In the News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MEDIA CONTACT: Andrea Palm-Porter, Executive Director EMAIL /PHONE: [email protected] / 970.922.6035 LOCAL LEADERSHIP ORGANIZATION RECEIVES $90,000 USDA GRANT FOR ASPEN WORKFORCE TRAINING (November 2, 2023 - Aspen, CO) - Aspen business owners can take advantage of new workforce leadership training. Local non-profit Roaring Fork Leadership (RFL) secured a $90,000 Rural Business Development grant (RBDG) from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to fund the recently launched tuition-free programming. “We believe that building better communities means building better leaders,” says Roaring Fork Leadership Board President and Aspen Skiing Company Managing Director of Engagement and Development, Susan Harig. “With that mantra, Roaring Fork [...]

6 Tips for Better Problem Solving By: Wally Bock | Lead Change Problem-solving is an important part of successful leadership — and a skill we emphasize in all our RFL programs. Read on for some insights by Lead Change, written for and by top leadership and business professionals around the world, on how to be a better problem-solver. 1. Get The Story of The Problem Take notes as someone offers the story of the problem. Allow interruptions for other people to add things. Mark key events on a timeline. This process usually surfaces different viewpoints that you should investigate. It brings [...]

Step-Up For Fulfillment by Nancy Fredericks | Blog Are you aware? Research reveals that the training and development occurring by many companies rarely is designed to help you achieve your desired career—let alone set you up to move into the senior ranks. Yes, organizations are stellar at developing tactical, definable knowledge relevant to your day-to-day development—it’s just not often applicable to gaining a heightened career future! SHRM reports that 69 percent of human resource professionals believe they are not developing their employees to meet the organization’s future requirements. Are they offering leadership training? Yes! However, their executives aren’t acquiring the less [...]

Q & A with Ann Abernethy, RFL Academy 2012 alum Television broadcaster, real estate broker, and author — RFL alum, Ann Abernethy, never seems to slow down. After growing up in small-town Altus, Oklahoma, she went into television after college, working at the ABC affiliate in Oklahoma City, before moving to New York City to work on the air as a television broadcaster at ABC. Then, she headed across the country to Los Angeles, where she kept working for ABC while raising two kids and remodeling and selling houses on the side. In 2012, with her kids off to college, [...]

The 5 Characteristics of Authentic Leadership  What does it mean to be a leader? Most people identify having influence through one's job title as the primate trait, but there’s more to it! At RFL, we believe that anyone – regardless of their title or job description — can practice leadership. So, what are the hallmarks of a true leader?  Michael Hyatt, a leadership coach and former CEO of a $250 million publishing company, has some tips over on his blog, Full Focus: 1. Insight  Sometimes we refer to this as vision, but that usually refers to an ability to think about or plan [...]

Q & A with Kelly Brockett, RFL Academy and Mastermind Alum Kelly Brockett didn’t have much of a plan when she moved to the valley in 2008. An Indiana native, Brockett had lived in San Diego previously and after returning home for six months, she visited a friend in Aspen and decided to move shortly thereafter. After a series of odd jobs, she found her footing career-wise with the Snowmass Base Village in 2010 where she’s been ever since. Now a mom of two, Brockett credits RFL with boosting her confidence as a leader and re-igniting her passion for her [...]

Q & A with Alan Luu, RFL Academy 2020 June 11 2021Reese Henry PortraitsAspen MeadowsMatt Power Photography RFL alum, Alan Luu, first learned about Sacred Cycle through his civic project during RFL Academy 2020. Using his background as a graphic designer and marketing consultant, he, along with his team, helped the organization develop the “Healing our Community” message.  The experience evolved into a much deeper involvement as Luu realized Sacred Cycle’s mission to empower sexual assault survivors through cycling and the outdoors resonated. We chatted with Alan about how RFL helped him lean into areas of his life outside [...]

How to Cultivate a Successful Organization Organizations are often good at identifying specific problems and have a host of interventions designed to resolve them, but often lack broader institutional criteria or goals that companies need to thrive. First and foremost, organizations need to invest in leaders to help predict changes and develop leaders with the ability to adapt swiftly. During the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders’ adaptability proved essential as businesses closed and industries moved to remote work. For organizations to be effective in the post-pandemic environment, leaders need the skills to communicate effectively, problem-solve and modify decision-making approaches, and build a [...]

Q&A with Sarah Johnson RFL Academy alum Sarah R. Johnson is a Carbondale-based climate change and environmental educator (though you might also know her as the founder of the Carbondale Renegade Marching Band!). Through her business, Wild Rose Education, she designs and facilitates workshops, courses, and programs at the state, national, and international levels, including the award winning Youth Water Leadership Program, and Project Learning Tree Canada's Climate Change and Forests curriculum. We chatted with Sarah about how RFL gave her the confidence to leave a full-time position for a freelance career. More recently, the leadership skills she developed at [...]

Q & A with Scott Mattice, RFL Academy 2016 alum From road construction worker to ski instructor to working for local government, RFL Academy 2016 alum Scott Mattice has lived through a lifetime’s worth of career changes. Now the deputy director for the Pitkin County Public Works Department and a youth baseball coach, Mattice has drawn on the skills he learned through RFL to become a more resilient and self-aware leader. Recently, we chatted with Mattice about how RFL taught him to “show up” — both for his colleagues and the nine-year olds he coaches. Roaring Fork Leadership: How did you [...]