Section Staff

Brother Cassie Harmon has been serving as Section C-1's Chair since October 20, 2018. This position is elected by the students annually and accepted on a volunteer basis at every Section C-1 Conference.

She is from the Mu Pi Chapter at the Colorado School of Mines, having initiated in Spring 2010. Cassie is a staff engineer for a civil consulting firm and lives in Frederick with her husband, dog, and 3 cats.

The duties of the Section Chair are defined in the National Bylaws.

Brother Leigha Larsen has been serving as Section C-1 Leadership Chair since September 25, 2017. Commitment to this position is reaffirmed annually and on a volunteer basis at every Section C-1 Conference.

She is from the Gamma Theta Chapter at University of Colorado Boulder pledging in 2015. Leigha works in a research lab at Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora studying allergies with eosinophil involvement. Leigha currently lives in Westminster and loves to hike, camp, read, and spend time with friends and family.

Leadership Chair visits chapters annually to share National APO leadership development opportunities and programs - including APO LEADS, APO IMPACT webinars, the APO BOLD initiative, the Chapter Organizer program, Basic Training and APO LEADS Content Training opportunities for alumni, and more. Coordinates conferences held within Section C-1 - namely Section C-1 Conference, and Region C Conference (as applicable). Responsible for meeting with student conference chair(s) monthly and keeping meeting notes to be shared with Section C-1 Chair and the conference committee. More frequent meetings may be necessary closer to the event. Also helps to coordinate Section travel and participation in Regional and National conferences.

Brother Michelle Norris has been serving as Advisory Liaison since October 20, 2018. Commitment to this position is reaffirmed annually and on a volunteer basis at every Section C-1 Conference.

She joined Alpha Phi Omega as an interest group member in April 2008, helping to recharter Mu Pi chapter in October 2009. In her time as a student, Michelle served as Chapter Secretary, Historian/Webmaster, VP Service, and President. Graduating from Colorado School of Mines in December 2012 with a BS in Civil Engineering, Michelle continued her involvement in APO as an alumni volunteer by serving as Section Chair from 2014-2018. Michelle is balancing her love for her husband, baby, and furbaby with her love for helping college students discover their strengths through leadership in APO!

Advisory Liaison coordinates a twice-annual meeting with advisors in Section C-1 - may be in-person or a conference call. Facilitate discussions on advisory needs, support, and resources. Keeps advisors connected and informed on APO news on the local and national level. Works with chapters to evaluate their advisor/chapter utility, working with students to evaluate what makes successful advisor/student partnerships, and what does not - helping develop improvement plans as needed.

Brother Oriana Meldrum has been serving as Section C-1 History Chair since her appointment on August 14, 2017. Commitment to this position is reaffirmed annually and on a volunteer basis at every Section C-1 Conference.

She joined Epsilon Xi at Colorado State University in the fall of 2015. Oriana works in orthotics, developing to become a practitioner of orthotics and prosthetics. She lives in Fort Collins.

History Chair compiles and maintains a section history and helps chapters document their own histories.

Brother Karen Tran has been serving as Section C-1's Fellowship Chair since her appointment on November 2, 2016. Commitment to this position is reaffirmed annually and on a volunteer basis at every Section C-1 Conference.

She joined APO at the Epsilon Xi chapter at Colorado State University in the spring of 2015 and graduated in 2016. Karen now works at FirstBank in Treasure Management Development. She lives in Golden enjoying going on adventures and playing video games.

Fellowship Chair facilitates quarterly fellowship events between the Section C-1 chapters, encourages chapters to visit one another and facilitates transportation between them, and coordinates a bi-annual challenge to encourage inter-chapter activities.

Brother Cindy Grubenhoff has been serving as Section C-1's Fundraising Chair since January 2018. Commitment to this position is reaffirmed annually and on a volunteer basis at every Section C-1 Conference.

She pledged Epsilon Xi chapter at Colorado State University in 1994 and was an advisor for Delta Delta chapter at St. Louis University from 1998 to 2002. Cindy is a Fundraising Strategist for her own business helping nonprofit organizations develop their fundraising strategy. She lives with her husband and kids and enjoys singing in her church choir, baking, and knitting.

Fundraising Chair acts as a resource to all chapters in Section C-1 regarding fundraising opportunities and best practice, counsels and guides chapter members to assist them in improving fundraising results, informed about fundraising ethical guidelines and is prepared to assist students when they have questions about fundraising ethics.

Brother Kat Whitfield has been serving as Section C-1's System Administrator since her appointment in February 2020. Commitment to this position is reaffirmed annually and on a volunteer basis at every Section C-1 Conference.