Our Advisory Board

Our advisory board is comprised of volunteers that support and guide the Institute. 

  • Annabel Bowlen

    Board Member; Communication Assistant for the Denver Broncos Football Club

    Annabel graduated from the University of Colorado Denver, earning a Bachelor of Art's degree in Communications with a certificate in digital studies. Ms. Bowlen has profound experience being a caretaker for her mother and late father, who have suffered from Alzheimer's disease. She is passionate about public speaking on how she has been touched by Alzheimer's, hoping it will help those diagnosed or caretaking for someone living with the disease. She is a strong leader in advocating for research, support, and developments for those living with Alzheimer's and other dementias.

  • Anna C. Catalano

    Board Director & Governance Expert

    Anna C. Catalano manages an active board portfolio, serving as an independent director for public and private corporations and not-for-profit organizations. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Willis Towers Watson (NASDAQ: WTW), HF Sinclair Corporation (NYSE: DINO), Frontdoor (NASDAQ: FTDR). Ms. Catalano is a Board Member of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Corporate Directors Institute, and President of the NACD Texas TriCities Chapter. She is a Co-Founder of The World Innovation Network and has significant experience in the not-for-profit sector having served as a board member of the Alzheimer’s Association and the Houston Grand Opera. With over 30 years of corporate experience including eighteen years of service on public boards, Ms. Catalano is an expert on the topics of governance and leadership and an outspoken champion of women in business. Her extensive career spanned three continents in marketing, retail operations, and international business development at Amoco, and subsequently, BP plc. Ms. Catalano is a graduate of the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, and a frequent speaker on topics of leadership, board governance, innovation, and the advancement of women in business. Her thoughts on various aspects of leadership can be found on her blog: www.shades-of-leadership.com. She is a wife, a mother, a grandmother, and developed her passion for healthy aging as a primary caregiver to parents for many years.

     

    Awards

    • Fortune "Most Powerful Women in International Business"
    • Spelman College "Women of Color Change Maker"
    • Director and Boards "Directors to Watch"
    • Womens Inc "Most Influential Board Directors"
  • Paula Enrietto, PhD

    Board Member; CEO of AffirmiCare

    Paula Enrietto began her career as an academic scientist during which time she carried out research in the field of oncology. However, most of her life was also spent as a caregiver for her large, close family. When her Mother became ill, Paula discovered the difficulty of long-distance caregiving and relocated to become an active caregiver on her journey toward the end of her life. This very personal family situation encouraged a career change and she brought her skills to the senior healthcare industry where she was Executive Director of the independent living communities at Balfour Senior Living in Louisville, CO. In both roles, she soon recognized the need for personalized, quality home care services. To meet these needs, Dr. Enrietto acquired AffirmiCare, a company that provided quality services to individuals with cognitive and physical challenges for over 17 years. Under her leadership, the company continues to provide first-class services to seniors, individuals with cognitive or physical disabilities, and those who care for them. Paula believes that education is key to “enhancing independence during life challenges” and is a committed educator and Client advocate. Dr. Enrietto was President of the Louisville Senior Foundation which provides heat relief to seniors in Louisville, CO. Her passion for improving the well-being and health of all led her to be part of health teams delivering services in Rwanda, Nepal, and Peru through the non-profit Centura Global Health Initiatives. She also served as Site Coordinator for the 9Health Fair in Louisville, CO a non-profit that provides low cost health screenings to the public.

  • David Geras

    Board Member; President and CEO of Goldleaf HomeHealth

    David Geras is the founder and CEO of GoldLeaf HomeHealth. After a successful 25-year career in global technology sales, marketing and business development management positions, he decided to leave the technology industry, take his 20 years of personal caregiving experience and start a company to meet the fast-growing needs of families requiring care for their loved ones in the comfort of their own homes. He was specifically drawn to the outreaching nature of the industry and has found the business morally fulfilling and a way to give back to society by helping people in need. He launched GoldLeaf in 2011 to provide quality, consistent, compassionate medical and non-medical in-home healthcare services in the greater Denver & Boulder metropolitan areas. Mr. Geras graduated from the University of Colorado in Boulder with a B.S. degree in Marketing and International Business. He lived and worked in Japan for 10 years during his career and is proficient in Japanese. In addition to his responsibilities at GoldLeaf HomeHealth, Mr. Geras is an angel investor in Denver/Boulder and Chicago area technology start-ups. He serves on several non-profit boards, is involved in a number of professional organizations and has participated in numerous outreach and humanitarian projects in communities throughout Denver and Southeast Asia.

  • Barbara Kreisman, PhD

    Board Member

    Dr. Kreisman’s background transcends multiple years in the field of Leadership, Organizational Development and Strategic Planning. She is the former Associate Dean of the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver and has over 30 years of experience in the high-tech environment with such organizations as Dell Technologies; Emerson Electric (Fisher Controls, subsidiary); and Motorola Semiconductor Sector. She helped each of these organizations grow, transform and become future-ready.

    During the academic year 2023-24, Barb will be a Fellow at the University of Chicago, participating in the inaugural cohort of their new Leadership and Society Initiative, designed to focus on some of society’s most pressing issues.  Her research will be on healthy aging.

    Barb’s academic achievements consist of a Ph.D. in Leadership & Organizational Behavior from the University of Texas at Austin; a master’s degree in human Resource development and a second interdisciplinary graduate degree in Business and Career Counseling. Her undergraduate degree is from the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater where she now serves on the school’s Foundation Board. 

    As an Emerita Professor, Barb has been engaged with the design and launch of a program entitled Retirement Journeys and New Horizons.  She is also a master faculty member for the Modern Elder Academy, a “wisdom school” launched in Baja, Mexico by author and entrepreneur Chip Conley.

    Barb has become heavily engaged with the non-profit community and served as Board Chair for Wish of a Lifetime during its acquisition by AARP. She is on the Advisory Board for DU’s Graduate School of Social Work. Barb has been a long time Board Member for the Urban Leadership Foundation of Colorado (ULFC) which focuses on leadership development for persons of color. In June of 2020, Barb also became a member of the International Women’s Leadership Forum (IWF) . She was a founding member of the Latino Leadership Institute and worked closely with former Denver Mayor and US Department of Transportation Secretary Federico Pena on this initiative.

  • Sarah Lorance

    Board Member; Founder of Autumn Advisors, LLC

    Sarah has more than 22 years of experience as an accomplished board-facing executive in the health insurance industry, where she served as Chief Compliance Officer, Risk Officer, and Audit Executive. In 2020, Sarah chose to leverage her deep expertise in compliance and privacy program execution, merger and acquisition due diligence, enterprise risk management and control environment improvement to start her own consulting company, Autumn Advisors, LLC.  As a consultant, Sarah assists organizations in the health care sector with their compliance and risk programs, board reporting, and governance.

    Sarah has a BBA in Accounting from the University of Iowa, is Directorship Certified, is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Internal Controls Auditor. Current Chairman of the Board for the National Alzheimer's Association, she chairs the Executive Committee.  Sarah previously chaired the Audit Committee, and served on the Governance & Nominating, Compensation and Finance Committees. Additionally, Sarah is a Board Director for the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement (AIM) and a Board Advisor for VSP Vision and the Knoebel Institute of Healthy Aging at the University of Denver.

    She is a proud wife, mother, and daughter who is passionate about supporting our aging population’s voice in all communities.

  • Scott McLagan

    Board Member

    Scott is an Emeritus Professor of the Practice in Management at the University of Denver, Daniels College of Business.  He was the Faculty Lead for the Executive Leadership and Global Business elements in DU’s highly ranked Executive MBA program for 18 years prior to retiring in 2022.  Scott continues to teach and consult in the areas of Leadership, Executive Team Development and Strategic Planning/Execution.

    Prior to moving into academia and consulting, Scott spent over 25 years in the corporate world and has a diverse professional background.  He held senior executive roles with two large global companies (Fisher Controls and Emerson Electric) and a high-tech start-up.

    Scott currently serves on the Board of Directors Hyder Construction, Inc. and was Chairman of the Board of HSS, Inc. prior to it being acquired in May, 2022.  He is also President Emeritus of the Denver Children's Home Board of Directors.  

     

  • Mitchell Spearman, JD

    Board Member; Founder of Gifts of a Lifetime, LLC

    For sixteen years, Mitchell Spearman has partnered with entrepreneurial families across the United States, Asia, and Europe, with the shared goal of connecting families across generations to achieve transformative goals.  Fun is always in the mix. Spearman has focused on developing deeper ties within multi-generational families, through family conversations and curated moments, to provide opportunities for rising generations to build their identity and emerge as future leaders and to gain a wealth of knowledge from leading generation voices.  When voices are aligned – the magic happens.  Mitchell also believes that a taco night and a family trip can jumpstart almost any conversation.    

    Mitchell has also served as an advisor to single family office leadership as they build deeper ties and meaningful connectivity to their respective families.   Some of the most incredible moments have occurred between family office team members and their families -  celebrating a spelling bee winner can bring people together like no other!

    Mitchell is based in Austin, Texas and is a graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law.   Two precious nieces in Charlotte call him Uncle Mitchie – and that’s the greatest title he has ever held. 

  • Lee Tuchfarber

    Board Member; CEO of RENEW Senior Communities

    Lee Tuchfarber is the CEO of Renew Senior Communities, LLC, a developer, owner, operator of innovative senior living communities. He has been in the senior living field since 2008. Over the course of his career, he became unimpressed with the traditional approach to senior living. He founded Renew with the intent to transform the model of senior living by building memorable experiences that offer more than just care and a place to live. Passion for research, technology, and attention to detail in crafting unique experiences are what compose Renew’s unique approach to senior living. Renew's work is rooted in the communities in which it exists.