George Sparks has been the President/CEO of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science since November 2004. He spent 24 years in the electronics measurement business at Hewlett-Packard and Agilent Technologies. His career included marketing, sales, and general management of global businesses in software, systems, and services.

George's passion is public policy, particularly around science and education. He is a member of the Colorado Forum, Colorado Concern, and is on the Boards of Colorado Education Initiative, Colorado Business Roundtable, Colorado Music Hall of Fame, Denver Council of Foreign Relations, and Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.

George is also the founder of the Institute for Science & Policy, a program of the Museum., which strives to make science a second-nature consideration in public discourse. The Institute works across divides to help solve our most complex statewide, national, and global challenges. We are non-partisan, policy neutral, and serve as a convener and honest broker. With polarization rising, trust in institutions falling, the media seen as increasingly biased, and cultural divides creating challenges for our common humanity, the Institute is positioned to address the wicked collective action issues that define our modern world. If we are to make progress, we need a trusted space where people can learn, share, and work towards science-based solutions.

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown. 

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Kyle Koontz is Chief Executive Officer of BPX Energy, headquartered in Denver. In September 2018, BPX Energy formally opened its 160,000-square-foot headquarters in Denver. From there, BPX manages world-class assets in the Permian and Eagle Ford basins in Texas, and Haynesville Basin in Texas and Louisiana. BPX supports more than 1,900 jobs throughout the state and has spent more than $1.5 million within local communities in support of education, the environment and Denver homeless shelters since 2019.

At the helm of BPX Energy, Kyle's focus is on steering the company through a transformative era in the energy sector. He maintains a strategic approach to asset management, fostering a culture of safety, environmental stewardship, and financial prudence. With almost two decades of experience in the industry, Kyle's expertise lies in manufacturing process improvement and new business development, ensuring BPX Energy thrives in a competitive market.

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown. 

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For more of our events, podcasts, and news, please visit the Colorado Business Roundtable website.

Tim Taylor is Co-Founder and President of America Succeeds, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to engaging business leaders in modernizing education systems to drive equity and opportunity. 

America Succeeds was founded in 2014 with a vision of building public education systems to prepare every student to succeed in the competitive global economy and contribute to their local community. For us, that means ensuring business leaders are engaged as education champions. It is our belief that businesses have the obligation, opportunity, and capacity to foster greater student achievement, build an educated workforce pipeline, and protect our future economic vitality.

Tim passionately leads with a belief in education’s power to transform life trajectories and drive economic mobility. He combines executive, nonprofit, and public policy experience in a way that’s as rare as it is effective. Before launching America Succeeds, he served as the founding president of Colorado Succeeds.

On this episode of A Seat at the Table, Tim shares the fascinating work America Succeeds does and discusses the organization's findings about what employers want from their workforce, the "durable skills" that are highest in demand, and where the future of work is likely to take us. His knowledge and passion shine brilliantly as he shares his many learnings with our audience. 

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown. 

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Mel Stricklan is Executive Director of Space Workforce for Tomorrow, the premier initiative dedicated to closing the space industry’s growing STEM talent gap while driving the development of a highly skilled, and mission-ready workforce. Powered by leading industry, government, and academic partners, SWFT is structured to INSPIRE, PREPARE, and EMPLOY the next generation of space professionals.

On this episode of A Seat at the Table, Mel shares her professional journey that saw her fall in love with astronauts, space, and science from a very young age and then navigate her way through an impressive array of stops before landing at Space Workforce for Tomorrow. She shares the challenges currently facing the industry, discusses how she works to address them, and what the future of talent looks like in this exciting, dynamic and cutting edge field.

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown. 

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Jason Janz co-founded CrossPurpose with Juan Pena in 2008, influenced greatly by spending his childhood and adolescence in poverty. With the goal of abolishing relational, economic, and spiritual poverty through career and community development, Jason’s passion for social entrepreneurship and serving the poor is satisfied through his role as CEO where he builds the team, sets the organizational culture, and raises funds.

On this episode of A Seat at the Table, Jason joins Debbie Brown and discusses how CrossPurpose differs from other similar organizations and focuses not only on the axiom of "teaching a man to fish" but by giving him the right fishing pole and understanding how best to utilize skills with the ultimate goal of building generational wealth. It's a fascinating chat with an organizational leader who is truly inspiring and approaches societal issues with creativity, humanity and dedication. 

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For more of our events, podcasts, and news, please visit the Colorado Business Roundtable website.

In Colorado, and throughout the country and much of the world, frankly, the name "Coors" is instantly recognizable. Founded in 1873 in Golden, Colorado, Molson Coors has grown, evolved and endured for more than 150 years. The youngest of 6 children to former face of Coors Brewing and its Chairman for many years, Pete, David Coors is currently executive chair of Coors Spirits Co. and current Vice Chair of the Board of Directors. 

David joins A Seat at the Table to give us insight into the history of Coors, his journey through it holding various management positions throughout his career, and a snapshot of some of the trends in the beer, spirits, and other beverage categories. He discusses the origin of Coors Spirits Co., tells an amusing story about the development of Blue Moon, and discusses at length the family and company's commitment to staying involved in the Colorado business, civic and nonprofit community. 

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown. 

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Mike Coffman grew up in Aurora, attended Aurora Public Schools, graduated from the University of Colorado, and completed the Senior Executive Program for State and Local Government at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is a combat veteran with service in both the U.S. Army and the Marine Corps and was an Aurora small-business owner for 17 years.  Coffman served in the State House of Representatives, State Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, in addition to being elected Colorado State Treasurer and Secretary of State. Coffman was first elected to serve as mayor of Aurora in November 2019 and re-elected in 2023.

Mayor Coffman joins A Seat at the Table to discuss all things Aurora. Included in this episode are discussions about fixing the immigration system, President-elect Trump's pointed words about the city and about immigration generally, economic revitalization, why Aurora is a great place to do business, and much more. Mayor Coffman is a champion for his city, and makes the case for why businesses should look to Aurora's bright future as they consider expansion or relocation. 

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown. 

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The United States, Mexico and Canada have a unique relationship with each other in terms of trade, immigration, the economy, and a host of other issues. How will the relationships evolve with the looming change in leadership in both the U.S. and Mexico? What can we expect? What can we hope for? What would an ideal path forward look like? Addressing these questions with COBRT President Debbie Brown are Enrique Perret, Managing Director of the U.S.-Mexico Foundation and Justin Yancy, President of the Texas Business Leadership Council.

Enrique Perret is a prominent leader with a long history of commitment to the bilateral relationship between the United States and Mexico. During his time in the Mexican government, Enrique was known for his focus on leading governmental commitments and business development strategies between the two countries. He currently serves as the Managing Director of the US-Mexico Foundation and is the President and Founder of the North Capital Forum, an initiative of the USMF that seeks to promote North America as an economic, social, and political powerhouse.

Justin Yancy joined the Texas Business Leadership Council (TBLC) as its President in July 2001. Established in 1994, the TBLC is a statewide network of CEOs and senior business executives who advance a long-term vision of a prosperous Texas in a globally competitive business environment. Justin is responsible for all aspects of the TBLC’s mission and organization including managing membership involvement and overseeing policy work and general operations.

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown. 

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For more of our events, podcasts, and news, please visit the Colorado Business Roundtable website.

Kristina Scala is Founder and President of Aspen Academy and a litany of other organizations. Aspen Academy is involved with and supports 25+ local, state, national and international organizations through a robust and integrated service learning program, fostering servant leadership fundamentals. Scala’s vocal and continual commitment to service within the Aspen Community is that service is a requisite norm in a life committed to doing good: when we commit to doing good we grow, and our community grows.

On this episode of A Seat at the Table, Kristina shares her unique entrepreneurial journey, discusses her fierce advocacy for evolving our education system, and talks at length about her guiding principles as both a business owner and a change agent. She and Debbie talk about workforce needs both present and future, and they delve into how Aspen Academy is equipping the learners of today with the skills they need to be the leaders of tomorrow. 

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown. 

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David Scott is the Construction Industry Advocate at Encore Electric, where he helps the company continue to grow within the Rocky Mountain West. During his years at Encore Electric, Scott has helped to reshape the Human Resources Department to fit the company’s expanding needs. His emphasis on a culture that focuses on teamwork, collaboration and ethics, and that rewards success, has placed Encore Electric among the top electrical contracting firms in Colorado. His extensive leadership and apprenticeship training programs support the company’s long-term growth goals and incorporate knowledge gained over his 23 years in a wide variety of industries and disciplines within Human Resources.

On this episode of A Seat at the Table, David discusses his fierce advocacy for the skilled trades, talks at length about Encore's unique apprenticeship program, and he and Debbie go in depth about the future of both education and labor. 

Hosted by Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown. 

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For more of our events, podcasts, and news, please visit the Colorado Business Roundtable website.