Christine Rasmussen
Freelance Writer

Fireside Chat with Freelance Writer Christine Rasmussen
Tuesday, September 27 at 7:00 p.m.
Student Union Plaza Fireplace (outside)
Rain site: Student Union Ballroom Lounge (2nd floor)

Durango resident Christine Rasmussen is a freelance writer for magazines, newspapers, blogs, and web sites and a part-time project consultant for Region 9 Economic Development District of SW Colorado, where she helps with public relations/grant writing and education/workforce-related projects.

Christine has also worked in public education in various capacities and obtained a teaching license in Secondary Language Arts through the Colorado Department of Education’s Alternative Licensure Program. Additionally, she holds a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate, earned in 2005 from Bridge Linguatec Language Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she spent six months working as an ESL teacher. Christine earned a bachelor’s in print journalism (news-editorial emphasis) with an English minor from San Diego State University in 1996.

Christine’s journalism career includes stints at TransWorld Snowboarding magazine, San Diego Magazine, and the Four Corners Business Journal.  She currently freelances for various publications, blogs and web sites, such as the Durango Telegraph, stokelab.com, sbdcfortlewis.org, julbousablog.com, and primaloft.com.

Currently, she is administering a project for Region 9 called the STEM Internship Program of SW Colorado, which places high school students in jobs where they can learn Science, Technology, Engineering and Math-related skills in successful businesses, allowing them to gain insight into STEM careers and establish relationships with local employers.

A self-proclaimed “snowboard bum,” Christine has lived in the mountains since 1997, from Mammoth Lakes in the California Sierras to Steamboat and Breckenridge in the Colorado Rockies, holding many different jobs along the way (snowboard instructor, portrait photographer, waitress, retail minion).

Christine’s road to having a professional job in a “mountain town” was a long one, as she has committed herself to making time for the outdoor pursuits she loves and doing challenging work that she’s passionate about – an ongoing process, to be sure!

Christina Rinderle
Durango Mayor

Fireside Chat with Mayor Christina Rinderle
Thursday, September 29 at 7:00 p.m.
Student Union Plaza Fireplace (outside)
Rainsite: Student Union Ballroom Lounge (2nd floor)

After receiving her B.S. in Environmental Science from Purdue University, Christina Rinderle joined a network of talented researchers, biologists, and designers and helped to create the first native plants nursery and nature preserve for the Colorado River Indian Tribes in southern Arizona, which now serves as the model for wetland, riparian and upland restoration on the lower Colorado River and the entire southwestern region. In 1999, Christina moved to Durango to work as botanist and researcher for Ecosystem Management International. Then during her time working as an office manager in a renovated building downtown, Christina discovered her passion for in-fill, green building practices, and reuse of centrally located space. 

Christina managed office building renovations and live/work project development along Main Avenue in the heart of downtown at Crossroads Durango, and currently works as a broker at The Wells Group, where she is passionate about connecting people in the community with their perfect home or office. Her involvement in the community includes graduating from 2003-2004 Leadership La Plata class, facilitating local and national team building and leadership programs, and volunteering for non-profits such as Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Women’s Resource Center. Christina was also selected as one of the 2009 Center for Progressive Leadership Fellows, a non-partisan, statewide leadership development program. She currently serves on the executive board of the La Plata County Economic Alliance and represents Durango on the statewide level as an executive board member of the Colorado Municipal League. 

Christina loves hiking, biking, and running throughout the area, sharing great local food with friends, and camping with her dog Baxter.

Dr. Barbara Morris
Provost, Fort Lewis College

Fireside Chat with Provost Dr. Barbara Morris
Wednesday, November 16 at 7:00 p.m.
Student Union Ballroom Lounge (2nd floor)

Dr. Barbara Morris was offered and accepted the position of provost and vice president of Academic Affairs at Fort Lewis College, to begin July 1, 2011.

“I’m very excited about this opportunity to serve at a public liberal arts college with such a unique and special mission to serve Native Americans,” Dr. Morris says. “Given my experience at both private and public institutions that offer personalized education, I feel that I can be an asset to Fort Lewis College in its goal of offering students the best education possible.”

Dr. Morris holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from San Diego State University and master’s and Ph.D. degrees in political science from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

“Barbara Morris is enthusiastic and committed to the FLC mission. She understands our liberal arts mission as well as our historic commitment to Native American education,” says President  Dene Thomas. “Dr. Morris believes in the importance of a personalized education for each student. I am very excited about the opportunity to work with her."

With her acceptance, Dr. Morris becomes Fort Lewis College’s first provost in more than 15 years, its first woman provost and the institution’s first Native American provost.