Our Team
Our Associates
Logan Steppan, Founder and CEO
A master strategist and expert facilitator, Logan Steppan —founder and CEO of Creek Consulting— developed his skills while studying at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO. An Ozark Missouri born Midwesterner with entrepreneurial roots, Logan’s passion for facilitation has long been connected to government, community and policy conversations at state, local and national levels. Armed with a dual-degree in Political Science and Criminal Justice, Logan honed his craft while working with the Center for Public Deliberation and formally launched Creek Consulting in April 2015. Logan and his family, have just recently relocated to the Denver Metro in order for his wife, Madison to pursue a PhD program at the University of Denver.
To connect with Logan, email him at logan@creekconsultingllc.com.
Karina Branson, Graphic Facilitator
Karina Branson is delighted to be a visual practitioner where she is constantly learning. Her work focuses on helping clients understand each other and expand their perspectives on the world and the systems they are working in through graphic recording & facilitation. Karina is founder and owner of ConverSketch Graphic Recording and Visual Facilitation where she uses large-scale hand-drawn images and text to reflect and distill the key ideas of important conversations for her clients, in real time.
Karina’s scientific training and an innate ability to connect with people across cultures creates a unique blend of intelligences that enable her to synthesize and creatively capture meaningful content at events. She is a member of the International Forum of Visual Practitioners and the National Coalition of Dialogue and Deliberation, and has been trained in facilitation and dialogue by the Center for Public Deliberation.
Her unique approach has facilitated and supported collaborative strategic planning, community engagement, innovative brainstorming and critical systems thinking to help groups move forward and into action. She has worked across academic, corporate, governmental and non-profit sectors. Her clients are local and international, including a multi-generational family of wealth; BASF; the United Nations University; the World Parks Congress; the City of Fort Collins; New Belgium Brewing; Gates Industrial; the Global Change Systems for Analysis, Research & Training and others.
Karina holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Communication from Colorado State University and was awarded a National Science Foundation research assistantship to complete her Master of Science in Climate Change Communication, also at CSU. Her published research focuses on graphic recording to communicate complex science and facilitating creative communication strategies to engage citizens in climate change science.
Karina lives in Fort Collins, Colorado with her husband, cat and chickens.
Jed Chalupa, Deliberative Facilitator
As a Colorado native Jed received a B.A. and M.A. in Communication Studies at Colorado State University and found his passion for public engagement work with the Center for Public Deliberation. After finishing his M.A. with a specialization in deliberative processes, Jed is now completing his Ph.D. in Communication Studies at Texas A&M (as a current doctoral candidate). He has also received certifications in mediation and women and gender studies. Through his education and extensive history of practical work, Jed has become an expert in the overlapping areas of public engagement processes, conflict management, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. His current work leads the way in re-examining how we conceptualize and train facilitators to ensure engagement is as inclusive to diverse perspectives as possible.