2024: FLOURISH

Founder, Courageous Parents & Director, Advanced Leadership Training Program at RIHEL

Dr. Chrissy Chard (she/they) is a leader grounded in the values of courage, connection, and love. She wears many hats, including being the founder of Courageous Parents, a Colorado-based parent coaching practice that is heart-centered, values-aligned, and honors the humanity and wisdom that's inherent in our children and ourselves. Through an individualized, values-based approach, she supports parents in their own healing journey so they may do the important work of raising the next generation of social change agents. Chrissy is also the director of the Regional Institute for Health and Environmental Leadership’s Advanced Leadership Training Program where they support public health and environmental health leaders across the region to develop heart-centered leadership skills. She consults with a variety of organizations who desire to be more anti-oppressive in their leadership.  Chrissy is also the co-founder of Smart Fit Girls, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the health and well-being of adolescents. Among her many leadership roles, none is more important than being “mom”. She views parenting as a frontline for doing social justice work and continues to be humbled by the lessons her children continually teach her. Apart from spending quality time with their three kiddos and partner, some of Chrissy’s other favorite nervous-system-regulating activities include lifting heavy weights, deep conversations with friends, going for a walk alone, going to therapy, using fidget toys (#ADHDparent), and dancing solo in her living room. In all her work, Chrissy is a commitment to embodying and radiating love and non-judgement. 

CEO and Content Creator of Anti Work Girlboss

Gabrielle is a content creator and CEO/Founder of Anti Work Girlboss, a social movement that represents the next generation of workplace. With a focus on trust and authenticity, millions of viewers a month find the content produced relatable and inspiring for their careers. Concepts include but are not limited to work life balance, Gen Z employee branding, and the future of work. Gabrielle has been invited to speak on BiggerPockets Money Podcast, People Science Webinar Panel, NPR, BBC Future of Work Podcast, and Success Story Podcast. Her ideas have been featured on over 10,000 worldwide media mentions including WSJ, Bloomberg, NY Times, and 60 Minutes Australia.

Student

Iris Radin is a senior at Poudre High School in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program. Iris grew up in a family that focused on emotional literacy, active listening, and open communication. Iris has since translated those skills into her own relationships, both personal and professional. This background has allowed Iris to notice the difference between conversations that are more or less fulfilling and mutually beneficial. Her goal is to help others, especially those her age, develop stronger emotional intelligence and communication skills in order to have more connecting conversations, especially during challenging times. Iris currently explores these passions through peer mentoring and leadership at her school and in her job at Ben & Jerry’s. She hopes to continue that focus in college with an interest in organizational psychology.

Student

Kyrstin Askew is a Senior at Rocky Mountain High School and the president of EDA (Eating Disorder Alliance). She has accumulated many skills such as art, dance, rock climbing, and makeup artistry. She has suffered from anorexia for most of her life and has made it a goal to share her experiences with the world. She does public speaking in her school to initiate more meaningful and positive conversations about eating disorders. Kyrstin is the creator and president of the Eating Disorder Alliance at Rocky,- a student initiated group with the goal of supporting students and fighting the stigma surrounding eating disorders. She is very passionate about making the world a better place and encouraging love, kindness, and understanding. Ultimately, she strives for compassion and positivity and is passionate about improving the world through sharing her personal experience with an eating disorder.

Assistant Principal

Dr. Sonja Gedde is a bold and progressive high school administrator in Poudre School District and affiliate professor at Colorado State University who teaches in the University Honors program as well as the Communication Studies Department. She is fortunate to have served every educational context from elementary to graduate level as a classroom teacher, schoolwide interventionist, administrator, and professor. A specialist in pedagogy and educational philosophy, she is inspired by opportunities to build human capacity and reveres educational space as the single most consequential space in modern society. With a Doctorate in Education and Human Resources and a Specialists degree in Educational policy, Sonja’s research and writing can be located across many mediums where she studies the intersections between identity and context. Recent publications include an article in Education Week, an article in Kappan, and a keynote speaker appearance at the International Academic Forum in Honolulu.  An avid traveler, she has visited over 80 countries and relishes opportunities to understand and immerse herself in new cultures. In her spare time, she trades the classroom for the gym and teaches multiple local fitness classes specializing in martial arts.  

Chief Judge of 8th Judicial District of Colorado

Susan Blanco is the first female to serve as Chief Judge of the 8th Judicial District of Colorado (Larimer and Jackson Counties) and was appointed to the bench in January 2017.   She has presided over criminal, civil, probate, domestic relations, and terminations and adoptions.  Prior to the bench, she served as a Deputy District Attorney followed by over a decade in private practice with a focus on criminal defense, juvenile delinquency, and dependency and neglect.   

Chief Judge Blanco graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Colorado State University in 2000 and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Colorado School of Law in 2003.  She is currently earning a Latin Legum Magister from Duke University.  Her community engagement and leadership developed the first Competency Court in Colorado and the Latinx Task Force in Larimer County.  The Competency Court is the 2022 recipient of the City of Fort Collins Human Relations award.  For the judicial branch, she serves on the Chief Judge's Council, chairs the Pathways to Access Committee, co-chairs the Information Technology committee, and is a commissioner on the Colorado Access to Justice Commission.  She served on the Board for the Colorado Women’s Bar Association and currently serves on the Colorado Bar Association’s Executive Council, Criminal Law Executive Council, and COBALT program for leadership development.  Chief Judge Blanco helped develop the “Lawyer’s Teaching for Change” program and Colorado Diverse Attorney Community Circle.  She is the recipient of the 2023 CWBA Judicial Excellence Award and the 2022 CHBA Community Service Award. 

Prosecutor and Screenwriter

Tom Lockridge served as the elected Commonwealth Attorney for the 13th Judicial Circuit in Kentucky for more than 26 years and has well over 30 years of experience as a violent crime prosecutor. He received the Carroll M. Redford Award as “Outstanding Kentucky Prosecutor” and was named “Outstanding Commonwealth’s Attorney” by the Kentucky Attorney General. In 1996 he was honored to be named “Outstanding Young Lawyer” by the Kentucky Bar Association. He has served as a member of the Prosecutors Advisory Council, the Governor’s Task Force on Sexual Assault, and served as chair of the Kentucky Multidisciplinary Commission on Child Sexual Abuse for seven consecutive years. Tom has served as a member of the faculty at National District Attorneys Association prosecutor trainings, at the National Lifesavers Conference, and has presented on prosecutorial ethics in over thirty states. In his second career, Tom is the co-founder and President of Lucky Day Studios and has been involved in all aspects of the three feature films produced by the company. He served as a writer/producer on the Lionsgate release, Unrequited, and filled the same roles on Faith, Love, and Chocolate, a film featured on Pure Flix and available on Amazon Prime. Most recently, Tom wrote and produced Midway to Love, a Hallmark Movies and Mysteries Channel Original. In 2022, Tom was a writer on a Top 10 Finalist in the Emerging Screenwriters Comedy Contest with the screenplay, A Bourbon Tale.