Thinker Thursday
Creative Rounds

Patty Doyle

Patty has spent countless hours in the kitchen, concocting recipes from an early age. Still delighting in the process of creating fresh flavor combinations, FARM chocolate prides itself on working in micro-batches, utilizing time-tested techniques of hand-tempering on marble and hand-dipping. Patty uses only single-origin chocolate from farms utilizing agroforestry + sustainable growing methods. After years of private chef and catering work in her native Aspen, Colorado, Patty read a Ruth Reichl article on the best brands of chocolate, and the rest is history! At once, customers clamored for something diIerent in the realm of chocolates — what she would describe as one-of-a-kind rustic luxury, inspired by, and rooted in, European aesthetic.

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Natalie Feinberg Lopez

Natalie Feinberg Lopez is an architectural conservator serving as a technical consultant in the field of historic preservation and heritage planning for the past 27 years. Her scientific interests are focused on analysis, documentation, and synthesis of historic building systems, their materials, and upgraded energy eAiciency, to lead the way for best practices in resilience and adaptation of historic and existing structures. Her time in preservation has catalyzed partnerships with experts in the US, Canada, Latin America, and Europe allowing for teams that are specific to the location and the needs of each project. Ms. Feinberg Lopez is currently serving as a director of Climate Heritage Network International, working closely with ICOMOS, UNESCO and the UN on climate change policy for the built environment.

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Liz Ferrill

Senior Artistic Director of Painting, Drawing & Printmaking; Artists-in-Residence Program; Critical Dialogue Program

Liz Ferrill is the Senior Artistic Director of Painting, Drawing, and Printmaking at Anderson Ranch. She received her MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. She has had solo exhibitions nationally and internationally, including in Aspen, Nashville, Omaha, New York City, and Berlin, Germany.

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Chris Lane

Chris Lane is CEO of Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES), a 57-year-old nonprofit environmental organization. At ACES since 2012, Lane has led a staff of 65 employees at three regional sites who work with partner organizations, schools, government agencies, and other key decisionmakers to tackle regional environmental issues around ecological literacy, forest health, regenerative agriculture, land restoration and climate change to advance conservation and education outcomes. Lane has 35 years of executive environmental management and corporate sustainability experience across varying sectors. Prior to ACES, Lane was vice president of sustainability for Xanterra Travel Collection, the country’s largest national park and resort management company, where he pioneered the development of environmental management systems in national parks and resorts around the country. Lane also served as director of environmental affairs at Aspen One, the first such position in the industry. He has consulted with large corporations throughout his career. He has served as an elected official in his local community and on the Colorado Governor’s Pollution Prevention Board. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental engineering and is a LEED Accredited Professional and a Certified Environmental Systems Manager. He lives in Basalt with his wife and two kids. Lane is an avid outdoorsman and ski mountaineer, as well as a life-long birder, always seeking a new bird to add to his life list.

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Laurel Winton

Laurel Winton (formerly known professionally as Jenny Winton)  is the Founder and Executive Director of DanceAspen. After a successful career as a professional ballet dancer, Laurel transitioned seamlessly into the worlds of television and  Broadway before returning to her roots in Aspen to build a bold new chapter in contemporary dance.  She began her professional dance career in 2009 with the Joffrey Ballet, performing with the company for five years. Her versatility and passion for storytelling then led her to the stage as “Penny” in the National Broadway Tour of Dirty Dancing, and later to the screen with a co-starring role on the CBS series BULL.  Laurel’s love for dance brought her to Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, one of her dream companies, where she deepened her connection to the local community and fellow artists.  When Aspen Santa Fe Ballet’s performing company disbanded in 2021, Laurel took action, founding DanceAspen to ensure the continuation of professional dance in the region. Under her leadership, the organization has grown into a thriving hub for contemporary performance, artistic collaboration, and community engagement in the Roaring Fork Valley and beyond.

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