Speakers
Keynote Presentation
Richard L. Wobbekind
Leeds School of Business,
University of Colorado, Boulder
Associate dean for business & government relations, senior economist and executive director, Business Research Division, University of Colorado Leeds School of Business
Richard L. Wobbekind is executive director of the Business Research Division and associate dean for business & government relations and senior economist at the University of Colorado Boulder. He joined the faculty at the Leeds School of Business in 1985, and has served as associate dean since 2000.
As executive director of the Business Research Division, his responsibilities include developing an annual consensus forecast of the Colorado economy and performing various economic-impact assessments of the Colorado economy. Wobbekind also produces the quarterly Leeds Business Confidence Index for Colorado.
He is currently the president of the National Association for Business Economics. He also participates annually in the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank Regional Economic Roundtable and is a contributor to the Western Blue Chip Economic Forecast newsletter.
He is a member of the Governor’s Revenue Estimating Advisory Committee, the Denver Regional Council of Governments’ Forecast 2035 Advisory Committee, the Colorado Tourism Office Education and Research Committee, the Boulder Urban Renewal Authority and the Boulder Economic Council.
For his efforts in community development and outreach, Wobbekind was awarded the 1997 University of Colorado Bank One Community Outreach Award. In 2006, he was awarded the Robert L. Stearns award for lifetime contributions in teaching, research and service.
Wobbekind teaches MBA students in macroeconomics, public policy, entrepreneurship and managerial economics. He has received three awards for teaching excellence from the students of the Leeds School. Wobbekind has lived in Colorado for more than 34 years and has spent much of his time studying the development of the Colorado and regional economies. He received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Bucknell University and an MA and Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Colorado Boulder.
Healthcare
Kevin L. Unger
President & CEO, Poudre Valley Hospital and Medical Center of the Rockies
Kevin L. Unger serves as president and CEO of Poudre Valley Hospital and Medical Center of the Rockies, two of 12 hospitals within UCHealth, a nationally recognized health-care system with operating revenue of $4.5 billion and a workforce of more than 23,500 people. Unger also oversees other UCHealth locations in Northern Colorado, including Yampa Valley Medical Center, Greeley Hospital, Longs Peak Hospital and numerous ambulatory medical centers.
Unger began in 2001 as the vice president of planning and strategic development for Poudre Valley Hospital. In 2003, he assumed the role of vice president of operations and ambulatory services for PVH, being named president and CEO in 2005. With the formation of UCHealth, his role changed in 2013 to oversee both hospitals.
His focus on quality excellence is reflected in the numerous national awards won by Poudre Valley Hospital, Medical Center of the Rockies and Poudre Valley Health System, including the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 2008. Unger was selected in 2009 as the recipient of the Robert S. Hudgens Young Healthcare Executive of the year through the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Prior to joining Poudre Valley Hospital, he served as the manager for the Department of Medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, business development analyst for University Hospital in Denver and a consultant for First Consulting Group.
Unger earned his bachelor of arts degree from Colorado State University in 1992, a master of science in health administration from the University of Colorado at Denver in 1998, a master of business administration degree from the University of Colorado at Denver in 1998 and a doctor of philosophy in organizational development and change from Colorado State University in 2013.
Taxes, Mergers and Acquisition
Christine Trianto
Business Services & Outsourcing
Christine approaches her clients’ business with a high-touch, high-client service approach, coupled with proactive financial reporting dashboards, regular financial statements and cash flow analysis. She leverages technology to manage clients’ accounting functions in the cloud, enabling them to run their businesses more efficiently. She assists with consulting, strategizing and implementing technological process improvements that improve cash flow, and streamlining daily business
operations. Christine brings an in-depth financial knowledge, skill for process improvement, an understanding of due diligence and financial analysis of acquisitions, and overall broad base of operational knowledge to each client interaction and spends time understanding client goals.
Prior to building a CAS experience, Christine served as ACM’s CFO for 10 years, during which the Firm grew by more than 300% and expanded to multiple locations.
Moderator
Dr. Sher Gibbs
Dean and Professor University of Colorado Monfort College of Business
Dr. Sher Gibbs, Dean of MCB, has 12 years of corporate and 17 years of experience in entrepreneurship, leadership, and academe. Dr. Gibbs’ research focuses on entrepreneurship related to recognizing opportunities, social psychological perspectives, and among black and underrepresented minorities. Dr. Gibbs earned a Ph.D. in Business Administration with a concentration in Management from Jackson State University. She holds an MBA from Winona State University, and a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Grambling State University.
Banking and Finance
Shawn Osthoff
President Bank of Colorado
Shawn Osthoff is the president of Bank of Colorado and is responsible for overseeing more than $4 billion in assets held by the bank across its 45 branches.
Osthoff is a native of Colorado, and attended the University of Northern Colorado, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in finance in 1990. He went on to earn an MBA with an emphasis in finance from Colorado State University in 1991. Osthoff has extensive experience in banking, including lending, loan operations, commercial and agricultural loan portfolio management and corporate management. He joined Bank of Colorado in 1995.
Osthoff serves on the boards of directors of the Independent Bankers of Colorado, Colorado Bankers Association and the CSU Real Estate Council.
He lives in Fort Collins, with his wife, Crystal, and two children.
Real Estate Forecast
Richard Barkham
Global Chief Economist CBRE
Richard Barkham leads a global team of nearly 600 research experts who help CBRE’s clients understand the forces shaping the commercial real estate industry.
One of the world’s leading real estate economists, Richard combines the theoretical framework of an academic with hands-on experience in development to deliver actionable insights for real estate investors and occupiers. A frequent source for both clients and journalists navigating moments of economic volatility, he is particularly interested in the role government stimulus plays in long-term economic recoveries.
He joined CBRE in 2014 as Executive Director and Global Chief Economist. He is also the Chairman of CBRE Econometric Advisors, a specialist real estate forecasting unit.