Aspen Journalism and Community Builders host a free-to-the-community Chautauqua in the tradition of a community-centered dialogue on Thursday, December 12, 2024 from 6 to 8PM at Morgridge Commons in downtown Glenwood Springs (815 Cooper Ave, Second Floor, Glenwood Springs CO Map/Directions). The Chautauqua will be a conversation based on the recent series of articles by Paul Andersen, “In Search of Community.” A panel discussion will be followed by audience questions and participation.
Community Builders and Aspen Journalism seek to engage the community in a conversation that expands on the idea of the interrelatedness of the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys. The extensive research of the Roaring Fork region in the Paul Andersen series for Aspen Journalism, “In Search of Community,” illustrates how much we share and gives a path forward for working together to solve local and regional challenges.
The landmark series, launched thanks to a grant from the Aspen Business Center Foundation run by the local McBride family, sought to broaden the notion of community along the 80-mile commuter corridor from Aspen to Parachute. Andersen, a book author and freelance journalist for Aspen Journalism, worked for six months starting December 2023 evaluating the importance of regionalism in the increasingly connected space between Aspen and Parachute where the population has swelled to more than 90,000 people. Andersen looks not only at the many problems facing the communities in this region, but also the nonprofits, emergent leaders and local programs aiming to improve the quality of life and long-term viability for community members. In the words of Andersen, “the series hopes to instill a wider appreciation for social cohesion based on diversity, mutuality and the psycho-emotional need for community in every walk of life.” The series was recently compiled into a book that will be available at the Chautauqua.
Partners in this Chautauqua are representative of organizations deeply involved in the region and focused on regional issues. Refreshments provided.
Expert panel featuring:
CURTIS WACKERLE, moderator
Curtis Wackerle is the editor and executive director of Aspen Journalism, where he leads editorial operations and directs resources toward stories where questions of justice and environment are on the line. He also writes the “letter from the newsroom” that goes out with our regular email The Roundup. Curtis has also served as editor, managing editor, and reporter at the Aspen Daily News, where he covered Aspen’s city hall. He has a journalism degree from the University of Montana.
CLARK ANDERSON, panelist
Clark Anderson is co-founder and executive director of Community Builders. He has spent the last 15 years helping communities address complex land use, transportation, housing, and economic development challenges. An entrepreneur, seasoned facilitator and bridge-builder, he’s adept at helping people find common ground through informed dialogue and meaningful public engagement. Clark helps communities create a shared vision for the future and identify the strategies and partnerships needed to get there. Clark is also a small-scale developer focused on building “missing middle” housing within his own community. He is a Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation Entrepreneur and holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Colorado and a master’s in geography from the University of California, Davis.
PAUL ANDERSEN, panelist
Paul Andersen has lived in the Roaring Fork Valley for 47 years and was a reporter, editor and regular contributor to The Aspen Times. He has authored 18 books about the region. Anderson spent six months reporting on the landmark series “In search of community” for Aspen Journalism, and previously wrote stories for AJ on environment and history. Beyond journalism, Andersen co-created the Aspen Institute seminar “Nature & Society,” which combined wilderness experiences with discussions on philosophical and ecological topics. In 2013, he founded Huts For Vets, a nonprofit offering therapeutic experiences for U.S. military veterans at the 10th Mountain Huts. Andersen is a 2025 Aspen Hall of Fame inductee.
YESENIA SILVA ESTRADA, panelist
Yesenia Silva Estrada is the Vice President of Planning and Chief of Staff for Colorado Mountain College. She holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Denver, bachelor of science in accounting from Regis University, and associate of arts in business from Colorado Mountain College. Yesenia was born in rural Chihuahua, Mexico as a daughter and granddaughter of indigenous (Tarahumara raramuri) farm and agriculture workers. At the age of six, her parents moved to the United States, specifically to rural western Colorado. Yesenia now utilizes her education and professional experience to open educational doors to all students.
CAITLIN CAREY, panelist
Caitlin Carey is a councilor for the town of New Castle. The Alabama native moved to Garfield County first in 2002 and returned permanently in 2013. She works to ensure the town is intentionally addressing issues important to the needs of the growing community, advocating for affordable housing, wildfire readiness and sustainable builds. She graduated Auburn University in 2000 with a bachelor’s in human sciences. She also graduated from the Birmingham School of Law of Alabama while working in the Medicare department of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. She later worked for a plaintiff law firm in Birmingham, and has been a case analyst, researcher and director in Garfield County since 2013.
About Aspen Journalism
Aspen Journalism is a nonprofit news organization founded in 2011 to produce in-depth and investigative journalism for those with a stake in the Roaring Fork Valley and the greater upper Colorado River basin. We believe well-informed citizens make better decisions, that good journalism can sustain both community and democracy and that investigative reporting can spur needed reform. Supported entirely by donors, we provide our stories for free to local and regional publications, and with no advertising or paywalls at aspenjournalism.org.
About Community Builders
Community Builders, a Glenwood Springs based non-profit, partners with local leaders–staff, business owners, citizen advocates–looking to create opportunities and positive change in their towns. Providing training, tools, and direct assistance, we work together to strengthen local capacity and create meaningful on-the-ground progress that results in healthy, equitable, and prosperous communities that improve people’s lives today and ensures a sustainable tomorrow.