President John Marshall
John Marshall is the 11th president of Colorado Mesa University
Read Marshall's Bio
John Marshall is the 11th president of Colorado Mesa University
Read Marshall's BioKelly Brough currently serves as the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships for Colorado Mesa University. This role allows Brough to blend her leadership experience across the public and private sectors. As a former chief of staff to Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, head of human resources for the City of Denver, and CEO of the oldest and largest business advocacy organization in Colorado, she has built effective teams, managed large budgets, negotiated key contracts, influenced public policy and navigated the intersection of the public and private sectors.
Brough led the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce as its first female CEO from 2009 to 2021. During her tenure as CEO, she nearly doubled revenue for the organization, growing it from $17 million to $30 million annually. She raised more than $40 million for ballot issue campaigns, soundly defeating anti-business measures and advancing education, opening primaries, and supporting funding for water. She negotiated policy changes on behalf of thousands of members at the state legislature, regularly testifying on bills and providing media interviews. Committed to diversity, she started a new affiliate in 2018 dedicated to workforce equity, while also diversifying the Chambers’ boards and teams. She has a deep understanding of the industries that drive our economy and has long been committed to growing quality jobs across the region. Workforce development has always been a passion of Brough’s and is why she is thrilled to be part of the CMU team.
Brough has also worked in the public sector serving as both the Director of Human Resources for the City of Denver as well as Chief of Staff for Mayor John Hickenlooper. As Chief of Staff, Brough oversaw a general fund budget of $857 million, leading a team of over 10,000 employees through the unprecedented budget cuts of the Great Recession. She negotiated contracts with police, deputy sheriffs and firefighter unions, reaching resolution with every contract. She also oversaw the City’s operations during the 2008 Democratic National Convention — a National Security Event.
This unique blend of experience makes Brough a naturally strategic thinker, master team builder, negotiator, partnership builder and convener. Brough has an MBA from the University of Colorado Denver and a BS from Montana State University. In her free time, you can find Brough outdoors — biking, hiking, skiing or paddling.
For the past decade, Robin Brown has worked to build a strong community in western Colorado, whether it was leading Mesa County’s economic development efforts at the Grand Junction Economic Partnership, writing about local issues in her monthly column in the Daily Sentinel or by launching Spoke + Blossom, a regional lifestyle magazine focused on the western Colorado lifestyle. Brown is a US Army veteran and aviator, and deployed twice to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Today, Brown lives in Grand Junction with her husband and two children. She can be reached at [email protected].
Jeremy Brown joined Colorado Mesa University in April 1998. His areas of responsibilities include information systems, computing and networking, instructional technology, telecommunications and computer support services. Brown also oversees the university’s information security program and is directly involved campus expansion projects. As a first-generation student himself, Brown has a passion for student success initiatives and has led a number of student support projects over his career, including championing the adoption and development of the university’s first student success CRM. When not working, he enjoys spending time outdoors with his family. Brown holds a bachelor’s degree in Physics from Mesa State College. He can be reached at [email protected].
Vice President for Student Services Jody Diers began her career at Colorado Mesa University in 2014 as the Director of Residence Life before becoming VPSS in July 2021. With a focus on student engagement, the Student Services Division works tirelessly to provide services to assist all students in navigating through college successfully. Having worked with students of all backgrounds, Diers understands the significance of helping students find their path to success and the importance of having a person to guide them when necessary. She has her Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs and Administrative Leadership from the University of Denver. Her professional experiences range from high school math teacher to principal, which provided her with a strong foundation in student engagement, first impressions, and the importance of connections for assisting students transitioning from high school to college with the goal of graduation. Diers’s goal is for every student to have a staff or faculty member to connect with during their time at CMU. Students are the priority. Diers is actively involved in the community, loves the outdoors and thoroughly enjoys working with students of all ages. She is a native of Colorado and the western slope has been home for her and her family for most of her life.
Cher Hendricks is CMU’s Vice President for Academic Affairs, a role she assumed in 2022. After earning her PhD in educational research and measurement from the University of South Carolina in 1998, she began her higher education career at the University of West Georgia. Hendricks taught graduate level courses in educational research, statistics, program evaluation and action research for over 20 years and spent three years as a research scientist at Georgia Tech. She has a keen interest in faculty development, scholarship of teaching and learning, and faculty engagement. Hendricks is author of Improving Schools through Action Research: A Reflective Practice Approach, now in its fourth edition. Her office hour is 8am–9am on Wednesdays.
Liz Howell serves as the Director of Board Relations at Colorado Mesa University where she provides high-level support to the President, Executive Team and Board of Trustees, assisting in the advancement of the university’s priorities and goals. She previously served as the Vice President for Student Services and has worked on campus for nearly 10 years. Before joining Colorado Mesa University, her professional experience was in Human Resources and Payroll and she has several years of office management experience. She holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Wyoming and recently completed her MAEd at Colorado Mesa University.
She and her husband, Justin, have two small children and own a custom home building business. She can be reached at [email protected].
Kent Marsh recently returned to the CMU team as the Vice President for Capital Planning, Sustainability and Campus Operations.
Marsh previously spent 10 years as the Facilities Director at Colorado Mesa University, before joining the UCCS team where he served as an officer of the University of Colorado Colorado Springs and as an Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus Planning and Facilities Management.
Marsh is an experienced leader with more than 15 years in higher education and another 15 years as a consulting engineer. Decades of experience have given him skills in operations management, business management, construction management, building maintenance, grounds maintenance, sustainability, parking and transportation, higher education planning and capital funding.
He is a Professional Engineer with a Bachelor of Science from Colorado State University and Master of Business Administration from Colorado Mesa University.
Michelle Quinn joined CMU as the Vice President for Finance and Administration in 2022. She earned her bachelor’s in accounting as a non-traditional student, while employed full-time in corporate accounting and raising a family. After graduation she worked as Certified Public Accountant for several years before embarking on what is now 30 years of rewarding work in higher education. Quinn earned a master’s in higher education leadership and loves to take advantage of the wealth of formal and informal learning opportunities afforded by working on a college campus.
Brigitte Sundermann is the Vice President of Community College Affairs overseeing Western Colorado Community College, a division of Colorado Mesa University. Sundermann spent over 20 years in the manufacturing and engineering fields as a professional engineer and technical instructor. When she is not working she spends her time outdoors, preferably on horseback. You can email her at [email protected] or visit her during her office hours, Wednesdays at 1pm.
Derek Wagner is Vice President of External Relations at Colorado Mesa University. A CMU alumnus, he has experience managing intergovernmental relations and community affairs in both the private and public sectors. Wagner currently serves a board member of the Grand Junction Air Service Alliance, the Greater Grand Junction Sports Commission and the Mesa County Board of Public Health. When he’s not cheering on the Mavericks, Wagner can usually be found traveling or enjoying the outdoors with his wife and two daughters.