Upcoming Executives in Residence
SPRING 2026
Jeni Arndt, Former Mayor Fort Collins, Colorado
February 18-24, 2026
Jeni Arndt grew up in Fort Collins, CO. She has an MA in Geography from the Univ. of CO and an MA in Special Ed. from Purdue University in IN. After teaching special education, she earned a Ph.D. in Literacy and Language from Purdue.
Her professional experience includes Congressional intern, ESL teacher, Peace Corps volunteer, special ed teacher, middle school principal, International Baccalaureate Coordinator, university faculty member and department head.
Jeni volunteered on school boards in Lafayette, IN and Mozambique. She served on the Fort Collins Commission on Disability as well as Childsafe before running for State Representative in 2014. As a State Representative she focused on water, agriculture, small business and public education.
After 3+ terms in the General Assembly she was elected Mayor of Fort Collins in April 2021 and re-elected in 2023.
TOPIC AREAS: Leadership, Community Engagement and Development, Civic Engagement, Government, Civility & Kindness, Public Good.
Coming Soon: Schedule a Coffee & Consulting Appointment with Jeni Arndt!
Amy Hess, Former Executive Assistant Director of FBI
March 4-10, 2026
BS Aeronautical Engineering (Purdue University)
With more than 34 years of experience in public safety, Amy Hess has held leadership roles across federal, state and local government. She currently serves as executive advisor in Kentucky’s Department of Criminal Justice Training, after having served in a similar position in the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet. As Chief of Public Safety for Louisville Metro Government, she played a key role in the city’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and civil unrest in 2020-2021.
For the previous 29 years, Hess was a special agent and senior executive in the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assignments in Kansas City, Louisville, Tucson, Afghanistan, Memphis, Quantico, and Washington, D.C. Her FBI career culminated with promotion to special agent in charge of two field offices and executive assistant director of two branches at FBI headquarters, where she oversaw the entirety of the agency’s criminal and cyber investigations, international operations, science and technology capabilities and worldwide response to crisis events. She currently resides in Louisville and holds a degree in aeronautical/astronautical engineering from Purdue University.
TOPIC AREAS: Technology, Public Service, Safety, Government Relations, Science and Technology as it Relates to Law Enforcement and National Security, Crisis Management, Policy and Legislation.