The theater community is celebrating Nicholaus Sandner as Colorado’s top drama teacher. Sandner is a Durango local, a Fort Lewis College graduate and a drama teacher at Montezuma Cortez High School. Sandner was recently in Denver to accept his Colorado Theater Teacher of the Year award from the Colorado Thespians organization. Sandner says his students might be as happy as he is for the recognition.

Levi Kurlander is leaving his position as Executive Director of Durango Devo after serving for nearly eight years in the role. Under his leadership, Devo’s enrollment numbers have grown by nearly three times. Still, he considers his ability to back up a bike trailer the most important takeaway from his time at Durango Devo. Despite raising numerous Olympians and Pro Tour racers, Kurlander emphasized that Devo's goal remains to foster the love of riding bikes.

Clayton Lytle is the new Head Brewer at Animas Brewing Company. He’s worked at breweries across the country, including Stone. Over the course of his career at places like Spice Trade Brewery in Denver and Stone Brewery in San Diego, Lytle has focused on quality beer-making practices.

Jennaye Derge is the Founder of Bike Durango, a non-profit advocacy group for bike commuters and pedestrians. She’s also a journalist whose work can be found in The Durango Telegraph, Adventure Cycling Magazine and Cycling Weekly. Derge is hosting Bike Prom for a second consecutive year this fall at the Powerhouse Science Center.

Lisa Dierson is the Founder and Director of the EQUUS Film & Arts Film Festival. She’s preparing to bring the equestrian-themed festival to the Four Corners region for the first time in the event's 12-year existence. The gathering will include a Mustang summit, focused on furthering the conversation on managing the local Jicarilla Mustang herd.

Sponsored by Sky Ute Casino Resort and CommonSpirit.

Darrin Parmenter is Colorado State University Extension’s Western Regional Director and Co-Host of The Garden Guys radio show on KSUT. He previously served as the La Plata County Extension horticulturist and county director for nearly two decades. His responsibilities include coordinating the efforts of dozens of Extension experts spanning diverse disciplines and spread across 16 counties.

Sponsored by Sky Ute Casino Resort and FASTSIGNS Durango

Dustin English is the co-founder of Voormi, an outdoor apparel company based in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Since 2011 the company has evolved into more than just a garment company, featuring locally made textiles, technology and development. English developed the company with the goal of providing more performance in fewer pieces of gear, so outdoor guides like himself could be more intentional with limited packing space.

Sponsored by Sky Ute Casino Resort and CommonSpirit Health

Fort Lewis College Philosophy Professor Justin McBrayer has won a Fulbright Scholarship for the second time in his career. As part of the program, McBrayer will spend a term in Italy both conducting research and teaching at the University of Genoa in Italy. The author of “Beyond Fake News, Finding the Truth in a World of Misinformation," McBrayer said the award will allow him to continue exploring the issue of misinformation and fake news. The Fulbright Program is the world’s largest and most diverse international educational exchange program.

Sponsored by Sky Ute Casino Resort and FASTSIGNS Durango