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Katie Ross

Katie Ross headshot.

Role: Engineering Manager, Denver Water

How are you connected to CSU Spur?

My role is the one that most people never think about, helping to plan and manage where the pipes that carry water will be buried — not just at the CSU Spur campus, but across the redeveloped National Western Center. It’s the role that makes sure we’ve used the right material that will last, in the right location. It gives people the ability to turn the faucet and get water.

When did you get involved with Spur and why is it important to you?

I got involved in February 2018 on the planning for the National Western Center. It’s a complicated site, with a lot of history and many different partners involved, including private developers, the city and CSU. And Denver Water is both a utility reviewing the redevelopment plan and a tenant and partner in the development of the Hydro building, which is just one of the 17 projects at the site in our plan review process.

We worked with other utility providers to get all the utilities needed to support the different activities at the site, from offices to events to our own water quality laboratory, and make sure everyone involved in the development knows what is happening.

What outcomes have you seen or do you expect from work at Spur?

The work we did to support the development of Spur and the entire National Western Center changed how Denver Water handles large, multiphase, master-planned projects. We were involved earlier in the redevelopment process, allowing us to work with the development teams rather than coming in after decisions had already been made.

And this is one of the first projects that took a One Water approach, considering the types of water appropriate for the overall development, including the use of recycled water (which wasn’t appropriate for this development), greywater, stormwater in addition to safe, clean drinking water.

What would you like others to know about Spur?

This kind of development, it’s not just a grocery store or an apartment building. When you have multiple phases, building types, partners and types of partners, it gets complicated. There are a lot of projects that will benefit from what we did planning the redevelopment of the National Western Center.

KAREN SCHLATTER

Director, Colorado Water Center

Karen Schlatter was appointed director of the Colorado Water Center at Colorado State University in 2025, after joining the Center as associate director in 2023. Schlatter brings academic, nonprofit, and public sector experience in managing complex water challenges with a deep commitment to building partnerships and the ability to engage in conversations across Colorado’s water community. She joined CSU from the University of Florida Water Institute where her work included facilitating multi-stakeholder/academic teams to achieve shared goals around water management through collaborative, interdisciplinary research. Prior to her role at UF, she served as associate director of the Colorado River Delta Program at the Sonoran Institute, where she focused on building cross-sector and international partnerships to support large-scale ecological restoration, effective binational water management, and community engagement in the Colorado River Delta region. Schlatter earned a Bachelor of Science in biology from McGill University and a Master of Science in environmental studies from the University of Colorado Boulder. She served as an agricultural extension volunteer in the Peace Corps in Paraguay.

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TOM VILSACK

Chief Executive Officer, World Food Prize Foundation

Effective March 1, 2025, Thomas J. Vilsack, former United States Secretary of Agriculture and Governor of Iowa, will become the first Chief Executive Officer for the World Food Prize Foundation. In this new role, Governor Vilsack will focus on expanding the Foundation’s global network, and will further position the Foundation as a leader in addressing global food and nutrition insecurity, continuing his lifetime of public service.

In 1998, he became the first Democrat to be elected as the Governor of Iowa in more than 30 years. During his two terms as Governor, he created an $800 million, 10-year economic development incentive program—the Iowa Values Fund. His administration worked with schools, medical providers, businesses, faith-based organizations and other entities to expand healthcare coverage to more than 90,000 previously uninsured children.

He became the 30th and 32nd United States Secretary of Agriculture, from 2008-2017 and 2021-2025, respectively. Only five people in U.S. history have served in the Cabinet longer, and during his tenures, the United States Department of Agriculture set records for U.S. agricultural exports and provided food assistance to millions of Americans. He helped expand food and nutrition access through summer feeding programs for children and additional support for fruit and vegetable purchases through the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program. As Secretary, he worked to develop new and superior markets for small and mid-sized farms, allowing those operations to remain viable and in turn, strengthening and growing rural communities.

Governor Vilsack has long been connected to the World Food Prize Foundation, having served on both the Council of Advisors and the Board of Directors. His insights and acumen were vital in shaping our mission and initiatives. His leadership and experience will be instrumental in expanding the Foundation’s international reach and continuing the mission of elevating innovations and inspiring action to sustainably increase the quality, quantity and availability of food for all.

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CSU Spur is turning 2! Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025.

It’s our anniversary!

It’s our anniversary! CSU Spur has been fully open to the public, sharing hands-on, family-friendly activities around food, water, and health for two years. Join us on Saturday, Jan. 11, for 2nd Saturday activities, including desserts, a mariachi performance, face painters, horses on treadmills, veterinarians in surgery, scientists in labs, and more. The celebration is from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and CSU Spur will be open 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; no registration required, all public activities are free.

2nd Saturday at CSU Spur is presented by Canvas Credit Union.

We’ll see you Saturday!

2nd Saturday at CSU Spur is 10 a.m.-2 p.m. this Saturday (May 9), and this month, the theme is Spur in Bloom. Join us for flower-themed arts and crafts, horse demonstrations, interactive activities focused on topics like sustainability and gardening, the return of the Market at the Center, and more!

Explore 2nd Saturday activities