In The News

📥 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 [...]

Listening Intelligence: The Leadership Skill Hiding in Plain Sight RFL Academy Welcomed Dave Momper from Thrival Concepts on February 6, 2026 at the Basalt Regional Library. Pictured: Steve Vanderleest, Andrea Palm-Porter, Dave Momper If leadership is influence, then listening is its foundation. This month, RFL Academy participants spent the day [...]

This winter, Roaring Fork Leadership (RFL) welcomed a full cohort of 14 women into the newly upgraded RFL Mastermind program—a milestone moment that reflects both the strength of the curriculum and the hunger for leadership spaces designed by and for women in our region. The Mastermind experience brings together women from across the Roaring Fork and Colorado River Valleys—Aspen to [...]

A new year often brings reflection: How do I want to grow as a leader? Where can I contribute my skills in a meaningful way? How can I stay connected to my community? At Roaring Fork Leadership, we believe leadership is not about titles - it’s about participation, service, and [...]

Susannah Lickus graduated from the Roaring Fork Leadership Academy in May 2025. Just months later, she made a bold decision to step away from her job, shoulder a backpack, and follow a deep inner calling - one that led her across the Colorado Trail and into the Himalayas of Nepal. [...]

Strong nonprofit boards are essential to healthy, resilient communities - and this winter, community members can find two upcoming events designed to support individuals who are curious about board service, governance, and nonprofit leadership. Whether you’re exploring board service for the first time, looking to strengthen your governance skills, or [...]

Because of this community’s generosity, Roaring Fork Leadership raised nearly $6,000 during this year’s Colorado Gives Day giving season. Every gift - large and small - directly supports leadership development, scholarship access, and the continued strength of our region’s nonprofit, business, and civic sectors. We are deeply grateful to everyone [...]

Civic Impact Project Highlight: Beyond Silos— Mapping Collaboration to Strengthen Belonging, Civic Capacity & Community Health One of this year’s most significant Roaring Fork Leadership’s Civic Impact Projects is Beyond Silos: Strengthening Nonprofit Collaboration for Greater Community Belonging, a partnership between two RFL Civic Impact Teams and project sponsor Andrea Palm-Porter [...]

The Belonging Gap: Why Connection Is Becoming the Core Leadership Skill "Increasing belonging across all settings is needed." Colorado Health Institute: https://www.coloradohealthinstitute.org/research/colorado-belonging-barometer In every program we run—from Academy to Mastermind to Elevate—one truth consistently emerges: leaders today are struggling more with connection than with competence. Across Colorado’s mountain [...]

At Roaring Fork Leadership, we believe that powerful things happen when people step forward with courage, compassion, and a commitment to community. That belief sits at the heart of everything we do, and Colorado Gives Day is your opportunity to ensure leadership development remains accessible to the people who make [...]

Each year, RFL Academy participants step into real-world leadership learning through Civic Impact Projects - hands-on initiatives that strengthen our region while challenging participants to apply adaptive leadership, collaboration, and community-centered problem solving. With 34 participants divided into five teams, the Academy 2026 cohort selected their projects in October and [...]

Roaring Fork Leadership is hitting the greens this fall - and we want you with us! On Friday, October 10, 2025, we’re hosting our first-ever Golf Tournament at the stunning Lakota Links in New Castle. This isn’t just a day of golf - it’s a day to connect, compete, and [...]

This past weekend, on September 5th and 6th, Roaring Fork Leadership launched its 38th Academy class at Aspen Camp for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. We are thrilled to welcome 35 participants from across the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys and from a wide range of industries and [...]

By Andrea Palm-Porter, RFL Executive Director On Friday, August 22nd, I had the opportunity to attend the Colorado Civic Collaboratory gathering at the Iliff School of Theology, thanks to the warm hosting of Dr. Jeni Rinner and for Civic Canopy for creating the collaboratory. Twenty-five civic innovators came together to [...]

Applications Now Open: The Reimagined RFL Mastermind 2026 Roaring Fork Leadership is proud to announce that applications are now open for the RFL Mastermind Class of 2026 - a reimagined, 5-month leadership experience designed for mid- to senior-level professional women and underrepresented leaders who are ready to step into their [...]