EXPAND Beyond Board of Directors

Rodger Stewart, President

RodgerStewart@expandbeyondinc.com
Rodger Stewart, with a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Colorado, has over 30 years’ experience in the medical device industry since starting with COBE Cardiovascular in 1977 and most recently completed 18 months as CEO of a venture backed medical device startup in Israel. 

Over his career he has held positions of increasing responsibility in engineering, marketing, sales, and business development.  Mr. Stewart has been awarded six US patents and is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Colorado.  In the last 10 years he has held the positions of President and CEO for UltraShape, Inc., CEO of Carbomedics, Inc., President of Sorin Group North America, and President and CEO of COBE Cardiovascular, Inc.; several of them concurrently. 

Mr. Stewart retired in July of 2008 and has been focusing his efforts on giving back to the community.  He is on the Board of Directors for ColoradoFIRST, a Colorado 501(c)(3) focusing on STEM development in grades K-12, since June 2009.  Mr. Stewart joined the Board of Directors for EXPAND Beyond in July 2010 and has been a volunteer boat driver for EXPAND since June 2009.

 

Cory Lasher

CoryLasher@expandbeyondinc.com

Cory grew up near a lake in Hatfield Wisconsin and loves the water and the outdoors. She moved to Colorado in 1992 and feels as if this is home. She has over 30 years’ experience collaborating with people of all abilities in a recreational setting and has her BA in Leisure Studies from Metropolitan State Collage in Denver with her major in Therapeutic Recreation.  She worked for the City of Boulder EXPAND program for 24 years as a Therapeutic Program Coordinator and was responsible for developing and promoting recreational opportunities, for all ages and abilities, including the Adaptive Water-ski program. She also coordinated fundraising events including the Boulder Creek Festival Great Rubber Duck Race, Pro-Leisure Golf Tournament and Endless Summer at the Rez, a silent and live auction event. After retiring from the city, she became a Board Member with EXPAND Beyond, Inc. in March of 2020.

Brian Sample

BrianSample@expandbeyondinc.com
Brian Sample graduated from Colby College with a BS in Sociology, moved to Colorado in 1997 and worked for Imagine! (Boulder Counties Community Centered Board).

Brian staffed and managed homes for persons with developmental disabilities until 2005. Since then Brian has worked in the commercial and residential mortgage lending business and is currently an Asset Manager with Mercy Loan Fund.

Brian is a certified adaptive snow sports instructor and has volunteered for Winter Park and Breckenridge adaptive programs since 1998.  Brian has been a volunteer with EXPAND since June 1998.

Greg Singer

GregSinger@expandbeyondinc.com
Greg has lived in the area since 1974 when he moved down from Fargo, ND. He attended school in the area and served in the Army following High School. Once he was discharged from military service Greg went back to school and earned an ASS in Electronics Technology and worked for StorageTek/Sun Microsystems until being laid off.

He now works for Frontier Airlines as a Technical Writer. Greg has been involved with the Expand Adaptive Waterskiing program since 2000, first as a participant, and when he realized he could be more useful, began volunteering.

 

Shelly Fowler

ShellyFowler@expandbeyondinc.com

Shelly Fowler graduated from Indiana University, Bloomington with a Bachelor of Science in Recreation, specialization in Therapeutic Recreation and a minor in Psychology.  Shelly earned her Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) in 1997 – present.  She continued her education earning a Master of Arts in Teaching, Special Education, Specializations in Learning Disabilities and Behavior Disorders from National Louis University, Chicago, 2004. In 2010, Shelly earned her Special Education Administration Licensure from the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley.  In 2012, she completed her National Board Certification and is a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT), Early Childhood through Young Adulthood/Exceptional Needs Specialists, Mild to Moderate Disabilities, earning her a Colorado Masters Teachers Certificate. 

Shelly maintained employment as a CTRS at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC), Spinal Cord Unit and the Wirtz Sports Program and the Center for Health and Fitness from 1997-2005. 

She moved to Colorado in 2005 to pursue a special education administration position within South Routt School District, South Routt Middle and High School.  In 2008, Shelly moved to Boulder where she joined Boulder Valley School District, Boulder High School as a Special Education Teacher and Learning Specialist.

To support her mission in creating holistic lifestyles for individuals with disabilities, Shelly designed, developed and opened a private practice, FourPoints in Boulder, CO, 2015.  FourPoints provides therapeutic interventions in education, career, community, and recreation to encourage individuals to navigate independence.

Shelly is actively involved in several adaptive sports organizations teaching alpine skiing, water skiing, sailing, and SCUBA diving. She spends her free time with her husband Dan, sailing, SCUBA diving, skiing, and enjoying the gift of life…recreation is her therapy.

Topher Downham

TopherDownham@expandbeyondinc.com
Topher, an outdoor enthusiast since his first backcountry camping trip at age 6, has promoted outdoor recreation his whole life.

After becoming a C6-7 quadriplegic in 1995 by breaking his neck in a shallow water diving accident, Topher finished his BS degree in International Business and Marketing with a minor in Scandinavian Studies at CU-Boulder. He then redirected his energies towards getting himself and other people with disabilities outside and into nature.

He co-wrote the Boulder Area Accessible Trails and Natural Sites guidebook published in 1998, helping people to locate and use disabled accessible trails. He has worked at City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks as an Outreach Coordinator since 2001, continuing to promote outdoor recreation and preservation of flora and fauna.

He is a big fan of 4-wheeled downhill mountain biking, handcycle touring, and downhill skiing. Most recently his passion is for water sports such as wakeboarding, kayaking, and sailing.

 

Frank Bruno

FrankBruno@expandbeyondinc.com

Frank’s rich, professional and public service experience has been focused in the areas of general management, transformational leadership, strategic planning, and the importance of understanding organizational dynamics. Born in New York City, Frank earned a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from St. John’s University and a Master of Science from New York Institute of Technology. He served as Assistant Vice President for the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation before moving to Colorado in 1989. He concluded a 14-year tenure as Assistant City Manager for the City of Ft. Collins and was then selected to serve as Boulder’s 18th City Manager, from 2002-2008. He served next as Vice Chancellor of Administration at CU Boulder, with a focus on capital construction and campus sustainability, and was eventually recruited to become President and CEO of the Boulder-based Western Disposal. Switching gears, Frank was asked to take the reins as CEO of Via Mobility Services in 2016 after serving for seven years as board member and Board President. Frank has distinguished himself in the not-for-profit arena serving and chairing several entities in the region over the past few decades. This includes serving as Board Chair of Boulder Valley School District Foundation (Impact on Education), and he served on the Executive Committee of the Boulder Economic Council, and was a founding member of the Boulder Innovation Center.

Matt Feeney

MattFeeney@expandbeyondinc.com

Matt Feeney was an avid mountain biker and skier when a cliff diving accident at Lake Powell in 1988 left him paralyzed from the waist down. In 1991, Feeney left the financial industry in Denver and moved to Winter Park to pursue adaptive ski racing and become more involved in outdoor recreation. After training and competing with the Winter Park Disabled Ski Team, Feeney joined forces with Home Health Care giant, Sunrise Medical, as a team member and national spokesperson.

 In 1993, Feeney was hired by The National Sports Center for the Disabled to coordinate the Sit-Ski Program, which, under Matt’s direction, grew to over 300 volunteers and became responsible for thousands of ski lessons annually. Matt is a two-time U.S. off-road champion and an accomplished handcyclist and ski instructor. Feeney brings his extensive knowledge in adaptive sports and recreation to the Adaptive Adventures team, and enhances the lives of others who face similar challenges.

Matt learned to waterski in the Expand program in 1989 with Jim Zeigler and became a certified waterski instructor soon after.  He donated many hours teaching at Boulder Res through the 90’s with Expand until starting his non-profit Adaptive Adventures in 1999. Matt is excited to bring his knowledge and experience to the Expand Beyond Board of Directors.

 

Mike Frailey

Mike Frailey@expandbeyondinc.com

Mike grew up on a small lake in Michigan learning to waterski and operate boats at an early age. By the age of 15 he and some friends installed a DIY slalom ski course during the winter by siting buoy locations on the ice surface and cutting holes in the ice to submerge anchors, line and sub-surface floats. While slalom skiing was his primary water sport, he also enjoyed trick skiing, bare-footing and eventually wake boarding and wake surfing.  Mike received his BSME and worked in the automotive industry for about 12 years, which brought him to Colorado on multiple preproduction vehicle development trips. He was inspired by the mountains, lifestyle and generous amounts of sun and moved to Boulder in 1997 with his 1982 Mastercraft in tow. Mike volunteered with EXPAND for 5 years as a boat driver into the early 2000s when a job change curtailed his ability to volunteer. In 2021, inspired by his own son with special needs and work-from-home flexibility, Mike rejoined the current Expand Beyond group in hope of sharing his love of the water and 50+ years of water sports experience with other volunteers and program participants. In 2024 he was honored to be invited and accepted to participate on the Board of Directors.