Larry A. Mizel founded MDC Holdings in 1972 and has served as a director and chairman of the board since its inception. He was appointed chief executive officer of MDC Holdings in 1988, a position he currently holds. Mizel has provided MDC Holdings with leadership and judgment, serving as the chief executive officer and chairman of the board of directors and working to further the long-term interests of MDC Holdings’ shareholders. One of the most experienced leaders in the homebuilding industry, his knowledge and foresight provides the board with invaluable guidance.

Herbert T. Buchwald is a principal in the law firm of Herbert T. Buchwald, P.A. Buchwald has been the chairman of the board and president of BPR Management Corporation for more than five years. He is an attorney admitted to practice before federal and state trial and appellate courts in Florida and Colorado. In addition, he has been engaged for over 30 years in the real estate development of residential and commercial properties in Florida, New Jersey and Colorado, serving as chief executive officer of various entities. He has been a lead director of MDC Holdings Inc. since March 1, 2006, and as its independent director since March 1994. Buchwald serves as a director of M.D.C. Land Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of MDC Holdings Inc. He is a certified public accountant.

Michael Burg was admitted to the Colorado Bar in May, 1976 and founded Burg Simpson in 1977. Today, Burg Simpson comprises more than 50 attorneys with offices in four states. Burg has tried over 185 trials and obtained over 15 verdicts in excess of $1M. In total, his clients have received settlements, judgments and verdicts in excess of $500M. Burg has annually been named among America’s 50 Leading Trial Lawyers by the U.S. Legal 500 since 2012, and the U.S. Legal 500 also acknowledged him as a Leading Lawyer nationally in representing individuals in Pharmaceutical Mass Tort and Class Action Litigation. Burg was inducted to the Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame in 2016, joining such legendary trial lawyers as John Adams, Clarence Darrow, and Johnny Cochran. Additionally, he was named by Best Lawyers® in America as the 2016 Denver Lawyer of the Year for Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs.

David Cohen is the chief administrative officer of CLEAR, the nation’s leading provider of biometric identity verification services. Based in Washington, D.C., he is responsible for operations, risk management and legal affairs, and government and public relations. Before joining CLEAR, David was a shareholder at the law firm of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. There, his legal practice focused on representing clients in direct foreign investment transactions, defending corporations in complex regulatory and investigative matters, and advocating for clients before Congress and the Executive Branch on national security and financial services issues. Previous to his time at Brownstein, David served as the deputy director for policy and government affairs at AIPAC, where he spearheaded an effort leading to a series of bilateral exchanges between U.S. and Israeli public safety officials on counter-terrorism issues and mass casualty response. Prior to joining the private sector, David served as chief of staff to U.S. Customs Service Commissioners Ray Kelly and Robert Bonner, and Acting Commissioner Charles Winwood. His tenure at Customs included the events of September 11, 2001, and the initial policy deliberations that led to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. Before Customs, David was a member of the professional staff of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services, focused on oversight and investigations. David received his B.A. from Cornell University and his J.D. from The George Washington University Law School.

Jim Davis has 30 years of public safety and homeland security experience, serving most recently as a member of Governor John Hickenlooper’s Cabinet as executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Safety (CDPS) and homeland security advisor to the Governor. Davis served 26 years in the FBI, retiring as special agent in charge of the Denver Division. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Mizel Institute and the Denver Police Foundation.

Anne M. Hillary is a community activist and philanthropist, serving on several local boards in arts and education. She and her husband, Jim Hillary, have lived in Colorado since 1998 with their three children. Anne’s professional history includes leadership positions in arts management at American Ballet Theatre and the Martha Graham Dance Company in New York.

Born and raised in Denver, Arlene Hirschfeld has been making significant and enduring contributions to the community for 35 years. After working as a teacher at Abraham Lincoln High School, Hirschfeld made a career of working nearly full-time for various causes. She has volunteered for nonprofits including the Allied Jewish Federation – now JEWISHcolorado –  (where she served as the third female president in the organization’s 57-year history), the Denver Art Museum, Rose Community Foundation (where she was the first female board chair), and The Women’s Foundation of Colorado. Hirschfeld currently serves on the boards of the Children’s Diabetes Foundation and the Denver Art Museum. She is a member of Rose Community Foundation’s Philanthropic Services Committees. She is also an honorary trustee of Women’s Foundation of Colorado. Her belief in the importance of volunteerism to enhance the quality of life of individuals and the community has fueled her work.

Walter Isenberg started Sage more than 30 years ago with partner Zack Neumeyer. As CEO of Sage Hospitality, he directs all company operations including management, real estate investment and brand development, with an emphasis on community giving and teaching the next generation of great leaders. He also partnered with Sage Restaurant Group’s Peter Karpinski in 2006 to create high-volume restaurants within urban hotels, upping the value and revenue for Sage investors. Results driven and creative, Isenberg is a member of the Union Station Alliance, the group responsible for revitalizing Denver Union Station and creating the high-performing Crawford Hotel. He created Sage’s art program which provides locally curated art in newly built or renovated hotels. Now, Isenberg is leading Sage toward a new adventure, creating places that people want to go to, not through; by cultivating new experiences within the walls of Sage Hotels and Restaurants.

Donald Kortz serves as vice chairman of the board of Cassidy Turley, the fourth largest real estate firm in the country with offices throughout the United States together with 72 international offices. A third generation Colorado native, Kortz received his BA from Tulane University and his Juris Doctor from the University of Denver. A founder of Rose Community Foundation, he was its first president and CEO. He currently serves as a member of Rose Community Foundation’s Philanthropic Services Committee. He is past chairman of Colorado Concern and a past chair of The Children’s Hospital, Colorado Children’s Health Foundation, the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, Rose Health Care Systems, Rose Medical Center and University of Denver for Interfaith Studies. Kortz also has served, or serves, as a trustee or board member on Denver Zoological Foundation, HCA-HealthONE, Judith Ann Griese Foundation, Mizel Museum, National Jewish Health, Robert E. Loup Jewish Community Center, and Steele Street Bank and Trust. He was appointed by Governor Ritter to the Blue Ribbon Commission for Health Care.

James A. Lustig is a founder and chief executive officer at United Capital Management. He is an extensive real estate investor, with diverse holdings throughout the Western United States. Lustig also owned, operated and successfully exited a large chain of sporting goods stores located throughout Colorado. Previously, he owned and operated a commercial bank, headquartered in Denver, which he sold to Zionbank. Lustig is founder and director at GEA Entertainment, a music publishing industry consolidator. He also serves as a member of the Advisory Board at ARC China, Inc. As an active philanthropist, Lustig focuses on a variety of charitable endeavors. He holds an M.B.A. from Columbia University.

David D. Mandarich has been associated with MDC Holdings since 1977. He was elected president and chief operating officer of MDC Holdings in June 1999, a position he currently holds. He previously had been elected chief operating officer in March 1996, co-chief operating officer in September 1994 and executive vice president real estate in April 1993. He was a director from September 1980 until April 1989, and has been a director continuously since March 1994. A skilled and experienced leader in the homebuilding industry, Mandarich provides the board with the benefit of his judgment and his knowledge and understanding of MDC Holdings’ homebuilding business and operations.

Following graduation from the University of Denver with an accounting degree, Andy Miller worked as a CPA for the international accounting firm of Coopers & Lybrand. In 1980, he joined with four other partners as Loup-Miller Development Company, which designed and developed shopping centers, apartment communities, office buildings and warehouses across the United States. In 1993, Miller and David Frishman co-founded Realty Funding Group, a mortgage and finance company that has acted as a mortgage broker and mortgage banker for numerous commercial real estate projects across the U.S. RFG has provided financing for over $1 billion of commercial real estate. In 2009, Miller and David Frishman founded Miller Frishman Group, which specializes in multi-family apartments and retail shopping centers.

Michael Pollak, co-founder of Hyde Park, with over 40 years in the jewelry business, started by selling turquoise and Indian jewelry after class on the lawn of Denver University in 1973, where he graduated with a BSBA. He has spent extensive time in New York, Geneva, Vicenza and Hong Kong, cultivating his skills, knowledge and expertise in the field of gemology, fine jewelry and Swiss timepieces. With over 37 years in retail management, developing five regional, luxury jewelry stores, Pollak became chief executive officer of Hyde Park Jewelers in 2007. He has received numerous industry awards, including induction into the National Jeweler Retailer Hall of Fame in 2008, and “Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award” in 1999. Pollack has held board positions with Jewelers of America, Natural Color Diamond Association and the Mizel Institute. He is a co-founder of Diamonds in the Rough, a non-profit organization to support the efforts of youth-based nonprofits and local charities.

Blair Richardson is managing partner of Bow River Capital Partners and has held executive positions in international sales and trading of public equity and debt securities for nearly 25 years. In 2011, Richardson was named one of the most influential people in Denver by 5280 magazine (“The 5280 Fifty”). Richardson was with Morgan Stanley and Company from 1987 to 1995, serving as president of Morgan Stanley Japan in Tokyo, vice chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia in Hong Kong, and managing director of the Equity and Fixed Income Department in New York. Prior to forming Bow River Capital Partners, Richardson was managing partner of B.E. Richardson Investments, which invested in a variety of industries and real estate throughout North America. Between 1996 and 2002 his company made over 20 private equity investments.

Rick Sapkin is a founder and managing principal of Edgemark Development. Since 1999, Edgemark has been one of Denver’s most significant commercial development firms, with a strong presence throughout the Midwest, Rocky Mountains and western United States. With more than 25 years of commercial real estate experience, Sapkin has been involved in more than a billion dollars of real estate transactions, several million square feet of retail development, and has established a proven track record for entrepreneurial business development specializing in retail development, brokerage, tenant representation and retail expansion. Sapkin received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Denver in 1983, where he remains involved in the Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management.

Dr. JoAnn Zell sees general rheumatology patients with a particular interest in those with systemic lupus erythematosus. She currently participates in clinical and health outcomes research and examines patient access to care and issues surrounding pregnancy and systemic lupus. She participates in medical school teaching at the University of Colorado and also works with trainees in rheumatology. Dr. Zell received her medical school degree from Northwestern University in Chicago and trained in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology at the University of California in San Francisco. She has received a medical student teaching award from the University of Colorado.