Kharis Eppstein is an audit manager with the City and County of Denver Auditor’s Office and will celebrate her seven-year work anniversary in January 2024. She works primarily on performance audits and has audited topics such as Homeless Encampment Response, Affordable Housing, Parks Management, Mental Health Services in Jail, and the Denver Botanic Gardens. She has also been a field active volunteer with Alpine Rescue Team — a backcountry search and rescue team based out of Evergreen — since 2019 and has been the President since January 2022.
Thanks to her credentials from CU Denver as a Master of Public Administration and Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP), Alaina McWhorter catapulted her public service career from an entry- to mid-level financial analyst to a government affairs specialist advising executive leadership at the State Legislature, the City and County of Denver, and numerous nonprofit partners on best practices to achieve policy goals and program outcomes.
The National Academy of Public Administration today announced that 60 leaders in the field of public administration, including School of Public Affairs Associate Dean and Professor Christine Martell, have been selected for the 2023 Class of Academy Fellows.
Greg LeBlanc joined the Town of Snowmass Village in March of 2022 after serving for five years with the City of Grand Junction, Colorado. Prior positions include serving Boulder County, Colorado and the City and County of Denver. He holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental biology (Ecology) from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Colorado Denver.
Melinda Pollack, Managing Director at Blue Meridian Partners, provides strategic and executional leadership on critical business priorities and leads innovation efforts which will expand Blue Meridian’s work as it evolves. She explores new philanthropic investment opportunities, leads due diligence on potential Blue Meridian investees, and manages relationships with current investees, with a focus on Place Matters. Melinda earned a BA at George Washington University and an MPA from the University of Colorado, Denver.
For Aaron Franz, a CU Denver student and veteran, the future is always on his mind. That’s why he decided to meet with CU Denver’s February Alumni Resident: Denver City Council Member Chris Herndon MPA ’13. As an International Studies major hoping to pursue a career in public administration, Franz had the opportunity to talk with Herndon about transitioning to being a civilian after serving, higher education later in life, and future career goals.