Board of Directors
Elizabeth C. Cook, Founder, President, Director
Libby Cook, founder and Executive Director of Philanthropiece, brings her entrepreneurial background, expertise and vision to the work of the foundation. Ms. Cook has 25 years experience in the natural foods grocery industry having co-founded and led both Wild Oats Markets and Sunflower Markets. Ms. Cook also served as General Counsel for the businesses from 1987-2005 and holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Colorado School of Law and a Masters of Laws in Taxation from the University of Denver. She is the recipient of numerous commendations and awards including the Alumni Award for Distinguished Achievement from the CU School of Law in 2000, the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 1998, the YWCA Hall of Fame Award for Entrepreneurship in 1995 and the Esprit Entrepreneur Award in 1992. Throughout her business career Ms. Cook has been actively involved in the field of education founding and serving on the boards of several local private and public charter schools in Boulder, Colorado. She currently serves on Advisory Boards for The University of Colorado School of Law, the Center for the Advancement of Sustainable Enterprise (CASE) at Colorado State University, Silicon Flatiron Centers' Entrepreneurship Initiatives Board at the University of Colorado , Startup Colorado and provides advice and support to the Entrepreneurial Law Clinic at the University of Colorado School of Law. Ms. Cook has lived and traveled abroad extensively, is multi-lingual and is dedicated to community empowerment projects in North and Central America.
Joan M. Knudson, Vice President, Director
Joanie Knudson has served as Co-Executive Director of Philanthropiece since 2005. She brings a professional background in public accounting with over 25 years experience specializing in small business and individual income taxation. In addition to her business career Ms. Knudson has had a lifelong commitment to volunteerism and community service work with an emphasis on working with youth. She has served as Director of Youth for local community programs serving middle and high school students and has experience with all aspects of nonprofit program development and management. Ms. Knudson has a long history of advocacy work in Boulder, Colorado including working with the Boulder Valley School District, Community Food Share, Emergency Family Assistance Association, Stand Up for Kids, and The Boulder County Homeless Shelter. She has a deep interest in learning about, and from, other cultures, in particular the indigenous cultures of North and Central America. She hopes to one day be fluent in Spanish.
Advisory Board Members
Rebecca Battenfelder
Becca Battenfelder graduated from the School of Natural Resources with a focus in Recreation Management and Community Development at the University of Vermont. Her education was supplemented with project-based studies both domestically and internationally. In Vermont, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua and Belize, Ms. Battenfelder worked in small, rural communities with a concentration on sustainable development and tourism. Her projects focused on community assessment, sustainable agriculture, place-based education, sustainable tourism, impact assessment, and business strategy for community-based eco-tourism operations. In addition, Ms. Battenfelder worked as the editor and manager for Boulderspace, a design and development blog, and currently works as the Enrollment Coordinator and Office Manager for Global Works, a Boulder-based business founded in 1990 that provides meaningful community service, language, cultural exchange and adventure programs for high school students and custom groups in seventeen countries. Ms. Battenfelder's skills in service learning, green marketing, outreach, and event planning are great assets to the Philanthropiece Advisory Board. As well, her passion in working alongside youth to develop leadership skills through field based experience is put to great use as she serves as the Co-Coordinator for our
Youth Global Leadership program.
Catherine Cook
Catherine Cook brings 16 years of experience in the medical field to Philanthropiece. Her background includes Medical, Surgical and Critical Care Nursing. Ms. Cook has enjoyed many years of collaborative nursing with the Palo Alto VA Medical Center, currently the teaching hospital for the Stanford University Medical Program. She has also participated in the medical device research field holding the position of Clinical Research Associate with the Nellcor/Tyco Corporation.
Morning Glory Farr
Morning Glory Farr brings a background in journalism and nonprofit development to the Philanthropiece board. After studying journalism at the University of Colorado, Boulder, she co-founded the Denver VOICE, a nonprofit organization which publishes a street newspaper under the same name. The Denver VOICE works to offer economic, educational and empowerment opportunities for members of impoverished and homeless communities. Ms. Farr has also been an active volunteer in the Boulder area, working with groups such as the Center for Resource Conservation, CU Boulder's Environmental Education Center, the Urban Organics Greenhouse and New Era Colorado. She spent 2009 living and working with Philanthropiece in Laguna San Ignacio as a community liaison, where she helped start an environmental education program involving visiting scientists, local schools and ecotourism outfitters. Ms. Farr then moved to Guatemala, where she worked with Philanthropiece's partner organization, Limitless Horizons Ixil. She is interested in encouraging self-sufficiency and sustainable development for communities in need through environmental education initiatives and responsible agricultural practices.
Rachel Fuchs
Rachel Fuchs is a Boulder native and has traveled throughout Central America. Ms. Fuchs served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica with the Community Economic Development program. In Costa Rica, she worked with locals on planning income-generating projects as well as on developing the skill-sets necessary to personal and community advancement. She has experience in adult English education in both formal and non-formal settings-domestically and abroad. Ms. Fuchs studied Economics and Public Policy at The University of Chicago where she was involved in local community issues facing immigrants. She currently works at Intercambio Uniting Communities, a local non-profit whose mission is to bridge cultural and community divides and broaden opportunities for immigrants through volunteer-based language instruction and community events. Rachel's interest in working with Philanthropiece is on projects that are socially and economically empowering, particularly for women.
Lee Lazar
Lee Lazar has a long term, rich relationship with the education community. She has over 20 years experience in teaching and is currently a middle-school teacher with the Boulder Valley School District in Boulder, Colorado. She is a long time resident of Boulder, Colorado, and attended school in the Boulder Valley Public School District. Ms. Lazar is a three-time graduate of the University of Colorado, including the School of Law. She is a member of the Colorado Bar Association. In 1999, she co-founded the Sojourner School, a charter school approved by the Boulder Valley School Board. Sojourner's mission was to unite middle school youth with their community and to promote personal growth and transformation through service-learning and other experience-based activities. Ms. Lazar's interest in working with Philanthropiece is to foster global leadership among area young people through local and international service.
Julie Moyle
Julie Moyle is a nurse with 25 years of clinical, administrative and consulting experience in surgical services. She received her BSN from Vanderbilt University and her Masters in Nursing Administration from Duke University. In 2003, Ms. Moyle opened and managed the Suregery Department of the first LEED certified hospital in the United Sates. Ms. Moyle is the owner of 1x1 Consulting, a consulting firm which assists healthcare facilities interested in implementing environmentally sustainable practices. She is interested in issues that focus on environmental sustainability, social justice, global health and community empowerment. She is interested in working with Philanthropiece on initiatives that promote personal health and preserve natural resources.
Nancy Stevens
Nancy Stevens has 30 years of experience in the financial services industry serving individuals, families, family foundations, and non-profit organizations. Ms. Stevens is currently Chairman of First Western Trust Bank, Boulder, a private bank providing investment and wealth management services in the Boulder community. Ms. Stevens received her MBA from the University of Tennessee where she was an R.S. Tucker Fellowship recipient. She received a BA degree and graduated magna cum laude from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. In addition to serving on the Philanthropiece board, Ms. Stevens is a Trustee of the Boulder Community Hospital Foundation, a past President of Impact On Education, a past Chairperson of the Community Foundation Serving Boulder County and the Boulder Chamber of Commerce's Esprit Entrepreneur, and served on the board of E-Town. As a long-time Vipassana meditator she is interested in helping others discover the benefits of meditation. Ms. Stevens is dedicated to encouraging philanthropy within our local community for the good of all.
