LIGHTSPEED PRESENTS: TALKS LIKE THESE – THE MOLLIE

Panel 2 – Seating 4:05PM
Panel Discussion 2 • 4:15-5:15PM
Climate Change and Queer Intersection

Lead Moderator Panel 2:

Assistant Moderator Panel 2:
Halle Zander, Aspen Public Radio

Panelists include:
Heidi Leathwood,
Climate Policy Analyst, 350 Colorado

Tykee James
Government Affairs Coordinator, National Audubon Society

Auden Schendler
Colorado-based Climate Activist and Author

Lead Moderator Panel 2:

Talks Like These Panelists

Heather Heacox

Heather Heacox is a dynamic leader and relationship builder with a proven track record of fostering meaningful partnerships and driving strategic initiatives. As a Community Development and Engagement Specialist at WBEC-West, Heather connects Women-Owned Businesses (WBEs) with corporations, empowering them to unlock new opportunities. Her expertise spans B2B engagement, program management, and training, with a focus on helping women-owned businesses achieve certification and thrive in competitive markets.

With certificates in Project Management and Project Leadership from Cornell University, Heather has developed and led impactful workshops, created action-driven strategic programs, and facilitated organizational change. She previously served as a Project Coordinator with Navy Federal, where she managed enterprise-wide strategic initiatives, transitioned teams to Agile methodologies.

Heather’s career is built on her passion for empowering communities and creating sustainable growth. She has a deep understanding of business sustainability, and excels in public speaking, presentations, and training. Heather’s dedication to supporting WBEs is evident in her hands-on approach to community engagement, where she organizes events and initiatives to foster collaboration and amplify voices.

When she’s not working, Heather enjoys hiking, reading, and spending quality time with her husband and three kids. As an active family, they are often on the go, whether attending extracurricular activities or cheering on her children at sports games. Based in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, Heather is committed to making a lasting impact in her community and beyond.

Chanel Lumiere

Chanel is a fearless educator, mentor, healer, and organizer. Chanel has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Child and Adolescent Development and has worked in the Early Education Field, serving Children and families for over 20 years.

Chanel has served several organizations advocating for LGBTQIs communities. Formerly served as a board member and community engagement director for 15 years. Chanel consults on trans 101, social emotional learning, homophobia and a planning committee member for LAPD and LASD for the 2024 and 2025 building trust summit.

In 2020/2021, Chanel was featured in the Frye Art Museum Bonner Banner Series in Seattle, Washington, by Artist Marilyn Montufar and Muse for 2022, “As we are pillars of Society,” with Steve Galindo. In 2023, she will be the muse for the Ontario History and Arts Museum’s Past, Present, and future installations. In 2024, Chanel produced Artful Visions Where Art Comes Alive, an Artist event created to highlight transgender artists and allies. She currently serves as the Resident Advisor for The House of Dignity, a transitional housing program for black transgender women who are justice-impacted. Her light continues to shine wherever she goes.

Kelly Wyly O’Donovan

Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, to an entrepreneur father and an artist mother.  Majoring in Fine Art and Education at Lewis & Clark College, thinking she would one day become an art teacher, she dropped out of college to start her first business in her early 20s. A cottage industry custom ceramic dinnerware company, Wyly Works, Inc., worked solo out of her garage painting and firing one-of-a-kind ceramic tableware for clients for three years.  During this time, Kelly started art consulting for friends and family, soon acquiring fine art throughout the globe for corporate and private collections. This turned into a mentorship through Hammer Galleries in New York, where she learned the gallery business from the inside out. Connections made there led to a four-year career creating fine art ceramics in Vallauris,  France, at Galerie Sassi-Milici. Kelly became one of the US experts in authenticating and valuing Pablo Picasso ceramics as a result of her gallery experience in the South of France and  New York. Kelly served on the board of Michaels Arts & Crafts during this time as well, gaining valuable knowledge of corporate retail operations. This experience enhanced what she had  “learned by doing.” O’Donovan opened her first fine art gallery specializing in American and  European Masters in Dallas with her childhood best friend in 1997. They both moved to Aspen with their families and opened Elliott Yeary Gallery, Aspen, in 2000. Tired of selling dead artists’  work, the gallery evolved over time to represent emerging artists and fine jewelry designers. In  2009, Kelly started investing in residential real estate house flipping with her second husband,  Denis O’Donovan. They invested both in Hawaii and in Aspen. Kelly and Denis expanded into commercial real estate in Aspen soon after. Always wanting to dip her toe in the restaurant business, Kelly and her Irish-born husband opened Finbarr’s Irish Pub & Kitchen together in  2011. A popular Aspen restaurant, Finbarr’s ultimately closed when they sold the real estate it was housed in. In 2022, Kelly purchased a retail fashion boutique in Aspen and rebranded it as  Four One Nine. Loving learning a new retail industry, but not enjoying running two separate locations in Aspen, Kelly and her business partner, Kristin Yeary, relocated both stores to one location a year later. Elliott Yeary at Four One Nine continues to be a successful business concept of fashion, art, and fine jewelry. As one of the few remaining locally owned small businesses in Aspen, Kristin and Kelly continue to grow their customer base in Aspen and online (419aspen.com) and delight in serving Aspen locals and visitors alike. Kelly continues to create and sell her own art. She works out of a studio in her home in Snowmass, Colorado.

Raised in a philanthropically-minded family, Kelly has made service to her community a life value from her earliest professional days. She worked with the American Cancer Society in  Dallas, assisting in putting clinics in low-income inner city DFW areas to better serve the under served African American community with the hopes of lowering the cancer death rate in their demographic. She worked with several small schools in Dallas, mostly assisting with  Advancement and fundraising. Once she moved to Aspen, she committed time to fundraising for Wilderness Workshop, the Buddy Program, and the Aspen Youth Center. She has served on the board of the Aspen Youth Center and currently serves as President of the  Board of Trustees at the Aspen Country Day School.

You can find Kelly laughing with her husband, three kids, and two dogs in Snowmass Village,  painting in her studio, or behind the desk at Elliott Yeary at Four One Nine in Aspen.

Tykee James

Tykee James is recognized as a dynamic leader and advocate within the birding and conservation communities. With over a decade of dedicated service, he has championed equitable access to nature’s benefits. His journey began as an environmental educator in his hometown of Philadelphia, which led him to advocate in halls of Washington, D.C., and now continues with a combination of that work in Colorado. As the Sr. Environmental Justice Campaign Manager at Conservation Colorado, his work is characterized by a deep passion for people, building trust, strengthening coalitions, and empowering communities to drive meaningful change.

In 2020, Tykee co-founded Black Birders Week—a landmark event that celebrated the Black community in nature and led to the founding of his nonprofit Amplify the Future. Through providing scholarships and outdoor education, this organization aims to create inclusive opportunities in the environmental movement.

His leadership extends to several prestigious organizations. He serves on the board of directors for Justice Outside, DC Bird Alliance, the Birding Co-op, and the Green Leadership Trust. His expertise is also sought after on key committees at the Academy of Natural Sciences at Drexel University, the Recording Standards and Ethics Committee at the American Birding Association, the English Bird Name Committee at the American Ornithological Society, and the Governance and Development Working Group for the Next 100 Colorado Coalition.

Beyond his professional endeavors, Tykee is passionate about salsa and bachata, producing wildlife media, and cooking.

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