CSU Spur of the Moment

George Sparks believes that cultural institutions have the power to bring people together. Not just literally in a collective space but by making a display of the inherent understanding that we are all a part of nature. 

George is the CEO of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and has been with the museum for 20 years. Before that, 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 and software systems and services.

George joined the podcast to discuss his work connecting humans and nature, his path to his current role, and the importance of building relationships and staying curious throughout your career. 

Denver Museum of Nature and Science Website

Referenced in the episode: Laws of Notion Podcast with Kristan Uhlenbrock

The Water in the West Symposium, hosted at CSU Spur, brings in speakers from different disciplines from around the world every year to discuss global and local water challenges. The 2023 symposium was centered around “Next Gen Water: From AI to Gen Z,” and in this special episode of CSU Spur of the Moment you will hear a panel discussion that focuses on Indigenous and Tribal water challenges and solutions. It featured Mike Preston of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Water Resources Committee and Kathryn Redhorse from the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs. The panel was moderated by Ernest House Jr of the Keystone Policy Center and also a member of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. 

Their discussion touched on a range of topics, including tribal engagement and decision-making, the impact of drought and climate change on water rights and access, and the needs of the younger generation of Indigenous youth.

Mike Gabel laughs anytime he sees food scientists depicted as wearing lab coats and looking through microscopes. It’s not how he sees himself and the work that he does. In fact, he claims that in his 20-year career as a food scientist, he’s never even used a microscope. Instead, Mike helps food entrepreneurs develop products and bring them to market. 

Mike is the Director of the Food Innovation Center here at CSU Spur, which has the goal of supporting food innovators through various services and by creating a place for their ideas to be fostered and grow. He has led innovation teams at Windsor Foods, ConAgra Foods, and recently at Barilla where he spent five years at their headquarters in Parma, Italy.

He sat down to talk about his passion for food sciences, his career journey, and the secret behind how Jelly Belly makes their jellybeans taste exactly like the foods they intend to replicate.

Sign up to be a CSU Spur Taste Bud here

If you talk to George Franklin he’ll be the first to tell you that lobbyists have a bad rap. Ask him and he will emphasize that integrity and building trust with those around you is what make a good lobbyist, and those things are not often the image that’s depicted on screen and online. 

In this special episode of Spur of the Moment, you will hear a conversation between Kristin Kirkpatrick, Managing Director of CSU Spur Partnerships and Advancement, and George Franklin, author, speaker, long-time lawyer, lobbyist, and former Vice President of Government Relations for the Kellogg Company. George has written numerous books, both fiction and non-fiction, that draw on his experience working in Washington, including “Raisin Bran and Other Cereal Wars” and “So You Think You Want to Run for Congress.”

Hear some colorful stories from George’s illustrious career, including big antitrust lawsuits and traveling with Mohammed Ali, and get an inside look at what the life of a lobbyist actually looks like — it’s not quite what you remember from “Thank You for Smoking.” 

George Franklin’s Website

Connect with George on LinkedIn

April Giles gets to see things every day that most people don’t — people trying to change the world. Whether it’s predicting lung cancer, molecular wound care, or groundbreaking arthritis treatment, she works closely with organizations from startups to commercial enterprises that are focused on healthcare and life science innovation. 

April Giles is the Vice President of Business Development for the Fitzsimons Innovation Community at the University of Colorado. The Fitzsimons Innovation Community is a place where health and life sciences companies are co-located on a collaborative campus and are close to the University of Colorado Medical School. Prior to this role, April was the president and CEO of the Colorado Bioscience Association and worked in the office of the Vice Chancellor of the University of Colorado Denver.

April joined the podcast to talk about her day-to-day work with innovative organizations, the unique pathway that brought her to the Fitzsimons Innovation Community, and why Portugal is the one place she’s been to more than anywhere — it’s probably not the reason you would think! 

Fitzsimons Innovation Community Website
Connect on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn

Nature conservation can mean a lot of things in different contexts — it’s not just working in wetlands and forests, but it also has a role to play in the ways our cities function, too. Additionally, nature doesn’t recognize boundaries or borders, and it requires cooperation between the different countries and states that many natural areas cover. This is the kind of work Leslie Harroun focuses on every day as Executive Director of the Salazar Center for North American Conservation. 

The Salazar Center works to build conservation, leadership, thinking, and practice across North America to restore and sustain our natural world for future generations. Before joining the Salazar Center, Leslie led the Next System Project at the Democracy Collaborative where she worked to design and articulate a common sense next economic system that is equitable, democratic, and ecological. Previously, Leslie was a founding director of the Partners for a New Economy and International Donor Collaborative focused on conservation in the economy and senior program officer at the Oak Foundation

Leslie joined Jocelyn to talk about where her passion for nature conservation came from, her day-to-day work and the path that brought her to the Salazar Center, and her favorite pair of shoes that get her through a long day of meetings. 

Salazar Center for North American Conservation Website

Salazar Center on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter

Coca-Cola is one of the most recognized brands on the planet, but how much do you know about their efforts towards a more sustainable planet? For instance their global goal of replenishing 100% of water used during beverage production? Or collecting and recycling a bottle or can for every one sold by 2030? They’re big-time ambitions, and Bruce Karas and his team were tasked with making that happen. 

Bruce Karas is the Principal Consultant at Circular Futures. He has over 30 years of experience as an environmental safety professional and worked with various companies on health stewardship. Notably, he led Coca-Cola North America's environmental efforts focused on water stewardship, climate protection, energy efficiency, packaging and recycling, and sustainable agriculture. 

Bruce joined Jocelyn to talk about his passion for water conservation and recycling, his unique career journey that brought him to where he is today, and one surprise dish he’s well-known for cooking. 

You can find Bruce Karas on LinkedIn

Circular Futures Website

Dan Dye thinks a lot about food. More specifically, Dan thinks a lot about how we can improve our food systems to make for a healthier and more holistic future for both the employees within those sectors and the communities that rely on them.  

Dan is the CEO of Ardent Mills, a flour and milling company based here in Denver, CO, and the sponsor of the Ardent Mills Teaching and Culinary Center here in the Terra building at CSU Spur. He currently serves on the executive committee of the North American Millers’ Association; on the boards of directors of the American Bakers’ Association, Partners in Food Solutions and the CEO Forum; on the board of trustees of Bethel University; and as a board member at the Craig Hospital Foundation.

In this episode, Dan talks with Jocelyn about his passion for the agricultural industry and the unique journey that brought him to his current role. 

**On May 2nd it was announced that Dan would be retiring from his role at Ardent Mills later this summer. Congratulations, Dan! 

Ardent Mills Website

Ardent Mills on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

If you have ever been to one of Adam Schlegel’s restaurant ventures here in Denver, you probably understand his ethos: food is fun! From cozy brunch spots that aim to make breakfast a party, to a chicken joint inspired by his time in Australia, Adam is on a mission to make healthy food exciting!

Adam is CEO of Cumulus Etc, a consulting company focused on food, beverage, agriculture, and sustainability. Some of the restaurants he’s had a hand in creating include Chook Charcoal Chicken, Sun Valley Public Market, and Snooze an AM Eatery. 

In this episode of Spur of the Moment, Adam sat down with Jocelyn to talk about his passion for healthy food, the journey that has brought him to his current role, and how the industry has not only moving towards a more sustainable future but it’s been doing so with gusto.

Snooze Website

Chook Chicken Website

Throughout her career, Dr. Sybil Sharvelle has been focused on the notion of fit-for-purpose water. That is, “How can we take various forms of wastewater (i.e. greywater, stormwater, etc..) and treat it to make it safe for human and agricultural consumption?” 

A professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Colorado State University, Dr. Sharvelle also serves as the technical director for the Water TAP lab here at CSU Spur — a groundbreaking facility focused on answering that very same question: “How do we reuse water for the right purposes?”

In this episode of the CSU Spur of the Moment Podcast, Sybil talks about some of the exciting research she is currently working on, the unique pathway that brought her to her current role (think space travel) , and tap water! 

Water TAP Lab website