Aikta Marcoulier

Board President

Aikta Marcoulier was the director of the Pikes Peak Small Business Development Center in Colorado Springs. Before joining the SBDC Aikta was the director of partnership marketing with the Professional Bull Riders (PBR). Marcoulier was also the program creator and manager of the Colorado SBDC’s Cyber: CYA program (or Cyber: Cover Your Assets program) providing education, training, and one-on-one consulting to small businesses throughout Colorado.

Marcoulier is involved in the El Pomar Emerging Leaders Program and is an active board member of the Pikes Peak Workforce Development Board and vice-chair of the Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado. She is on the Pikes Peak Community College Business Advisory Board and is president of the Colorado Business Development Foundation. She serves on numerous committees for the Colorado Springs Business Journal, served as co-chair for the Census 2020 Business Committee and is on the technology and capacity committees for the Colorado SBDC Network. Additionally, she is a member of ROAR (Relationships, Opportunities, Acumen, and Readiness Committee) for the UCCS College of Business.

Marcoulier received her MBA in global management from the University of Phoenix and undergraduate degrees in both economics and psychology from the University of Iowa. She was awarded the University of Iowa Leadership Award in 2011 and was named one of the Colorado Springs Business Journal’s Rising Stars for 2013 and Women of Influence. Additionally, she earned the Colorado State Star Award in 2013 and led the Colorado Springs SBDC to earn the UCCS Deans Award, El Paso County Recognition Award, SBA Region VIII Award for Innovation and Excellence (2014 and 2020) and the Pikes Peak Arts Council Arts Advocacy Award.

Tia Kavas, 5Star Bank

Board Secretary

Tia Kavas is a Senior Vice President and Manager of the Business Credit division with 5Star Bank. With more than 20 years as an experienced trade finance professional, Tia has an extensive background in offering alternative financing solutions for newly established, high-growth or turnaround companies. She excels in matching clients to financial solutions that allow them to achieve their business objectives including accounts receivable financing, asset-based lending, purchase order financing and supply chain financing.

The mission of 5Star Bank is to help small and medium-sized businesses in Colorado succeed. Given the synergies between The Colorado Business Development Foundation and 5Star Bank, Tia is thrilled to be a member of the CBDF Board.

Tia is an MBA graduate of the ALBA Business School, fluent in both English and Greek, and is a licensed interpreter/translator for the State of Colorado. In addition, Tia holds a Certificate in International Factoring from Factors Chain International and is a Certified Factoring Account Executive (CFAE) issued by the International Factoring Association.

She currently is a Member of the Littleton Public Schools Special Services Advisory Committee as well as a Volunteer with Junior Achievement.

Rosy Aburto McDonough, Hispanic Contractors of Colorado (HCC)

Board Treasurer

Rosy Aburto McDonough is the Executive Director of Hispanic Contractors of Colorado and HCC Contractor Academy. She has been a business consultant and mentor throughout her professional career.

She served as the Director of the Minority Business Office of Colorado at the Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT). McDonough is credited for developing the statewide vision for OEDIT focused on supporting small minority- women- and veteran-owned businesses. Under her leadership, staff implements the strategic plan, continuously meeting and exceeding established annual performance measures and impact goals.

McDonough has extensive experience as an independent consultant for the Colorado Small Business Development Center Network (SBDC), where she advises on disaster recovery, the Connect2DOT program, and financial assistance. She is the former associate director of the Denver Metro SBDC and lead finance consultant and trainer in the areas of strategic management and operations, financial analysis and funding sources, personal and business credit and business development. She has facilitated LEADING EDGE business planning programs, financial literacy, QuickBooks and accounting courses for SBDCs throughout the state. McDonough was also an affiliate faculty member at Regis University, where she taught strategic management, business sustainability and accounting for its dual language program.

McDonough achieved her bachelor’s degree in actuarial science (applied mathematics) at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México in Mexico City. Her graduating dissertation was risk management. Rosy completed an MBA with an emphasis in finance and international business at the University of Colorado at Denver. She has entrepreneurial spirit and, as a result, has owned several businesses. Her latest venture was a credit-reporting agency serving the mortgage lending and property management industries in both the United States and various Latin American markets. Her banking experience includes community development, minority markets, corporate relations, and credit analysis and lending under business banking.

McDonough was born and raised in Mexico, providing her with a deep sense of biculturalism. She spends most of her free time with her husband and three daughters. Her family is trilingual and culturally diverse, observing both Chinese and Latin cultures and traditions.

SHARON KING, BOULDER SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER

In the past 10 years, Sharon King and the Boulder SBDC have worked with over 5,000 entrepreneurs from startups through 2nd stage companies, from “Main Street” businesses through highly scalable manufacturing and Advanced Industries. Sharon’s first business was a vintage retail store – right out of college. Just before joining the SBDC in 2004, Sharon converted and re-branded a franchise hotel into the independent Boulder Outlook Hotel, in which she was an investor. In the 30 years between, Sharon has been an entrepreneur, marketing executive and consultant for small (and larger) businesses in many industries -- including hospitality, professional services, banking, consumer products, retail and manufacturing. She holds an MBA from Cornell University, is nationally-certified as an Economic Gardening Team Leader through the Edward Lowe Foundation and nationally certified to facilitate FastTrac NewVenture, GrowthVenture and TechVenture programs through the Kauffman Foundation for Entrepreneurship. 

Mary Shepherd, Southwest Colorado small Business Development Center

Mary Shepherd joined the Southwest Colorado SBDC as the Office Manager in December 2014. Prior to that, she worked in the office of admission at Fort Lewis College.

Mary has lived in Southwest Colorado for over 20 years, working in many industries from public relations to hospitality management to educational recruitment. As a public relations account manager, she worked with national outdoor brands to develop media strategies and direct outreach and campaigns to build a favorable brand image with customers, prospects, retail channels and the public. She understands the challenges of small business ownership, having owned a small restaurant in Durango with her husband. She wishes she would have known then about the services the SBDC provides.

Mary received her Bachelor’s Degree in Government from Cornell University. She is a recent Leadership La Plata graduate and serves on the LLP Alumni Committee. She is also currently serving on the steering committee for Southwest Rural Philanthropy Days 2018. She enjoys travelling, camping, and all the great outdoor recreation opportunities that life in Colorado provides.