SEBP Staff

Mike Fitzgerald, President and CEO

Mike Fitzgerald joined the South East Business Partnership as President and CEO on July 1, 2010.  He has led similar public/private organizations in Montana, Washington, Florida and Hawaii.  Throughout his economic development career, Fitzgerald has worked with several governors, created economic development strategies for states, communities and companies.  He set up and directed trade and investment offices in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, South America, Canada and Mexico.  Fitzgerald has built teams and coalitions that have created thousands of jobs, hundreds of businesses and billions of dollars of new investment.

Lynn Myers, Chief of Staff

Lynn Myers has been a leader in the South Metro Denver business community for many years.  She most recently served as an Arapahoe County Commissioner from 2000 to 2007 and prior to that she worked in the residential real estate market with RE/MAX for 10 years. As County Commissioner, Myers was the Chairperson of the Centennial Airport Board, the E-470 Public Highway Authority and the Arapahoe County liaison to the T-REX Project.  Myers brings to SEBP a deep background in the public and private sectors, knowledge of land use planning, and employment and training services.  A die-hard Rockies supporter, Lynn makes time to see the team as much as she can, and also loves traveling and antiquing.

Steve Klausing, Vice President of Transportation

Steve Klausing is the Vice President of Transportation for SEBP and Executive Director of the South I-25 TMA. Klausing has lived in Colorado for more than 35 years and has worked as an attorney and in the real estate field for much of that time. Organizational and personal performance change and excellence are passions of Klausing’s and much of his time away from work is spent pursuing these interests. He is a lifelong learner and shares a passion for books, art, movies, travel and the Colorado outdoor life with his wife Beth. Klausing lives in Castle Rock with his wife and assorted pets.

Patty Leatherwood, Executive Assistant

Patty Leatherwood is responsible for planning, directing and coordinating the operations of the organization.  She also provides direct assistance and support to the President and CEO.  Leatherwood is originally from Wyoming and now splits her time between Colorado, where she lives, and Wyoming, where she and her family have just finished building a mountain retreat.  She has been with SEBP for 2 ½ years after spending the previous four years at the Aurora Loan Service.  She has been an Administrative Assistant/Office Manager for more than15 years and is an invaluable member of the SEBP team.  She lives in Centennial with her husband, two sons and their golden retriever.  She spends her free time enjoying all the fun and excitement the mountain west has to offer, whether snowmobiling and camping or occasionally digging in to a great mystery novel.

Hannah Heavrin, Transportation Analyst

As the Transportation Analyst, Hannah Heavrin works for the South I-25 Urban Corridor Transportation Management Association (TMA), which is collaborative with the Southeast Business Partnership (SEBP). Heavrin supports the TMA to identify and develop solutions to pressing transportation-related issues and to look for long-term solutions while working with the Regional Transportation District (RTD) and the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG).  She is responsible for keeping the communication between all the different members and partners of the TMA and SEBP open and frequent. Heavrin is a recent graduate from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a bachelor’s degree in History. Heavrin was born in Texas, but has lived in Colorado most of her life, with her home town being Castle Rock. Still a CU Buffalos fan, Heavrin enjoys going to college football games and cheering the Buffs on!

Lauren Masias, Transportation Demand Services Manager

Lauren Masias is a Colorado native and has lived in the Denver area for the past four years.  She graduated in 2006 with a degree in Communications/Public Relations and has since garnered several years of professional experience in the non-profit sector as well as working in the marketing department at the corporate office for Chrysler Motors LLC.  As the TDM Manager for the South I-25 Urban Corridor Transportation Management Association, Masias is responsible for developing marketing campaigns that maximize exposure for various TDM programs.  Additionally, she focuses on corporate outreach, grant opportunities, and working in conjunction with other partners of the TMA.  In her spare time, Masias loves to travel, satisfy her passion for fashion, read, and spend time with friends and family.

Dr. Philip McCready, Economist

Dr. Philip McCready is the founder of Innovation Economics LLC, a Colorado-based consulting and competitive intelligence company specializing in local and regional economic development, feasibility analysis and project design and development. He has worked as a retained economist for the South East Business Partnership since 2004. Recent work includes developing a health care and medical industries project (www.HealthCorridor.org), creating a new development vision for a large Colorado business park and producing retail vision plans city-wide for key opportunity sites for a large municipality in South Denver.

McCready thrives in applying his analytical and project design skills in a context that helps to transform the competitive potential for major sites and regions.  He can work in any circumstance and enjoys finding creative solutions that inspire others. McCready has a talent for using data to make a powerful case for action, with a track-record of economic and land use projects for government and the private sector.  He brings the added value of a technical background in information technology, engineering and construction.  Hel has a PhD in regional economics from the University of Manchester, which is a long way from his first job as a forester.

At home, McCready is a busy dad raising four children of ten and under with his wife Jenny.  In his free time he likes to rock climb and ride the trails of Colorado.