Business Speakers

Opening Keynote Speakers

Carla Dore | Chief Executive Officer, Workplace Resource Colorado

Rachel Clark | Chief Operating Officer, Workplace Resource Colorado

Carla Dore and Rachel Clark of Workplace Resource Colorado are teaming up to kick off MBA Research Conclave 2023!

Underscoring this year’s theme—People, Passion, and Purpose: The Pathway to Success—Carla and Rachel will share about Workplace Resource’s commitments to people, planet, and community engagement.

With ongoing labor constraints posing challenges, Carla and Rachel are leading with integrity as they chart their company’s course in this post-pandemic environment. As the premier providers of office design and product solutions for both commercial and public-sector clients, Workplace Resource is passionate about creating environments that support the success of individuals, businesses, and communities in today’s evolving workspaces.

Carla’s Bio:

Carla Dore is owner and CEO of Workplace Resource, a Platinum MillerKnoll Office Furniture dealership, where being diverse, equitable, and inclusive are integral to our values as a company, allowing us to create spaces for inspired thinking and innovative solutions to complex issues for clients. She is a 1983 CSU alumna and holds a CSU degree in Interior Design with a minor in Industrial Construction Management. Carla serves on the Board of the Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce, is an inaugural member of the Colorado State University Executive Leadership Council in the College of Health and Human Sciences, and she is an RDC affiliate at the Nancy Richardson Design Center. She is also active on the Children’s Hospital Corporate Leadership Council and is a Board Member of Roundup River Ranch. She is former Board Chair of Rocky Mountain Children’s Law Center and a prior Board of Trustee for YMCA of Metro Denver.   

In 2011, she purchased Workplace Resource from Herman Miller, Inc. at which time she applied for and was accepted to receive her Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) Certification. 

Rachel’s Bio:

Rachel Clark is Chief Operating Officer and Principal of Workplace Resource, a specialty-construction and MillerKnoll furniture dealership. At Workplace Resource, we serve others by anticipating, creating, and delivering extraordinary experiences inside and outside our organization. Rachel is passionate about corporate social responsibility and leading for the greater good of all. 

Prior to taking over her current position, Rachel was Director of Design and Project Management at Workplace Resource, where she learned to leverage design thinking to support the broader strategic initiatives of the company. She’s a graduate of the Leadership Denver Class of 2022 and holds a certificate for ESG Strategy from the CU Leeds School of Business. 

Rachel earned her degree in Interior Design from Miami University in Oxford, OH. While she has Midwest roots, she moved to Los Angeles out of college and called it home for 10 years. She’s now lived in Denver for 8 years with her husband and two sons who keep her active, outdoors, and laughing most of the time. 

General Sessions

George Sparks | President & CEO, Denver Museum of Nature and Science

George Sparks, president and CEO of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, will join us to discuss his two passions: business and science.

With a strong background in marketing, sales, and general management at Hewlett-Packard and Agilent Technologies, George fuses his background in aeronautical engineering and astronautics (yes, that is rocket science!) with his business knowledge to bring differing viewpoints to the table.

With his long career in both worlds, George supports public policy by encouraging relationships built on trust and shared values. He believes in the power of business to create value that can drive the economy for all.

George’s Bio:

George Sparks has been the President/CEO of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science since November 2004. He spent 24 years in the electronics measurement business at Hewlett-Packard and Agilent Technologies. His career included marketing, sales, and general management of global businesses in software, systems, and services.

Prior to joining Hewlett-Packard, George spent 9 years in the Air Force as a pilot and as an Assistant Professor of Aeronautics at the USAF Academy (1976-1978). He is a Distinguished Graduate of the USAF Academy with a BS in Aeronautical Engineering, and holds an MS in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT.

George’s passion is public policy, particularly around science and education. He is a member of the Colorado Forum, Colorado Concern, and is on the Boards of Colorado Education Initiative, Colorado Inclusive Economy, Colorado Business Round Table, Colorado Music Hall of Fame, Denver Council of Foreign Relations, and current board chair at Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.

George is the founder of the Institute for Science & Policy, a program of the Museum.

He loves his wife and all of his children.

Mowa Haile | President/CEO, Sky Blue Builders

Mowa Haile, President/CEO of Sky Blue Builders, will join us to discuss his long career in the technology sector, working in corporate development, operations, and management, to then starting his own business, Sky Blue Builders, in 2007.

Within his many entrepreneurial ventures, Mowa ensures a strong leadership focus on the external and internal threats, opportunities for expansion, and innovation within industry developments and standards. Mowa is passionate about giving back to and supporting the needs of the community, and he infuses this core value into his leadership and company culture.

Mowa’s Bio:

Mowa Haile is President of Sky Blue Builders, which he founded in 2007 after a tenured career in the technology sector. As of 2020, Sky Blue was the Denver Business Journal’s 4th largest minority-owned business. He is also the CEO of Apex Plumbing, a company that was converted to an ESOP in 2022. Mowa is also Managing Member of Sky Blue Properties, Lucina Eatery & Bar and Member of Sky Blue Concessions.

Mowa has 22 years of corporate development, operations, and management experience. Before Sky Blue, Mowa worked in various management roles with Level 3 Communications and Inflow (Acquired by SunGard). Mowa was selected as the Minority Business Person of the Year in 2012 and CEO of the Year finalist in 2015 by Colorado Biz Magazine.

Mowa grew up in Fort Collins after emigrating from Eritrea in 1981 with his family at the age of nine. He was a State High School track champion and went to CSU on a track scholarship, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, and later getting his MBA from University of Phoenix.

Mowa serves on several boards including Board Member of the DMCC and Pinnacol Assurance. Mowa also Co-Chaired the City of Denver’s Economic Relief and Recovery Council from March of 2020 to August of 2021 and Chair of 2021 GO Bond Executive Committee. He also serves on the Africa Air Service Committee for Denver International Airport to bring the first direct flight from Denver to the continent of Africa.

Closing Keynote Speaker

Coming soon!

Top