Michael has been involved with Mile High Young Professionals for 4 years, serving in roles on both the Membership and Philanthropy committees, All Committee Director, and the organization's current President for a second term! His favorite thing about MHYP is that it is a hub for community involvement. He believes it is important to be a part of and give back to the community that you live in. Outside of MHYP, Michael is a Project Engineer and designs automated systems for large buildings to utilize energy more efficiently. Michael is passionate about immersing himself in new hobbies and learning new skills. In his free time, he enjoys running, hiking, 3D printing, woodworking, skiing, camping, and mountaineering.
BIO COMING SOON
Emma has been involved with MHYP for 3 years, starting as a member, moving on to serve as the Co-Chair of the Education Committee and currently serving as the All Committee Director. Her favorite thing about joining MHYP has been making lifelong friends, a few of which have turned into business partners. She understands that friendships are the foundation of community and is one of the reasons she chose to put down roots in Colorado. In her day job as a Market Researcher she helps consumer brands understand their customers, shopping behaviors and collect product feedback. Emma spends her free time hanging out with her dog, hiking and camping in the summers, skiing in the winter, and above all else going to karaoke with friends!
Lauren Ryan has been involved in MHYP for 2 years, previously serving as Philanthropy Committee Chair. She came to MHYP to network and learn about new career paths as she considered a change, but she stayed for the friendships. The organization has provided her opportunities to learn about others, volunteer with some great local organizations, and feel inspired by her peers and community. Outside of MHYP, she is Senior Marketing Communications Specialist for Quantinuum, a quantum computing company, where she is raising awareness about the unique advances of her company's technology and helping build this new industry. In her free time, she enjoys most things outdoors including hiking, camping, paddle boarding, running and visiting brewery patios.
BIO COMING SOON
Ken, as the Founder of ReadyBDR, leads a venture specializing in fractional business development services tailored for insurance technology startups. Ken has been involved with MHYP since moving to Denver in 2018 and currently serves on the Board of Directors, as the Director of Leadership & Outreach. Known for his adept leadership and collaborative spirit, Ken is dedicated to fostering a vibrant business community for Mile High Young Professionals, driving impactful change, and nurturing the next generation of leaders. Beyond his professional endeavors, Ken finds solace and joy in the great outdoors and on the pickleball courts.
Clare has been involved with MHYP for almost 4 years. After moving to Colorado in 2018 from Peoria, IL where she was very involved in the local YP organization, Clare explored Boulder and Denver YP and decided to get involved again on a deeper level with MHYP. Her day job is working with families to find their perfect au pair fit as a matching specialist at Cultural Care Au Pair, part of EF Education First. She loves captaining her ultimate frisbee team every summer, hiking, musical theatre, travelling the world for work and play, and serves at Summit Kids through her church. The best part about MHYP in Clare's opinion is the friendships she's made over the years, and the continuous growth in networking and cool events we put on.
Ira was born in Fort Collins and raised in Iowa. He graduated from Luther College, a small, liberal arts school in Decorah, IA, with a B.A. in Biology and Spanish. A week after graduation, he returned to Colorado for nothing other than its world class skiing!
Currently, he is the Owner of Happy Llama Inc., a specialty print company that focuses on working with events. Throughout his professional career, he has been sole owner of a marketing company and part owner of a business networking organization. His previous experience includes everything from door to door sales to Director of Marketing in environments ranging from large international corporations to local 3 person start-ups.
Ira has previously served as an Ambassador with the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and currently serves on the Membership Committee at the Downtown Denver Partnership. In the community he has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, the People’s Fair, and the Cherry Creek Arts Festival. With his diverse array of experience Ira believes the one thing that remains the same is the absolute necessity of knowing, and learning from, as many people as possible.
When not working, you will find Ira bumming around the mountains skiing and camping with his two beautiful daughters, Finley and Lola Snow, and his wife, Robyn.
Dan grew up in Rockford, IL about an hour west of Chicago. He was drawn to Colorado by the snowy mountains in the wintertime when his family would take a yearly ski trip. He moved out for good in the fall of 2001 and has found the Mile High City to be the perfect place to call home.
Dan is a partner at Campfire Digital which offers comprehensive digital marketing services including website design and development, content marketing and social media for businesses looking to grow their online presence.
Dan has been a committed member of the Denver Community, including a graduate of Leadership Denver 2018, The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce's Chamber 100 program, Leads Groups, and Ambassador program. He was honored in 2013 as one of Colorado's Finest by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Past Board Members
- Janna Hassan (2022-2024)
- Haley Lucero (2021-2024)
- Alex Dvorak (2021-2023, Past President 2022)
- Brandon Roll (2021-2022)
- Jay Samant (2020-2022)
- Jason Hart (2019-2022, Past President 2021)
- Anselma Lopez (2019-2022)
- Leah Harroz (2020)
- Darcy Borella (2018-2020, Past President 2020)
- Wyatt Cox (2018-2020)
- Adam Larkey (2017-2020, Past President 2019)
- Melanie Lewis Dickerson (2016-2020, Past President 2018-2019)
- Melissa Kienbusch (2017-2019)
- Tim Murphy (2018-2019)
- Bart Connolly (2017-2019)
- April Lambatos (2011-2018, Past President 2015-2016)
- Chelley Canales (2017-2018)
- Jordan Youngblade (2017-2018)
- Desiree Hall (2013-2017, Past President 2017)
- Michelle Preusch (2016-2017)
- Alex Cole (2011-2016)
- Nick Pirnack (2015-2016)
- Julia Gentry (2014-2015)
- Sev Martin (2013-2014)
- Nicole Relyea (2011-2013)
- Kristen Sonsma (2011)
Upcoming Events
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MHYP Co-Ed Cup in Hand Kickball Game
April 24, 2025 – 6:00pm
City of Cuernavaca Park – Map -
Educational Panel: "Sober Curious - Changing Your Relationship with Alcohol in a Drinking World"
with Chelsea Follett, LPC, LAC and Clare Zell
April 24, 2025 – 6:30pm
SeeSaw Gallery – Map -
MHYP Co-Ed 6v6 Indoor Volleyball Game
Come Play 6v6 Co-Ed Indoor Volleyball with MHYP
April 29, 2025 – 8:00pm
Club Volo SoBo – Map