Katie Glesne

With a Master’s degree in Education Policy and extensive experience in operations management and community engagement, I have devoted my career to improving educational systems and strengthening community ties. As the Director of Operations at the Downtown Denver Expeditionary School since relocating to Denver in 2012, I have successfully led initiatives in community outreach, fundraising, and media relations, while also managing financial sustainability, enrollment planning, and HR functions.

My commitment to social justice and community empowerment aligns with the board member position with CPUN, particularly on the Education Committee. My deep understanding of the challenges faced by large school districts from both administrative and parental perspectives enhance my capability to contribute effectively.

A resident of the Central Park neighborhood since 2022, I am an advocate for cooperative planning and community collaboration. Outside of my professional life, I enjoy traveling, exploring the arts, and spending quality time with my husband and two young children.

I’m eager to leverage my skills and passions to help CPUN drive forward its mission of creating an inclusive and vibrant community.

 

Kristen Fry

I have lived in Denver since 2000 and my family, and I made Central Park our home in 2015. Throughout my 20-year career with an international consulting company, I’ve traveled to 60 countries and lived in France, Australia, and the Philippines. My passions include financial and digital literacy, community safety, and raising our teens to be service-oriented and open-minded. I regularly volunteer at Senior Planet, Junior Achievement, and Northfield High School. I believe community is better when we work together. My adventures abroad help me to quickly find connections with people of diverse backgrounds and perspectives. I am excited for the opportunity to lean into my personal and professional experience to help shape the future of Central Park, where all feel welcome.

 

David Kugler

A story: Thirteen years ago, I was finishing up graduate school at the University of Denver (DU) when one of my colleagues asked me to dog and house sit for her. She lived in Central Park (then St*pleton). When I started the housesitting gig, I didn’t know where the neighborhood was, and after I finished, I didn’t want to return to the Tech Center, where I lived at the time. I swore after that moment in 2011 that at some point in my adulthood I would be able to live in Central Park.

Fast forward to July 2019… I returned to Denver (after living in Singapore, Washington DC, and Atlanta) where I have decided to establish permanent roots (well, as permanent as anything really is). I was doing another dog and house-sitting gig in October 2019 (this time for my cousin) when I desperately needed to get out of her house. I decided to research open houses happening that same afternoon, found one in my price range, and headed down I-70 E to exit Central Park Blvd, which hadn’t crossed over the highway the last time I spent any significant time in the neighborhood. I pulled up to the open house and walked in. Immediately, I knew this was the home where I wanted to “settle down.” Four and a half years later, I live about five blocks from my former DU co-worker, and I also am proud to call Central Park my forever home.

A bit about me: I lived in Denver from 2009-2013 before moving to Atlanta, Washington DC, and Singapore. I returned to Denver in July 2019 and moved into my North Central Park townhouse in December 2019. I have recently become full-time self-employed, running two businesses: a small business support services studio (human resources, bookkeeping, payroll, and some tax services) and an international comedy and politics podcast titled Call Me Limbo (that I’m oddly proud of because it honors and heals my inner child – we’ve had listeners in 38 countries to date!).

I’ve been interested in public service, government, and societal systems since I was a child because my identity as a gay man growing up in rural Western Nebraska was always political. When my family would visit Denver on vacation as a child, the anonymity of the city desperately called to me. Denver felt like a safe space for me to live and explore my truth, and I still feel that way about this city today. The desire for anonymity has waned as I actively seek to establish roots and community here in Central Park and the City & County of Denver. Even in this moment, I find myself showing up to provide mutual aid and advocate for systemic change wherever I can (most recently supporting our new immigrant arrivals coming from Central & South America, serving on my HOA Board, engaging with my city councilors on budget and public policy ideas, attending community meetings, and participating on Mayor Johnston’s Good Neighbor Agreement Committee) -AND- full disclosure… I aspire to become a paid public servant through elected office at some point in the future, and I believe that CPUN Board service would give me more experience investing in and practice advocating for our community.

 

Heather Tabano

I was born in Denver and have lived in Colorado nearly all my life. I remember when the area that is now Central Park was an airport and I couldn’t have imagined one day living here, enjoying parks, trails, and pools. After a time living out of state, a homecoming in 2022 brought me a renewed appreciation for this city. Central Park has so much to offer and my family is glad to live in Conservatory Green. So much has changed since the Denver of my childhood, but what remains the same is that this is an amazing place to live and I feel so grateful to be here.

I enjoy meeting new people and engaging in local issues through political volunteering and advocacy. I am part of a community climate panel for Denver City Council District 8 and I volunteer regularly at Project Angel Heart and serve on the Board for my neighborhood sub-HOA. My professional background is in health services research and I am proud to have earned my undergraduate and graduate degrees at Colorado universities.

I hope that membership on the board of CPUN will allow me to continue serving and advocating for our vibrant community.