2021 Alumni Association Award Winners

Roadrunners Rise Recognition Day | October 2, 2021

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI OF THE YEAR
Dan Marcus | 1977 | Elementary Education
Teacher | Proximity Learning Inc.

Dan Marcus, a graduate of Metropolitan State College (B.A. Elementary Education, May 1977), is currently entering his 45^th successive year of teaching this fall.  He received his M.A. Degree at the University of Colorado Denver (December 1980) and holds highly qualified endorsements in Secondary Mathematics and Career and Technical Education in Audio, Film and Video Technology, Journalism and Broadcasting.

Dan was nominated for and selected as a finalist for the Wallace A. Bacon Lifetime Teaching Excellence Award in 2017 (NCA, Washington, D.C.), an honor that was featured in Metro’s Red Publication Making the Grade (Doug McPherson, 8-9-2017).  The Wallace A. Bacon Lifetime Teaching Excellence Award was created by the Legislative Council in 1991. The Wallace A. Bacon Lifetime Teaching Excellence Award was designed to recognize that a lifetime of outstanding teaching should be encouraged and recognized.

Dan Marcus has always strived to challenge his students to tackle some of the more challenging and controversial issues of their time. One such project that involved several of Dan’s film students writing and producing a public service announcement You are Beautiful regarding the issue of eating disorders.  Following this film’s selection as Best Middle School PSA at the 2013 My Hero International Film Festival (USC Cinematic Arts Center, Los Angeles), Dan and his students were featured on the NBC Today Show (12/17/2013).   To date over 270,000 viewers have watched this PSA on YouTube and many school districts across the country incorporate this PSA at the middle school level to educate students about the dangers and effects of eating disorders.

The most lasting and memorable legacy of Dan Marcus the lifelong educator is the submission of documented filmed interview recordings by his students of the first-hand recollections of 128 veterans of the U.S. military branches of service, now archived at the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress as part of the Veterans Oral History Project.  This project was tackled and completed by students at multiple secondary schools Dan taught at throughout his career.  As a result of his student interviews Dan received a letter of commendation from Colorado Congressman Ed Perlmutter (serving the 7^th District of Colorado) who initially collaborated with college students at the Auraria Campus in 2008 in an effort to promote the Veterans History Project.   Congressman Perlmutter was highly impressed that Dan’s middle school students were able to produce their veteran interviews at a level equal to and even in some cases surpassing those submitted by college students.

Dan Marcus was voted “Best Teacher in Elbert County” in 2017 & 2018 by the readers of Colorado Community Media.  Dan’s mentorship of our youth has extended beyond his work inside the classroom.  Dan was selected as the 2010 Colorado Big Brother of the Year in recognition of his volunteer work with at-risk youth

ALUMNI PHILANTHROPIST OF THE YEAR
Matt Maley | 2006 | Marketing
Partner | Alliance Investments, LLC

Alliance Investments is an innovative and opportunistic real estate development company with a diverse expertise. By focusing primarily on the strength of a deal rather than just the market sector, Alliance provides our investment partners with a unique selection of opportunities to help diversify their portfolios. In addition to sole development deals, Alliance also structures strategic partnerships with expert operators to target opportunities with high barriers of entry in both emerging and established markets.

Matt’s primary role as Partner at Alliance Investments is business development, capital formation, strategic planning, and project management. Matt is a proud graduate of MSU Denver where he earned a B.S. in Business Marketing. In 2005 while in school, Matt began his Marketing and Business Development (BD) career with Given & Associates, a small family owned Mechanical/Electrical (MEP) Engineering company. There, Matt created a complete marketing program from the ground up and established many new client relationships, significantly growing the company’s annual revenue. In 2009, Matt became the BD Director of MKK Consulting Engineers, a large MEP with multiple locations throughout the US. There Matt focused on building strategic partnerships and expanding his client network which helped MKK remain profitable during a significant economic downturn.

By 2011, Matt had become one of the most prolific BD professionals in the Colorado Architecture, Engineering and Construction (A/E/C) industry. Always wanting to be an entrepreneur, Matt left the AEC industry in 2011 for a position with an oil and gas development company owned by his friend and mentor, Sean Davis. It was there that Matt had the opportunity to learn how to structure, capitalize, and develop deals. In November 2012, Matt began working on the project that would change the course of his career, The Criterion Theater in Oklahoma City. By 2014, Matt and Sean were ready to parlay the Criterion project into a real estate development company, so they teamed up with colleagues, Jeff Welber and Beau James to form Alliance Investments. After completing the Criterion, Alliance developed two Element by Marriott Hotels in Denver, one on Elati Street in downtown Denver and one on Tower Road near DIA. Alliance is currently developing a 15-unit townhome project in Lakewood near Casa Bonita, a 60,000+ SF flex office-industrial complex in Louisville, and consulting on the ground up development of a Residence Inn Hotel in Aurora. Alliance also owns and manages over 60,000 SF of retail and office space in Colorado and Oregon.

A 4^th generation Coloradan, Matt was born in Durango in 1978 and grew up in Cortez. It was there in Southwest Colorado that Matt fell in love with the outdoors by camping in the San Juans and spending summers at Lake Powell. Matt’s family moved to the Denver area in 1987 and today he resides in Littleton with his beautiful wife Cindy and three amazing children; Lilly, Natalie, and Daniel. When he isn’t working, Matt’s greatest joy is spending time with his family and pursuing his passion for golf, camping, fishing, boating, and training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. In 2021, Matt started the Matthew P. Campbell Scholarship for Future Marketing Professionals at MSU Denver to honor his friend, Matt Campbell, who passed away in August 2019. The scholarship was created to provide tuition assistance to MSU students pursuing a career in marketing or business development and includes a membership with the Colorado chapter of SMPS to provide networking and professional development opportunities.

ALUMNI VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR
Mike Faulhaber | 2004 | Management
Sales Director/Financial Advisor | Mutual of Omaha

Early in my life, I grew my resolve as a throwing dummy with the University of Northern Colorado wrestling team and tested my limits as a war veteran with the United States Marine Corps.  After my semester abroad as a Marine in Operation Iraqi Freedom, I graduated from MSU Denver with a Bachelors in Business Management in May, 2004.

Always focused on leveling up, I now challenge my knowledge in financial planning by constantly adding to the alphabet soup behind my name and am currently pursuing my MBA with an Emphasis in Executive Coaching.

But growth isn’t just about my own personal development.  Jim Rohn once said that the fastest and best way to get what you want is to help others get what they want.

As a CERTIFIED FINACIAL PLANNER, a Certified Business Coach and Certified Life Coach, the bulk of my professional time is spent recruiting, mentoring, coaching, training and developing new advisors as they endeavor to build their practices at Mutual of Omaha.  My work brings me tremendous joy as I impact, our industry, our clients and our family.

My Personal Mission Statement:  I Provide Guidance and Understanding, Helping others Align their Actions with Intentions! I do this with honesty, integrity and my BEST (Balance, Excellence, Service and Truth).

Serving in the MSU Business School Mentor Program and Being interviewed by roughly 200+ Business 101 Students for their course requirement gives me the opportunity to live on mission.  It fills my cup and allows me to impact the students of MSU in some small way!  My recruiting team and I are always looking for ways to plug in and give back to MSU while seeking out great potential candidates for our financial planning internship and/or our financial advisor full-time career opportunity.