“Philanthropy is as basic to the human spirit as destructiveness seems to be. We at Aspen Community Foundation endeavor to tip the balance in favor of the good guys.”
Laurie Michaels, Board Member
Welcome Arnold Porath, Jay Sandrich, Diana Sirko and Carrie Wells
The Community Foundation is thrilled to announce the addition of four new board members.
Arnold Porath
Arny Porath and his wife Anne live in Aspen and Santa Monica. Among his several business ventures, Arny is a real estate developer of affordable housing and founder of a nonprofit called Campus for Opportunities to provide computer and job training for those living in his companies’ housing complexes. Arny is on the board of Spellbinders, the Aspen Music Festival and School, and the UCLA Medical Center; on the National Council of Anderson Arts Ranch and a fellow of The Aspen Institute. Arny and Anne also helped to fund a Biomedical Ethics Center in California.
Jay Sandrich
Jay’s noted career as a leading director of film and situation comedies includes four Emmys and shows such as the “Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Soap,” and “The Cosby Show.” He also directed Neil Simon’s “Seems Like Old Times” with Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase. Residents of both Aspen and Los Angeles, Jay and his wife Linda have expressed interest in seeing Aspen Community Foundation start a Seniors Field of Interest Fund, similar to the one they established at the California Community Foundation. Linda and Jay are actively involved with the “I Have a Dream” Foundation and Inner City Filmmakers in Los Angeles. Jay was recently elected as a Lifetime Trustee of The Aspen Institute.
Diana Sirko
Diana has her masters and PhD in education from University of Colorado at Denver and has been an educator for thirty-one years, including thirteen years of teaching all levels in Colorado schools. In 2003, she became superintendent of the Aspen School District. Diana is a board member of The Buddy Program, a member of the Aspen Rotary Club, and is collaborating with The Aspen Institute and Students Need Active Parents (SNAP), a donor advised fund of Aspen Community Foundation, on a debate program. She has led a Facilitation Skills workshop for the executive Service Corps, workshops for The Colorado Association of School Executives, and spent seven years as Deputy Superintendent of Colorado Springs schools.
Carrie Wells
Carrie, a former owner of a graphic design company, is currently an award-winning real estate agent for Coldwell Banker in Aspen. She and her husband Joe met at the International Design Conference at the Aspen Institute and have lived in Aspen since 1987. Carrie is on the National Councils of Anderson Ranch, The Buddy Program, and the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet; a Board member of the Aspen Music Festival and School, Roaring Fork Hospice, and is Board Chair of the Aspen Country Day School.
