2025 Planning Team

Jill Marek

Founder, Event Organizer, Curator

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Leah Rybak

Co-Executive Director, Marketing + Communications Director, Speaker Selection Committee

Leah RybakDirector of Marketing

Andrew Dengate

Art Director, Speaker Selection Committee

A man with a mustache wearing a wide-brimmed cowboy hat and a black western shirt with colorful embroidery, outdoors in a rural area.
A woman with blonde hair and a black jacket standing in a library aisle filled with books.

Stephanie Ralph

Director of Speaker Coaches, Past Speaker

Kiarra Grant

Brand Manager, Graphic Designer, Storyteller

A woman outdoors in winter, smiling, wearing a yellow knit beanie, denim jacket with fleece lining, and a multicolored scarf, with snow-covered trees in the background.

Angie Hildebrand

Culture Manager, Speaker Selection Coordinator

A smiling woman with curly hair, wearing a nose ring and layered necklaces, in a grayscale photo.
A man holding a mountain bike on snow at a ski resort, wearing a blue jumpsuit and gloves, smiling, with trees and ski lifts in the background.

Justin Hildebrand

Speaker Selection Committee

Meri Louko

Sales Director

A smiling woman with long brown hair wearing a bright pink sweater, standing against a red background with her arms outstretched.

Cailin Ellis

Sales + Marketing Manager

A young woman with long brown hair wearing a black sleeveless jumpsuit and black platform sandals, standing indoors beside a painted wall with abstract blue, white, and brown shapes, in front of a glass double door.

Dave Servinsky

Public Relations Lead, Sponsorship Coordinator, Speaker Selection Committee, Past Speaker

A man with white hair and a beard, wearing a blue button-up shirt and dark pants, standing next to a large white TEDx Breckenridge sign on a stage with a black curtain background.

Gretchen Reid

Community Engagement Lead

A smiling woman with blonde hair, wearing a colorful striped shirt, standing outdoors with green grass in the background.

Mike Lewis

Event Experience Designer, Logistics Lead

A smiling man with a beard and short hair, wearing a light gray zip-up jacket over a blue collared shirt, standing in front of three mountain landscape paintings.

Melanie Ash

Event Experience Designer, Past Speaker

A woman with short blonde hair smiling, wearing a gray top, earrings, and a chunky gold necklace, with a red shawl draped over her shoulder.

Eligar Sadeh

Alumni Lead, Community Building and Relationships, Past Speaker

A man in a patterned button-up shirt, gray pants, and a gray cap standing next to a large white TEDx Breckenridge sign on stage with a dark curtain background.
A smiling woman with short, layered brown hair and a black blazer, wearing a delicate necklace, in a warmly lit setting.

Erin Robison

Lead Speaker Coach

A woman smiling outdoors, wearing a purple shirt, with green leaves in the background.

Ashley Girodo

Event Day Production

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Sarah Messina

Speaker Coach

Molly Ren

Speaker Liaison, Stage Manager

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Sharon Cavanaugh

Speaker Coach

A woman with long dark hair, smiling, wearing a green sweater, in front of a wooden wall.

Stacy Smith

Speaker Coach, Past Speaker

A woman with long blonde hair smiling outdoors, dressed in a black zip-up jacket with a logo on the chest, standing near a wooden log cabin surrounded by green trees.

Jenn Kaye

Speaker Coach

Woman with blonde hair wearing a red top and silver jewelry, laughing outdoors with the ocean in the background.

Jason Ardell

Co-Executive Director, Event Experience Designer, Volunteer Lead

A man smiling at the camera with a desert canyon landscape in the background.

2024 - 2025 Advisory Board

  • A man wearing a painter's hat and a paint-splattered shirt sitting on a black chair in an art studio, with paintings and art supplies in the background.

    Andrew Dengate, Chair

    Andrew finds peace at the crossroads of a good sweat and a crisp beer, or between wildness and beauty, or even somewhere near an engaging conversation and a talented acoustic performance. He is a professional artist, currently working with a restaurant group to manage and provide creative solutions for nine businesses. He also provides graphic solutions for Breckenridge Tourism Office and The Colorado Trail Foundation.

  • A woman with wavy light brown hair and blue eyes, smiling, standing outdoors with fall foliage and a lake in the background.

    Leah Rybak, Vice Chair

    Owner of LMR Consulting, a local boutique strategic marketing agency, Leah is a storyteller at her core, whether that be writing content for a website or crafting creative and compelling copy for ads and flyers. Her background includes vast experience and interest in content creation and management, digital marketing, advertising, and marketing.

  • Linsey Hempel

    Linsey Hempel, Treasurer (interim)

    Currently the Executive Vice President of Finance and Strategy for Pinnacle Mountain Homes, Linsey's professional canvas is painted with diverse strokes, offering strategic business guidance and specialized support in accounting, software, systems, and finance. Her expertise is sought after across multiple businesses, where she is known for her smart, hardworking, and dedicated approach to fostering growth and efficiency.

  • A smiling woman with shoulder-length white hair standing in front of a fireplace with stone surroundings.

    Stephanie Ralph, Secretary

    Stephanie Ralph started working in libraries in 2003. She has held positions at every level of the organization, including serving as the Library Director in Grand County and as the current Director of the Summit County Library. She is the recipient of the Special District Association of Colorado: 2018 James T. Walker Leadership Award 2018. She is a 2021 TEDx Breckenridge Speaker and a TEDx Speaker Coach.

  • A man with a bald head, glasses, and a goatee, wearing a black t-shirt with a pink and white logo, standing indoors near a window.

    George Gerchow

    George is currently Head of Trust at MongoDB and was formerly Sumo Logic's Chief Security Officer & SVP of IT. George Gerchow brings over 20 years of information technology and systems management expertise to the application of IT processes and disciplines. His background includes security, compliance, and cloud computing disciplines.

  • A smiling woman with curly brown hair wearing a light-colored button-up shirt standing in front of a rustic wooden wall.

    Alex Rae Cooper Metzger

    Alex Rae is a leader of People and Culture at The Pinnacle Companies in Frisco, Colorado. She attended Humboldt State University in northern coast of California where she studied International Finance and Spanish. Alex Rae is passionate about our mountain community and loves to help create a space where people can grow and flourish.

  • A smiling woman with dark hair, wearing a blue graphic t-shirt, a black jacket, turquoise beaded necklace, hoop earrings, and a pendant necklace, standing outdoors with autumn trees in the background.

    Jill Marek, ex officio

    Jill Marek has established herself as a leader and pioneer in creative direction, events and experience strategy by delivering purpose-driven results while integrating an empowering objective that stimulates people to take action. Her versatile background includes experiences with companies and clients such as Internet Pictures Corporation (iPix), the White House, Marcus Buckingham (clients: Gap, Cisco, Hilton, Patagonia), The Anthony Robbins Companies and more.

A man and a woman are sitting on separate sofas in a TV studio set. The man is on a striped armchair, wearing a plaid shirt, shorts, and a cap, with one hand on his chest. The woman, dressed in a black dress with heels, is sitting on a gray sofa, smiling with her hands clasped. A coffee table with a white mug is in front of them, and a TV screen displaying 'MTN TV Summit' is mounted on a brick wall behind them.
Five women sitting at a table with pizza and drinks, smiling, in a room with beige walls and wooden doors.
Five women sitting around a table in a cafe, smiling at the camera. Two are wearing hats, one a red cap and another a maroon knit hat. There are laptops and notebooks on the table. Outside the window, three people are visible peering in, some with hats, with a sticker hashtag '#bigideas' on the window.
Abstract geometric artwork featuring a floating diamond-shaped structure with various colorful triangular and polygonal facets, set against a textured blue background with hints of brown, yellow, and orange accents.
A woman with blonde hair wearing a black jacket and red shirt standing on stage at a TEDx event at Breckenridge, with a large TEDx sign in the background.
Two women hugging each other at an outdoor event, standing in front of a table with books and green water bottles.
A man in a beige Western shirt and cowboy hat, smiling and tipping his hat, standing indoors near paintings of animals and nature images.
Group of smiling people taking a selfie in an indoor setting.
Four people standing outdoors near trees, with one person holding a microphone to another person who is wearing sunglasses and a gray sweatshirt. The group appears to be engaged in an interview or conversation. One person holds a clipboard, and the scene is set on a paved path surrounded by trees with autumn foliage.
An indoor auditorium decorated with string lights, stage with a large screen displaying pink text, and a person standing on the stage.
A woman with blonde hair smiling in front of rows of empty chairs in a large conference room. In the background, there is a large screen displaying a geometric design and some text.
A woman wearing a brown beanie hat smiling while holding a TEDx event program featuring a geometric fish graphic, the text 'INSTINCT,' the date September 30, 2023, and 'TEDx Breckenridge'.