George Sparks has been the President/CEO of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science since November 2004. He spent 24 years in the electronics measurement business at Hewlett-Packard and Agilent Technologies. His career included marketing, sales, and general management of global businesses in software, systems, and services.

Prior to joining Hewlett-Packard, George spent 9 years in the Air Force as a pilot and as an Assistant Professor of Aeronautics at the USAF Academy (1976-1978). He is a Distinguished Graduate of the USAF Academy with a BS in Aeronautical Engineering and holds an MS in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT.

George's passion is public policy, particularly around science and education. He is a member of the Colorado Forum, Colorado Concern, and is on the Boards of Colorado Education Initiative, Colorado Business Round Table, Colorado Music Hall of Fame, Denver Council of Foreign Relations, and Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.

George is the founder of the Institute for Science & Policy, a program of the Museum.

He loves his wife and all his children.

Nancy Walsh is the Chief Operating Officer at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, where she leads the vision and strategy across guest experiences, operations and strategic partnerships with a focus on creativity, access and innovation.

Walsh champions the Museum’s strategic initiative to reimagine and expand its beloved Gems & Minerals exhibition. She founded and led the “No Walls” initiative, which redefined access and engagement with science and nature -- meeting the community where they are, in their neighborhoods and spaces far beyond the Museum’s walls. She was a driving force behind the successful opening and programming of the Morgridge Family Exploration Center, a major expansion that transformed the guest experience.

Nancy brings experience from leadership roles at the Virginia Aquarium, the Bell Museum of Natural History, as well as experience in the Science Division at The Field Museum. She is passionate about fostering vibrant local communities and expanding access to science, technology, engineering, arts and math.

She currently serves on the board of the Denver Public Schools Foundation and is Board Chair at the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts. Her previous board service includes the Art Students League of Denver and CherryArts, and she was a mayoral appointee on the Denver Commission on Cultural Affairs. Nancy is a member of the International Women’s Forum of Denver, a Colorado Women’s Chamber 2024 Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Business awardee, and an alumna of Leadership Denver.

She holds a Master’s degree in Evolutionary Biology from the University of Chicago and is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Earlham College.

John R. Demboski is the Chief Curator & George Sparks Endowed Chair for Science at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. John is an accomplished zoologist and Museum leader who brings more 30 years of museum experience to the position. He is responsible for providing vision and leadership to ensure quality scientific research, appropriate collections stewardship, engaging educational programming and exhibition content, as well as managing a productive team of scientists and collections staff. He will play a critical role in shaping the Museum's strategic vision for science. During his tenure at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, he has expanded accessibility to collections and increased their overall use. He has served in many different roles that have included multiple initiatives and other large pan-Museum projects related to infrastructure, education, exhibits, and scientific research and collections. In addition, he has served in external leadership roles and on boards in the broader museum collections community.

Educated at Purdue University, his passion for museums was sparked during a volunteer opportunity at the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History, which resulted in a long-term fieldwork experience in the Philippines. This led him to the University of Alaska Fairbanks for his PhD and where he had the opportunity to gain extensive experience in the university’s research collections. After postdoctoral positions at the University of Idaho and Louisiana State University, John joined California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, in 2002, as an assistant professor of biology. In 2006, he landed at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science where he served as curator of mammals and director of zoology & health sciences. 

John’s scientific research has focused on western North American mammals, where he studies the processes that contribute to the diversity of species. His work combines fieldwork and molecular methodology to address fundamental questions about the evolution and distribution of species. He has conducted fieldwork across the western United States, as well as in Canada, Mexico, Mongolia, Paraguay, Philippines, and Russia. 

John has lived all over the United States and is now proud to have established long-term roots in Colorado after calling so many places home. Live music, fly fishing, wildlife, road trips, the mountains, and time with family are his passions.

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Christina Fritts joined the Denver Museum of Nature & Science in 2022 and was appointed Senior Vice President of Development, Membership, and Insights in 2023. In this capacity, she oversees community-centered strategies designed to strengthen engagement, drive institutional growth, and advance the Museum’s mission through philanthropic and membership-based initiatives.

A seasoned executive with more than two decades of global experience, Christina has held senior positions spanning sales and business development, marketing, finance, and consumer insights across Fortune 500 corporations and mission-driven nonprofit organizations.

Christina is widely recognized for cultivating enduring professional relationships and establishing mutually beneficial strategic partnerships. She is distinguished by her ability to lead inclusive, high-performing teams that consistently deliver measurable outcomes, complemented by a sustained commitment to the development of emerging leaders. 

Christina holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Colorado Boulder, as well as a Master of Business Administration from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Ash Bassim is Chief Financial Officer.  Her primary areas of responsibility include providing leadership and strategy to the finance, retail, and food services teams to ensure the Museum’s impeccable financial integrity while targeting revenue growth to support operations and strategic plans. Prior to joining DMNS in 2012, Bassim held financial leadership roles of increasing responsibility in a wide variety of industries including banking, logistics, and entertainment.

In her time at the Museum, Bassim has had the pleasure of leading all of the important financial areas like reporting, budgeting, audit and tax compliance, and cash flow operations – but more than anything she has enjoyed helping her colleagues recognize the finance team as a partner to help them achieve and celebrate all of our shared aspirations.

Bassim is passionate about leveraging her financial skill set to support non-profits that improve and uplift the community.  She currently serves as chair on the Arapahoe County Cultural Council, board member for the Two Ponds Preservation Foundation and board treasurer for the WINGS Foundation.

Bassim is proud to be a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Colorado Society of Certified Public Accountants.  She holds a B.S. in Accounting from Regis University and earned an M.S. in Accounting from the University of Colorado.  She grew up visiting DMNS on field trips as a little girl and currently lives in Aurora. She enjoys spending as much time as possible with her close group of friends and trying her best to train her two adorable and outrageously naughty terrier pups.

Amanda Bennett is the Vice President of Marketing & Communications, with myriad leadership roles in the Museum since 2004. She has led strategic marketing and communications efforts to enhance regional awareness and recognition of the Museum, contributing to award-winning campaigns for exhibitions, films and brand development.

In her role, Amanda strengthens public support for the Museum, champions collaborative initiatives and advocates for innovative visitor experiences. She brings expertise from her previous work in the non-profit and corporate sectors, including her time as an account supervisor at a branding agency and leading marketing efforts at a sports management firm.

Amanda holds a B.S. in Marketing Communications from Colorado State University and has international marketing experience from her studies in Florence, Italy. She actively participates in advisory committees within the documentary industry and the local experience economy.

A Colorado Springs native, Amanda enjoys traveling and spending time with her daughter, dog and family.

Nicole Lucero-Holub is vice president of human resources and is responsible for leading the HR functions related to strategic planning, talent acquisition, total rewards and HR service delivery.  She has over 25 years of experience in public, private and non-profit sectors.  Prior to joining the Museum, Lucero-Holub has served as HR Manager for the Office of Human Resources at the City and County of Denver.  She spent nearly 16 years in a variety of roles including leadership positions in talent acquisition, workforce planning, and employee engagement and HR data analytics.

Lucero-Holub joined the Museum in 2014 and has driven HR best practices to enhance our workplace culture and to advance the Museum’s diversity, equity, access and inclusion work within our policies and practices.  She is a co-lead sponsor for the Museum’s Employee Engagement Committee and Conversations about Community Committee, and a champion for the museum's Equity initiative team.  She also serves as a staff member for the Museum’s Compensation Committee to support the Board of Trustees.

Lucero-Holub holds a bachelor of science degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder, Leeds School of Business and a member of the Forever Buffs Latinx Alumni Association. She is a member of SHRM and World at Work.  She is also an active member of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce HR Committee, Colorado Inclusive Economy as an HR Champion and a member Impact Leadership Solution - HR Executive Roundtable. She served as a past member of the Bonfils Stanton - Arts & Culture Equity Leadership Council.

Lucero-Holub is a Denver native.  She enjoys music, travel, theatre and spending time with her husband and three sons, along with her extended family and friends.

Tina Martinez is the vice president of learning and community experiences. She has dedicated her career to collaborative efforts that foster a future in which all children, families and communities thrive. In her role, she works with diverse stakeholders to create meaningful experiences connecting people with the wonders of nature and science—at the Museum, virtually, and across Colorado. She is responsible for the Museum's school and teacher programs, experience development, community engagement, and adult and family experiences.

Since joining the Museum in 2016, Tina has led several strategic initiatives designed to reach people in the places where they live, learn, and play, including new offsite school programming, the Museum on Wheels: Curiosity Cruiser, the Mars Outpost play area at Colorado Mills, and DMNS on Demand virtual programming.

Tina is the Chairperson of the Board for Scholars Unlimited and Vice-Chairperson of the Board of Clayton Early Learning. She has also served on the Denver Afterschool Alliance and Smart Girl, Inc. boards and on the National Diversity Committee for Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Tina graduated from the University of Colorado at Denver with a B.A. in Communications.

Tina enjoys learning, reading, art, traveling, soccer, and spending time with her family.

Jeff Joplin is vice president of operations.  His primary areas of responsibility include providing leadership and strategy to the building operations, building services, custodial services, project management, security, and volunteer engagement teams. Their goals are to ensure the Museum’s operational plans provide superior guest experiences in the built environment while achieving safety, security, and environmental conditions to support all guests, volunteers, staff, and collections.  Jeff has been with DMNS for 25 years, through two separate terms, while working in private industry in Operations for the interim.  During his career, he has executed over $150M in various construction projects.  At DMNS, he worked on the Morgridge Family Exploration Center, the Avenir Collections Center as well as three citywide bond initiatives and numerous renovations throughout the Museum.

In his time at the Museum, Jeff has worked on improving the operational efficiency of the equipment serving a diverse age of buildings.  Through energy-improvement measures such as an innovative ground source heat pump system, solar and efficiency upgrades along with a variety of sustainability measures, he is focused on reducing the Museum’s environmental impact while achieving our vision of protecting our natural world.

He has participated in programs with the City and County of Denver, other cultural organizations, and Denver Parks and Recreation to support City Park and surrounding communities’ growth and development.

Jeff and his wife Shelley have two daughters, Ashley and Emily.

Eric Boen is the Vice President of Technology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, where he leverages over two decades of technological expertise to guide the Museum's digital strategy and operations with an emphasis on IT security and enhancing guest interactions. Guiding a vibrant technology team, he is responsible for ensuring that advanced IT security protocols are consistently maintained, fostering an environment where innovation thrives.

Before joining the Museum, Eric refined his technical skills as a Software Engineer at Sapient Consulting, delivering complex web solutions for prominent global companies. His tenure at the Museum has been marked by pivotal achievements, including securing the "Leveraging Data Insights" grant and leading the development of the interactive exhibit, Expedition Health, as well as PassEdge, a cutting-edge app designed to deepen audience engagement and open new revenue streams.

An advocate of Agile principles, Eric’s Certified ScrumMaster credentials underscore his commitment to iterative progress and collaborative team dynamics. He earned a B.S. in Microbiology from North Dakota State University and furthered his technical education in Computer Science at Regis University.

Eric’s passion for technology extends beyond the Museum’s walls through his dedication to STEM initiatives. As a coach for a high school BEST Robotics team, he contributes to shaping future innovators.

Eric and his wife Beth have one son, Ethan.

Liz Davis is Vice President of Exhibitions, Experiences and Innovation at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and is responsible to staff and guests alike, to ensure an engaging, inviting, and memorable time at and with the Museum. Liz is one of the longest tenured staff - 30 years and counting – and she is honored to have held positions in a number of guest-facing departments. A future-focused, adaptive leader, she has shown creative vision, operational oversight, and personnel and budgetary management in each role she has served. Despite Museum studies not being the aim of her degree or even one of the initial ideas for her career, the Museum has been dynamic ground for learning, fun, impact and inspiration. Liz has been a champion for change and evolution for the Museum to stay relevant, transforming programs from traditional formats to audience-focused, and audience-driven experiences.

A curious human, listener, and advocate, Liz embraces the challenges and opportunities that the world around us presents and she values the relationships, and the purpose-driven work the Museum fosters.

Liz advocates for diversity, equity, access, and inclusion (DEAI) and champions initiatives focused on addressing cultural representation, access and accessibility and inclusion. Promoting community collaboration and cultural competency, she plays a role in re-shaping programs and exhibitions. Her commitment to community engagement extends beyond the Museum with achievements in community organizing, advocacy and coalition building.

Liz loves learning, cooking, travel, and spending time with family and friends.