A Colorado native, Evan Zislis joins The Aspen Institute with over twenty years in the Roaring Fork Valley working as an educator, social entrepreneur and community advocate. With a career focused on building relationships through program development and organizational leadership, Evan’s expansive network in the public and private sectors strategically positions him to launch and direct the Hurst Community Initiative, targeting current affairs and regional populations hit hardest by the defining challenges of our time.
After a brief tenure teaching civics, anthropology and world history, Evan spent over a decade organizing the program departments of Aspen’s most reputable nonprofits. In 2012, Evan launched his own consulting firm focused on organization and operations. In 2015, Evan published ClutterFree Revolution: Simplify Your Stuff, Organize Your Life and Save the World — a manifesto for leveraging conscious consumerism to support global change. Casey Sheahan, former President and CEO of Patagonia, Inc. affirms, “ClutterFree Revolution nails it! Evan inspires a new generation of conscious consumers. A must-read for every household in America.”
In 2018, Evan co-founded a nonprofit business incubator and accelerator, delivering startup strategy for up-and-coming entrepreneurs of the Roaring Fork and Colorado River Valleys. A 2014 graduate of Roaring Fork Leadership, a certified restorative justice facilitator, and a corporate member of 1% for the Planet, Evan is an active member on a number of community boards and regional inter-agency task forces. Evan’s upbringing as a globetrotting Army brat and his career in the Roaring Fork Valley are punctuated by a passion for civic engagement, social justice and environmental sustainability. He holds a master’s degree in curriculum development and experiential education, and a Bachelor degree in political science from the University of Maine, with a focus in cultural anthropology from the University of British Columbia.
A telemark skier and whitewater kayaker, Evan lives with his wife and daughter in Carbondale, Colorado.