In speaking with Christy Orris, co-founder of Peak to Peak Leadership, we explore topics ranging from understanding leadership, to finding your core values no matter what age you are, slowing down, and switching gears from building to giving back. Specifically, we dive into the importance of providing meaningful and transformational leadership development experiences for young people.
Christy Bieber Orris is an active investor and entrepreneur through Peak-to-Peak Investments. She and her husband, Jay, launched Peak to Peak Leadership to empower the next generation of values-based leaders.
Christy was CEO of the ATEK Companies from 2001-2011, a privately-owned management company, that owned and ran various outsource and product-based companies. Employing over 700 people, ATEK Companies had six manufacturing facilities with revenues exceeding $140 million. Their anchor company, ATEK Medical, was purchased from Medtronic’s Cardiac Surgery business in 2003. Orris and her team developed ATEK Medical into one of the leading finished medical device outsource suppliers in the world. ATEK Medical and its sister company, ATEK Plastics, were sold to KRG Capital in 2011. Before ATEK, Christy was President of Regent Aviation, worked in operations at Baxter Healthcare and in brand management at General Mills. She received her MBA from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth and BS at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Christy is active at the University of Colorado, serving on the Center for Leadership & Leeds School of Business advisory board. She spends her time bringing values-based leadership programing to 600+ middle school, high school and CU students annually and recently introduced YPO-style forums to 80 incoming female freshman. From 2008-2011, Christy chaired the board of University of Colorado, Leed’s School of Business and continues to serve on the board. She was awarded the Alumni Service Award at the University and frequently speaks on campus and mentors students. Christy is an Aspen Institute Henry Crown Fellow and prior board member and member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.
She is a member and board member of Young Presidents Organization (YPO), Education chair for YPO Boulder, member of YPO Family Office Principals Network and the Committee of 200. She was one of Boulder’s 40 Under 40.
Christy and her family are avid travelers and spend 110 days every three years on Semester at Sea, a university study abroad program that sails around the world. In addition to investing and building companies, Christy is restoring a mountain guest ranch and loves to spend time biking, skiing and doing anything outdoors. Christy resides in Boulder, Colorado with her husband and two sons.