Learn more about the staff who steward Denver Gold Group
Timothy Wood
Executive Director
Tim is well known to the commodities world as a mining finance and investment media entrepreneur. He has extensive experience in publishing and event management, almost all of it focused on the mining sector. Prior to joining DGG, Tim was a consultant to – and manager of – International Investment Conferences. IIC presents hard assets investment conferences in the United States as well as the world class Investing in African Mining Indaba.
Tim gained a working knowledge of the mining industry and commercial Internet applications during a stint at the Chamber of Mines of South Africa. He worked there as a Public Policy Analyst and Assistant to the CEO, Tom Main. Tim moved into the media world as the Founding Internet Editor for South Africa’s largest circulation weekly newspaper, the Sunday Times. From there he went on to be founding editor of a number of publications including ResourceInvestor.com, and was part of the core team at Mineweb.com until 2004. He was also a founding director of Moneyweb, a media venture traded on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange since 1999.
Tim and his family emigrated to the United States from South Africa in 2000 and became American citizens in 2010.
Tim has a graduate degree in International Relations, and a Diploma in Business Administration. He read for the degrees at the University of the Witwatersrand after completing compulsory military service just prior to the cessation of the Angolan war.
Complementing his focus on mining finance and investment writing, Tim also has several investigative reporting credits to his name. These include uncovering secret audits of the UN Oil for Food Programme, and documenting a secret visit to South Africa by North Korean officials seeking nuclear materials.
Laurie Barr
Events Director
Visionary Laurie Barr has had a long and distinguished entrepreneurial career in small business ownership, banking, commercial and residential real estate, fund development and international conference development.
Serving as chair of the board for the National Repertory Orchestra in Summit County, Colorado, Laurie excelled in non-profit management, fund development and special events planning. Her community service contributions in both Colorado and California are numerous, including work with the Kiwanis Club, Boy Scouts of America, Montessori schools and the Boulder Chamber of Commerce.
While working at Wells Fargo Laurie was responsible for business development, loan package underwriting and client retention. Her noteworthy and creative accomplishments include development of a long-range plan for a subdivision and commercially zoned property in Historic Niwot, Colorado. Innovative and intuitive thinking skills allowed Laurie to bring the investment in a difficult property to a profitable completion.
Laurie's consistent and outstanding business and leadership skills led to the vision and creation of the Australian Resources Conference USA. The highly successful, annual international conference, held in Denver, Colorado and New York City, presented emerging Australian natural resource investments in valuable oil, gas and mining sectors to the American investor market.
Kristen Mahler
Production Manager
Kristen returned to the Denver Gold Group in May 2011 after previously working for DGG for two and a half years. A Colorado native, she received her Bachelor's Degree in Journalism from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2004.
Sonia Slee
Office Manager
Sonia originally hails from South Africa where she obtained a B.A. (Ed) (Psych. Hons) degree at the University of Pretoria in 1987. She was a teacher for two years before embarking on an 18 year career in the airline industry, working for South African Airways. She moved to the US in 2006 and became involved in working for the Denver Gold Group at its Denver Gold forums since 2007. She has been a part time employee for DGG since April 2010, assisting in the office with a variety of tasks. Sonia became a US citizen in April 2011.