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BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Telluride Mountain School is governed by a self-perpetuating, independent Board
of Trustees. The board’s primary responsibilities are to carry out strategic planning,
approve the school budget, conduct annual and capital fundraising campaigns,
and hire and supervise the Head of School.
PATTY ARNDT
Patty moved to Telluride in 2015 from New York City where she founded a fashion design and consulting business, ONG, LLC, that focused on women’s contemporary clothing. ONG, LLC also offered consulting services to organizations such as Gap, Target, and Anthropologie. Patty was formerly a Senior VP and COO for Lazard Asset Management’s Fund of Hedge Funds Group. Prior to joining Lazard, she helped build JP Morgan Investment Management in New York and Europe. Patty holds an MBA from Columbia University and an AB from Dartmouth College.
JENNIFER BENSCH
Jennifer Bensch attended Ohio State University, receiving degrees in political science and business. Jennifer has been involved in Promotion, Production, & Logistics Management in the Music and Events Industry for over 25 years. She owns Happy Ending Productions, which promotes and produces SweetWater 420 Festival in Atlanta, GA, with upwards of 60,000 attendees over three days. Jennifer is passionate about helping environmental & social non-profits raise money & awareness about their causes. Jennifer moved to Telluride, Colorado for ‘one year’ in 2014 with her husband, Freddy Bensch, founder of SweetWater Brewing Company, and their three children.
DEAN BUBOLO
Dean moved to Colorado from the East Coast in 1989 and settled in Telluride in 2002. He lives here with his two sons, Mateo and Juno, both Mountain School attendees. Dean is a graduate of The University of Notre Dame with a BA in Finance. He competed in Division 1 Wrestling while at Notre Dame. He has owned Escalante Imports, importing indigenous art from Oaxaca, Mexico, for over 30 years. Dean continues to coach Telluride Youth Hockey and enjoys snowboarding, climbing, mountain biking, and keeping up with his active sons.
WILL DOWNING
Shortly after graduating from the University of Alabama with a BA in Real Estate Finance, Will moved to Telluride in 2006 to pursue his love for rock climbing and skiing. Will is a real estate Broker at Telluride Properties and an active supporter and board member for various local organizations and has cultivated strong relationships throughout the Telluride community. Will enjoys big mountain skiing, climbing, fly fishing, and seeing live music with his wife Lacey and their two young children, who attend TMS.
WILL FOX
Will and his wife Carolyn have three children, two of whom are former TMS students. Their family splits their time between Telluride and a ranch in Norwood with many animals. Will is a Partner at Partners Capital Investment Group, working with endowments, foundations, and individuals on their investment programs. He holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Wharton. He enjoys all things outdoors, supports various environmental and land preservation causes, and has a passion for dirt bikes and vintage Datsuns.
JESSICA GOLDBERG
Following her studies at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology), Jessica worked in the fashion industry in New York as a special events manager for a high fashion PR Firm. Subsequently, she started her own event planning business organizing premier events in Manhattan for HBO, Elle Magazine, and various art galleries. In 2002 Jessica and her husband Mark moved to Telluride to create a new life and raise a family. In 2010 they opened Gold Mountain Gallery offering specialty furniture and unique accessories as well as representing many local artists and artisans. Jessica and Mark have two daughters at the Mountain School, and Jessica has been a member of the TMS Advancement Committee for four years. She is also on the Board of Telluride Theater. Jessica is an active and passionate supporter of both Mountain School and Creative Arts in Telluride. Her passions include travel, skiing, scuba diving, and cooking.
SOFIA IKAUNIKS
Sofia Ikauniks and her family have been a part of the TMS community since 2022. Sofia and her husband Eric moved to Telluride for “just ten months” in 2022 with their son, an enthusiastic TMS student. A self-proclaimed biochemist, Sofia is a strategic thinker and life-long learner who finds beauty in spreadsheets and loves it “when a plan comes together.” She started her finance career in NY in investment banking, focusing on international equities and markets, and after fifteen years she jumped at the invitation to join the MIT ecosystem where she fell in love with the startup world. She holds a BS in Chemistry from NYU and an MBA from NYU Stern in Finance and Social Innovation & Impact. She is a former board member of Young Life Boston and The Opioid Spoon Project and currently also serves on the finance committee at Christ Church of Telluride. Sofia enjoys skiing with her family, fresh coffee, jigsaw puzzles, farmers markets, and listening to the mountains.
WINSTON KELLY
Winston resettled to Mountain Village in the fall of 2016 after spending many winters and summers in the Colorado Rockies. With a son that attends Telluride Mountain School and a fresh newborn, Winston and his wife, Cameron, are engaged members of Telluride Mountain School, support local foundations and festivals through their philanthropy, and actively pursue what is best for our community. The Kelly family is passionate about wine and has produced a private-label estate wine in the Fredericksburg Hill Country since 2006 and started Communion Wine Bar in 2022. Winston holds a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum and Mechanical Engineering from The University of Oklahoma. He is a former Young Life Christian Ministry campaign leader and church member. He has been an instrument and type-rated pilot since 2005. Also, Winston served as a board member of Bynum School, where he aided in the new construction of the school campus, and has been the Home Owner Association President for the past five years in his neighborhood.
JESSICA MANNO
Jessica Manno and her family have been a part of the TMS community since 2020. Jessica and her husband, Jeff, have three children all of whom attend TMS, Henry, Harry and Norah. After receiving her BA in Art History from Providence college, Jessica began her professional career in custom furniture design for Ralph Lauren and a number of to-the-trade furniture manufacturers in Chicago, IL. Her interest in interiors led her to a degree in Interior Design from the Harrington Institute in Chicago. She married her interest in both art and design devoting a decade to her work as a fine art consultant, curating inspired spaces for both Fortune 500 corporate clients and private collectors alike. Jessica further advanced her curatorial studies at Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London. She has most recently worked as a member of the local non-profit, Telluride Arts in support of the restoration of the Transfer Warehouse. Sometimes she will throw a pot on the wheel and then not do it again for another year.
FLINT OGLE
As an avid cyclist and fly fisherman, Flint enjoyed playing in the Telluride area for over 30 years before he and his wife, Elisabeth, relocated their family here in 2019. Previously a partner in a western Colorado law firm practicing water and natural resources law, for the last 20 years, Flint has managed private partnerships with varied interests in energy, plant gene editing, and real estate investments, most recently developing a senior living campus in Montrose, Colorado. Flint holds a BA from the University of California Berkeley and a JD from the University of Colorado Boulder.
MARK RIKKERS
Mark and his wife Corinne have been living in the Telluride region since the late 1980’s. Mark has a diverse education and professional background. He holds two Master’s degrees; An MS in snow hydrology from CU, Boulder and an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management. He has worked at three private secondary schools in Colorado: as a teacher at the September School in Boulder, as Dean of Students at Crested Butte Academy, and as a part-time administrator at TMS. Mark most recently worked as the executive director for the dZi Foundation.
KELLI SCOVILLE
Kelli grew up in Colorado and received her BA in Broadcasting/Media and Art History at Western Colorado University in 1997. She moved full-time to Telluride from Colorado Springs in 2020 with her husband, Peter, and their two children, Emily and Soren. After college Kelli worked with several media outlets, where she spent a successful career in Television advertising and marketing, she was instrumental in helping form one of the first job sharing positions in the country at the CSPGS NBC affiliate station to maximize company productivity. After a successful career in advertising, Kelli was fortunate enough to be at home with her young children and has been active on many committees and non-profits organizations, including School District 12, The Fine Arts Center in Colorado Springs, The Children's Literacy Foundation, Olympic Training Center, Kids on Bikes and the Better Business Bureau. In 2017 Kelli received her Pilates teaching certification and has worked with many athletes over the past few years, including members of the women's US Figure Skating Team. She currently works part-time at Pilates Balance in Telluride.
HOLLY SLOAN
Holly Sloan has over 30 years of organizational development and management experience in the non-profit field. She served as the Board Chair for Burgundy Farm Country Day School, and the Children’s Research Triangle. Holly is a founder and past President of the Giving Circle of Alexandria. Holly’s professional career included the CEO of the Association of Junior Leagues International, the President of the New York Society of Association Executives and Program Director for the National Council of Jewish Women.
CAROLYN SOULES
Carolyn and her husband Jason have two children at TMS. Prior to having children, Carolyn worked for over ten years in the financial services industry in Boston. She held positions in account management with Bank of New York Mellon Private Wealth Management and in sales at MFS Financial Management. Carolyn is certified as a USAT triathlon coach, she coaches teams and individual athletes. She has been a member of the Boston Triathlon Team since 2007 and served on its leadership team. Carolyn holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Vermont.
SCOTT STRAND
Scott Strand and his family moved to Telluride in 2006. His wife Danita worked in the Montessori at the Mountain School for 7 years, and his daughter Shandy is a proud graduate of TMS. Scott has a degree in Business Administration from Augustana College. After college he worked in the Barcode, Printing and Data collection industry in Salt Lake City and Minneapolis before moving to Telluride to help manage the Pauls family real-estate holdings. Since then he has worked with many local municipalities and has served on numerous HOA and Architectural review boards.
ANDY SHOFF
Andy Shoff, Head of School has served TMS since 2002. Prior to moving to Telluride, he taught English and computer literacy with his wife, Emily, in Tanzania. His teaching experience also includes three years at the Arbor School in Portland, Oregon, where he taught math and science. Additionally, he has led science field trips for the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and backcountry trips for Wilderness Ventures, a wilderness-based teen adventure program.
DRAKE TAYLOR
During his first life in Telluride, Drake primarily worked with teenagers: First with the Telluride Academy and the Telluride Public School, and then with the non-profit Southwest Outdoor School that he started in 1988. In 2005 he and his wife Helene moved to Moab with their 3-year-old twins and spent the next 14 years there. In Moab, he helped start Community Rebuilds and served on their board for several years, built a straw bale home, and then for the final five years in Moab, he ran the Grand County Food Bank. In 2019 they began their second life in Telluride when their daughter enrolled at the Mountain School. Drake has around 50 years of service on various non-profit boards.