Matt grew up in the southeast & received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Mississippi in 2006. He spent the next several years traveling the globe as a white-water rafting guide & professional photographer. Around the time he worked as a jungle guide in the Ecuadorian rainforest, he also spent a ski season at Chile’s Valle Nevado and worked on a photojournalism project in South Africa. Matt spent his first winter in Steamboat in 2007 and has been in love ever since. After finally settling down in Steamboat full time, Matt got his Real Estate license in 2012. In 2015 Matt was named the youngest owner at Colorado Group Realty. He has placed in the top 3 ‘Best Real Estate Agent’ category of the ‘Best of the Boat’ contest for the past 4 consecutive years. In 2016 Matt was honored in the first annual 20 Under 40 Young Professionals in Steamboat event. He won the Best Mustache award at the Steamboat Springs Mustache Ride that same year. Matt joined the board of directors of the Steamboat Springs Art Council in 2016 and serves as the Chairperson for the Creative District Steering Committee. In 2017 Matt married his best friend of 7 years, Caitlin Murphy. They currently share a mutual obsession with powder days, cats, Asian food, & street art.

Jim has lived in Steamboat Springs, permanently, since 1979. He originally came to Steamboat in 1970 after graduating from Colorado State University. After spending several years as an accountant, controller and supervisor on the Front Range, he moved back to Steamboat Springs. He was the Chief Financial Officer for TIC at the time the company was acquired in 2008 and retired in August 2012. He has been married to his wife, Erin, since 1993. They have four children. Jim has served on the Board of the Family Development Center, the Yampa Valley Medical Center and the Steamboat Springs School District. He likes to ski, hike, mountain bike and read.

Professional Bio

Tom has a passion for technology, with decades implementing various technology solutions and holds numerous industry certifications. He currently works for a FinTech startup focused on providing verifiably accurate financial information extracted from complex blockchain transactions supporting the growth of digital finance.

Personal Highlights

Tom enjoys numerous outdoor activities and takes pleasure in travel, reading, art and cooking. He feels it is important to give back to the community and has long-standing ties with several non-profits.

Passionate about Art & Art History, he has worked in various mediums: photography, printmaking (etching), drawing, bronze casting and oil/acrylic painting. His personal art collection has a focus on self-taught artists and he wrote his M.A. thesis on William Edmondson.

Master’s in Business Administration and Entrepreneurship/International Business Tracks, University of Colorado-Denver

Corporate Finance Certificate, Daniels College of Business, University of Denver

Master of Arts in Art History, University of Wisconsin – Madison

Bachelor of Arts in Art, Art History, German and Minor in Asian Studies, Saint Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota.

Certificate of German Language Fluency, Paderborn University, Germany

• Has worked in Steamboat Springs nonprofit sector for 20 years; 14 years as Executive Director of the Tread of Pioneers Museum
• Colorado Creative Industries Certified Change Leader; Leadership Steamboat Graduate
• Master’s Degree in Nonprofit Management | Bachelor of Science: Anthropology/Psychology
• Promotes and organizes Routt County and Steamboat Springs cultural and heritage events and tourism
• Creative District Seat = History and Heritage

• Worked in Governor John W. Hickenlooper’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade
• U.S. Peace Corps, El Salvador and Peru
• Master’s Degree in Public Administration
• Works on activities, programs and policies that improve the quality for life and economic well-being across Routt County.
• Creative District Seat = Economic Development

• Served on several non-profit boards
• Chaired Committee on Public Art for the Urban Land Institute
• Advisor on planning and growth, including public art placement, to several US cities as well as foreign governments
• Past public service in historic preservation in Colorado
• Graduate of the US Naval Academy
• Creative District Seat = At Large

• Planning Director for the City of Steamboat Springs for 7 years.
• Previously, Urban Design Director, Planning Services/Historic Preservation Manager and Plan Implementation Manager for the City of Denver between 1992 and 2010.
• Chaired design committees for Denver Mile High Stadium, the Colorado Convention Center and Convention Center Hotel.
• Served on public art selection committees for numerous public projects in Denver.
• Licensed Architect and Founding Principal of City Design Architects and Planners in San Diego, CA, 1986 to 1992.
• Creative District Seat = Community Development and Planning

Carrie moved to Steamboat in 2000 with her husband and three children (a 3 year old and 1 year old twins) for the outdoor lifestyle and the fantastic community. Carrie’s background is in technology, having worked at both large tech companies (Adobe, Symantec, Sun Microsystems) and startups. In 2011, Carrie co-founded her own technology Startup, U Grok It, here in Steamboat. U Grok It was acquired by a large tech firm in 2017. Carrie’s children took advantage of being raised in Steamboat by ski jumping with SSWSC and being part of the public school bands from 5th-12th grades. It is through band that Carrie was connected to Steamboat Creates and all it does to support the children of Steamboat as well as the full community.  Carrie’s Linked In is https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrierequist/

With more than 10 years of experience in in marketing strategy, content creation, social media, advertising, email, and SEO, Lauren offers successful digital marketing solutions for national insurance and financial services companies, publishers, small businesses, and nonprofits.

Lauren have her MBA from University of Denver’s Daniels School of Business. She is HubSpot Inbound certified, Hootsuite certified, and has won two national Azbee Awards. In addition, Lauren has served on the board of the Colorado chapter of the American Marketing Association and the Business Marketing Association.

Lauren is exploring the world with her husband and dog Telle, eating good food, practicing yoga, skiing, and gardening.

Kirk Aigner vacationed in Steamboat Springs both winters and summers as a teen, and finally moved out here to stay back in 2007. He is a Case Manager with Horizons Specialized Services, an organization that he has been with also since 2007. Kirk is an actor who is proud to be one of the founding members of the Chief Players, and has also been in many Piknik Theatre and Cabaret productions. He is also proud of being voted as the 2nd best Community Actor in the most recent “Best of the Boat” awards. He serves as the Secretary for the Steamboat Creates Board of Directors.

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!