Historic Boulder Board & Staff
Leslie Durgin
Leslie is actively retired after a full professional career in human services and public policy at both the state and local levels. As an executive director, she has led numerous non-profit organizations. At the State level, she was a senior executive in Colorado State Government.
Leslie was elected to the Boulder City Council in 1989 and elected Mayor in 1990, a position she held until 1997. In the areas of local historic preservation, she served on the City’s Landmarks Advisory Board, actively worked on the preservation of the Hannah Barker house, and led the Colorado Chautauqua’s many preservation and landmarking activities and programs. In 1997 she worked for the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington DC.
Leslie has a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Colorado and a certificate from the State and Local Government Leadership Program at the Kennedy School at Harvard University. She has lived in Boulder since 1972.
Contact Leslie at Leslie@historicboulder.org
Mike Kercheval
Mike is the past Executive Director of the University of Colorado Real Estate Center at the Leeds School of Business. He
manages and promotes relationships between the real estate industry and the academic community. Prior to returning
to Colorado in 2016, Mike’s career was centered in New York, where he was President & CEO of the International
Council of Shopping Centers, CEO of Lend Lease Latin American Realty Advisors in South America, a portfolio
manager and real estate investment banker with Equitable Real Estate, and a senior research economist with Equitable
Life.
Mike volunteers as board president of Empower Charter High School in Aurora, Colorado, as treasurer of Project
REAP, a national minority real estate organization, and is on the advisory board of CU’s Presidents Leadership Class.
A Colorado (Grand Junction High School) native, Mike holds PhD and MA degrees in economics from Columbia
University. He’s an honors graduate from the University of Colorado, majoring in economics, political science and
international affairs. He and his wife Dana raised two kids, Jackie and Adam.
Contact Mike at Mike@HistoricBoulder.org
David Raduziner
David Raduziner and wife Diana have lived in Boulder since 1998, raising their two children in a Glen Huntington home in the University Place Historic District. The home has undergone 3 major renovations and he redeveloped an adjacent non-contributing property into two new homes all in compliance with Landmarks Board requirements. He was awarded Home Preservation Project of the Year in 1997 by Stanford Historic for restoration of an 1895 Queen Anne Victorian home in Palo Alto, CA.
In 2009 David co-founded and grew a Sola Salon Studios franchise business to 60 units following his 25 year career in commercial and corporate real estate, design, construction and facilities management. He earned a BS in Business from the University of Colorado, Boulder and an MBA from the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business. David loves architecture and design and keeps busy playing hockey, skiing, riding motorcycles, mountain biking, camping and fishing.
Contact David at David@historicboulder.org
Margot Smit
Margot has been a mediator and facilitator on environmental issues, and for the City of Boulder’s Community Mediation Service. She has also worked as a field science school instructor, park ranger naturalist, and wilderness rites of passage guide. After a childhood spent in South America and Europe, Margot earned her undergraduate degree attending Colorado College and then Barnard College. She received her master’s degree at the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources with a focus on dispute resolution.
Though as an educator her specialty was the history of the Earth’s rocks, her passion has shifted to human history. Growing up enriched by the beauty and stories of old buildings in Europe, she is glad to be assisting Historic Boulder in preserving local history. Boulder has been homebase since 1987, and, appropriate to an early life of moving a lot geographically, Margot lives in a 1918 North Boulder house that was moved to its current location in the late 1970s.
Contact Margot at Margot@historicboulder.org
Steve Wallace
Steve Wallace is a longtime member and supporter of Historic Boulder. For more than 30 years he lived in an historic house in the Whittier neighborhood and is a stalwart supporter of neighborhood and Historic Boulder events. He recently moved to a condominium, but is still in the Whittier neighborhood.
Steve was an owner and managing partner of the Boulder Inn, a Best Western property. He served as a director of the National Best Western organization, and locally is (and has been) the president of Boulder’s Hotel/Motel Association, is (and has been) on the city’s Liquor Board and has been a member of the Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Sue Morea
Sue has lived in Boulder since 1976 and is an avid hiker, biker, skier and history buff. She holds a Masters degree in Environmental Engineering. She is Senior Vice President at CDM Smith, a global engineering firm that specializes in municipal water infrastructure. As the firm’s Water Resources Practice Leader, Sue has specialized in long range water supply planning projects at the state and local levels. She is expert in working with large stakeholder groups to achieve consensus and is very familiar with the inner workings of government at multiple levels.
Sue has volunteered and attended many Historic Boulder events and is passionate about historic preservation. She firmly believes that in order to know who we are today we need to understand how we got here.
Bob Muckle
Elected in 2005, he served on the Louisville City Council for 14 years, the last 8 as Mayor. In 2009 he wrote and helped to pass a ballot question to impose a .125% sales tax to support historic preservation which created a fund that offers incentives for property owners to landmark their historic structures. The fund provides grants for owners of landmarked buildings to assist them in maintaining their historic structures. Renewal of the historic preservation tax in 2018 passed by 65%/35%. The tax has allowed Louisville to hire a preservation planner to support historic preservation, save the Louisville Grain Elevator, restore and expand 740 Front, restore the facade of the Waterloo, landmark and repair two historic (Blue Parrot and Empire/Colacci’s) neon signs on Main Street, to landmark two false front buildings on Main Street and landmark multiple historic residences in Old Town. Bob is a preservation enthusiast, heritage tourist, and regular attendee (and speaker once) at the annual Colorado Preservation Inc. Saving Places Conference.
Kathryn
Since then, Kathryn has been involved with HB in most capacities – President, Preservation Committee member, holiday house tour house captain, a spirit during Meet the Spirits events at Pioneer Cemetery, and as a host for member and Ghost Walk, Ghost Talk events. She firmly believes that Historic Boulder IS Boulder, and is looking forward to Historic Boulder’s 50th anniversary celebration in 2022.
Ryker Stark
Ryker Stark grew up in Boulder, attending Fairview high school and starting as a defensive back on the football team. He stayed in town for college, graduating from the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado. His majors were Finance and Real Estate.
He works as a financial analyst at Boxwell, a manufacturer of portable self-storage units. Ryker is a problem solver, a curious thinker and someone who takes initiative without hesitation. Right off the start, he has signed up to be recording secretary for Historic Boulder Inc.
For fun Ryker enjoys traveling, biking, skiing and hiking.
Kathy Buergert
Kathy found fresh inspiration when she moved to Boulder in 2010. As a New York City transplant residing in “Little White,” a circa 1900 farmhouse in the Newlands neighborhood, Kathy developed deep appreciation for Historic Boulder’s work in preserving our community’s vibrancy.
Previously, Kathy worked as a commercial banker and a tech stock analyst on Wall Street. Armed with a CFA designation and an MBA from NYU, she has broadened her horizons, delving into liberal arts and sustainable energy studies at CU Boulder. Kathy served as CFO of a Boulder green transit startup, and actively engages in the Denver business community through Denver Business Series and CFA Colorado. An avid skier, gardener, hiker, traveler, antiquer and cyclist, Kathy brings diverse passions to her pursuits.
Contact Kathy at Kathy@historicboulder.org
Jim Lindberg
James B. Lindberg is Senior Policy Director at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Based in Denver, he works with partners across the country, providing policy research and solutions for more inclusive, healthy, and resilient communities.
Jim has co-authored numerous research and policy publications for the National Trust on the economic, social, and environmental benefits of building conservation and reuse. He is a lecturer in the College of Architecture and Planning at the University of Colorado Denver.
Contact Jim at jim@historicboulder.org
Fran Sheets
Fran Sheets has been contributing to community activities in Boulder since the 1970’s. Her focus has been on
maintaining the livability and qualities of the town. She participated in public meetings, advocating for design
improvements to the Crossroads Shopping Center to increase relevance while supporting local businesses. She
worked with former HB president, Nore Winter and neighbors, developing the first neighborhood design guidelines
for the Flatirons neighborhood. She Initiated and led the creation of the Highland Lawn Historic District. Working
with Lafayette city planners, Fran helped in the planning of the move of a Craftsman house that was slated for
demolition along Gregory Creek in Boulder, to a new location in Old Town Lafayette. She recently completed 7
years of service on the City of Boulder Landmarks Board.
Fran was raised in southern California and studied Anthropology at Pitzer College. She met her husband (who was
born and raised in Boulder) in El Salvador while working together on an archaeological dig. In 1974 they moved back
to Boulder. Their children are 4th generation Boulderites! Fran went back to college to earn a BS and MS in Nursing
at CU. She’s worked in Boulder County and in Latin America with Spanish speaking families until recently.
Contact Fran at Fran@HistoricBoulder.org
Jon Hatch
A Maine native, Jon (“Hatch”) has lived in Boulder since 1996 with his wife Kristin, who was raised here. Her grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles and cousins have been here a long time and used to watch the Red Zinger Classic from grandma’s house at the corner of 9th and Alpine. Jon came to Boulder hired as the photo journalist for the Boulder Planet newspaper and then with the Daily Camera through the early 2000s. He was on the adopt-a-median program for over 20 years and volunteered to collect trash and recycling at Skunk Creek underneath Broadway. He then went into residential real estate full-time for the last almost a quarter century…he is a top producing REALTOR® in Boulder County and at Compass in Boulder.
Jon and Kristin raised their two children in Boulder. His favorite moments are spent with my family, at home on the Red Door Ranch on our amazing acre in the City as guardians to egg-laying hens and dogs, gardening and home improvements. Otherwise you’ll find him trail running, camping or fly-fishing in the state’s many parks and mountains and rivers.
Contact Jon at Hatch@historicboulder.org
Cynthia Case
Cynthia was born in Boulder as the youngest of four daughters and currently lives in Longmont where she continues to enjoy all that Boulder County has to offer. She is known in the community as an encourager and connector, working to build a stronger and better community.
She has two degrees, Operations Management and Marketing, from the University of Colorado Boulder along with a Certificate in Entrepreneurship. Cynthia started working for Alpine Bank in 2018 as a member of the founding team. Being someone who formerly thought “all banks are bad,” she was a critic that turned into an avid supporter of the company and the ability to help people through the work of a true Community Bank. She currently holds the position of Head of Community Outreach for the Front Range.
When Cynthia is not in her office or out in the community, she enjoys spending time with her three beautiful sisters and dear Mother, talking with friends, knitting, cooking, making home products, and finding inspiration in the beauty and order of the cosmos.
Contact Cynthia at Cynthia@historicboulder.org
Michael Leccese
In 2022, Michael Leccese retired as executive director of Urban Land Institute (ULI) Colorado, a regional office of the global Urban Land Institute. Previously Michael was a communications consultant, newspaper reporter, magazine editor, and book author, mainly covering architecture, urban design, and real estate. From 1979 to 1987 he edited Preservation News for the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He has served on civic boards and committees in Boulder, Denver, and Washington, D.C.
In Boulder since 1993, the New York native has a B.A. in English lit from the University of North Carolina. He is married with two grown children and one grandchild. He enjoys cycling, travel (especially visiting historic sites), reading, music, and the great outdoors of Colorado. His novel First Draft comes out in early 2026.
Contact Michael at Leccese@historicboulder.org
Tim Plass
Tim’s involvement with historic preservation in Boulder started with his advocacy for saving historic buildings in his neighborhood on Mapleton Hill. From there, he served on the city’s Landmarks Board for six years. His passion for municipal government also included time on the Planning Board and City Council. A longtime Boulder resident, Tim moved to Boulder from New England. He received his undergraduate degree from Harvard College and his law degree from the University of Denver.
In his spare time, Tim enjoys gardening, fly fishing and playing the classical guitar.
Contact Tim at tim@historicboulder.org
Melanie Muckle
Meet Historic Boulder’s Office Administrator
Melanie Julian Muckle served on Historic Boulder’s Board for six years (two years as Treasurer) until she was term limited in 2021. These days she serves as HBI’s bookkeeper, membership chair, database manager, tech assistant, event planner and “just about anything that needs doing” person. She grew up in Boulder (Arapahoe, Douglass, Platt, Fairview), has a BA in Human Biology from Stanford and a JD from the University of Michigan. She practiced law in both the public and private sectors, including plaintiff’s environmental (oil spill) litigation in Alaska.
Melanie and her husband Bob live in Louisville where she was elected to the city’s Charter Commission in 2000. There she fought hard to get a plank in the Charter creating a Historic Preservation Commission, helped draft Louisville’s preservation ordinance and served on the first Commission. She campaigned successfully for the town’s Historic Preservation Tax, as well as for local candidates who understand the importance of saving old buildings.
Contact Melanie at melanie@historicboulder.org.
