We’re excited to welcome our 2014 rotating staff and some new faces to our leadership team. You can read a little bit about the newest members of our Shadowcliff family below or visit our full staff and board members page here.
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Karen Bigelow and David Grossman – Managers
Joining Shadowcliff this year as Operations Managers, David and Karen are excited to be spending the summer meeting the many groups and guests that call Shadowcliff their mountain sanctuary. Although it is their first year as Operations Managers, Karen has spent over 20 years in many operational capacities; and David fell in love on his first visit nearly 13 years ago. Shadowcliff is part of their heart – they were married here in 2004.
David and Karen are both retired, and enjoy the moniker of “full time travelers,” either in their RV or somewhere experiencing the wonders of the world. They have three kids and six grandchildren. Thank you, for allowing us, to be a part of the journey
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Michael Thomas- Cook
Michael has traveled extensively through out the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East where he was able not only to experience great foods but also to work next to world renowned Chefs. Michael is a graduate of the Le Cordon Bleu program with a diploma in culinary arts.
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Alida Bakarich – Front Office
Alida has owned her cabin near Grand Lake for 21 years and has spend many weekends and vacations there with her husband and two daughters. She enjoys water-skiing, hiking and boating in the summer and downhill skiing and snow shoeing in the winter. Since she’s recently “retired”, she splits her time between Grand Lake, Tucson and Denver.She is excited to become a part of the Shadowcliff team, and looks forward to meeting many new people.
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Diana Seer
Diana is overjoyed to be joining the Shadowcliff family this summer. She is from rural Wisconsin, but is majoring in psychology at Grinnell College. She will be a senior this coming fall. Diana’s activities include running cross country and track and field for Grinnell, co-president for Grinnell’s chapter of Active Minds (a group devoted to addressing mental health stigmas), and enjoys hanging out with her friends. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to learn about the environment in such beautiful surroundings, with such a diverse group of people.
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Daniel Kick
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Kara Rawlings
Kara Rawlings returns to Shadowcliff for the third time in 2014, and we are delighted. Kara is currently attending the University of Oregon as a Sophomore and am really enjoying my time there. Kara enjoys distance running, playing soccer, and reading a good book.” I am very excited about spending the summer working at Shadowcliff!”
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Kelly Yarbrough
This is Kelly’s 6th season of working with Shadowcliff and is looking forward to new faces and new opportunities! Kelly is currently working towards her MFA in Drawing at Kansas State University and will be spending part of the season at Shadowcliff as an artist in residence for the local arts group, Three Lakes Creatives.
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Erin Wooden
This will be Erin’s first summer at Shadowcliff. She has a degree in Psychology and a minor in Visual Arts, and is currently on a journey across the country, predominately working for farms through an organization called WWOOF (Willing Workers On Organic Farms). Her goal is to learn as much as she can about agriculture, our food system, and sustainable practices, as well as have some really amazing experiences and meet new friends. She is very excited to become part of the Shadowcliff staff and explore all the beautiful surroundings!
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Kerry Herndon
Kerry recently retired from a career in public service with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Kansas City. During her tenure with EPA, she assessed and cleaned up hazardous waste sites, redeveloped Brownfields, protected wetlands and streams, worked with communities to improve management of stormwater and wastewater and to integrate sustainable practices across multiple environmental programs. Prior to EPA, Kerry worked for two summers as a Seasonal Naturalist for the National Park Service at Grand Canyon. She is an outdoor enthusiasts, Boy Scout leader, gardener, hiker, a student of leadership and healthy living and enjoys travel and the performing arts. She has two grown sons, a daughter-in-law, a Boston terrier and a husband who teaches at the University of St. Mary in Leavenworth, Kansas.
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Ivy Lumpkin
Ivy is a second-year MBA candidate at San Francisco State University and owner of San Francisco-based Voulez Events. After graduating in 2012 with a degree in Communication and Hospitality Management from Kent State University in Ohio, Ivy drove cross-country to embark on a journey that began in Grand Lake. She is thrilled to return to town as a new staff member at Shadowcliff from late May through late July. Ivy enjoys rollerblading, biking, hiking, traveling and planning special events. She is especially eager to apply her acquired skills to the Shadowcliff marketing committee’s projects and share an extraordinary summer with a humble team.
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Kevin Frasier
Kevin is 24 and has spent the majority of his life in Fort Collins, Colorado. He has worked in the food service industry for about 5 years. This past year, he decided to start a new chapter in his life and go back to school. Kevin is currently working on completing an Associates of Science at Front Range Community College and enjoying the reintroduction of learning into his life. He would like to find a career that he can be passionate about and allows him to help others. On his off time, Kevin likes to get up in the mountains as much as possible. In the winter, he will likely be found snowboarding at Breckenridge, and in the summer he enjoys everything hiking, backpacking, and Jeeping. He rediscovered his love for the outdoors while spending 6 months in New Zealand on a working holiday visa. The lifestyles of the people he met and the immersion to nature he experienced on this trip opened his eyes to a new way of living life.