Carlotta Mast

Elexis Schroder

Elexis has built a reputation as a strategic marketing and communications leader with more than 20 years experience in agency settings and within a growing CPG company. She specializes in developing and implementing integrated, brand-building programs that help authentically share a company’s mission to drive trial, sales and loyalty. She is known for building camaraderie and buy-in from teams across functions and organizations to get things done, all while making people laugh along the way. Elexis founded SchroderHaus based on the belief that there is a better way to serve purpose-driven organizations that put people and the planet just as high on the priority list as profit. As the Head of the Haus, Elexis aims to inspire the SchroderHaus crew to do kick-ass work daily, and to be a trusted advisor to her clients.

Erin Costa

Erin Costa is an experienced marketing leader with a passion for building brands. She is skilled at multi-channel marketing integration and strategic business planning in established, mature brand settings as well as fast-moving CPG environments.

She is currently VP of Marketing at Remedy Drinks International, a live culture beverage company and the third largest kombucha brand globally. Remedy Drinks is an emerging brand in the US, leveraging an Australian history and bringing the first shelf stable, no sugar kombucha that is live, raw, and not pasteurized to the States. Prior to her role at Remedy, she was the VP of Marketing at ONE Brands, which was one of the fastest growing protein bars in the US, and eventually sold to The Hershey Company. Before her time at ONE, she worked at Celestial Seasonings, THANASI Foods, and Gorton’s Seafood, always working across the marketing function to connect with consumers, build brands and scale marketing business models.

Erin earned her MBA at CU-Boulder and lives just outside of Boulder, with her husband, Nic, and 10-year-old English Bulldog, Fergie. In her spare time, she loves to travel, explore the amazing CO outdoors, and read books (the old school way!).

Jenna Fitch

Jenna Fitch is the Community and Conference Content Director at New Hope Network. In this role she is passionate about using education and community building to empower stakeholders in the natural and organic products industry. Prior to serving in this role, Jenna led digital content production for the NEXT Accelerator, an educational platform for entrepreneurs, as well as supported exhibitors and attendees as customer and exhibitor service representative for tradeshows and conferences such as Natural Products Expo West and NBJ Summit.

Dedicated to the outdoors, conscious leadership and using business for good, Jenna has also spent time learning from and supporting organizations such as the Outdoor Industry Association, Restorative Leadership Institute, CU Leeds Professional Mentorship Program, Camber Outdoors and the Lake Champlain Committee.

Jenna earned her MBA from the University of Colorado at Boulder, Leeds School of Business, as well as an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies with a certificate from the Program in Community Action and Public Policy from Connecticut College.

When not obsessing about sustainable packaging and soil health, you’ll likely find her hiking in Colorado with Oscar the Black Lab, playing beach volleyball or laughing out loud to Wait Wait… Don’t Tell me!

Joelle Trubowitz

John Simmons

Weller

As an entrepreneur with an eye for early trends, John has a passion for creating brands and establishing new innovations that ignite previously unknown categories. In 1995, he co-founded Third Street Chai and led it through its acquisition in 2013, paving the way for sustainable supply chain standards via Fair Trade and Certified Organic ingredients. With Weller, he is once again focused on developing interesting products that can help CBD’s wellness benefits go mainstream. John himself embraces a life of living well-er as a former professional bicycle racer who lives in Boulder, Colorado.

Justin Levy

Justin Levy is Executive Director of Conscious Alliance (consciousalliance.org), the Colorado-based national hunger relief organization that uses the connective power of art and music to feed communities in need. Levy was awarded the 2021 Industry Leader & Community Champ Award by Naturally Colorado and was formerly named a Top 25 Influential Young Professionals in ColoradoBiz GenXYZ Awards, and selected for BizWests 40 Under 40, among other accolades. He holds a degree in Service-Learning Program Development from Warren Wilson College.

Conscious Alliance combats hunger via strong relationships with like-minded brands and industry leaders, world-class musicians and artists, and service-driven local community partners and advocates. The organization focuses on expanding food distribution, improving food quality, diverting food waste, youth empowerment and volunteerism, and connecting people through the power of community.

Karyn Savory

My name is Karyn Savory and I am a brand connoisseur & alignment guide with an obsession for food. I currently reside here in Denver, though there are many places I could call home. I was lucky to grow up overseas, moving from one country to another, sampling all different cultures and experiences. Through my travels I’ve discovered that food is nourishing in many other ways than simply physiologically. It feeds our social and emotional needs as well.

In pursuit of combining this passion with purpose, I founded Sweet & Savory Designs to help food and beverage companies create top-shelf visual brands that provide joy and nourishment to their communities. Using my knowledge of the human experience, brand design psychology and a love for all things tasty, I collaborate with other passionate food & beverage entrepreneurs to help bring their dream to life.

Kazia Jankowski

Kazia is a deeply experienced, culinary-forward innovator and brand strategist in the CPG food & beverage industry. She brings a contemporary, multi-dimensional perspective to growth & strategy, innovation, brand, and insights. She has worked with emerging brands, established nat/org players, and multinationals (e.g. Annie’s, Once Upon A Farm, Bobo’s, Purely Elizabeth, Organic Valley, Danone, General Mills).

Kazia has a unique ability to define winning innovation that understands the consumer, grows the business and brand, and is actionable.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE:
► STRATEGY: White space territory development, category expansion strategy, retailer-specific innovation strategy, and product lifecycle management.
► INNOVATION: Innovation & product strategy, ideation, concept development & vetting, product pipeline development, and management of R&D and commercialization.
► BRAND: Brand positioning & architecture
► INSIGHTS: Category, consumer, and culinary insights to inform innovation, product, and brand strategy, positioning & launch, and product development.

Kelly Perkins

Kelly Perkins is the founder of Spinster Sisters Co. We are a conscious skincare brand in Golden, Colorado. We are a WBENC Certified Women-Owned and B Corp Certified business and consciously craft all of our skin, hair, and bath made with premium, plant-based ingredients, with a focus on plastic-free packaging, sustainability and great scents. Kelly grew up in Boulder, CO, and is an Eisenhower, Burbank, Fairview and CU alum (Go Buffs!).

Kelly has 30+ years of operations and logistics experience, including 10 years in CPG. Prior to starting Spinster Sisters Co, Kelly worked for the US Antarctic Program, a contractor to the National Science Foundation. Kelly spent time at both McMurdo Station on the coast of Antarctica, as well as time at the South Pole, doing budgeting and cost control for the building of the South Pole Station.

Outside of work, Kelly enjoys sailing, camping, hiking and reading. Travel is life to her, and she has made it her personal mission to try every spicy margarita and every conch fritter on the planet, to find the best. She has 2 dogs, and a super cute husband, and currently lives in Golden.

Kristine Root

As a leader, strategist, and culinary-minded optimist I work to empower social good and advance the cause of good food. I am passionate about delivering powerful strategies that propel growth for the bold visionaries and change-makers that are reimagining our food system and the role of food brands in systemic change.

Brand Strategy | Growth Strategy | Consumer Brands | Insights | Data Analysis | Stakeholder Engagement

Leslie Na

Michelle Lishnevsky

Rajesh Babu

Randy Gilbride

Randy Gilbride is the Vice President of Commercial Operations at Sunrise Strategic Partners, a growth equity investor primarily focused on the better-for-you food & beverage space. In his role at Sunrise, he focuses on new investment sourcing, due diligence, and partner company support.

Randy has over 15 years of experience in the CPG space, primarily working on emerging food and beverage brands. He joined Sunrise from Thanasi Foods, where he oversaw brand management functions for Duke’s Smoked Meats and BIGS Sunflower Seeds, leading to the company’s sale to Conagra during his tenure. Prior to Thanasi, Randy held senior marketing and innovation positions at Udi’s Gluten Free Foods before and after the business sold to Boulder Brands, and later to Pinnacle Foods. Randy holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Denver and a Bachelor of Arts from Colorado College.

Randy lives in Boulder, where he enjoys biking, skiing, camping, playing hockey, and spending time with his family.

Rick DeSimone

Rob Dunsworth

Shawn Edwards

I’m a strategic, entrepreneurial and creative thinker with a proven capability to both identify and leverage consumer insights to create game-changing growth strategies and innovations.

Through 25 years of consumer insight and brand strategy experience—including prior lives at Kraft, Clorox, and Microsoft—I’ve personally designed and managed nearly every type of custom qualitative and quantitative research. I’m also a research nerd. I’m passionately curious about why people do what they do. I get a kick out of finding that insight and then using it to help clients create big business building ideas.

While I’ve been lucky enough to play a part in many successful new product innovations, my best and most favorite launches are currently ages 22, 17, and 15.

Sindy Wise

Sindy brings 25 years of natural products experience to the Naturally Colorado Board. She currently serves as the Vice President of Research & Innovation for WishGarden Herbs.

Prior to her brand work, she worked for pioneering natural products retailers, including Wild Oats, Pharmaca and Lucky’s Markets. Sindy knows the wellness product space inside and out.

Balance to mind, body and spirit is important to her, so when not attending her kid’s sporting events, she practices Pilates, travels internationally exploring all things food and wine, and makes her own hard kombucha – because gut health is so important!

Tim Bradley

Senior level executive with a passion for building companies. Broad management experience in strategy, operations, sales, marketing, and a proven history of growth and profitability. Strong business acumen, energy, communication, and team skills.

SKILLS:
• Consumer Packaged Goods Business Leadership • Financial Management/Financial Modeling
• People, Team, and Culture Builder • Sales, Product Strategy/Product Management
• Operations Management • Capital Raise Management
• Build and motivate high-performing teams with clear goals and strategic focus on growth, profitability
• Create systems, processes, team, and alignment to foster high-growth performance
• Innovate, develop, launch, and grow product lines and brand extensions
• Restructure debt, operating agreements, capital tables; raise significant outside capital investment
• Turn around flat/declining companies to generate high sustained growth

Joan Boykin

Joan Boykin has +40 years of experience in the natural/organic products industry in consumer package goods, retail, publishing and nonprofits. She was formerly ED of The Organic Center and held leadership positions at The Hain Celestial Group, New Hope Network and Alfalfa’s and Wild Oat Markets. She’s been a Senior Consultant to WhiteWave Foods, Celestial Seasonings, Way Better Snacks, 1908 Brands, Goddess Garden, and many others. Joan was a founding member of The Organic Center and Naturally Colorado and was the recipient of Naturally Colorado’s Local Hero and Lifetime Achievement awards. In 2017, she was inducted into the “Hall of Legends” at Expo West.

Mark Retzloff

Senior partner with Boulder Farm Team, chairman of the board of Alfalfa’s Markets, co-founder and board member of Aurora Organic Dairy, co-founder and venture partner of Greenmont Capital Partners, former chairman of the board of The Organic Center and former president and co-founder of Horizon Organic Dairy. He is a recipient of Naturally Colorado’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the Organic Trade Association Lifetime Achievement Award and the Boulder Esprit Entrepreneur Lifetime Achievement Award.

Sylvia Tawse

A co-founder of Naturally Colorado and Naturally Network, Sylvia is founder and president of Fresh Ideas Group (FIG), a PR and Branding firm specializing in natural and organic since 1995 and representing some of the nation’s most dynamic brands, nonprofits and trade associations.  FIG has conducted “True Brand Storytelling” workshops and crisis communications for national and international CPG brands and many of the organic industry’s top nonprofits and trade groups. She received Naturally Colorado’s “Local Hero” award in 2017 and the Organic Trade Association’s ‘Organic Pioneer’ award. Sylvia and her husband, after 28 years of organic farming in Boulder County, now reside on two organic acres in Taos, NM.

Taylor Dewitt

Taylor joined Naturally Colorado in June of 2024 after living and working in the agriculture industry in Sydney, Australia. Taylor is passionate about sustainability and bringing tasty yet healthy (for people and the planet) foods to consumers in our Colorado community. She formerly worked as a Program Manager at the Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility at the Leeds School of Business in Boulder where she provided education, resources and networking opportunities to students pursuing a career in mission-driven business. Outside of work, you can find Taylor biking, exploring the outdoors, traveling, watching Steelers football or hanging out with her friends, family and cat Juju!

Kristine Carey

Kristine has spent years working in the natural and organics food and beverage space, with a background in brand strategy and a focus on working with pre-revenue startups and emerging brands to help build consistent messaging that connects with consumers, beyond products and services.

She loves the Naturally Colorado community and is excited to have the opportunity to work closer with members, brands, investors, service providers and Naturally Colorado partners!