PRESS RELEASE

January 30, 2023

Peak Vista Welcomes Stella Hodgkins to its Board of Directors

Colorado Springs, Colo.  – Peak Vista Community Health Centers (Peak Vista) announces the election of Stella Hodgkins to its Board of Directors.

Stella is the Sr. Vice President of Opportunity and Outreach for El Pomar Foundation. In this role, she directs Elevating Leadership Development (ELD) and serves as the senior staff member for the Pikes Peak Regional Council. 

Stella currently serves on the 4th Judicial District Nominating Commission and as a board member of the Downtown Partnership of Colorado Springs. She was recognized as a 2019 Woman of Influence by the Colorado Springs Business Journal, Builder Member of the Year by the Colorado Springs Housing & Building Association, and an El Paso County Public Health Champion, and is also a graduate of Leadership Denver (2016) and Colorado Springs Leadership Institute (2018). 

Previously, Stella held roles on countless boards and committees, including but not limited to, the Colorado Springs Downtown Development Authority, the Board of the GE Johnson Foundation, and Associated General Contractors of Colorado. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design, and worked professionally in architecture and interior design, sustainability consulting, and corporate citizenship prior to joining El Pomar Foundation.  
Growing up in an Army family, Stella was born in Stuttgart, Germany. She moved to Colorado Springs in 1988 and lived up and down the Front Range before settling back in Colorado Springs. 

“I am honored to be serving on the Peak Vista Board and supporting equal access to affordable and quality health care alongside the most caring, compassionate, and able leadership and staff,” says Stella.

Peak Vista’s Board of Directors also includes Ray Nunn, Board Chairperson; Dr. Dennis Smialek, Vice Chair; Bill Sanden, Treasurer; Marianne Horvath, Secretary; Mary Lynn Sheetz, Member-At-Large; Dr. Robin Johnson, Immediate Past Chair; Santiago "Bob" Duran; Jim Harris; Rev. Clifton Turner; David Fairley; and Lelia Gibson-Green.

About Peak Vista Community Health Centers

Peak Vista Community Health Centers is a nonprofit organization providing exceptional health care to people facing access barriers through clinical programs and education. Celebrating over 50 years of community health service, Peak Vista offers primary medical, integrated behavioral health and dental care services. We proudly serve over 89,000 patients annually through 23 outpatient centers in Colorado’s Pikes Peak and East Central regions. To learn more about Peak Vista, visit www.peakvista.org.

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PRESS RELEASE

January 26, 2023

Peak Vista Announces Board of Directors Officers & Members

Peak Vista Board of Directors 2023

Colorado Springs, Colo.  – Peak Vista Community Health Centers (Peak Vista) announces its newest slate of officers and members serving on the Board of Directors for 2023.

Board Officers include Ray Nunn, Board Chairperson; Dr. Dennis Smialek, Vice Chair; Bill Sanden, Treasurer; Marianne Horvath, Secretary, and Mary Lynn Sheetz, Member-At-Large.

Board Members include Dr. Robin Johnson, Immediate Past Chair, Santiago "Bob" Duran, Jim Harris, Rev. Clifton Turner, and new members – David Fairley, Lelia Gibson-Green, and Stella Hodgkins.

“I am proud of our Board members and their dedication to Peak Vista and its patients,” says Peak Vista’s President & CEO, Dr. Emily Ptaszek. “Their breadth of knowledge, experience, and commitment to the community, our patients, and one another is immeasurable. I look forward to the year ahead and continuing our mission to deliver exceptional, whole-person health care to the entire community.”

As a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), Peak Vista’s Board is made up of 51% patients. This means that its patients have a direct impact on the type of care they receive and have a voice for health care in the communities Peak Vista serves throughout the Pikes Peak and East Central regions. 

About Peak Vista Community Health Centers

Peak Vista Community Health Centers is a nonprofit organization providing exceptional health care to people facing access barriers through clinical programs and education. Celebrating over 50 years of community health service, Peak Vista offers primary medical, integrated behavioral health and dental care services. We proudly serve over 89,000 patients annually through 23 outpatient centers in Colorado’s Pikes Peak and East Central regions. To learn more about Peak Vista, visit www.peakvista.org.

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University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) Chancellor Venkat Reddy will join Pueblo Community College (PCC) President Patty Erjavec at noon on Friday, Feb. 3 to celebrate two new partnerships between the two institutions.

The two campus leaders will join members of the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce, Pueblo Latino Chamber of Commerce and Pueblo West Chamber of Commerce to cut the ribbon on the new Pueblo location of the UCCS Pre-Collegiate Support and Success Center on the PCC campus. The new center will work with middle and high school diverse, first-generation and military connected students from the Pueblo community with programming intended to prepare students academically, socially and emotionally for their postsecondary journeys.

They will also sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to create a pathway for students to earn an associate degree at PCC and then transition to UCCS where they can earn a Bachelor’s of Science in Mechanical Engineering. This associate degree serves as a direct track for engineering students from PCC to UCCS, streamlining the transfer process.

“I am so pleased that a pathway to Engineering has been developed to ensure that PCC students interested in this career field can begin their academic journey with us and ultimately receive a Bachelor’s of Science in Engineering from UCCS,” said PCC President Patty Erjavec. “This will allow students to complete their degree in the most efficient, affordable manner possible with real-world experiences integrated into their experience.”

“We are excited to partner with Pueblo Community College in these two very unique programs which ultimately help our students succeed,” said UCCS Chancellor Venkat Reddy. “Our Pre-Collegiate Support and Success Center on the PCC campus will help students understand what our colleges and universities offer and what steps to take as they enter and complete a plan of study. The engineering MOU helps to create a pipeline for PCC students to start their engineering degree program at PCC and complete it at UCCS and, with help from industry, have internship opportunities in Pueblo and join the workforce of Pueblo.”

The Department of Student Life and its partnering student organizations are hosting UCCS' annual International Holocaust Remembrance Flag display on Friday, January 27. This display honors the millions of victims of the genocide that occurred during the second World War from the Nazi Regime and its collaborators. 

We place over 27,000 flags on the west lawn, with each flag representing a certain number of souls lost. 

Removal of the flags occurs on Friday, January 27, 2023 at 4:00 P.M. on the West Lawn. 

Beginning Thursday, February 2, the Galleries of Contemporary Art (GOCA) presents the much-anticipated UCCS Visual Arts Faculty Triennial Exhibition. Distinguished faculty will present their newest works through March 18.

For the first time since the pandemic, world-class works from distinguished faculty will be on view in the Marie Sharpe Walsh Gallery at the Ent Center for the Arts. The artists, whose works have been recognized in galleries and museums across the globe, are also guiding the next generation of creatives as they work to perfect their craft. Come check out the artistic practices informing the future of art.

The free exhibition kicks off on Wednesday, February 1 at 6 p.m. with a Visiting Artist and Critics Series lecture by José Antonio Arellano, Assistant Professor of English at the United States Air Force Academy.

On Thursday, February 2, the artists and Lynné Cravens, Exhibitions & Events Manager, invite the community to join them from 6 – 7 p.m. for an opening reception.

The exhibition was collaboratively curated by Daisy McGowan, former GOCA Director; Lynné Cravens, GOCA Exhibitions & Events Manager; and the artists.

Artists:
Corey Drieth, Professor, Painting/Drawing
Matt Barton, Professor, Sculpture/New Media
Ben Kinsley, Assistant Professor, Sculpture/New Media
Claire Rau, Senior Instructor, Sculpture
Nikki Pike, Senior Instructor, Social Practice
Marina Eckler, Senior Instructor, Painting/Printmaking
Stacy Platt, Senior Instructor, Photography
Rachel Guardiola, Instructor, Photography
Clark Valentine, Visiting Instructor, Painting
Nick Henning, Visual Art Technician

Fremont  Re-2 campuse  will be on a two hour delay for Tuesday  January 31st 2023. No A.M. preschool 

Due to low temperatures and wind chill conditions there be no school tomorrow Monday January 30th.

COLORADO SPRINGS – The Colorado Association of School Executives (CASE) is pleased to announce that Dr. Wendy Birhanzel of Harrison School District 2 has been named 2023 Colorado Superintendent of the Year. 

We invite you to join us as Dr. Birhanzel will be recognized by CASE and celebrated as Colorado’s 2023 Superintendent of the Year during Sierra High School’s pep assembly on Friday, January 27, 2023, at 9:00 a.m.