About the Foundation

Kari Eckert is Robbie’s Mom and currently serves as Executive Director for Robbie’s Hope. Prior to raising two beautiful kids she was Co-Owner of Roberts-Eckert Funeral Home in Forest Lake, MN. She has her graduate degree in Mortuary Science from the University of Minnesota and a degree in Psychology from North Dakota State University.

Adela Pena attended El Paso Community College in Texas.  She was a former Pan American World Airway’s Flight Attendant for 5 years, then served as Executive Administrative Assistant to the President SCO Colorado Funeral and Cemetery Services and Olinger Mortuaries and Cemeteries for 15 years.  Currently she holds the position of Manager, Office Administration at Leprino Foods Company.  Adela developed a strong sense of service and devotion to volunteering thought her career and currently serves on the Leprino Community Impact Team and is an active member of the CIT The Family Tree team.  Ms. Peña is a Colorado Notary Public since 1996.

Kathryn Kurtz received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 1999. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of Denver, College of Law in 2002. Ms. Kurtz worked at the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office from 2003-2016. During her time at the District Attorney’s Office, Ms. Kurtz worked primarily in the Special Victim’s Unit prosecuting Crimes Against Children and Human Trafficking cases. She started the State of Colorado’s first Human Trafficking Unit which worked with other community and governmental organizations to create programs to prevent and protect victims of trafficking and prosecute offenders who exploit vulnerable individuals in the community. Ms. Kurtz currently works as a Relief Judge in Lakewood Municipal Court presiding over cases including traffic, zoning and criminal offenses.

Elizabeth (Lizzie) Becker is a senior at Ralston Valley High School. There, she has been the varsity volleyball manager for three years after health problems derailed her ability to play. She also is a member of Spanish Honors Society. In her free time, Lizzie enjoys volunteering in a local 3rd grade classroom, where she leads small groups during reading and grades papers. Lizzie will attending the University of Northern Colorado to study elementary.

Camden Dempsey was friends with Robbie since kindergarten. Camden is a sophomore at Lakewood High School studying in the International Baccalaureate program. At LHS, he plays football, swims and studies Mandarin Chinese. Camden is an Eagle Scout, having completed his Eagle project in 2018 in Inner Mongolia, China. Some of Camden’s favorite memories of Robbie are from their days swimming together both at LHS and at The Club at Rolling Hills.

Molly Lange is currently a junior at the University of Colorado Denver. She plans to major in psychology and attend graduate school for a master’s degree in school psychology. Molly was on the women’s golf team at her previous school, William Jewell College, where she competed at the division II level. Additionally, she is a member of the Psi Chi and Alpha Lambda Delta honor societies.

As Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs for Leprino Foods Company, Mike Reidy is responsible for supply chain, legal, dairy policy & procurement, tax and other corporate affairs. Mike serves on the boards of the International Dairy Foods Association and the National Cheese Institute. Before joining Leprino Foods, Mike worked at Price Waterhouse for 18 years as a partner in the Audit group. Mike received his bachelor’s degree in economics from Princeton University and has done graduate work in accounting at Cornell University.

Scott Coe is a founder and president of Cultivator Advertising & Design, a 20-year-old branding agency based in Denver where he s a writer and brand strategist with a long history of working with consumer lifestyle brands.  He is an advisor at Watson Scholars, a global social venture entrepreneurship program based in Boulder, as well as an occasional teacher and guest speaker at CU Boulder.  His other non-profit work has included board leadership with the Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinsons.  He currently lives in Boulder with his wife and two daughters.

Sharon McMeel is an experienced fundraiser and dedicated leader in the nonprofit sector.  She began her career 15 years ago at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland and, after moving to Colorado in 2008, joined the Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation.  In her current role as Senior Vice President, Sharon is responsible for managing a donor portfolio and co-leading all fundraising efforts for the Foundation which includes directly overseeing the Foundation Giving, Annual Giving, Family Giving, Prospect Development programs and the Colorado Springs office.  She staffs two volunteer fundraising councils, one that includes medical staff leaders and the other that includes emerging philanthropists called the 2221 Society.

Originally from the east coast, Sharon is the proud mom of two children and enjoys skiing, hiking, travelling and art in her free time.  Sharon is extremely passionate about mental health and suicide prevention.  Her husband of almost 15 years, Cortright McMeel, took his life in 2013.

Kari Eckert is Robbie’s Mom and currently serves as Executive Director for Robbie’s Hope. Prior to raising two beautiful kids she was Owner of Roberts-Eckert Funeral Home in Forest Lake, MN. She has her graduate degree in Mortuary Science from the University of Minnesota and a degree in Psychology from North Dakota State University.

As a Denver native, Kim DeVigil has deep roots in the community and has served on numerous non-profit boards and committees. She currently serves as the Director of Communications for Robbie’s Hope and is on the Board of Directors for the Evergreen Special Adventure Club (ESAC). She is a past board member of the Colorado Hispanic Youth Leadership Awards and Big Brothers of Metro Denver (now Big Brothers/Big Sisters). In addition, Kim has volunteered with the Evergreen Lake Plunge, served on the scholarship committee for Girl’s Inc., and has been an ardent parent booster for the Lakewood High School Theatre Company since 2011.

Sandie was born and raised in Colorado, growing up on a farm with three sisters on the Eastern Plains of Colorado. She is a graduate from University of Northern Colorado with Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology and Chemistry, and with a Masters of Science in Organization Development from Regis University. Following University, she began her career in developing technical training programs on how to manufacture various foods. She is blessed to be married to a Denver Fireman, Rich Hoover, and they have two amazing, smart, ambitious boys named Brayden and Caleb. The most important thing she has learned from her boys is that if she truly listens to them, they will teach her more about life and love than any other resource on earth.