ABOUT US

The Beck Venture Center, dedicated on April 4, 2024, is named for the Beck Family in recognition of the generosity of lead donors, Mike and Kelly Beck. Their gift was inspired in part by Mike’s journey as an engineer, entrepreneur and investor and the experiences that his sons, Nicholas Beck ’18 and Jon Luke Beck ’19, had at Mines. The Beck Venture Center is the physical manifestation of the vision Mike and Kelly and Mines President Paul C. Johnson shared for creating a comprehensive and unrivaled entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem at Mines. Thanks to the Beck Family – Mike, Kelly, Daniel, Kristian, Nicholas, Jon Luke, Anneke and Jillian – The Beck Venture Center is where Mines’ students, faculty, alumni and university partners will transform their innovations and discoveries into new commercial ventures that ultimately benefit us all.

MEET THE TEAM

Zack Bennett

Director

Zack graduated from the Colorado School of Mines in 1999 with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and headed off to Silicon Valley at the height of the dot com boom. He started his career as an engineer, management consultant and an executive at American Express. Not content with the success he found in corporate America, Zack turned to the fast-paced world of startups where he has founded and operated multiple companies and has had lots of failures, a few exits and one IPO. Zack is thrilled that his journey has brought him full circle as he returns to Mines as the Founding Director of the Beck Venture Center.

Mia Phillips

Startup Community Manager

Mia brings experience in marketing, communications, and community building to her role at the Beck Venture Center. She’s worked with startups and mission-driven organizations across sectors to help them grow their presence and connect with the people they serve.

Originally from North Carolina, Mia earned her degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she studied at the Kenan-Flagler Business School. At Beck, she focuses on building a strong, welcoming community—supporting student founders, early-stage startups, and remote workers who use the space.

Outside of work, Mia is a potter, climber, and enjoys creating opportunities for people to connect.

Savanna Campbell

Event Manager

Savanna Campbell is an Event Manager with over a decade of experience in the events industry.  After working at cultural institutions around Denver, seh landed her first major role as an Event Manager at the Denver Center for Performing Arts, working on events from nonprofit galas to show-stopping weddings for fiver years.  Most recently, she was the Special Events Manager at Human Colorado, supporting their mission-based work and large-scale fundraising events.  She is absolutely thrilled to join the Beck team and loves working with members and the startup community to create impactful and educational events!

Originally from the great state of New York, Savanna earned her BS in Event Management and MBA in Hospitality from Johnson & Wales University.  She has lived in Colorado for over a decade and has completely assimilated to her new home, spending her time outside of work trail running, biking, and skiing with her dogs and husband.

Kevin Schweiss

Operations Manager

Kevin has a deep background in operations, having worked across several industries with companies ranging from early-stage startups to Walt Disney World.  His career in Operations has centered around building useful, efficient systems and supporting cross-functional teams to do their best work.

Originally from southeastern Wisconsin, Kevin earned his BBA from the Univeristy of Wisconsin – Whitewater.  At Beck, he is focused on developing effective operational systems, supporting both internal teams and clients, and ensuring that Beck runs smoothly and efficiently.

Outside of the office, Kevin enjoys spending time with his wife and two dogs, exploring the beauty of Colorado through hiking, camping, and mountain biking.

PARKING INFORMATION

Conveniently located just 20 minutes from downtown Denver

There is Free 2 Hour Street Parking on Washington Ave.

The closest all-day parking is the brand-new Parking Garage located at 901 17th St, Golden, CO You can pay in the ParkMobile app.

An additional all-day parking option is Lot C, which is located at 1600 Jackson St., Golden, CO Be sure to go to the upper level of the lot and you will also use the ParkMobile app.