Stan VanderWerf

Commissioner

El Paso County

Biography:

Stan VanderWerf serves District 3 on the Board of County Commissioners. His district encompasses central and western El Paso County, including the Town of Green Mountain Falls, the City of Manitou Springs, the Towns of Palmer Lake and Monument, the Westside and downtown areas of Colorado Springs, and unincorporated western areas of the County including Ute Pass and areas south of Cheyenne Mountain State Park.

Commissioner VanderWerf is founder of several small businesses and previously served 28 years in the US Air Force. Stan has 35 years of experience in scientific, program director, engineering, contracting, plant manager, and C-level positions in industry and public agencies. In these positions he engaged in research and development, manufacturing, and sustainment of a wide variety of products from space systems and airplanes to electronics. He is the founding CEO of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Colorado, Advanced Capitol LLC (aerospace defense consulting), and CEM-TEK USA (computer aided design and 3-D printing). He is active in the community providing award-winning expertise to many local and national non-profits. He has extensive public budgeting, public policy, and public disaster planning and recovery experience. Hobbies include mountain climbing, skiing, and flying.

He is married to Betsy and has two children, Erik and Carolyn.

Among his professional achievements, VanderWerf received the Industry Cluster Team Award from the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce and the El Pomar Institute. He is a Bronze Star awardee for his service in Iraq and a Legion of Merit awardee for his military service. Stan has National Team Performance and National Leadership Awards from the Defense Contract Management Agency and is a former National Aviation Speed Record Holder from the National Aeronautic Association. Stan is a Distinguished Graduate from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces achieving a Masters Degree in public policy and budgeting. He is also a National Newsletter Editor Award winner and is a multiple award-winning author with over 100 published professional and community interest articles.

Commissioner VanderWerf has been assigned around the world having served in Korea, Iraq, and Germany. He has served in NORAD NORTHCOM at Peterson Air Force Base and at Schriever Air Force Base. He is a former director of the Air Force’s C-130 E/H program office and served in the acquisition directorate of Special Operations Command.

Liaison to: El Paso County Board of Retirement (Co-Member with Commissioner Gonzalez), Innovation and Technology Committee, and Park Advisory Board (Fee Committee), Citizen Outreach Group (COG), El Paso County Facilities Corporation, Health Plan Trust Board, Six Star (Pikes Peak Association of Realtors), and iInspire (Award Recognizing Local Youth Who Have Overcome Adversity).

Local Leadership Positions:

  • Airport Advisory Commission
  • El Paso County Transportation Impact Fee Advisory Committee (Co-Member with Commissioner Williams)
  • Fountain Creek Watershed (Alternate to Commissioner Gonzalez)
  • Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments (Co-Member with Commissioners Bremer and Williams)
  • Pikes Peak Small Business Development
  • Public Art Commission of the Pikes Peak Region
  • Statutory County Pest Control Inspector Liaison”

Nicole Griensewic

Executive Director

Region Nine Development Commission in Minnesota

Biografy:

Griensewic has served as Executive Director of Region Nine Development Commission since 2012. As executive director, Griensewic has made it a priority to foster collaboration and engagement by sharing Region Nine’s story both regionally and globally. Griensewic is an active board and committee member for multiple organizations throughout Minnesota. Griensewic is the immediate past President of the Greater Minnesota Partnership, and is the first female to chair the Executive Committee for the University of Minnesota’s Center for Transportation Studies, where she served as chair of the Governance Committee. Griensewic also served as secretary of Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota’s Governing Board of Directors and chaired the Governance Committee and currently serves as an advisory board member for South Central College’s Center for Agriculture. She serves on the executive committee for the MACS Board, Minnesotans for the American Community Survey Board of Directors and represents the Midwest on the National Assoc. of Development Orgs.’s (NADO) Board of Directors.

Griensewic is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and has completed course work through Harvard’s Kennedy School’s Executive Education. She received the 2017 Outstanding Recent Alumnus Award from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

Her professional background includes extensive private sector and non-profit leadership experience.

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