harris
Jamie is the principal and founder of ROI Equities, a private equity real estate company. Jamie has over 18 years of experience in commercial real estate and specializes in the redevelopment of retail property. His background is in finance and banking. In addition to chairing the Board of Directors of PFS, he also serves on the board of the Men for the Cure Foundation. Jamie lives in Denver with his wife and 3 kids. He loves to spend time in the mountains, especially on skis or on a bike.
MAURICE BENNETT
Maurice ("Mo") Bennett has been a mortgage lender and real estate investor since 1990, and currently specializes in Denver infill real estate investments. He also teaches Economics at the Community College of Denver. Mo has served on the board of the Environmental Media Fund (EMF) since 2003. He holds a BA in Economics from Colorado State University and an MBA from San Francisco State University. He and his wife Samantha are the proud parents of three boys.
Jacqueline Cooper Melmed
Jacki Melmed is an attorney at Hogan & Hartson, LLP, where she specializes in civil litigation. Before joining Hogan & Hartson she was a clerk for Colorado Supreme Court Justice Michael L. Bender. Jacki serves on the boards of the Allied Jewish Apartments and the Jewish Community Resource Counsel, and is a co-founder of The Giving Trust. She has a BA from the University of Michigan, an MA from the University of Chigago, and a JD from the University of Colorado. Jacki is the proud mother of two boys and an avid skier, hiker, and reader.
BART SPAULDING
Bart Spaulding is a managing partner of Parkwood Real Estate Partners, a private equity real estate investment company. Bart has over 10 years of experience in the real estate development and investment business. He studied English literature at the University of Colorado. In addition to serving PFS, Bart is on the board of Leader’s Challenge and Platte Forum. A native of Kansas, Bart currently lives in Denver. Bart is passionate about the Colorado Mountains and enjoys them while skiing, biking, and fishing.
Teresa Kaufman
Teresa Kaufman is a CPA and works for Soukup, Bush & Associates in Fort Collins, Colorado. She specializes in real estate investment and development. She enjoys teaching and is responsible for reviewing and supervising the preparation of her firm’s yearly publications which are used in courses given through the Colorado Society of CPAs.
Teresa holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado and a Master of Taxation from Colorado State University. She is also an advisor to The Family Journey, a nonprofit specializing in women’s health issues. Teresa enjoys spending time with her two beautiful girls and being outdoors, gardening and biking.
Geoff Long
Geoff Long is Vice President of Steele Street Bank & Trust and is responsible for the management of commercial and personal banking relationships. Geoff received both a B.A. and an M.B.A. from the University of Colorado and is a graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Love Light & Melody, an organization that leverages the arts to bring healing to communities suffering from the effects of extreme poverty. Geoff lives in Denver with his wife, Arika and daughter.
