In the News

Q & A with Ann Abernethy, RFL Academy 2012 alum Television broadcaster, real estate broker, and author — RFL alum, Ann Abernethy, never seems to slow down. After growing up in small-town Altus, Oklahoma, she went into television after college, working at the ABC affiliate in Oklahoma City, before moving to New York City to work on the air as a television broadcaster at ABC. Then, she headed across the country to Los Angeles, where she kept working for ABC while raising two kids and remodeling and selling houses on the side. In 2012, with her kids off to college, [...]

The 5 Characteristics of Authentic Leadership  What does it mean to be a leader? Most people identify having influence through one's job title as the primate trait, but there’s more to it! At RFL, we believe that anyone – regardless of their title or job description — can practice leadership. So, what are the hallmarks of a true leader?  Michael Hyatt, a leadership coach and former CEO of a $250 million publishing company, has some tips over on his blog, Full Focus: 1. Insight  Sometimes we refer to this as vision, but that usually refers to an ability to think about or plan [...]

Q & A with Kelly Brockett, RFL Academy and Mastermind Alum Kelly Brockett didn’t have much of a plan when she moved to the valley in 2008. An Indiana native, Brockett had lived in San Diego previously and after returning home for six months, she visited a friend in Aspen and decided to move shortly thereafter. After a series of odd jobs, she found her footing career-wise with the Snowmass Base Village in 2010 where she’s been ever since. Now a mom of two, Brockett credits RFL with boosting her confidence as a leader and re-igniting her passion for her [...]

Q & A with Alan Luu, RFL Academy 2020 June 11 2021Reese Henry PortraitsAspen MeadowsMatt Power Photography RFL alum, Alan Luu, first learned about Sacred Cycle through his civic project during RFL Academy 2020. Using his background as a graphic designer and marketing consultant, he, along with his team, helped the organization develop the “Healing our Community” message.  The experience evolved into a much deeper involvement as Luu realized Sacred Cycle’s mission to empower sexual assault survivors through cycling and the outdoors resonated. We chatted with Alan about how RFL helped him lean into areas of his life outside [...]

How to Cultivate a Successful Organization Organizations are often good at identifying specific problems and have a host of interventions designed to resolve them, but often lack broader institutional criteria or goals that companies need to thrive. First and foremost, organizations need to invest in leaders to help predict changes and develop leaders with the ability to adapt swiftly. During the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders’ adaptability proved essential as businesses closed and industries moved to remote work. For organizations to be effective in the post-pandemic environment, leaders need the skills to communicate effectively, problem-solve and modify decision-making approaches, and build a [...]

Q&A with Sarah Johnson RFL Academy alum Sarah R. Johnson is a Carbondale-based climate change and environmental educator (though you might also know her as the founder of the Carbondale Renegade Marching Band!). Through her business, Wild Rose Education, she designs and facilitates workshops, courses, and programs at the state, national, and international levels, including the award winning Youth Water Leadership Program, and Project Learning Tree Canada's Climate Change and Forests curriculum. We chatted with Sarah about how RFL gave her the confidence to leave a full-time position for a freelance career. More recently, the leadership skills she developed at [...]

Q & A with Scott Mattice, RFL Academy 2016 alum From road construction worker to ski instructor to working for local government, RFL Academy 2016 alum Scott Mattice has lived through a lifetime’s worth of career changes. Now the deputy director for the Pitkin County Public Works Department and a youth baseball coach, Mattice has drawn on the skills he learned through RFL to become a more resilient and self-aware leader. Recently, we chatted with Mattice about how RFL taught him to “show up” — both for his colleagues and the nine-year olds he coaches. Roaring Fork Leadership: How did you [...]

An RFL Academy 2023 civic project team was recognized in a Letter to-the Editor in the Post Independent for their hard work organizing a a fundraiser hang-out to benefit the Aspen Camp of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. The event took place before the April 14 Motet Concert at TACAW and raised over $5,000 from ticket sales, donations, and a silent auction. The team included RFL Academy 2023 members, Kristen Strope, Emily Pixberg, Hana Maclean, Alex Lincoln, Mark Viola and Tyler Stevens. The letter notes: "This ambitious group of individuals are valley residents who cared enough about helping the [...]

Q&A with Meiying Li, RFL Academy 2016 Meiying Li was born and raised in China and moved to Aspen in 1995. As a recent immigrant with no English skills, Meiying faced big barriers in the professional world, but in a matter of years, she had transitioned from working at a dry cleaner to her first job at Alpine Bank. Recently, Meiying was promoted to banking officer for Alpine Bank and remains committed to furthering her leadership training through RFL. After graduating from the Academy program in 2016, she returned to RFL this year as part of our Mastermind 9 women's [...]

What is the value of leadership training for a business? For Roaring Fork Valley-based real estate management firm, The Romero Group, leadership is more than a tidy corporate slogan; it’s built into company culture through its internal leadership team, made up of employees up and down the organization. Key to their success has been the firm's ongoing relationship with RFL — a relationship that began more than 20 years ago (long before The Romero Group existed!) when two of its founders, Jim Korpela and Dwayne Romero, went through the Academy program. When Korpela and Romero along with Shawn Gleason (RFL Academy [...]