Renate Mairie
Secretary

Ms. Mairie is a native Boulder resident with strong ties to the artistic community. She holds a BA in Art History & Printmaking from CU Boulder, and an MA in Psychology from Regis University. She is also a librarian, arts educator and an artist with over three decades of work in photography, painting, printmaking and textiles. Ms. Mairie has served on the Board of Groundworks Art Lab for 8 years and was instrumental in their printmaking program studio development. Her art resonates with celestial themes and the foundations of what brings humanity together. She is a strong advocate for art based therapies and the exploration of creative impulses to foster emotional and mental wellbeing.

Sam Phares
Treasurer

Mr. Phares is a retired cattle rancher from Montana who was born in Boulder and recently returned to his hometown. From shoe-ing his own horses to managing employees to serving on multiple nonprofit boards, Sam brings a unique combination of experiences and passions to his role as a board member. He is excited to support Groundworks Art Lab’s growth and the blacksmithing studio in particular.

Julie Penner

Ms. Penner has a background in venture capital and corporate development. She holds an JD/MBA from University of Colorado with an emphasis in entrepreneurship and a BA from Brown University. Earlier in her career she worked for a company that manages escrows and holdbacks, a startup that developed a sleep-tracking consumer hardware product, and the CU Tech Transfer Office. For several years she served as a Director at Techstars, a global tech start-up accelerator. She began taking ceramics classes in 2016 and looks forward to helping the organization navigate its growth and expansion.

Paul Heffron

Mr. Heffron is a founder of Studio Arts Boulder and a real estate broker for nearly 50 years. He is past owner of the Art Spirit Gallery, collector of ceramic and several other art forms, judge for  NCAR arts displays, past Director of National State Bank (now Wells Fargo), a Director of Downtown Boulder redevelopment, President of Rocky Mountain Center of the Environment, current Board member for Center of the American West, and founder, developer and president  of The Meadows Club.

Christy Gunter

Ms. Gunter has taken classes at the studio since 2006, but her interest in ceramics has spanned many years. Christy took her first class in 1970 and continues today after a hiatus to have a family and two careers. The first was in Education – teaching, research, teacher training, program development and educational consulting. Her second career was in Business – owning and managing a sales and marketing company and as a business management consultant. Her academic background includes an undergraduate degree in Biology from UC Davis and a Masters of Arts from Stanford University. Christy brings to the Board a diverse professional background, a love of the arts, and the desire to help Groundworks Art Lab create an outstanding physical, educational, and social environment for the study of the studio arts.

Cynthia Ruggero

Dr. Ruggero is a retired Emergency Medicine physician. She provided patient care in the Emergency Department at Boulder Community Hospital for many years as well as in private practice. She’s had an longstanding interest in the arts and took classes in painting and printmaking at CU before wandering into the ceramics department and falling in love with clay. She has been taking classes at the studio since 2016 and is glad to bring her experience and community connections to help the organization expand.

Jessica Adams

After living in Boulder for over 25 years and participating in the local arts scene, Ms. Adams brings both artistic and business management knowledge to her role on the board. In 1994, Jessica founded her own blacksmithing company, which has grown into one of the most sought-after sources of artisan-designed custom architectural and ornamental metalwork. As a co-owner of Living Design Studios, Jessica is the visionary, chief financial officer, lead designer, salesperson, and HR manager for the business. Knowing what it takes to run a successful organization coupled with a love for both the craft of metalwork and the mission of arts education makes Jessica an immensely valuable member of the board.

Hannah Rogal

Ms. Rogal is co-owner and lead designer for Boulder Furniture Arts, a boutique client-to-craftsperson furniture business in Boulder that specializes in authentic woodcraft. With dual honors degrees in Fine Art History and Political Science from the University of Toronto, Hannah’s formal training is making interdisciplinary connections between art/visual culture and society. She has a unique appreciation for the influence of art and its relevance in today’s tech-savvy Boulder community and believes strongly in the power of art to realign the brain, reset accrued anxiety, and restore natural genius. Hannah’s passion for art, her business prowess, and her connections within the local wood and fabrication communities all adds up to a great member of the board.

Grant Yamaki

Mr. Yamaki moved from his home state of Hawaii to attend CU Boulder, where he earned his undergraduate degree in Environmental Design. He went on to earned a Master of Architecture at CU Denver. He is currently the Design Director at Coburn Architecture where he manages the design process and coordinates project teams. He was a principal project manager for the Diagonal Crossing project where SAB’s capital expansion will be located. He’s excited to bring his expertise on the development and his connections across Boulder to support Groundworks Art Lab’s expansion.

Uriah Bueller

Mr. Bueller has been a long-time resident, artist, educator, and business owner in Boulder. He developed art curriculum for local private schools and founded a custom architectural metal fabrication company that builds gorgeous shade structures that filter light using bio-mimicry designs. Mr. Bueller is joining the board at a crucial time to help the organization grow and expand it’s mission to deliver hands-on community art education.

Mike Sagan

Mr. Sagan started building wood furniture when he was six years old. His passion for helping bring creative ideas to life transferred to a career in tech, where he’s served as a product manager for a few different companies. He moved to Boulder in 2019 and founded a custom wood furniture business right before the pandemic. Luickly, many people who found themselves stuck at home, discovered they wanted to ugrade their furniture, so the business thrived despite the unique circumstances. In Fall 2023, Mike and his partner amicably closed the furniture business and he’s thrilled to help Groundworks Art Lab develop a woodworking program for kids like him who see potential in a pile of wood.

Kellie Zell

Aaron Winston
& Kari Palazzari

As executive leaders of the organization, both Aaron & Kari serve as ex-officio (non-voting) members of the Board of Directors, providing information and support for the Board's governance of the organization.