PRESIDENT

Andy Littman is a long time Colorado attorney. Andy started out as editor and chief of his law school newspapers, and writing newspaper review and articles about jazz. He then moved on to found and manage a successful law firm for 40 years, then merged his practice into a larger firm – Caplan & Earnest. He maintains law offices in Vail and Boulder. His experience includes trials, tort law, investment fraud, litigation, divorce, wills/trusts, real estate, business law, and his firm emphasizes education, healthcare, immigration, domestic relations, will/trusts, and other areas of law. His children, Julia, Laura, and Peter work in technology, teaching, non-profits, and finance. His wife, Tina Nielsen, is a land use professional working in Open Space, Land Trusts, and addressing myriad environmental issues. Andy is an avid backcountry skier, mountain biker, and Alpine skier. He also swims, runs, does yoga, and loves great food, craft beer, wine. Reading historical biographies and devouring multiple newspapers a day also passions. Andy connects FPSF students with physicians, carpenters, contractors, business leaders, engineers, politicians, lawyers, and more to open doors and opportunities.

VICE PRESIDENT

Alfredo is a hands-on technology leader delivering equally to internal and external stakeholders, from seamless IT to delightful user interfaces to compliant, scalable backends. He currently serves as Head of Engineering at CivicEye, having earned his bachelor degree in Software Engineering at Dartmouth and his Master’s Degree in Computer Engineering at Duke University. He has served as a student mentor at SENSOR Academy and Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth as well as at the Seaperch Underwater Robot Competition.

MENTOR

Kerry is a Colorado native, born in Vail, and is proud to have the cultural spirit of the Mountain West. She attended The University of Notre Dame where she earned a Bachelor of Science, pre-professional degree with a focus on anthropology. After graduating from college, she worked as an archaeologist throughout the Rocky Mountains in cultural resource management. She then worked for the Vail Valley Foundation and as director of the Minturn Community Fund – both non-profits focused on serving local communities. Before running for state office, she served on the Vail Town Council and was Director of Academics for the Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy. She maintains a close connection to her students to this day. Kerry is now a State Senator for Colorado. She balances her busy political career with the management of her family ranch in Edwards, the Copper Bar Ranch, raising livestock and maintaining the land.

MENTOR

Bratzo is a husband and father of four children. He is a passionate and caring professional with over 20 years of experience in positive youth development, sports coaching, and youth-centered program design and management. He has led the development and implementation of many programs and organizations in the Eagle River Valley with a primary focus on service, advocacy, and empowerment for vulnerable and disenfranchised populations. Bratzo’s strength lies in uniting teams and individuals to pursue a common goal. He currently serves in Eagle County as Executive Director of My Future Pathways.

MENTOR

Cheryl Jensen is the Founder of Vail Veterans Program (VVP). A non-profit that was established in 2004 to provide transformational programs for injured US military service members and their families. Over the years, her dedication and leadership grew the organization to host a variety of therapeutic programs for wounded warriors and their families from across the nation. She is also the Founder of Sharing Warmth Around the Globe, a program of the National Ski Areas Association, that provides gently used ski resort uniforms to cold weather developing countries for people in need.

Cheryl is the recipient of numerous awards, including, Outstanding Public Service Medal from the Secretary of Defense, Outstanding Civilian Servant from the Chief of Staff of the Army, Chairman’s Award from the Vail Valley Partnership, Women in Industry award from the US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and most recently was inducted into the Colorado Snowsports Hall of Fame.

MENTOR

Tom is President of The Gart Companies which is a private equity investment company focusing on real estate and specialty retail. His career started with Gart Brothers Sporting Goods Company, a three generation family owned and operated business founded in 1927 by his grandfather. He was President and Chief Operating Officer from 1985 until 1992. In 1993, he founded The Gart Companies with his two brothers, Ken and John. Tom currently serves on the boards of First Western Trust Bank, National Jewish Hospital and is an Emeritus Board member of the Colorado Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. He is a member of the World Presidents Organization (WPO). Tom holds a BA with honors from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard University Graduate School of Business. Tom is a passionate outdoorsman and endurance athlete including participation in numerous Ironman triathlons.

MENTOR

Erik, a long-time resident of the Vail Valley since 2000, began his journey living in Edwards’ trailer park with his sister and mother, attending Berry Creek Middle School and later BMHS. A standout athlete, he captained the soccer team at BMHS and ran track, honing his skills with the Vail Valley Soccer Club. He pursued higher education at Colorado Mesa University, graduating with a B.S. in Construction Management, supported by the Guardian Scholarship. Professionally, Erik has been a dedicated member of RA Nelson since 2011, where he was recognized as employee of the year in 2016. He currently holds dual roles as Preconstruction Manager and Project Manager, while actively participating as a stakeholder. Outside of work, Erik is deeply involved in his community, serving on boards of Guardian Scholars, The Cycle Effect, and La Liga Vail Valley, and mentoring at ERSF. Dedicated to fostering future talents, Erik also engages with local students about construction and participates in student shadowing programs throughout the year, sharing his expertise and experiences.

MENTOR

Philip Qualman is the Superintendent of Eagle County Schools. Before working in this capacity, he served as Assistant Superintendent for 3.5 years and Principal of Battle Mountain High School for six years. Before taking the helm as Principal, he was an Assistant Principal and Social Studies teacher. Eight years of teaching and three years as President of a local Teacher’s Association help him appreciate the challenges and rewards of classroom teachers. Qualman holds a BA in History from the University of Missouri, and an MA in Administrative Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Colorado. When not working, Qualman enjoys time with his family, playing guitar, and rafting.

MENTOR

Everything in Beth Slifer’s wide range of experience culminated into opening the doors of Slifer Designs in 1984. She taught high school English Literature, was with Citibank New York, owned Atlanta’s renowned Significance house gifts store, worked for President Jimmy Carter’s presidential campaign, was Special Assistant to Administrator of EPA, and was a Product Manager for Velsicol Chemical. But, meeting Rod Slifer during graduate school changed an urban career path to life in Vail, CO. Her vast experience in many different industries paired with growing up in Jacksonville, Florida immersed in her mother’s interior design and antiques store gave her the inspiration to open and grow her own company. Beth Slifer is easily one of the most recognized business women in Colorado.

MENTOR

Chris Romer serves as President & CEO of Vail Valley Partnership (VVP), the regional chamber of commerce, destination sales, and economic development organization for Vail Valley, Colorado. Under his leadership, VVP was named "Chamber of the Year" in 2016 and 2020 by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. A macro-scopic thinker who believes in tackling big issues through localized solutions, Romer holds accreditations from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and the Western Association of Chamber Executives, and has earned honors including "Chamber Executive of the Year" and a "Top 25 Mind in Hospitality" recognition. Romer serves on numerous regional and statewide boards, including Colorado Mountain College, the Eagle River Scholarship Fund, and the Vail Economic Advisory Council, and has been appointed by the Governor to several state tourism and economic recovery councils.

MENTOR

Senenne holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Florida International University. She has served many years on the Women in Philanthropy, Friends of Dance, and the Vail Dance Festival committees, and is a Guardian Angel of Guardian Scholars. She lives in Edwards, Colorado, with her husband, Dr. Marc Philippon, Managing Partner of The Steadman Clinic. They have three adult children, all raised in the Vail Valley, and she enjoys spending time outdoors and traveling, especially with family.

Senenne founded and leads Steadman Clinic Research Institute (SPRI) Education and Public Outreach Committee (EPOC). EPOC runs Summer Scholars Programs – weeklong immersive experiences for high school students and recent graduates in topics from Biomedical Engineering to Surgical Skills to Physical Therapy. EPOC encourages students to pursue careers in medicine, research, and other STEM-related fields, including medical school, local hospital internships, and local clinical and research work. They also run Science Club year round, pairing high school students with engineers and scientists.

MENTOR

Dr. Noorzad is a dual specialty-trained orthopaedic surgeon at The Steadman Clinic. His practice focuses on complex surgical techniques in sports medicine, joint preservation, primary & revision hip arthroscopy, periacetabular osteotomy (PAO), as well as joint replacement surgery of the hip and shoulder. He attended medical school at Northeast Ohio Medical University where he graduated as a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. Dr. Noorzad attended George Mason University as a member of the Psychology Honors Program, and graduated magna cum laude.

While an undergraduate student, Dr. Noorzad concurrently competed internationally as a member of the National Olympic Basketball Team of Afghanistan. He played professional basketball overseas, competing in various countries including China, Taiwan and Qatar, and competed in several regional Olympic competitions during his tenure. He’s competed in multiple professional basketball tournaments throughout the world and led his team to a Gold Medal victory in the 2010 South Asian Olympics after beating India—recording Afghanistan’s first ever Olympic Gold Medal in a team event. His passion for sports and high level competition has made this profession a natural fit for him and his patients. Dr. Noorzad lives in Colorado with his wife and three children. He and his family enjoy the great outdoors, playing sports, hiking, biking, and skiing.

MENTOR

Rosalie grew up in the Bay Area, a daughter of two lawyers. She finished high school in Truckee, Ca. living on her own teaching snowboarding. She is a graduate of Colby College with distinction - a double major in Latin American Studies and International Studies, and also has an MBA. Rosalie and Andy moved their family from the Front Range to the Vail Valley in the last few years. She worked for Vail Resorts as Marketing VP, growing season pass operations exponentially, worldwide. She has a large network here, having worked with many locals at Vail Resorts, knowing others through their education and work. Rosalie is passionate about serving underprivileged kids. She worked with Burton Chill for years mentoring kids. She’s currently working on opening and leading a 130 person Montessori Preschool in West Vail, which will provide opportunities for education experience to FPSF Scholars. She’s a networker, well connected, with boundless energy and willingness to connect deeply with our Scholars.

MENTOR

Jeffrey, his wife Sophie and their two sons became members of the Vail Valley community in 2021 having moved to Vail from Geneva, Switzerland. Jeffrey was born and raised in New York City and after graduating from Dartmouth College in 1990, spent the last 30 years in Europe working in global energy trading. Jeffrey currently serves as Board Chair for Ski and Snowboard Club Vail, and although his roots in Vail are relatively new — despite having spent the winter of 1987–88 working as a busboy at the Sunset Grill in the former Holiday Inn — he has embraced this community with genuine passion and uncommon dedication. Jeffrey brings a strong background in business management and financial analysis, with proven skills in strategic decision-making, risk management, and resource optimization. He’s an effective leader, extraordinary networker, and gets along with virtually everyone. He brings new business connections and opportunities to our Scholars, vast international experience, and will add to our network by providing personalized guidance, opportunities for our Scholars, strengthening FPSF in the process.