Leadership

State Chair: Wayne Harlos

Contact: statechair@lpcolorado.org

Wayne is a native of Colorado and after being a Republican for many years, finally realized that no party other than the Libertarian Party stands for the freedoms that our country was founded on. Wayne is the Chair of the Douglas County Development Group with a goal of “spreading the word.” He has a significant passion for gaining liberty for the residents of the State. Wayne has been a Real Estate Broker for 30 years with the last 25 in Castle Rock where he now resides. “My goal is to reduce the size and effect of government in all of our lives.”

Vice Chair: Michele Poague

Contact: vicechair@lpcolorado.org

In addition to her 30+ years in multiple roles with the Libertarian Party of Colorado, Michele Bethke-Poague is a night club manager and special events planner with 4 State Libertarian Conventions and 1 National Libertarian Convention to her credit. She is also the author of the multiple-award-winning trilogy, The Healing Crystal, and The Candy Store.

Campaigns Director: Kim Tavendale

Contact: campaignsdirector@lpcolorado.org

Kim Tavendale is a best-selling author, a life coach, and a leading wedding officiant and life celebrant in the Denver area. She has a passion for helping people, for liberty, and for the unique foundation of ideas of equality and freedom upon which the USA was built.

Originally from New Zealand, Kim and her husband moved to the United States in 1999. After becoming a citizen in 2008, she now lives with her husband, two children and two standard poodles in Broomfield, CO. Kim volunteers with many organizations, including serving on the board of the Angelite Group Foundation which supports victims and survivors of domestic violence, reading news for the blind and reading-impaired with Audio Information Network of Colorado, as well as donating her officiating services to many good causes. Kim ran as the Libertarian candidate for Colorado state house for HD33 in 2016, and will run again in 2018.

Regions Director: Steve Gallant

Contact: regionsdirector@lpcolorado.org

Always libertarian, Steven Gallant became a Libertarian in 1993 while living in the Belly of the Beast. There, he worked at the Libertarian Party National headquarters, maintaining the membership database. After obtaining his graduate degree, Gallant worked for several “beltway bandits” and federal government agencies, experiencing firsthand government profligacy and incompetence. After moving to Colorado in 1999, he became active in the Jefferson County Libertarian affiliate as well as the state party. Gallant has run for public office several times at the county and municipal level. Gallant has served in several state board positions and he looks forward to helping the party continue its record growth.

Communications Director: Lance Cayko

Contact: communicationsdirector@lpcolorado.org

Lance Cayko is an architect real-estate developer from Longmont Colorado. He is also the Deputy Director of social media at Being Libertarian, the Social Media Director for the Libertarian Party of Boulder County, and the Communications Director for the Libertarian Party of Colorado.

Records Director: Mike Spalding

Contact: recordsdirector@lpcolorado.org

As a near native who has lived in Colorado since he was in High School, Mike is committed to preserving the freedoms that help to make this a great state. He has built and successfully grown a software business, an insurance company, and a real estate business. He is involved in Boy Scouts, an Austrian Economics group, and myriad local activities.

Mike has financially helped the campaigns of several Libertarians and the state and national party. He has provided treasurer and other services for various campaigns and was formerly the treasurer for the Libertarian Party of Colorado. He has been a major participant in several statewide initiatives and helped repeal the sales tax on food in Lakewood. Mike also has run for election a couple of times. He garnered 23% of the vote running for State Representative and was elected to the Ken Caryl Water Board where he currently serves.

Legislative Director: Michael Stapleton

Contact: legislativedirector@lpcolorado.org

Michael is a Colorado Native, living in Pueblo where has lived and worked most of his adult life. He has always been politically active, a follower of Libertarian philosophy, and an advocate for limited government and maintaining its proper role. His true activism came out with the recall drive against former State Senator Angela Giron after her sponsorship and votes for the anti-gun legislation. After the recalls ended, he did not want to stop, for he could see that our freedoms and liberties were eroding at a rapid pace — all at the hand of government.

Michael attended training at the Center for Self Governance, learning how to be effective in holding government accountable to its proper role and grassroots organizing, and is currently a level 4 student. Mr. Stapleton is ready to put his training to work as a citizen activist to reach a broader base as Legislative Director for LPCO. His goal is to get Libertarians engaged in holding our elected accountable, to inform our friends and neighbors on our Libertarian principles of Individual Liberty, Responsibility, Limited Government and Free Markets, and to grow the Party.

Treasurer: John Hjersman

Contact: treasurer@lpcolorado.org

John is a California native who moved to Nebraska in 1976 at the age of 29. He moved to Colorado in September, 2013. John graduated from the US Merchant Marine Academy in 1968 and sailed on cargo vessels as a licensed engineer until his retirement in 2012. The last 34 years of his career, John sailed as Chief Engineer for American President Lines. An instinctive libertarian, it wasn’t until his interest in combating erosions to our Second Amendment rights brought his attention to the existence of the Libertarian Party that he became a member of the party in 2000. John has been Treasurer of the Libertarian Party of El Paso County since early 2015. He has always bristled at seatbelt and helmet laws, although he normally chooses to use them. The heavy hand of government diminishes the quality of lives. Let’s live free.

Membership Director: Vacant

Contact: membershipdirector@lpcolorado.org

Director Description

Outreach Director: Kevin Gulbranson

Contact: outreachdirector@lpcolorado.org

Prior to a semi-retirement and relocation to Colorado in 2013, Kevin spent a lifetime in the Corporate jungle in a career focused on delivering Consumer Electronics and Consumer Wireless products and services to the free market culminating in a senior management position with a multi-billion dollar Wireless Communications company. Prior to moving to Colorado, he was a delegate to the 2012 Libertarian National Convention from North Carolina and served again as a delegate to the 2016 Libertarian National Convention from Colorado. He believes firmly that the principles of the Libertarian party with a focus on Limited Government, Individual Liberty and Personal Responsibility are essential to the preservation of the life that we hold dear in this country for our children and grandchildren.

Fundraising Director: Victoria Reynolds

Contact: fundraisingdirector@lpcolorado.org

Director Description

Staff Volunteers

Welcome Committee: Marc Montoni

Contact: welcome@lpcolorado.org

Volunteer Description

Technology Director: Mike Quinlan

Contact: technologychair@lpcolorado.org

Volunteer Description

Database Manager: David Aitken

Contact: databasemanager@lpcolorado.org

David has been a registered Libertarian since 1984 and was active in the late 80’s and 90’s as Finance Chair and State Chair. He played a major role in getting minor party status for the party in 1998. Software consulting and database management was his career for 45 years, so managing the party’s database and website is a natural fit.