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Rosario Lopez-Cadenas

Rosario Lopez-Cadenas headshot.

Education associate

Rosario is serving as an education associate at CSU Spur with AmeriCorps and the Environmental Education Corps. She is thrilled to be making the switch from being a civil servant to a public environmental educator. She strongly believes in sparking a love for conservation in childhood through meaningful experiences with environmental education.

Rosario holds a bachelor’s degree in Sustainability Studies from the University of Texas, with a focus on Natural Resource Management, Environmental Communications, and Sustainable Architecture. Her senior capstone project focused on the urban heat island effect on parks in redlined areas of Austin, Texas. Rosario served as a public information specialist for three years at the City of Austin in the Austin Resource Recovery department. There, she developed a passion for teaching members of her community about sustainability and environmentalism. Rosario led communications for sustainability programs such as Fix-It Clinics, the Circular Austin Showcase, and Holiday Tree Recycling. She focused on an intersectional approach to environmentalism and exemplified it in her work.

Originally from Veracruz, Mexico, she developed a love for the natural environment through snorkeling in coral reefs, hiking in the mountains, and swimming in rivers. In her free time, Rosario enjoys spending her time outdoors, reading, and volunteering with her climate action non-profit organization.

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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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Celebrate the Fourth of July at Spur!

CSU Spur is hosting its first Fourth of July party! Join us at 5:30 p.m. on July 4 for a live DJ, local barbecue, activities for kids, and a view of celebrations across the city from the Terra rooftop.

Tickets are $5.

Get your tickets

We’ll see you Saturday!

2nd Saturday at CSU Spur is 10 a.m.-2 p.m. this Saturday (Sept. 12), and this month, the theme is Made in Colorado. Join us to paint your own Colorado flag, match different Colorado livestock to the food they eat, meet community partners, and discover how Coloradans are shaping the future through creativity, research, and innovation.

Explore 2nd Saturday activities