Karen Aarestad
As Assistant Vice Chancellor for Advancement at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Karen oversees fundraising and alumni relations efforts for the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. Her focus is on transformational philanthropy that will build our future healthcare workforce. Karen’s team of development officers works across health professional schools (Nursing, Pharmacy, Medicine, Public Health, Dental Medicine and the Graduate School) to align inter-disciplinary education with resources. Karen received her MBA from the London Business School in England and has more than 20 years of experience in higher education fundraising. Prior to joining CU in 2009, Karen worked abroad in development for both the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. She now is pursuing a PhD in Public Affairs at the University of Colorado Denver. Karen is married to David Aarestad, who also is a passionate advocate for education. They have 2 children Sofia (16) and Brynn (13).
Mary Gromko
After teaching high school chemistry for 17 years, Dr. Mary Gromko left the classroom to become the State Science Supervisor for the Colorado Department of Education. In this role, she was responsible for science curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional development for teachers for all public K-12 schools. Dr. Gromko later served as Science Supervisor for the 65 schools in Colorado Springs School District 11. For the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs STEM Education program, she coordinated a teacher professional development grant to implement STEM programs in grades pre K-16.
Dr. Gromko is extremely active with other local, state and national organizations and STEM initiatives. She has served as president for the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA); president of the National Council of State Science Supervisors; president of the Colorado Association of Science Teachers, and the western regional secondary educator coordinator for the ACS Chemical Education Division. She chaired the western states review team for the NAEP 2009 Science Framework and has worked on a number of advisory boards including the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards.
The recipient of numerous state and national awards, Dr. Gromko received NSTA’s Distinguished Service to Science Education award. The State of Colorado recognized her remarkable contributions with The Governor’s Award; the Colorado Department of Education Excellence in Teaching Award; and she was named Colorado Department of Education Employee of the Year. Other awards include the Colorado Association of Science Teachers Friend of Science Award; the Distinguished Service to Science Education Award; and the Department of Energy Award of Appreciation for Service to Science Education.
Dr. Gromko earned a BA in chemistry and a MS in science/chemistry/science education from the University of Connecticut. She has a PhD in curriculum, instruction, and administration from the University of Denver.
Rachelle Walter
Rachelle Walter obtained her BS in bioengineering at CU Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus in 2017. She was an ARCS Scholar from 2015- 2018 and her continued scholarship gave her the confidence to pursue her MS in bioengineering, which she finished in summer 2019, after defending her thesis entitled, “Investigating the Role of Distal Flow in Progressive Pulmonary Vascular Disease Using a Computational Model.” While finishing up her MS, she was a TA and co-instructor for a year-long prototyping and design course, and she was a main organizer for the “Women as Innovators: Creating Success in the Workplace” event, co- hosted by the Bioengineering Department, which focused on breaking down gender-based barriers and promoting diversity. She now works as a software developer at Terumo BCT where she is the Community Garden Committee Chair for the garden club. Rachelle loves to practice and teach yoga, play board games, cook, bake, hike and camp.
