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Leeds alumni are innovators, leaders and visionaries reshaping their fields and redefining what’s possible. From promotions, awards and appointments to building communities and striking billion-dollar alliances, here’s a glimpse of recent changemakers.

Brilliance, Before 40

Royer Lopez (Mktg’18, MBA’27) (left) and Ethan Miller (MBA’23) were nominated to the Denver Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” list for 2026.

Miller is CEO of Meisinger USA & Canada, and Lopez is an account supervisor at Amélie Company.

Leaders, Leveling Up

John Esbenshade (Fin’02, MBA’03) was appointed chief accounting officer of National Storage Affiliates Trust.

Grant Wanier (MBA’14) took command of the USS Hampton in May 2024, leading the submarine on a historic mission from the Arctic Circle to the Drake Passage.

Ross Murphy (Fin’02) was promoted to partner at Summit Partners.

Megan (Turner) Kranichfeld (RelEst’16), was named Trammell Crow Company’s Denver Market Leader. “Megan’s advancement through the TCC organiza- tion is a direct result of her strategic vision,relentless drive, and ability to inspire her team to achieve ambitious goals,” said Cathy Thuringer, TCC president, Western U.S.

Hayley Porter (Acct’19), advanced to audit manager at KPMG.

John Montgomery (MBA’08) was named the CEO of Salad Collective, the parent company of Mad Greens.

Mark Erbele (Fin’00) was promoted to chief customer officer at EQS Group, a Munich-based global cloud provider for corporate compliance and ethics, data privacy, sustainability management, and investor relations. “The opportunity to help scale a purpose-driven business focused on trust, transparency and regulatory excellence is both meaningful and motivating.”

Mika Grasso (Mgmt’20, MFin’21), an investment manager at a New York-based private family office, was appointed to the board of Nuwellis, a medical technology company.

Erica Kuhl (Bus’96) transitioned to EVP and GM at Gainsight after the company acquired Erica Kuhl Consulting.

(Photos, from top: Grant Wanier, Megan Kranichfeld, Mark Erbele, Erica Kuhl.)��

Communities, Reimagined

Amy Cara (Fin, Acct’93), below left, managing partner at East West Partners, is leading Cherry Creek West—Denver’s 13-acre, mixed-use, multiyear redevelopment that will include about 840 residences, 600,000 square feet of office space and 100,000 square feet of retail, centered around four acres of public spaces.

Spencer Rogers (MBA’25), below center, fulfilled his entrepreneurship through acquisition goal, founding Third Place Hospitality and acquiring Lady Jane, a James Beard Award 2026 semifinalist for outstanding bar. “It’s called Third Place Hospitality because your first place is home, your second place is work, and your third place is where you go to build community.”

Brady Berlin (Fin’23), below right, launched Sweet Creek Capital, a real estate investment and development firm, debuting with its first project, The Peaks, a townhome community in Castle Pines, Colorado.

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Deals, Game-Changing

John Maslin (Bus’16), CEO of Vulcan Elements, helped his company secure a groundbreaking $1.4 billion partner- ship with the U.S. government to create the largest magnet facility in the world outside China.

Excellence, Celebrated

Two Business Buffs were among the �鶹��Ѱ�����Alumni Awards recipients for 2026.
Congratulations to Camden Dempsey (Fin, Mktg’25; RelEst’26), left, and Dave Sheanin (MBA’99), right.

Great Minds, Thinking Alike

Below, from left to right, Nancy Schoemann (�ѵ���’16), Mary Boling (�ѵ���’24), Grace Dennis (MBA’21) and Hilary Corsi (ChemEngr’11, MBA’18) launched the Women Investing in Sustainability Education (WISE) Fund at Leeds, a scholarship supporting graduate students committed to advancing sustainability in business.

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