Valerie Lunka was elected as an Honorary Board member in January 2026 after retiring from her role of Development Director at CTKD, which she had held since 2014. While serving as the Development Director, Val introduced hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people to CTKD, identified key community philanthropists, business leaders, apparel partners and volunteers whose support provided a strong financial foundation to fund the organization’s growth. From 2019-2023, Val also served as both CTKD’s Development Director and Executive Director and was responsible for the overall leadership of the organization, ensuring excellence in programming while achieving its financial objectives, especially impressive as it was during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to joining CTKD, Val spent 18 years at Advocates for Children, the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) organization serving Colorado’s 18th judicial district, holding a variety of positions there, including CASA volunteer, board member, Red Wagon Ball founder, Board Chair, and finally Development Director. Val is a proud South Dakota native, was raised in Nebraska, and a Colorado State University alumna. Val enjoys spending time with her many friends and family members, most especially her two grandsons.
