Our Team

Chris Banas

Denver, CO

Christopher E. Banas is a seasoned medical device entrepreneur with over 45 years of experience in the industry. He has co-founded ten medical device companies and played a pivotal role in securing FDA and EU CE mark approvals for more than 100 products. Banas has held senior management and engineering positions at major corporations such as Abbott Vascular, Beckton Dickenson, and W.L. Gore & Associates, before transitioning into entrepreneurship. A prolific inventor, Banas holds 82 issued US patents with 87 additional patent applications pending. His focus has been on building early-stage companies and positioning them for successful exits, including notable ventures such as Advanced Bio Prosthetic Surfaces and CardioSpectra.

Beyond his entrepreneurial endeavors, Banas is an active supporter of the medical device ecosystem in Colorado. He serves on the boards of several for-profit and non-profit organizations and acts as a strategic advisor to private equity firms. He has co-founded a venture capital firm, Incyte Venture Partners, and provides mentorship to early-stage companies and academic institutions, including the University of Colorado SPARK/REACH program. Banas is also a board member of The Summit Foundation, a philanthropic organization focused on enhancing community growth through scholarships, grants, and leadership development.

Kamrin Helland

Kamrin Helland possesses an impressive track record of over 20 years of experience in the Medical Device Industry as a Global Marketing and Strategy leader. She has worked for Johnson & Johnson, Smith & Nephew Orthopaedics and Medtronic. Currently, she dedicates her time to consulting with both Medical Device startups and global businesses, providing expertise in portfolio strategy, marketing and product management.

Kamrin grew up in the southeast and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. Continuing her academic pursuits, she went on to receive her Master’s degree from The George Washington University in Washington, DC. Alongside her husband and her daughter, she now resides in Boulder, Colorado. They spend their free time in Summit County enjoying all the summer and winter outdoor activities.

In 2020, Kamrin’s introduction to Keystone Science School occurred when her daughter participated in a Discovery Day Camp. It was during this experience she felt a calling to leverage her scientific (STEM) background to contribute to the mission of KSS. She has served on the Scholarship Committee and, in 2022, joined the Board of Directors, further enhancing her involvement and support for the organization.

Richard Sexton

Mr. Sexton has more than 35 years of executive leadership experience successfully directing nuclear organizations engaged in organizational transformation, project delivery, decommissioning, major proposal development, contract oversight, Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), waste management, engineering, stakeholder and regulator interface. Richard has executive level experience working in the USA, UK and Canada on some at some of the largest nuclear facility engaged in delivering accelerated organizational transformation, increase efficiency, reduced costs and enhanced safety.

He has a unique combination of technical and executive leadership skills that allows him to solve complex and challenging issues innovatively, cost effectively and in a manner that consistently delivers excellence. He has served as a senior executive in a variety of roles leading large nuclear organizations (e.g., AECL, Magnox, Sellafield, Rocky Flats) and has been directly responsible for preparing GoCo contracts bids responses, business development and oversight positions. In multiple roles he reported directly to the board directors. Richard has extensive “hands-on” field experience, a detailed knowledge of project delivery, risk management, regulatory requirements, stake holding management and is adept at organizational change management, accelerating work, reducing cost, and improving safety.

Dr. Frank Gibbs

Dr. Frank Gibbs is a TechSource Senior Nuclear Advisor with over 40 years’ experience in nuclear processes including manufacturing, facility operations, recovery, decommissioning, and environmental remediation. As a Senior Director for Actinide Operations at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Dr. Gibbs was directly accountable for recapture of nuclear manufacturing capabilities and responsible for 800 employees. He was also a Program Director who supported major United Kingdom (UK) defense programs including the UK Naval Nuclear Core Production Facility.

His senior management experience includes decontamination, decommissioning and environmental restoration, responsible for annual operating budgets that exceeded $200 million per year. Notably, he was a member of Rocky Flats Closure Project Executive Team that delivered one year ahead of schedule and $670M under cost. He currently works in the Nuclear Manufacturing Technology and Nuclear Training Program at LANL and serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Texas at El Paso for the Metallurgical, Materials and Biomedical Engineering Department.

Alan Evans

Alan Evans brings over five decades of experience in construction and development, with a career that began on his family’s dairy farm in Ireland. His early hands-on work evolved into electrical contracting in Dublin before his family emigrated to Australia in 1969. There, Alan spent 20 years designing and building homes on Queensland’s Gold Coast. A passion for skiing and the mountains led him to Breckenridge in 1989, where he quickly reestablished himself in the construction industry, working on projects such as one of the first casinos in Black Hawk and a $13 million recreation center for Gilpin County.

In 1998, Alan shifted his focus to high-end custom mountain homes, gaining recognition for his ability to build in demanding alpine climates. This expertise led him to found New West Partners in 2012, an award-winning firm specializing in luxury home construction across Colorado’s premier mountain communities. Now transitioning into retirement, Alan remains committed to sharing his knowledge and experience while fostering strong client relationships and community connections.

When not engaged in community efforts, Alan enjoys horseback riding, cycling, skiing, and spending time with his wife, Maureen, and their Bernese Mountain Dogs, Tully and Guinness.

Douglas (Doug) D. Sims

Honorary Chairman Emeritus

Keystone, CO

Doug Sims served KSS on several committees and eventually board chair. After that time he continued to serve as a mentor and advisor of KSS staff members. You can learn more about Doug and his contributions in his obituary here.

As CEO of COBANK from 1994 through June 2006, Sims was responsible for implementing the bank’s strategic and business direction as set by the bank’s board of directors. During his tenure with COBANK, Sims successfully executed 15 mergers and acquisitions and grew the bank from a $9 billion financial institution to a $36 billion internationally recognized bank. COBANK is part of the $200 billion U.S. Farm Credit System, the nation’s single largest lender to U.S. agriculture and rural America. He joined the U.S. Farm Credit System in St. Louis, MO in 1969 and served in various lending and general management positions for over 37 years.

In addition, Sims was chairman of the Washington DC-based trade association, the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, and a frequent participant in global trade meetings. He was also a member of the Finance Governors of the World Economic Forum, Geneva, Switzerland and the Dean’s Advisory Committee to the Kennedy School at Harvard University.

Sims was an ardent supporter of programs for young leaders, often speaking to issues of integrity and leadership by example. He served as chairman of the Graduate Institute of Cooperative Leadership at the University of Missouri, the FarmHouse Foundation in Kansas City, Missouri and Lutheran Family Services of Colorado. Sims was inducted into the U.S. Cooperative Hall of Fame in Washington DC in 2006 and is the recipient of the “Builder of Men” award by FarmHouse Fraternity. Sims served on the boards of Thrivent Mutual Funds, Minneapolis, MN, the Keystone Citizens League and the Keystone Science School in Keystone, CO.

A 1968 graduate of the University of Illinois, Sims held a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics. In 1992, he completed Harvard’s Advanced Management Program. Sims lived in Keystone, Colorado, with his wife, Nancy. They had two children, a son living in Toronto, Canada and a daughter living in Hoboken, NJ.