Board of Directors
Dan Cummings - President
President
Mr. Cummings is a Senior Vice President and Managing Director of the Denver office of EFL Associates, a top 40 retainer-based executive search firm. He is a CPA and holds both an MBA and an undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas. He has served on numerous nonprofit boards in the past. Mr. Cummings is an avid hiker, camper, and cyclist.
Peter Hamilton - Vice President
vice president
Mr. Hamilton is a Senior Principal in the Denver office of CBIZ CMF LLC, a national financial consulting firm with specific expertise in working with portfolio companies of middle market private equity funds. He is a CPA and holds a bachelor of science from Miami University and an MBA from the University of Illinois. Mr. Hamilton thoroughly enjoys being outdoors whether hiking, running, cycling or skiing. He, his wife Kathie, and their children live in the Denver Tech Center.
Sarah Riley - Secretary
Secretary
Sarah, who grew up in Eugene, Oregon, has called Colorado home since 2012. Sarah has crafted her career path to align with her passions of recreating responsibly and sustainably in the outdoors. Her career in the Outdoor Industry has spanned several brands and roles, notably with Swedish outdoor brand, Fjällräven, and sister brands Royal Robbins and Hanwag. She currently works at The North Face Global Headquarters in Denver as a Buyer, where she unceasingly follows their motto, to "Never Stop Exploring".
In addition to her Board of Directors role at the CMC, Sarah is a graduate of the Outdoor Industry Association Skip Yowell Future Leadership Program. Sarah makes the most of every season in Colorado, with an array of interests including backpacking, paddling, camping, and backcountry skiing. She can reliably be found at Mary Jane ski area each Saturday in the winter, tailgating with her husband Brett and dog Millie.
Rachel Roberts - Treasurer
treasurer
Rachel has been an member of the Colorado Mountain Club since March 2022 which is the same time she started serving on the Board of Directors for the CMC. Rachel is an avid hiker and enjoys being outside in Colorado.
Sarah Andrzejczak
board member
Sarah hails from the Buckeye State and has called Colorado home since 2015. Her favorite adventures include her rescue companion, Ryley, who loves climbing fourteeners almost as much as Sarah. A true wanderlust, Sarah enjoys solo travel to international destinations wherever hiking, culture, and good food can be found. Sarah has a competitive spirit and enjoys most sports; she is a former state champion and two-time national qualifier in competitive weightlifting.
When not outdoors, Sarah spends her days as an attorney with Buchalter, a full-service business law firm in Denver. As a litigator, Sarah prides herself on her strong work ethic and attention to detail, and her career provides her with new challenges on a daily basis. Sarah is active in the legal community, including the Colorado Women’s Bar Association, for which she serves as a mentor to young female attorneys. Outside of law, Sarah proudly serves on the Board for Room Redux Denver, a nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of survivors of child abuse.
Jason Antin
board member
Jason is passionate about family, friends, the outdoors, commercial real estate, public speaking, and business coaching. His career has been in commercial real estate development since 1989 with expertise across multiple roles and with complex commercial transactions, he also co-founded a chain of laundromats. Jason has his BBA from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Jason is a competitive athlete and a mountaineer. His love for the mountains began in 1985 with a summer trip to Copper Mountain. He focuses as much of his time being in the mountains as possible and enjoys trail running, skiing, mountain biking, mountaineering, and rock climbing. Jason is an avid supporter in helping youth and people with disabilities enjoy the outdoors.
Christine Chopyak
board member
Roger Huang
BOARD MEMBER
Roger enjoys spending time in the mountains and appreciates each day as a Colorado resident after relocating from Chicago. With a B.S. in Biology, he spent much of his career working in research for academic institutions and big pharma companies. After moonlighting as a part-time climbing instructor for several years, Roger joined the outdoor industry full-time. He is a graduate of the Outdoor Industry Association’s Skip Yowell Future Leadership Academy, and currently manages E-commerce and Customer Service for Rab USA. During the winter, he dedicates time introducing others to his favorite winter activity by working at Bluebird Backcountry as a part-time instructor. Roger’s preferred modes of enjoyment in the mountains include climbing, mountain biking and backcountry skiing.
Betty Katondo
BOARD MEMBER
Betty graduated from Duquesne University School of Pharmacy in 2002 and later obtained a Master of Science degree in Infectious Diseases from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 2010. She currently works as a Clinical Pharmacist in Inpatient Oncology at UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central in Colorado Springs, CO. Betty enjoys working closely with other healthcare professionals and being part of multidisciplinary teams. She is also preceptor for pharmacy students and residents on rotation in Inpatient Oncology.
Betty joined CMC in 2016 and has completed Basic Mountaineering and High Altitude Mountaineering Schools with the Pikes Peak Group. Betty loves spending time exploring and climbing in the mountains. Sharing her skills with new members and continuously learning from mentors have been some of her most rewarding experiences with CMC. She is currently working on completing the Fourteeners in Colorado, pursuing some classic climbs in the Washington Cascades, and summiting the high peaks and volcanoes in East Africa.
Phil Lakin
BOARD MEMBER
Phil Lakin, Jr., is a native Tulsan. After graduating from Jenks High School, he earned his BBA in Economics and Finance from Baylor University, where he served as student body president. Phil returned to Tulsa after college and joined the firm now known as Accenture, working as a management information systems consultant. Wanting to pursue a career more focused on serving others, Mr. Lakin joined Baylor University’s Office of Development in 1991, where he eventually managed the Dallas/Ft. Worth development office, which was responsible for development efforts in northeastern Texas and in six states. In 1999, after earning his MBA from Baylor, Tulsa Community Foundation’s Board selected Lakin to be TCF’s first chief executive officer. Since then, due to the generosity of Tulsans, TCF’s asset size increased from $117,000 to $6 billion. In its 24 years, TCF has grown to become the second largest community foundation in the US, out of an estimated 800 in total. More importantly, TCF has granted more than $3 billion to charitable organizations and causes to better the lives and livelihoods of Oklahomans and others across our United States. Phil stays active in the Tulsa community by serving on the boards of George Kaiser Family Foundation (chairman), Tulsa Community College Foundation, and many other charitable foundations. Lakin is a past president of Rotary Club of Tulsa, then the 12th largest Rotary club in the world. Phil has served the City of Tulsa as one of nine elected City Councilors since 2011. He also served the mountain climbing community as treasurer of the 20,000+ member American Alpine Club and is treasurer of The Juniper Fund. Phil is a deacon in his church. Phil and his wife, Adriane, have been married for twenty-seven years. They have three handsome and active sons, Brooks, Alex, and Cooper (25, 25 and 18, respectively). Phil has climbed all 70+ peaks in the continental US that exceed 14,000 feet; he has also climbed to the summits of the Matterhorn, Cotopaxi, and Grand Teton. He has attended the last 41 Indy 500 races, a tradition that his father and he started, which has now included his grandfather and all of his sons.
Sheryl Lampert
BOARD MEMBER
Sheryl Lampert is a dedicated Colorado Mountain Club volunteer, trip leader, and school director. She has been one of the most prolific instructors teaching the technical classes offered by the CMC. While not volunteering with the CMC, Sheryl loves to climb. She’s climbed around the world including Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua, & Denali. When she isn’t climbing on a rope, she’s using one to walk her dog. She’s also known for her love of cats, beer, and fun.
It’s this combination of personal intensity and approachable humility that has really made Sheryl a leader to new members of the Colorado Mountain Club. She has spearheaded transforming Alpine Climbing School (ACS) with a clear vision on how it can be useful to all aspiring climbers in Colorado with focus on building diversity and inclusion, especially for womens+ members.
Robert Luecke
board member
Robert is a Colorado native who appreciates the wild spaces, history, and geology of Colorado and the mountain building provinces of the world. Among his curiosities Robert enjoys cooking, patio gardening, reading: history, geology, economics, engineering, and adventure stories, and volunteering and giving. He is committed to his faith, family, and community; just as a cairn is a guide to show the way, Robert aspires the same while inspiring everyone to get out into nature. He works for HDR, Inc. A US-based international engineering firm as a geotechnical engineer in the dams, levees, and civil works business class. Robert provides constructability and cost engineering input from feasibility to completion, construction oversight, and conducts geotechnical site investigations.
As a chair for the risk management committee, his aim is to further advance CMC goals by further establishing and refining the enterprise risk management of the Club working with key staff, board members, and state council. This is his second term on the board, and he is excited to see the wonderful and awesome things being done in the youth programs, conservation, and diversity, equity and inclusion.
Jerry Mitchell
board member
Jerry is a Colorado native and enjoys spending time in the Colorado Mountains. He has climbed 38 of the 14er’s along with other mountains in Colorado. He enjoys hiking, biking and skiing in the Colorado mountains. He has also spent time in the outdoors in Arizona, Utah, California, Wyoming and Alaska.
Jerry is a retired financial executive who held senior level financial positions for both public and private companies. Jerry graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and is also a retired Certified Public Accountant.
Merrillee Millar
board member
Merrillee is an occupational therapist at Craig Hospital in Englewood where she helps people to rehabilitate and regain independence after spinal cord injury. She is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College and Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine. Before transitioning into healthcare, Merrillee spent a number of years in the outdoor industry, working first at environmental education centers in South Carolina and Colorado and then as a trip leader for Outward Bound Australia. Mountain biking and cross country skiing are her newest outdoor pursuits, but you can most reliably find her out hiking and exploring Colorado's 2000+ stunning alpine lakes.
Jason Mittman
board member
Jason is passionate about family, friends, the outdoors, commercial real estate, public speaking, and business coaching. He is a competitive athlete and a mountaineer.
He is a licensed Texas Real Estate Broker, CCIM, Society of Exchange Counselors (SEC) Member, and holds a degree in business from U.T.S.A. Jason has over 25 years of Real Estate expertise including analysis, sourcing, development, construction, leasing, finance, acquisition, disposition, and brokerage. Mittman has invested in, owned and developed across the spectrum of real estate including medical office, multi-family, multi-tenant retail, land, hospitality, & single tenant assets.
Jason has worked on complex commercial transactions with a variety of issues including entitlement, environmental, lease, finance, cross-easement, eminent domain, foreclosure, defeasance, development, and re-development. Jason has negotiated difficult leases, development and construction, as well as building purchases and sales with a long list of companies. Jason has invested in real estate in Texas, Colorado, Utah, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
Jason focuses considerable effort to various philanthropies focused on the issues of children: poverty, literacy, and physical and mental health; educating, protecting, and increasing access to the outdoors; mentoring young adults on entrepreneurship; and Jewish continuity. He is passionate about giving thought provoking presentations and leadership workshops on the topic of “Applying lessons from the world’s most brutal races.”
Jason competed for 16 years on the elite adventure racing team: “Team Vignette”. The team has 7 national championships, 53 first place overall finishes, and 88 top 3 overall finishes. He has served on a variety of boards and committees including the US-Israel Science and Technology Foundation, International Technology and Trade Network, The Young Survival Coalition, PESOMEX, Anti-Defamation League, the San Marcos School Bond Committee, Camp Young Judea, and is currently on the board of governors of the Society of Exchange Counselors.
Jennifer Nelson
board member
Jennifer is a small-town Texan who found her passion for the great outdoors at an early age. In 2014, she made the move from Austin to Colorado, where she could fully embrace her love for camping, hiking with her dogs, and exploring nature. When she's not out adventuring, Jennifer keeps herself busy with a variety of hobbies, including traveling, reading, attending festivals, enjoying live music, and even taking on small home remodeling projects.
Professionally, Jennifer has dedicated much of her career to working with nonprofit organizations. Her expertise lies in planning, executing, monitoring, and evaluating a wide range of campaigns, from annual fund drives to capital campaigns and social media initiatives. With a strong understanding of budget processes, oversight, and management, she ensures that financial resources are allocated effectively. Jennifer's attention to detail extends to her comprehensive knowledge of financial statements, which allows her to make informed decisions and maintain financial stability.
Throughout her career, Jennifer has thrived in environments that require creative problem-solving and resourcefulness. She has a proven track record of working collaboratively with others, finding innovative solutions, conducting thorough research, and seeking expert advice to overcome challenges, even with limited resources. Her ability to think outside the box and her dedication to finding effective solutions have been instrumental in her success.
Albert Plawinski
BOARD MEMBER
Albert Plawinski is a Plaintiff’s attorney at Edelson PC where he investigates and develops class action and mass tort cases concerning technology, privacy, and environmental issues. Notably, Albert has developed cases asserting claims on behalf of thousands of individuals exposed to toxic chemicals who are now suffering from various cancers and other health issues, claims on behalf of hundreds of families and business who lost their homes, and businesses in wildfires that ravaged Northern California and Oregon, and uncovering and filing suit concerning privacy violations including various biometric privacy issues.
Albert is a Polish immigrant who moved at a young age to the United States where he lived in Chicago. In 2020, Albert visited Boulder, Colorado on an extended stay during the pandemic and has not left since. Boulder has become his permanent home.
Albert enjoys riding his gravel and mountain bikes—especially on multi-day bikepacking trips—ice climbing, and climbing technical snowy terrain. Nonetheless, Albert is his happiest self standing on the summits of snow covered mountains.
David Sanders
BOARD MEMBER
David has been a member of CMC since 2006 and has been a trip leader for over 10 years. He has served as a Wilderness Trekking School Instructor and has also taken several courses through CMC including Alpine Scrambling, Wilderness First Aid, Avalanche Terrain Avoidance, and Wilderness Navigation. After working for the Federal Government for over 27 years, he is now retired and besides hiking and snowshoeing enjoys playing tennis, bicycling, traveling, and playing piano.
Robby Vaughn
BOARD MEMBER
Mr. Vaughn is the Director of Business Development and Technical Marketing for Picarro Inc, a technology firm located in Santa Clara, CA. He manages their market strategy, strategic relationships and partnerships, and their user community. He holds an MBA from the Quantic School of Business and Technology and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology from the University of New Orleans. He is the President (Bailli) of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs International Gastronomic Society chapter in Denver, CO. He also holds certifications from the Society of Wine Educators (CSW) and the Wine Scholars Guild (FWS with Honors), as well as being a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers. Mr. Vaughn spends his outdoor recreation time hiking, camping with his family, rock climbing, and slowly ticking off 14ers. He also loves to read, write, cook, eat amazing meals, and drink and collect fine wines.