General Session Keynote Speakers

Wednesday, October 4th, 12:30 p.m. - General Session with Monique Thierry and Lisa Hough: Advocacy at the National, State & Local Level

Loren was named President & CEO of the Colorado Chamber on January 1, 2022. Prior to becoming President, she served as the Chamber’s Senior Vice President of State & Federal Relations since 2008 and led the Chamber’s engagement on all State and Federal governmental issues that affect businesses statewide. In that role she was the primary spokesperson for the organization, and as a member of the leadership team, was actively involved in operational issues including hiring and communications strategies, membership, and strategic approaches for the organization.

Tuesday, October 3rd, 1:30 p.m. -  General Session: The Solutions Room

Thursday, October 5th, 8:00 a.m. -  General Session: Meaningful Engagement

Cathi Hight, is President of the Hight Performance Group, an organizational development firm that helps develop healthy organizations to manage constant change, enhance customer loyalty and “work smarter, not harder.” She has over 20 years of experience in working with education, finance, healthcare, manufacturing, nonprofit, and technology sectors.

As a certified Wiley Workplace Solutions Partner, Cathi works with organizations to develop high-performing teams, effective leaders and productive work environments.

With more than 20 years’ experience in performance improvement, Cathi helps clients identify their real problems and solve them. She shares Kaizen principles of continuous improvement, making small and incremental changes, and improving customer experiences which bring about “good change” for internal and external customers.

Tuesday, October 3rd,  3:00 p.m. -  General Session: Take the Initiative

Wednesday, October 4,  8:00 a.m. - General Session: Tap into your Gold Mine

Jason E. Ebey, President & CEO, IOM, has a passion for chambers of commerce and has been leading chambers in various capacities for more than two decades. He believes in the positive power and influence chambers can have in their communities.

Jason has been with YGM for nearly a decade and has served as President and CEO since becoming the sole owner of YGM in 2015. Because of his work with chambers across the country, he has the pulse of changing trends in chamber management and fundraising.

He understands the needs of chambers and their member businesses. His knowledge base easily translates into moving groups of new volunteers from novices to dedicated chamber advocates. Jason is able to provide chambers with innovative approaches to fundraising and how to move toward greater non-dues revenue, the likes of which many chambers have never seen before.

An energetic and engaging speaker, Jason is known for workshops and webinars in which participants gain take-aways which may be implemented in their chambers and organizations immediately. Jason is on faculty with the United States Chamber of Commerce Institute of Organizational Management (IOM) and is a frequent presenter with the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) and multiple state associations. He is widely recognized as a speaker with a heart for chamber professionals.

Wednesday, October 4th, 8:00 a.m. - General Session: Innovation Panel

Kris is the Executive Director at the Basalt Chamber Of Commerce.

Kris moved to the Roaring Fork Valley from Boston, Massachusetts in late October 2016, following years of visiting Colorado and a summer working in Buena Vista. She received her undergraduate degree in graphic design and multimedia studies from Northeastern University and a Master’s degree in integrated marketing communications from Emerson College. During her 13 years in Boston, she worked in marketing and communications roles at higher education institutions and advertising agencies, in addition to teaching social media at the undergraduate level.

Kris is fascinated by the intersection of community, technology, society and the digital space, and how it can be leveraged to build personal connections and tell great stories. Kris has found chambers of commerce to be the lifeblood of mountain communities. “Every day I feel so lucky to live here and have the opportunity to work and play in a beautiful postcard."

Wednesday, October 4th, 10:30 a.m. - General Session: Innovation Panel

Back by popular demand, Colorado’s State Demographer brings the power of new data to business leaders, offering insights that will help you understand trends that will impact your members, your chamber, and your community.  

Elizabeth is the Colorado State Demographer and has directed the State Demography Office in the Department of Local Affairs since 2004. Elizabeth travels the state talking with Coloradans about social and economic conditions that are brought about by population shifts. The State Demography Office applies an understanding of demographic trends to changes in a range of areas including the state's economy, workforce, education, housing, migration, and rural populations. 

Elizabeth has 30 years of experience analyzing population and economic trends in Colorado. Her current research agenda involves examining Census 2020 results, demographic impacts from COVID-19, housing supply and demand, and aging. Elizabeth is an economist and received her B.A. in Business at the University of San Diego and her Master's  in Agricultural and Resource Economics at Colorado State University.  

Wednesday, October 4th, 12:30 p.m. - General Session: Update from OEDIT

Laura Rodriguez is the Chief Strategy Officer at the Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade.

Laura re-joined OEDIT in June 2023 as the Chief Strategy Officer, where she is supporting the Executive Director and is an organization-wide resource. From 2015 to 2020, she was a member of the Global Business Development team at OEDIT.   Prior to her current role, Laura served as the Vice President of Economic Competitiveness and Corporate Attraction at the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation. From 2019-2022, Laura was the Managing Director of Business Investment at the Virginia Economic Development Partnership. Past experiences include work in the Governor’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting in Colorado, the Colorado General Assembly, the National Italian American Foundation, the Department of State U.N. Political Affairs, and the Region of Umbra in Perugia, Italy.    In her free time, she enjoys speaking Italian and spending time with her family in the mountains.

Wednesday, October 4th, 12:30 p.m. - General Session with Loren Furman and Lisa Hough: Advocacy at the National, State & Local Level

Monique Thierry is vice president of the Congressional and Public Affairs Southwest-South Central Regional office, which represents eight states. She leads  the region’s efforts in developing and implementing a strategic agenda to strengthen operational initiatives and relationships with elected officials, chambers of commerce, member businesses, and associations.

Thierry collaborates with diverse communities within the region to cultivate long-term solutions. Accordingly, she works with entities, member organizations, and elected officials on pivotal policies and programs that are relevant to local and national solutions. This requires her to develop and maintain legislative, political, and grassroots resources that advance the U.S. Chamber’s public policy goals.

Read full bio, click here.

Wednesday, October 4th, 12:30 p.m. - General Session with Loren Furman and Monique Thierry: Advocacy at the National, State & Local Level

Lisa Hough is the President & CEO with the Adams County Regional Economic Partnership. Lisa is responsible for the overall operation and management of the organization. In my role, I am focused on executing the strategic plan and implementing its mission to develop a prosperous and sustainable Greater Adams County region.

To view her LinkedIn profile, click here.

Thursday, October 5th, 9:15 a.m. - General Session: Sustainably Growing Your Organization

Is your chamber embracing change or stuck in the past? 

Chris Romer is the  President & CEO of Vail Valley Partnership. Chris will examine industry research, brand positioning, opportunities for chamber impacts, and a look at what chambers “need to be” as we move into the future. Fasten your seat belts – remaining/being relevant could mean you are in for a bumpy ride. 

Thursday, October 5th, 11:30 a.m. - The Next Generation of Members

Angelica is the Membership Director at the Steamboat Springs Chamber of Commerce, responsible for developing and maintaining strong relationships with the business community. She manages the Chamber membership program including membership sales, retention, benefits, networking events, and the member database. Angelica is also in charge of communicating the value of Chamber membership through member-facing communications.

Angelica grew up in San Antonio, Texas and earned a B.S. in Marketing and a B.A. in English Literature from Santa Clara University. She is passionate about youth development and works as Executive Director for local nonprofit Whiteout Volleyball Club. She also serves on the Young Professionals Network board of directors and as Vice President of the Steamboat Sports Barn board of directors. When she’s not working, some of her favorite activities include running, mountain biking, skiing, and backpacking with her partner Adam and their crazy pup Bowie.