This election cycle is in full swing, and the next step is the disclosure of candidate biographies and statements. These include three candidates running for three open officer positions, and six candidates running for three open board positions.
The following candidates secured nominations for the ballot:
Candidates for DPC Officers (3)
Nathan Fernando-Frescas – President (1-year term)
Matthew Larsen — Treasurer (2-year term)
Cassandra Ballard — Secretary (2-year term)
Candidates for DPC Board of Directors (3 seat available)*
Jody Beck
Joe Boven (Incumbent)
Henry “Corky” Kyle
Christopher Miller
Rima Sinclair
Danny Zimney-Schmitt
*All three open board seats are for two-year terms.
Officers
Nathan Fernando-Frescas — President
Bio
Nathan Fernando-Frescas is the Senior Host of All Things Considered on Colorado Public Radio News. His journalism has aired nationally and internationally, including on NPR’s Morning Edition, Weekend Edition, All Things Considered, Here & Now, PRI’s The Takeaway, and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. His work has been recognized by the Associated Press, the Colorado Broadcasters Association, the Society of Professional Journalists, and the Radio Television Digital News Association. He is also a two-time Heartland Emmy–nominated television host. Nathan previously served as an editor at NPR in Washington, D.C., and has worked at stations across Colorado, including KYGO, KUVO, KUNC, KRVG, and KZKS. He currently serves as Vice President of the Denver Press Club.Candidate Statement
As Vice President, I have spent the past year listening to members and working alongside board colleagues to better understand the opportunities and challenges facing the Press Club. If elected president, I will focus on strengthening governance, clarifying staff direction, and aligning programming and partnerships to support the Club’s long-term sustainability. The Press Club has always been more than just a physical space. It is a civic gathering place for advocates of journalism, open conversation, and engaged community. My goal is to preserve that role while building a stable foundation that ensures the institution remains strong for years to come.
Matthew Larsen — Treasurer
Bio
Matt is an experienced business professional who has worked in strategy, sales operations, and marketing roles, most recently in the medical device industry. Since 2022 Matt has been a lead with YIMBY Denver, and in 2024, Matt was elected to the RTD Board of Directors representing District E, the district that includes parts of Aurora, Denver, Greenwood Village, and Centennial. Matt graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in English and in Urban Studies, and received an MBA from the Yale School of Management.Candidate Statement
I am running for Treasurer so I can apply my knowledge of budgets, planning and software systems to help the club navigate through its financial challenges. While I will have Skyler McKinley’s big shoes to fill, I am confident I can pick up where he left off and make sure the club can solidify its financial position, and grow its membership and overall revenue and activity.
Cassandra Ballard — Secretary
Bio
Cass has been a reporter in the Denver metro area and the Western Slope for the past five years. Before journalism, she worked behind the Denver Press Club bar. She has been a Press Club member for nearly a decade, having first joined the club while attending Metropolitan State University of Denver. Her reporting focuses on city and local government, solution journalism and longform looks into local impacts.
Campaign statement
While working at my college newspaper, a few coworkers and I attended a panel at the press club. We struggled to open the heavy front door, fearing it might be locked. My friends and I agreed to give it another push, and it flew right open. That moment continues to stick with me, and since then, the club has opened new doors to friendships, advice, opportunities and community. As your board secretary, I will bring commitment to that community and a genuine love for what this club stands for. I want to help ensure those doors stay open by doing my part to help with programming, organization, and secretarial duties.
Board of Directors
Jody Beck
Bio
Jody Beck is a professor of landscape architecture at the University of Colorado Denver where he has taught for fifteen years. He has written two books on the connection between politics and landscape. John Nolen and the Metropolitan Landscape focused on how the personal political beliefs of John Nolen, trained as a landscape architect and the first person to professionally refer to himself as a city planner, underpinned his landscape design and city planning – both of which were influential in the early 20th century. The second book, Landscape and Utopia, examines the role that landscapes play in the political imagination of three different utopian proposals from the early 20th century which have continued to be highly influential. Most of his research and much of his teaching as well as his community engagement focuses on intersections between politics and landscapes in some way, often through considerations of food and agriculture.
Candidate Statement
I was first introduced to the Denver Press Club when I was looking for a good place to watch the first presidential candidate debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. I was impressed with the quality and value I found in the conversations I had that night, and have continued to be similarly impressed. I am interested in serving on the Denver Press Club Board of Directors and working toward bringing more voices, and more listeners, in to the club as a way to continue enriching the discussions but also provide material support. In addition to my networks in higher education, I have networks in local design and planning as well as food system organizations and businesses. I also have grant-writing experience which I would be happy to contribute.
Joseph Boven (Incumbent)
Bio
Joseph Boven is a communication director overseeing multiple HHS and Department of Education federal programs (while they last), supporting everything from brand reputation and PR to AI website integration and marketing. Boven became a club member in 2008 and previously served on the board in 2016, leading rebranding and marketing efforts, this included establishing and operating digital communications channels and operational infrastructure. He returned to the board upon request to oversee the club’s 100 year celebration of its clubhouse. Boven was previously a journalist for the Colorado Independent covering politics and the Colorado General Assembly and worked as an investigative journalist. His freelance work can be found in multiple publications. He has served as the head of communications for the Colorado Progressive Coalition, Marzano Research, and Denver Council District 1, and in similar positions for Child Trends and the Colorado Health Foundation. He also has experience producing morning and entertainment programming, in media criticism, and as a publisher.Candidate Statement
I am running for a one year term in part to provide continuity with the current and upcoming board. However, if elected, I will once again turn towards the mission and vision of the club and help to define what it will be in the future, looking for membership value and mission oriented work. I plan to focus on building opportunities to strengthen the club’s community, engage long- term members, enhance the club’s marketing strategies, develop external relationships, actively participate in solutions to the club’s current fiscal challenges, and look for board members with deeper ties in philanthropy to replace me at year’s end. Additionally, I plan to implement a training and mentorship program for scholarship winners that I believe will build prolonged scholar engagement and fiscal returns.
Henry “Corky” Kyle
Bio
Corky Kyle is one of Colorado’s most respected government affairs professionals, with more than four decades of experience representing associations and businesses before the Colorado General Assembly and state regulatory agencies. As President of The Kyle Group, he provides strategic legislative advocacy, regulatory representation, and political guidance to organizations navigating complex public policy environments. A Certified Association Executive (CAE) — one of approximately 4,400 nationwide — Corky brings a rare combination of political strategy and association leadership expertise. His work spans construction, charitable gaming, assisted living and senior issues, workers’ compensation, property and casualty insurance, transportation, and nonprofit association governance (501(c)(3), (4), and (6) organizations). Corky is widely recognized for his ability to build coalitions, craft effective legislation, and guide clients through high-stakes policy battles. His leadership and impact have earned him multiple “Lobbyist of the Year” awards from professional and industry organizations, including CCBA, IEC, CAHU, and CAND. He also serves as a board member of the Colorado Lobbyist Association. In addition to his lobbying practice, Corky is the founder of Hardball Strategies, a speaking and training platform that equips executives, association leaders, board members, and aspiring advocates with the tools to succeed in the legislative and regulatory arena. His book, Hardball Advocacy: Secrets of the Lobby, serves as a practical guide to navigating public policy and has become a foundational resource for advocates. Corky holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Master of Public Administration. Based in the Denver area, he remains passionate about ensuring that individuals and organizations have meaningful access to the public policy process.Candidate Statement
The Denver Press Club has long served as a forum where journalism, public policy, and civic leadership intersect. Having attended numerous events at the Club over the years—and having hosted the release of my book, Hardball Advocacy: Secrets of the Lobby, there—I have experienced firsthand the value of this institution as a place for substantive dialogue and professional community. If selected to serve on the board, I would bring more than four decades of experience navigating legislative, regulatory, and political environments. That perspective would allow me to contribute strategically to governance discussions, strengthen programming that engages policymakers and media professionals alike, and ensure the Club remains relevant in a rapidly evolving communications landscape.
Christopher Miller
Bio
…characterizes himself as “journalism-adjacent” because he has penned many a PR release in his roles as a marketer for nationally known brands and start-ups. He has held senior marketing roles for Einstein Bagels, Smoothie King, Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, Leapfrog Enterprises and Taco Bell. His start-up experience includes marketing for virtual restaurants and cyber- security services and advising restaurant automation firm Caldo Restaurant Technologies. Chris has provided strategy, marketing research, and pricing advice for many chain restaurants and other companies. He worked for Young & Rubicam Advertising with clients such as Clorox Company and Quaker Oats after earning a BA cum laude from Harvard College. Chris has organized events for years; as a member of the Rocky Mountain Harvard Club steering committee, he organized 30+ events from 2020-2025, including several at the DPC. He has organized Harvard Club events everywhere he has lived, including New Orleans, Dallas, Southern California and San Francisco, and served for several years on the board of a ballet company in Southern California. He is currently the Events Chair for the Denver chapter of Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs, and on the graduate board of his undergraduate fraternity. Chris moved to the Denver area in January 2018 and attended his first DPC event soon after, organized by past member Robert Dodge.Campaign Statement
I seek to bring people together with fun and informative events. I have been on the Programming Committee for the past year and would offer to be Programming Committee Chair if I am elected to the board. I have organized several events for the Club in the past year, from a movie screening to a beer tasting. I have been building partnerships with other organizations to bring in new potential members and speakers, including the Tattered Cover (bringing in their visiting authors for DPC events), Ivy+ alumni clubs, and the Denver Architectural Foundation. I plan to continue to bring in other organizations for co-sponsored events to increase the reach of DPC events and expose our programming and facility to a wider audience of engaged citizens.
Rima Sinclair
Bio
Member since 2003. Worked for CNN, the Dan Rather World Report and Al Jazeera network. In an effort to highlight DPC’s visibility, Rima facilitated the live broadcast of the historical 2008 Presidential election results. The news coverage was watched by over 75 million viewers from the Middle-East, Europe and Central Asia. “The effort was well worth it. It was a great opportunity to showcase our Club and the working of America’s Democracy,” she added. Rima sponsored several DPC Speaker Luncheons for international Journalists touring the US. She, also, initiated an exchange program to connect US journalists and experts with international newspapers to publish their Op-Eds in the native language of local population. Rima received her MIM (Intl.MBA) from the University of Denver. She started her career as financial consultant and a NASD licensed agent.Campaign Statement
Recognizing that DPC is facing serious financial deficit. And, to ensure the continuity of Club activities for years to come, I plan to draw on my business experience to stabilize DPC’s operations. We need a structured adaptation plan to accommodate the financial demands of Club’s operation, income & expense, and the evolving wishes of the members. To this end, I am committed to be proactive and establish value-added benefits to DPC members to help increase Club’s revenue. For example, we all recognize that journalists are facing increasingly difficult conditions to do their jobs. I will work to establish a funding program for journalists to offer “practical support that can make the difference between continuing to work and stepping away,” Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) If elected, I will promote responsive management, creative fundraising events, and expand reciprocal membership benefits. Considering that the Vice President office will become vacant on election day, I wish to serve as your DPC’s next VP.
Danny Zimney-Schmitt
Bio
Danny moved to Colorado to attend University of Denver, where he earned degrees in Environmental Science and Geography. He stayed to work as a public servant in renewable energy at the National Lab of the Rockies (formerly NREL), where he writes for work and personally on Substack. He is a long-serving board member and Vice President of local nonprofit Colorado Rail Passenger Association, which advocates for rail as a transportation option across the state. He has traveled to all 3,144 counties in America to better understand this country we call home, and believes in institutions like the Denver Press Club which have a crucial role to play in bridging our nation’s divides and building a healthier civic culture.Campaign Statement
I joined the press club two years ago after attending an event on election integrity, and have been inspired by the club to engage with a wide variety of events since. I’m a firm believer in the need to active and vibrant civic spaces for both formal and informal gatherings. In seeking this board seat, I hope to bring the years of experience I have serving on another nonprofit board to help streamline DPC board processes accountability, and efficiency. Maintaining the club’s steady cadence of events, creating more opportunities for the younger generation to engage with the club, and ensuring its longer-term sustainability are my primary goals should I be elected to this position.
