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Karen Adkins, PhD - Co-Chair
Karen Adkins, PhD, is Professor of Philosophy at Regis University. She teaches and publishes on feminist and gender issues, including sexual assault. As a sexual assault survivor herself, she has spoken publicly at awareness events. She lives in Denver with her spouse and two kids. She joined the Board because she believes in their mission of supporting survivors and working to end sexual assault.
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Kevin Benard
Kevin has a multitude of experience in medical research, as well as small business operations management. He has an undergraduate degree in Biology from CSU and M.A. in Behavioral Psychology. In an ongoing commitment to community engagement, Kevin was a Cole Neighborhood Association Board member in 2016-2019, as well as a Steering Committee member of the Cole has a Soul Participatory Budgeting Project in Cole neighborhood. Additionally, he has volunteered for the Houston Area Women’s Center and is honored to be serving as a new member of The Blue Bench where he aims to bring focus on assistance and awareness for sexual assault to all cultures and communities who feel underrepresented.
Kevin is a Houston, Texas native, he relocated to Colorado in 2012 with his wife and two sons. Kevin is a strong advocate for equity, who enjoys traveling and spending time with his family, which include Biscuit the dog who thinks she is a cat and Binx the cat who thinks he is a dog.
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Alicia Bennett
Alicia Bennett is a neurologist with Blue Sky Neurology where she cares for patients at multiple Denver area hospitals. She completed her training including a vascular neurology fellowship at the University of Utah and has a passion for treating patients who are having a stroke. At Blue Sky Neurology she serves as the Program Director for the vascular neurology fellowship, she is one of the regional medical directors for their telemedicine division, and she is the medical stroke director at the Medical Center of Aurora and Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Hospital. Alicia joined the Blue Bench to help facilitate relationships between the medical community and the organization.
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Adam Burrows
Adam Burrows is the co-founder and managing partner at Range Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on backing the most ambitious founders in Colorado tech. Adam has been instrumental in building several of the most successful tech companies in Denver, including as SVP and GM at HomeAdvisor and Chief Business Officer at Guild Education.
Adam started his career in business strategy at The Boston Consulting Group and is a graduate of Harvard Law School and the University of Michigan.
He joined the board of the Blue Bench in 2022 after serving on the board of the Girls Athletic Leadership School (GALS) for 5 years.
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Marci Eads, PhD
Managing Director - Health Management Associates
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Joanna Heckman
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Jeff Hentschel - Treasurer
Jeff Hentschel has spent his career in corporate accounting and finance operations in the tech space, including 10 years at Angi (Angie's List/HomeAdvisor) and more recently BiggerPockets, where he currently serves as Controller. He received a bachelor's degree in accounting from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Jeff joined the board of The Blue Bench in January of 2023 to support the organization's financial operations and mission of preventing sexual assault in the community.
Jeff hails from Indianapolis and relocated to Denver in 2018 with his husband, Seth, where they currently live with their two dogs Jordie and Sammy. He enjoys traveling, skiing, and spending time with his friends and family.
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Brooke Smith - Vice Chair
Brooke Smith has spent her career working with start-ups in the education space, and most recently concluded a five year stint at General Assembly, an education technology company, where she was the Regional Director of Colorado. Brooke now oversees her own business, Brelis Consulting, where she advises executives and business owners on the implementation and prioritization of Learning and Development across the employee lifecycle. She is also currently serving on the Women's Council at The Commons on Champa, a board dedicated to supporting the growth of female entrepreneurs. Brooke joined the Board because she believes in the power of education, believing that the prevention work being done by The Blue Bench in our schools, police stations, bars and other venues is invaluable in the fight to eradicate sexual assault.
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Dave Thomas
Dave Thomas is a strong advocate who has parlayed his lived experience as a blind person into a career focused on research, curriculum design, teaching, and supporting others. He has taught at the college level, works in a support capacity for people with learning and other disabilities, and has conducted extensive research on the ethics of eugenics as well as bolstering the health, safety, employment, and overall well-being of those with disabilities.
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Scott Weigel - Co-Chair
Scott Weigel has spent the majority of his career in leadership roles at notable consumer tech marketplaces, such as Angi (HomeAdvisor, Angie’s List) and Nolo. He is currently the GM of Marketplaces at BiggerPockets, the largest community of real estate investors in the United States. Scott joined the board of The Blue Bench in 2022 with the goal of helping the organization support and prevent sexual violence. He lives in Denver with his wife and three daughters. In his spare time, he enjoys playing music, the outdoors and traveling the world.