In the News

Come Together: RFL Unite 2026 Celebrates Leadership, Belonging & Community On May 15, community leaders, alumni, graduates, supporters, and friends gathered at Aspen Camp for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing for Roaring Fork Leadership’s annual Unite celebration, an evening rooted in one powerful idea: Come Together. This year’s event centered on the belief that stronger communities are built when people intentionally choose connection, trust, belonging, and leadership across differences. The evening brought together graduates from the RFL Academy and Mastermind programs alongside alumni, board members, facilitators, advisors, sponsors, and community partners from across the Roaring Fork and Colorado River [...]

Welcome Sandi Centofante, RFL's Program Coordinator. With more than 16 years of experience in Human Services, Sandi Centofante brings a thoughtful, people-centered approach to her role as Program Coordinator at Roaring Fork Leadership. As an RFL Academy alum and volunteer Advisor, she deeply understands the power of leadership development, connection, and community impact. Throughout her career, Sandi has built a reputation for compassionate communication, strong organizational support, and the ability to navigate complex systems with care and clarity. She spent eight years serving as an Economic Assistance/Training Technician before stepping into a Lead Economic Assistance Technician role for an additional eight [...]

Welcoming Paige Wildermuth to Roaring Fork Leadership as Director of Business Development Roaring Fork Leadership is excited to welcome Paige Wildermuth as our new Director of Business Development. Paige joins RFL with a dynamic background in relationship management, strategic growth, entrepreneurship, and financial services; bringing a strong passion for authentic connection, community impact, and leadership development. Throughout her career, Paige has focused on building meaningful partnerships and creating systems that drive measurable results. Her experience spans entrepreneurship and business development roles with organizations including The Standard, Gap Inc., and Fifth Third Securities, where she managed high-volume pipelines, collaborated across teams, and [...]

At Roaring Fork Leadership, we believe leadership is built through experience, connection, and a commitment to community. That’s why we’re excited to welcome Marcus Thackston to the RFL Board of Directors. Marcus is the Owner and Founder of Blend Web Marketing, where he brings a holistic approach to business strategy that blends website design, branding, marketing, and systems integration to help organizations thrive. As an entrepreneur for over a decade, Marcus has worked across industries, supporting both businesses and nonprofits in building strong, sustainable operations. Marcus is no stranger to RFL. A graduate of the Academy in 2018, he has continued [...]

On April 10th, more than 50 women and one very intentional man gathered at Morgridge Commons in Glenwood Springs for ELEVATE 2026. And what unfolded wasn’t just an event. It was a reminder. A reminder that when you bring people together with intention, something shifts. More Than a Room - It Was A Community in Motion From the very beginning, there was energy in the room. Not surface-level networking, but real connection. Women from across the Roaring Fork and Colorado River Valleys showed up representing different industries, life stages, and leadership journeys. And yet, there was a shared thread: A desire [...]

Roaring Fork Leadership took some time to catch up with Katie Preston-Higbee, RFL Mastermind Alum, to learn about what she's up to and how she has taken what she's learned and evolved herself, her purpose, and her career. Here's the Q + A with Katie: Q. Reflecting on your time in the RFL Mastermind program, what was most impactful for you - either personally or professionally? A. Hands down the community connection. Being in a room with talented, values-driven women who genuinely care about meaningful things created a rare kind of support, equal parts encouragement and accountability. I left many sessions [...]

Roaring Fork Leadership is proud to recognize Holy Cross Energy as the Peak Sponsor for ELEVATE: A Forum for Women Bridging Passion, Purpose & Community, taking place on April 10, 2026 at Morgrdige Commons in Glenwood Springs. As a member-owned electric cooperative serving communities across Western Colorado, Holy Cross Energy has long demonstrated a commitment to strengthening the region it powers. Their support of Elevate reflects a shared belief that strong communities are built by investing in people - especially those stepping forward to lead. Elevate brings together women from across the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys for a day [...]

Morgan Kennedy, co-founder of Forward Cadence and a Roaring Fork Leadership Mastermind 2019 alumna, is helping organizations bring clarity, alignment, and intention to their work. Through her experience in Mastermind and her journey into entrepreneurship, Morgan has developed a thoughtful approach to leadership - one rooted in reflection, strategy, and meaningful impact. We recently caught up with Morgan to learn more about her Mastermind experience, the inspiration behind Forward Cadence, and what she’s learned along the way. Looking back on your time in the RFL Mastermind program, what was one insight or experience that has stayed with you the most in [...]

Roaring Fork Leadership Announces Development Director Transition and Open Position At Roaring Fork Leadership, we believe leadership is a journey and sometimes that journey includes both meaningful beginnings and thoughtful transitions. Today, we share both gratitude and opportunity. With Deep Appreciation for Lizz Bailey. After serving as RFL’s Development Director, Lizz Bailey has shared her resignation as she moves on to a new opportunity, with her last day being March 20th. Lizz’s relationship with RFL has been deeply woven into our fabric, first as an Academy participant, then as a Civic Impact Project sponsor, and ultimately as the first person to [...]

📥 Download Come Together: Leadership, Belonging, and the Work of Staying Engaged (free) There is a quiet tension many of us feel across the Roaring Fork and Colorado River Valleys. We care deeply about housing. About mental health. About workforce. About climate, child care, education, and the future of our communities. And yet, collaboration often feels harder than it should. Conversations stall. Meetings fatigue us. Coalitions form—and sometimes quietly dissolve. People step back. It would be easy to call this apathy. But what if it’s something else? In our new whitepaper, Come Together: Leadership, Belonging, and the Work of Staying Engaged, [...]