Staff

Steve is a skilled industry executive that brings more than 20 years of experience in strategy, marketing, sales and engineering to all his endeavors. Prior to serving as the Energy Fellows Institute’s Executive Director, Steve was the Co-Founder, Chief Marketing Officer, and on the Board of Directors of Power Tagging. He led in the formation of the company from its initial concept to a becoming a full fledged smart energy solutions company. Previous to Power Tagging, Steve served as President & CEO of Privacy Networks. He was nominated to serve on the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship Advisory Board as well as the executive board of CU Cleantech. During his career, Steve has held key management positions in high technology start-ups and Fortune 500 companies including PowerTagging, IBM, Benchmark Storage Innovations and Privacy Networks. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Arizona and an MBA from the University of Southern California.

Jeff is the Director of Operations for the Fellows where he coordinates development and delivery of the curriculum. Jeff has experience in start-up, high growth, and Fortune 100 companies. Responsibilities have included business development, marketing, general management, R&D, new product development, strategy, joint ventures, and operations. Jeff held management positions at Rogers Corporation before turning his attention to emerging companies. Most recently he was Vice President of Business Development at ALD NanoSolutions, enabling new product development for batteries, LED lighting, fuel cells, and thin film solar. Jeff received an MBA from Cornell University, a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from Clarkson University.

Shelly joined the CCIA team in early 2009 after having spent 5 years with the World Trade Center Denver. In her role at the WTC Denver, Shelly developed programs and services to promote the export of Colorado’s products and services around the globe.
Prior to her work with the World Trade Center, Shelly spent eight years in the high-tech industry in roles within product management and marketing with Circadence Corporation, Qwest and US West.
Ms. Curtiss holds a MA in international economics and environmental policy from the Josef Korbel School of International Studies (formerly GSIS) and a BA in political science from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Shelly lives in Denver with her husband and two children.

Mary Austin brings over 25 years worth of professional relationships to the Energy Fellows Institute, from entrepreneurial/small businesses to Fortune 500 corporations. Mary is responsible for procuring corporate sponsorships and program delivery.
Mary most recently worked for CORE (Connected Organizations for a Responsible Economy), a Denver-based organization focused on educating organizations about the importance of implementing sustainability practices. Mary built relationships and procured partnerships for the organization, its programs, and for the annual Sustainable Opportunities Summit.
As Membership and Events Director for the Boulder Chamber of Commerce, Mary ran and expanded the Leadership Boulder County program, the Business Women’s Leadership Group program, and the Business-to-Business EXPO, succeeding in each by creating strong sponsorship platforms and comprehensive communications plans. As Events Director for Boulder County Business Report, Mary created an enduring sustainability sponsorship program and incorporated sustainability issues into all of the Business Report’s events, as well as securing advertisers.
A native Texan but lifelong Coloradan, Mary has served as Board President for the Colorado Chautauqua Association, Board Member of Historic Boulder, Millennium Trust Advisor for the Community Foundation Serving Boulder County, and volunteers for the Conference on World Affairs.
Mary holds a B.A. in Communications and French from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a certificate in nonprofit management from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute of Organization Management at Notre Dame University.

Kaleb joined CCIA in the 2012 summer as a volunteer after graduating from Colorado College with a BA in Mathematical Economics. The Spokane, WA native found his place in CCIA, devoting much of his time on the Energy Fellows Institute team in its inaugural year, managing the Institute’s website and social media and aiding in logistics management. For the 2013 year, Kaleb is now the Fellows Institute’s Program Coordinator.