College of Business Boards

Thomas Aicher, Dean, College of Business

Dr. Tommy Aicher is Dean of the College of Business at UCCS. Tommy joined the Sport Management faculty in August 2018, became the Associate Dean for the College of Business in July 2022, and began serving as Dean in December 2022. Prior to arriving at UCCS, he was an Associate Professor at the University of Cincinnati, where he served in a variety of leadership roles.

From 2014 to 2017, Tommy served as the program director for the Sport Administration program at the University of Cincinnati, which consisted of Bachelor of Science (~350 students) and Master of Science (~19 students) degrees in Sport Administration and employed nine full-time and 12 adjunct faculty members. He led the development and proposal process for the master’s program and created several strategic partnerships with organizations to support students’ experiential learning opportunities and program funding. Tommy also served as the College Faculty Senate president (2014–2017) for the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services and transitioned into the role of college senator for the University of Cincinnati’s Faculty Senate (2017–2018). In addition, he served on the university’s Academic Advisory Council for the athletic department and on the review council of the Office of the Vice President for Research’s Review Council.

Tommy also serves his discipline in several roles. Currently, he is the president of the North American Society of Sport Management (NASSM). He has served NASSM in several different roles continuously since 2009. From 2017–2021, he served as the co-editor for the Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics, and in 2021 he became the editor of Sport Management Review. Tommy serves on the board of the Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado and of the Colorado Springs Chamber and Economic Development Council. He is also member of the Pikes Peak Community College Hospitality Management Advisory Board, and has worked with the Retail and Hospitality Sector Formation Discussion and Hospitality Employer Focus Group in Colorado Springs.

Tommy earned a BS in marketing management from Virginia Tech and an MS and PhD in kinesiology with an emphasis in sport management from Texas A&M University. He has been widely published in leading sport management journals and has made significant contributions to consumer behavior, event leveraging, and diversity in sport. He is an accomplished educator, scholar, and business leader.

Tommy enjoys running, and lives in Colorado Springs with his wife, Ally, and his two daughters, Alyvia and Arya.

David Balcom, Chief Operating Officer & Board Member, Freudenberg Medical

David is a Medical Device and BioTech Executive with nearly 20 years of experience in the industry. Joining the Advisory Board in 2022, he brings expertise in Strategy, Operations and Finance. David is also a United States Army veteran who served as an officer on active duty in the immediate aftermath of 9/11.

Prior to joining Freudenberg Medical, David held senior business leadership roles with St. Jude Medical, Abbott, Cirtec Medical and Harvard Bioscience, where he gained exposure to emerging technologies and therapies addressing today’s most challenging medical diseases and conditions.

David has previously served as Treasurer and Board Trustee for Code Savvy, a non-profit based in Minnesota that specializes in providing computer science opportunities to underserved communities and equips educators with the knowledge, skills and support to create with technology. He also previously served as Chairman, Treasurer and Board Member for Bold Idea, another computer science non-profit serving the Dallas area.

David holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the United States Military Academy and a M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.

Robert Dunn, Partner, Software & Technology Practice, H.I. Executive Consulting

Robert is a Partner in H.I.E.C's Software & Technology Practice, covering executive searches across all asset classes and growth stages. He has over thirty years of experience working with growth-oriented technology companies as an operator, advisor, and investor. He has built the entire G&A function multiple times, advised startups from infancy, overseen a range of financing rounds as well as seeing firms through successful acquisitions four times, most recently VMware’s $375 million acquisition of Wavefront. Robert most recently served as COO of tech unicorn Lacework.

Robert attended UCCS, studying accounting and business. In many ways, Robert typified the type of student that UCCS serves. Robert could not afford to attend the dorm-based colleges but was happy to work while pursuing his education locally at UCCS. During his last two years at UCCS, due to the kind recommendation of one of the accounting professors, Robert was able to land a part-time job at a start-up based in Colorado Springs. From that opportunity, Robert was able to gain real-word experience and combine that with the academic knowledge that he continued to acquire in his studies in the Business College.

Shortly after college, Robert was hired by the DoD’s Defense Contract Audit Agency, which relocated him to Mountain View, CA. Robert then began to work for technology start-ups in the Silicon Valley and San Francisco. Robert has work for or worked with (as advisor, investor or board member) nearly twenty technology companies. Robert worked with many of the major venture capital firms such as Sequoia Capital, Kleiner Perkins, Shasta Ventures, Tenaya Capital and Sutter Hill Ventures. Currently Robert is the CFO of Valimail Inc (www.valimail.com) and sits on the board of directors of Emtrain (www.emtrain.com).

Robert has a BSBA in Accounting, a Master’s in Economics, and is a graduate of the Stanford Executive Program. He is also a CMA. He is an avid reader of great literature (Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Dickens, Shakespeare, Steinbeck, Hemingway, Hugo, et al), a layman economist (Smith, Marshall, Coase, Veblen, Schumpeter, Hayek), and an enthusiastic bicyclist.

Danielle Gaffney, Tax Manager & Partner, Stockman Kast Ryan + Company

A transplant from California, Danielle Gaffney graduated with her Bachelor’s from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs in 2013 and her Master‘s in Taxation from North Eastern University in 2019. Danielle currently serves as Tax Manager with Stockman Kast Ryan + Company (SKR+CO), an accounting firm in Colorado Springs, and has been in public accounting since 2013. She enjoys creating connections with her clients and explaining the tax ramifications of their current and future business strategies. She works primarily with groups of closely held entities and the individual owners. She prides herself on her organization skills and prompt communication, as time can be of the essence when it comes to tax planning.

Danielle is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Colorado Society of Certified Public Accountants (COCPA), the Southern Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce and the Colorado Springs chapter of the W Source. She currently serves as a board member + a financial committee member for the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum and is on the UCCS College of Business Dean’s Community Advisory Board. Danielle formerly served as the treasurer on the board of directors for Colorado Springs Rising Professionals. A passionate supporter of the Colorado Springs community, Danielle was honored as a Rising Star in 2020.

In her spare time, Danielle enjoys traveling, visiting museums with her son and husband, and hosting summer BBQs.

Cecilia Harry, Vice President of Economic Development, SizeUp

Cecilia Harry is a dynamic leader and economic development professional with over 12 years of impacting economic development outcomes in dozens of communities and regions across the country. She relocated from Wisconsin to Colorado Springs in 2019 with a commitment to serving the Pikes Peak region with her economic development expertise.

Cecilia is Vice President of Economic Development at SizeUp, a Fintech Internet service company dedicated to empowering communities and economic development organizations to provide powerful business intelligence to small businesses and entrepreneurs. She works remotely and is proud to continue to choose Colorado Springs as her family’s home.

She is a certified economic developer (CEcD), and her leadership experience as a practitioner spans multiple states and markets. Most recently, she served as Chief Economic Development Officer at the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC. She also led a merger between the local economic development and chamber organizations as the first CEO of Envision Greater Fond du Lac (Wisconsin). Cecilia’s economic development leadership also includes the Greater Omaha, Nebraska region and Leavenworth, Kansas, as well as consulting experience with economic development, chamber, and government clients in 10 states.

Locally, Cecilia serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council for UCCS’s College of Business (since 2020) and as a member of Colorado Springs’s Urban Renewal Authority (since 2023). She is a graduate of the Colorado Springs Leadership Institute (2023) and was a finalist for the Mayor's Young Leader Awards (2022).

Nationally, Cecilia’s board and leadership experience also involves service on the board of directors for the International Economic Development Council, the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, and the Association of the Chamber of Commerce Executives Foundation. She is one of only a few professionals who have received national 40 Under 40 recognition for both the economic development and chamber of commerce industries.

Eric Hipkins, Managing Director, Deloitte & Touche LLP

Eric Hipkins is an experienced executive, entrepreneur and founder with significant experience in building and leading high- performance teams across the computer and network security industry. Focused on overachieving metrics including revenue, retention, product development, innovation, and overall market share growth. Skilled in strategic business operations across the public and private sector product and services portfolio. Eric is a senior Intelligence professional with expert skills in cyber product development, cyber operations, cyber defense, threat intelligence and network security operations. As the founder and CEO of root9B, Eric first introduced the concept of threat hunting to commercial markets as early as 2013 with the development of the Edison award-winning ORION HUNT platform and Edison award-winning Hunt-as-a-Service (HaaS).

A military veteran, Eric is an accomplished cybersecurity, intelligence, linguistics and cryptology professional with more than 25 years of specialization in advanced cybersecurity and technical intelligence operations for the defense, Intelligence and commercial communities. Among various senior positions in U.S. Intelligence, special programs and special operations, his assignments included direct support to the President of the United States of America and members of Congress.

Eric is a graduate of NSA’s premier internship program and is professionalized by the National Security Agency (NSA) as an Intelligence Analyst and adjunct faculty. He is the recipient of the distinguished Knowlton Award for significant intelligence contributions to the United States of America. He is a former member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council’s Cybersecurity subcommittee and currently serves as a member of the Forbes Technology Council. He holds a master’s degree in computer resources and information management and maintains numerous professional cybersecurity certifications.

Steve Kaczmarek, CEO/Founder, Borealis Fat Bikes, Chair - Dean's Community Advisory Board

Steve is a passionate outdoorsman, and he coupled his love for the outdoors, and his Colorado go to activity, mountain biking, to create his company Borealis Fat Bikes. He was awarded Startup Company of the Year in 2013 by the Colorado Springs Regional Business Alliance and World’s Leaders, World’s 10 Most Successful Business Leaders Making a Difference in 2022 for his company.

Outside of Fat Bikes, Steve is a dedicated partner of UCCS. He serves as Chair of the Dean’s Community Advisory Board for UCCS College of Business, has been a board member since 2014, and is a longtime lecturer at UCCS. Steve lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado with his partner, Christianna Kaczmarek who is an instructor for the School of Medicine at CU Anschutz Medical Campus. Steve has a son, Reilly who is a junior studying Geology at the CU Boulder and a daughter, Sarah who is a freshman studying Health Sciences at the University of Puget Sound.

Eric King, Attorney, Miles & Stockbridge

Mr. King is a graduate of the UCCS Master of Business Administration (MBA) program and is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma national business honor society. Throughout his career, Eric has applied his technical, engineering, business, legal, and leadership skills with a passion for supporting, protecting, and identifying technical innovation, inventors, and new products and emerging technologies.

Eric also earned a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California, and holds a Juris Doctor degree with Honors from the George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C. He is a principal in the Intellectual Property Practice Group at the law firm Miles & Stockbridge P.C., where he provides intellectual property counseling and legal services to clients ranging from large corporations to early-stage entrepreneurs. He also served as co-leader of the firm’s IP Practice Group for several years and has been recognized for contributions to various firm management committees including Compensation, Nominating, Strategic Planning and Leadership, and Innovation. His law practice includes representing domestic and foreign companies in matters involving patent preparation, acquisition, enforcement, and prosecution as well as trademarks, copyrights, licensing and other business matters that arise in those technical fields, such as due diligence analysis and counseling for corporate acquisitions.

Mr. King is a registered patent attorney with experience in multiple technical fields, including artificial intelligence, electrical and electronic systems, telecommunications, computers and computer systems, microprocessors, microcontrollers, power electronics, wireless technologies, spread spectrum radio, cryptographic systems, medical devices, aeronautical, software and computer-related inventions, robotics, and financial services. Peer-selected honors he has received include Best Lawyers in America® for 2024, Virginia Business Magazine’s Legal Elite for 2020, and Virginia Super Lawyers® for 2009-2011. Eric is a past-president of the Northern Virginia Patent Lawyers Club and is a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Becky Medved, Chief Executive Officer, Peak Age

For more than seven years Becky Medved has partnered with Dr. Sara Qualls to facilitate the technology transfer of intellectual property generated through the Aging Initiative at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

Becky Medved is retired COO and President of RCSPros, LLC, a web-based electronic health record (EHR) technology company providing senior housing with care and medications management, communications, and data sharing solutions. The Resident Care Systems (RCS) application was developed over six years by a team of gerontology, senior housing and IT experts with a deep understanding of how to support integrated person-centered care in Assisted Living and other long term care facilities.

Medved brings 35 years of executive level corporate experience in direct marketing, corporate communications and PR, operations and finance to the business including eight years in a successful business startup.

Becky remains active in the community. In addition to serving as a member and past chair of the UCCS College of Business Dean’s Community Advisory Board, she is a Director on the University of Colorado Foundation Board and was elected in 2022 to a two- year term as Vice Chair. She is a member of the Ent Center Community Advisory Board and serves as a Director on the UCCS-Centura Health Athletes’ Medicine and Performance (U-CHAMP) Board.

Becky completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Colorado at Boulder and received an MBA from UCCS. Becky and her husband Jon Medved, retired CEO, enjoy traveling, hiking, theatre, skiing and spending time with friends and family.

Harry Salzman, Broker, Salzman Real Estate Services

In 1978, Harry founded The Salzman Group, LTD in Colorado Springs, specializing in all facets of Residential Real Estate. Throughout Harry’s career, he has devoted time giving back to the community that has given him so much. He has served and is currently serving on numerous boards such as the Colorado Springs City Council Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee, the Foundation Director for the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity Foundation, Inc., and Government Affairs Committee for the Pikes Peak Association of Realtors. These are only three of the eleven committees on which he currently serves. He is Past President of the National Relocation Directors Council and a member of Worldwide Employee Relocation Council.

Harry has achieved every first-place award in the local Real Estate community from Realtor Salesman of the Year to Homebuilders Association Salesman of the Year. The Peak Producers Group named him as one of the top producers in the Pikes Peak area. And, as a member of the National Association of Realtors since 1972 and the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce (now the Regional Business Alliance) since 1973, he has been able to assure high quality ethical service for his clients when they are seeking to buy, sell, invest, or relocate.

Prior to his long, distinguished career in the Residential and Relocation Real Estate arena, Harry earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance from Arizona State University. He then graduated from the Real Estate Institute at the University of Colorado. Other designations are: Certified Residential Specialist from the National Association of Realtors; Certified Relocation Professional from Worldwide Employee Relocation Council and E-PRO Internet Professional. His career right out of college began in Investment Banking. That background continues to play an important role in working with his clients, enabling him to find not only the best home, but also the best financing for their particular needs and situations.

Harry is married to Carol who he has known since he was 14 years old and enjoys spending his free time at his Summit County home where he attends concerts, hikes and simply takes in the “Rocky Mountain High”.

Craig Smith, Chief Revenue Officer, Angi

Craig Smith is a fourth-generation Coloradan raised in Colorado Springs with a deep appreciation for his home state. He currently lives in Denver with his wife Amy and three children – Elle, Colin, and Brendan.

Craig graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs in 1997 with a degree in Finance. Craig earned a fellowship with El Pomar Foundation in Colorado Springs where he helped manage the endowment for three years. After completing the Fellowship program, he joined a technology and online marketplace in Denver called ServiceMagic, now known as Angi. In 2017, the company merged with Angie’s List and went public on the NASDAQ under the symbol ANGI. At age 33, he was named a Colorado Biz “COO of the Year” finalist and helped earn the company top honors as CTA Technology’s “Company of the Year.” Craig was instrumental in building the leading online home improvement marketplace in the world.

In 2020, after two decades of leadership at ANGI, Craig announced he is transitioning from the corporate world to philanthropy. He is energized and excited to focus on his lifelong passion for increasing opportunities for at-risk children and enhancing the neighborhoods where they live and play. Based on his own childhood youth sports experiences, Craig believes deeply that participation in athletics teaches critical life lessons and builds character and resiliency. To that end, he hopes the next 20 years of his career will focus on increasing access to youth basketball and baseball programs -- and supporting children in need --regardless of their economic standing or athletic skill level.

Craig’s roots in the not-for-profit community run deep. In addition to volunteering with several youth sports programs here in Colorado and Florida, he is a founding member of the Colorado Inclusive Economy. In addition, Craig serves at the board or leadership level for several well-known community organizations including the Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation, UCCS College of Business, Rocky Mountain PBS, and Employers Council, and was recently named to the University of Colorado Board of Trustees.

Craig was a member of the Colorado Governors Fellowship program and received the first-ever Governor's Citizenship Medal recognizing his professional excellence and positive impact on the Colorado community.

Gene Sullivan, Retired

Presently retired, Gene spent 39 years in banking. His responsibilities included commercial banking and community banking. Gene was hired and completed formal credit training at United Bank of Denver in 1981. Gene joined the commercial bank group and eventually rose to the position of Vice President. After being acquired by Norwest Bank in 1991, Gene became Business Banking Manager in Boulder, Colorado in 1992 and later Community Banking President for Boulder County, managing the business and retail banking operations for the county. In 2005, Gene accepted the position of Regional President in Southern Colorado (Wells Fargo as successor) responsible for 425 team members and 23 locations. In 2007 Gene relocated to Denver and the commercial bank as Regional Vice President of Commercial Banking for the states of Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. Gene retired from Wells Fargo in 2019.

After graduating from UCCS in 1978, Gene spent two years with The Western Casualty and Surety underwriting performance and payment bonds before transitioning to banking.

In addition to a position on the UCCS College of Business Dean’s Community Advisory Board, Gene served on many boards including Boulder Chamber of Commerce, Boulder Downtown Business Association, The Colorado Music Festival, The Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce, Colorado Springs YMCA, and The Colorado Chamber of Commerce (fka The Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry).

In retirement, Gene is enjoying golf, cycling, fly fishing, Pickleball, traveling, grandkids and reading.

James "Jim" Waldrop, Retired Businessperson & Entrepreneur

Currently, Jim uses his extensive leadership experience across multiple industries to help early-stage companies achieve their desired goals. As a retired U.S. Air Force officer, business executive and serial entrepreneur over the past 45 years, he has led and/or founded and successfully exited companies in the technology, construction, and real estate sectors from startups to multi-billion-dollar revenue corporations. Besides his organizational leadership experience, he has raised multiple rounds of equity/debt capital, worked with venture capital funds and traditional lending institutions, and worked with investment banking firms to negotiate multiple M&A events.

Since 2016, Jim has served as an advisory board member and mentor to several angel investment networks including the Thunderbird School of Global Management Angel Investment Network (TAN), Arizona State University – Thunderbird Angel Investment Network (InvestU), and the Venture Attractor at UCCS where he also serves as a mentor.

From 1999 through 2016 Jim founded, led, and successfully exited an Internet startup company, HomeSphere, Inc., a two-sided-marketplace technology entrant serving the building product manufacturer and residential construction communities. From 1995 to 1998, he served as CEO of Cathy Global Investments, an international family office with investments in numerous companies across multiple business sectors. Previously, he served from 1984 to 1995 as EVP of Pulte Homes, Inc. a multi-billion-dollar residential construction company (NYSE: PHM). He also served as president for various of its subsidiaries and affiliates including a large national mortgage company and regional homebuilding affiliate. Prior to that experience, Jim served in the international oil and gas industry in technology leadership roles.

Jim holds an MBA from the University of Colorado and a BS from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio where he also served on its School of Applied Science Advisory Board from 1986 to 1991.His experience includes being a member of the National Association of Homebuilders Information Technology Committee for several years. He has been an invited guest speaker at several universities and national construction and technology conferences. Jim is also a retired United States Air Force lieutenant colonel (active duty 1969 – 1975; reserves 1976 – 1990).

Deborah Wheeler, Global Chief Information Systems Officer, Delta Air Lines

Deborah is a passionate Information Technology Executive whose career focus has been on the protection and privacy of information and information assets, as well as on technology innovation, education and awareness.

As the current Global Chief Information Security Officer for Delta Air Lines, Deborah brings more than 25 years of cyber security expertise, information technology risk management and data privacy experiences to the aviation sector. Deborah is a Board Director for the Aviation Information Sharing and Analysis Center and the Vice-Chair of A4A’s Cyber Security Council.

Deborah has applied her experience and skills in information technology risk management and cybersecurity in building security programs for PNC Bank, Fifth Third Bank, JPMorgan-Chase, Ally Financial, and Freddie Mac in addition to her work at Delta.

Deborah also serves as an independent Board Member for SERC Reliability Corporation, as a Board Trustee for Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School, and serves on the Customer Advisory Boards for Proofpoint, Sailpoint, Crowdstrike, and ForcePoint Software companies. Deborah was inducted into the 2022 CISO Hall of Fame and has been recognized on the 2021 and 2022 Top 100 CISOs list by CISOs Connect, the 2020 Cyber Defense CISO 100 list, and was also recognized as the 2007 ISE CISO People’s Choice Award winner for CISO of the year.

Deborah holds a CISSP certification and is a graduate of the University of Colorado with a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Systems Management.

Deborah resides in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and two of her four children. She enjoys the great outdoors and is an avid gardener and quilter in her spare time.

Jane Young, President & CEO, More Than Your Money, Inc

Jane Young is a Certified Financial Planner and President of More than Your Money, Inc. She has been a financial planner since 1996, and is enrolled to practice before the Internal Revenue Service. Jane provides integrated financial planning including investment management, retirement planning, and tax planning and preparation. She is also a personal finance columnist with the Colorado Springs Gazette. Prior to becoming a financial planner, Jane held several management positions at Digital Equipment Corporation and Quantum Corporation, where she worked for 14 years. Jane holds a BS in Business Administration and an MBA from the University of Colorado.

Jane is very active in the community. She is a past president of the Rotary Club of Colorado Springs and a past president of Leadership Pikes Peak. She is a graduate of the Leadership Pikes Peak class of 2004, the Financial Planning Association of Southern Colorado, and the Pikes Peak Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners. Jane is also the past Chairperson of the UCCS College of Business (COB) Alumni Leadership Team. She is a 2009 graduate of the Leadership Program of the Rockies and a 2011 graduate of the Colorado Springs Leadership Institute.

Jane currently serves on the Dean’s Community Advisory Board for the COB and is the Vice President of the Estate Planning Council of Colorado Springs. She is a previous board member of the Colorado Springs Leadership Institute, a member of the Rotary Club of Colorado Springs, and a member of the Southern Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce. Jane is also active in several financial planning organizations.

Jane was selected as a 2010 Woman of Influence by the Colorado Springs Business Journal and was nominated for the 2014 Athena Award by the Colorado Springs Regional Business Alliance. She also received the Colorado Springs Gazette’s 2014 ‘Best of the Springs’ Silver Award for Best Financial Planner. In 2018 Jane was featured in Living Well magazine as a ‘Woman Who Inspires’. Jane has been quoted in several local and national publications including The Wall Street Journal, US News and World Report, Consumer Reports, Investment News, MSN Money, Kiplinger Magazine, Money Magazine, Financial Advisor Magazine, Bankrate.com, and the Colorado Springs Business Journal.

Jane is from St. Louis, but grew up in Colorado Springs and enjoys skiing, golfing, traveling, painting, and studying French.