Marianne Virgili edges out Mary Nelle Axelson for CMC Board of Trustees District 2 seat

Marianne Virgili has been elected to represent District 2 on Colorado Mountain College’s Board of Trustees. 

Virgili earned nearly 53 % of the vote whereas her opponent, Mary Nelle Axelson, had garnered just over 47% as of 9 p.m. Tuesday.  

“I am just so grateful for people who voted for me, wrote letters of support or helped with my campaign,” Virgili said. “I am so grateful to have a chance to encourage affordable education, workforce training and lifelong learning.”

District 2 represents the Roaring Fork School District’s boundaries, which extend from Basalt to Glenwood Springs.

Virgili has lived in Glenwood Springs for 37 years and served as president and CEO of the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association for three decades before retiring at the end of 2017. 

Virgili will replace the term-limited Kathy Goudy who represented District 2 since being elected in 2011.

Colorado Mountain College Board of Trustees serve 4-year terms. 

Bob Hartzell wins Lake County seat for CMC District 6

Colorado Mountain College’s former Leadville campus dean won the Lake County seat on the CMC board of trustees in Tuesday’s vote

As of 9 a.m. Wednesday, Bob Hartzell was leading Christine Whittington 53.94% to 46.06%, according to the Colorado secretary of state.

The CMC board made up of seven people from six counties, and Hartzell has worked with four of them professionally.

Hartzell, who worked for a quarter-century for CMC in six different roles, said his three top priorities are “to listen, to learn and to participate.”

When he was a business instructor at CMC, he also taught classes ranging from secretarial science to snowmaking in the same semester. He has also previously served as the assistant dean, worked in college-wide faculty development, directed a nine-county leadership development group, and also worked in college leadership, and as the Leadville campus dean.

“I’m so glad I ran. The fact that there was competition brought so many more CMC issues to public attention,” Whittington said. “Friends from CMC and Lake County encouraged me to run. I considered it, and when a student encouraged me to run, I decided to take the plunge.”

“I thank Christine for entering the race in the first place. I was the only one with a petition filed, and in fact, she signed my petition,” Hartzell said. “Had she not entered the race I would not be nearly as knowledgeable about CMC and the board’s role.”

Whittington was the CMC library director for three years, the last of a 40-year career of academic positions, teaching, leadership, and advising that spanned Chicago, Maine, Wake Forest, and Greensboro College, among others.

– by Randy Wyrick, Vail Daily