Oli Sanidas is the Executive Director of Arapahoe Libraries, overseeing services for a community of over 250,000 patrons. His leadership has launched pivotal initiatives such as the ``Library as Showroom`` project, which exposes patrons to emerging technologies like virtual reality devices and 3D printers, fostering interactive learning and digital literacy. Under his direction, the expansion of the library’s electronic media platforms has significantly increased circulation by introducing a range of downloadable and streaming media services.

Oli’s career began in Hollywood, blending creativity with a strong background in technology management. He earned a Master’s in Technology Management from the University of Denver. His experience includes significant roles in digital service leadership and improving technology infrastructure. Previously, Oli served on the boards of the Early Excellence Program of Denver and the Technology Partnership in Kenya, focusing on educational and technological access initiatives. His dedication to leveraging technology for community empowerment has been recognized with several national awards and highlighted through his impactful publications.

Michael Lawson is the Assistant Town Manager for the Town of Parker. Prior to arriving in Parker, Michael was the City Manager for Woodland Park and, before that, spent 12 years with the City of Aurora, Colorado, serving in the City Manager’s Office and Budget Office as well as stints as interim City Clerk and interim Community Development Manager. Michael has also worked in the City of San Diego, California’s Financial Management Department. One of Michael’s greatest professional privileges was acting as Aurora's donations coordinator following the July 20, 2012 Century 16 theater shooting.

Michael earned his Masters of Public Administration from the University of Colorado, Denver and a Bachelors of Arts in Political Science from the University of California, San Diego. He has written several articles and presented to national audiences on the topics of employee retention and the role of empathy in local government.

In 2020, Michael helped Aurora craft its first ever smart city strategic plan, the Smart City Playbook. He has worked extensively on laying groundwork for cities in Colorado to acquire streetlights from utilities to better prepare for a smart city future. Michael’s interest in smart city technology lies in giving local governments better tools to love and serve their residents. Improved governance, resident engagement, and electric vehicle infrastructure are Michael’s specific areas of interest.

Michael is married with two young children and a dog.

Rebecca Tate serves as the Research and Innovation Manager for the Denver International Airport (DEN) where she helps employees find innovative solutions to aviation’s greatest challenges. Rebecca uses human centered design principles to create an entire organization of problem solvers and foster a culture of innovation.

Prior to DEN, Rebecca served as the Continuous Improvement Manager for the Regional Transportation District (RTD) where she took pride in supporting an organization that improves access and creates opportunity for all.

Rebecca holds Masters degrees in Business Administration and Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Colorado, Denver, and a Bachelor’s in Economics from McGill University. Having worked extensively in the transportation industry, Rebecca is completely fascinated with the systems that move people around the region, state, and the world.

Martin L. Dunn is a professor and dean of the College of Engineering, Design and Computing at the University of Colorado Denver. He joined CU Denver in 2018 after serving as the founding associate provost for research at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) where he oversaw the design and operation of the research and innovation enterprise. He was also a professor at SUTD and the founding director of the National Research Foundation-supported Digital Manufacturing and Design Center. Prior to joining SUTD, he served as a program director (mechanics of materials) in the Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation Division at the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), where he was also the founding program director for the Design of Engineering Materials Systems program. He served the NSF while on leave from the University of Colorado Boulder where he was the associate dean of research in the College of Engineering, Design and Computing, chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and a professor of mechanical engineering, holding the Victor Schelke Endowed Chair.

Melanie is an urban planner who tries to use a futurist lens to address pressing problems today. She excels at distilling complex information into key findings that she uses to drive actionable decisions. She naturally sees patterns and connections, which allows her to work across multiple departments and organizations to find the right stakeholders and coordinate between projects. Melanie is Centennial’s main point of contact for projects related to transit, smart cities, affordable housing, and futures thinking. She has supported projects related to aging in place, artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, innovation, micromobility and microtransit, process improvement, small business support, waste diversion, and water conservation. Melanie holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health and Urban Studies from Tulane University and a Master’s Degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Bio coming soon!

David Worley became President/CEO at Denver South in February 2024. He joined the organization as Senior Vice President February 2023. Prior to Denver South, Worley led a variety of business units in higher education; most recently he was the Executive Director of Executive Education at the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver (DU). In that role he contributed to helping address the most pressing learning and development needs of businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies across the region. Prior to working at DU, he directed the enrollment and fundraising units of the Iliff School of Theology. Worley also worked as a consulting civil engineer in New York where he was the lead designer on a variety of land development projects in the north central suburban NYC metroplex.

Worley holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering (South Dakota Mines), a M.A. in Transformational Leadership (Bethel University), and a multi-disciplinary PhD (University of Denver) where he focused on monetary economics, cultural studies, and leadership. He is well regarded for his research and teaching on organizational development and sense making in complex environments.

Worley was raised on a farm in southeastern Colorado. He enjoys the outdoors, tennis, gravel cycling, and spending time with his family and friends.