Carli still remembers the moment she saw Dana for the first time at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. It was nearly thirteen years ago during a tour, the space bustling with people and big emotions. He was handsome, yes, but what struck her most was something quieter and harder to explain: the distinct feeling that she already knew him. That feeling didn’t fade. It grew.
They were both in Memphis attending a national conference representing radio stations across the country that host an annual St. Jude Radiothon—learning how to strengthen local partnerships and on-air storytelling to support St. Jude’s mission. St. Jude treats children with cancer and other serious diseases, and families never receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing, or food. St. Jude paired Carli’s Colorado radio group with Dana’s Idaho radio group—and that’s where Carli first met Dana. Later that night, the groups gathered for dinner at B.B. King’s on Beale Street. It’s not the kind of setting most people would describe as “the beginning of a love story,” but Carli would tell you otherwise. “We started talking, and we just had very similar interests and very similar ideas about life… hopes and dreams,” she said. “There was an instant connection, like I had known him for years.”
There was one obvious obstacle: Idaho and Colorado aren’t exactly next door. But distance didn’t dull what felt immediate and grounded. Carli went from wondering why he felt familiar to realizing she couldn’t imagine her life without him. And maybe the reason it felt so natural is that their relationship didn’t start with surface-level attraction. It started with something deeper—shared purpose. “We met at St. Jude because giving back mattered deeply to both of us,” Carli said. “From our very first conversations, it was clear we shared the same heart for service.”
For Carli and Dana, that shared heart remains the heartbeat of their marriage—love that shows up and moves outward. “Dana is the person who reminds me that love isn’t just felt—it’s lived, given, and shared in the way we care for each other and the world around us,” Carli shared. “In loving Dana, I found a partner who believes, as I do, that love is most powerful when it’s lived with purpose—shared freely, given generously, and rooted in compassion.”
Dana’s life has always had an adventurous edge—white-water paddle boarding, skydiving, even wing-walking on a bi-wing plane. But in the middle of those big, adrenaline-filled moments, Carli has a way of grounding adventure in meaning. He recalls preparing to wing-walk when Carli came to him with an idea: what if they turned the experience into a fundraiser for charity. In that moment, Dana understood something important. “She wasn’t just supporting my passions—she wanted to use them to lift others up,” he said. “When I married her, I knew she was special, but moments like that remind me that when it comes to giving, she never turns away.”
It’s easy to admire generosity from a distance. It’s another thing entirely to build a life where it’s woven into how you make decisions, spend weekends, and define success. For Carli and Dana, service isn’t a side project—it’s part of the way they love. Dana is the first to say Carli changed him. “I never truly understood what it meant to give back until I met Carli,” he shared. “Because of her, I’ve grown so much as an individual and found a kind of happiness I don’t think I could have reached on my own.”
Carli says Dana strengthens her commitment in a different way. He brings boldness to purpose, living life fully and willingly using that energy to support the causes they care about, including St. Jude. “Seeing him want to use his adventurous spirit to support nonprofits has been incredibly inspiring,” she said. “Together, we encourage each other to keep finding meaningful ways to give back—making service not just something we do, but something we share.”
Like many couples, their story includes chapters that required courage. “One of the defining chapters of our journey is that we both chose to start over after previous marriages,” Dana said. “Those experiences shaped us into stronger, more grounded partners for each other.” Carli points to another defining season: building a blended family and creating a home rooted in stability, compassion, and love. “Watching Dana show up not only as a partner, but as a steady, loving presence for our family reinforced what truly mattered,” she said.
So what does love look like for them now—not in the big moments, but the daily ones? They both return to the same word: intention. “For us, love looks like giving each other the freedom to grow,” Dana said. “Our relationship doesn’t have fences.” At the same time, they’re intentional about protecting small moments of connection—quiet conversations, shared laughter, simply being present. Carli agrees, adding that supporting others matters deeply, but their relationship is always the starting place.
They both work in Northern Colorado, and that purpose feels even more personal. Carli has been the Director of Marketing & Practice Development at Orthopaedic & Spine Center of the Rockies for almost eight years, while Dana serves as Director of Global Partnerships at OVG/Blue Arena—roles that keep them deeply connected to the community they call home. Together, they’ve found a place where people show up, rally together, and care in tangible ways—exactly the kind of environment that reinforces what they value most.
Carli grew up here, and being rooted back in her community adds another layer of meaning to the life they’re building together. The giving isn’t abstract. It’s local. It’s hands-on. It’s neighbor to neighbor. Northern Colorado isn’t just where they live or work—it’s where their shared commitment to service continues to take shape.
And maybe that’s the simplest way to describe their love story: it began in a place dedicated to hope, healing, and purpose—and it’s continued the same way. “Love and life are precious gifts,” Carli says. “Every action, no matter how small, can contribute to the good.”
For Carli and Dana, love isn’t just something they feel—it’s something they live, every day.
“She wasn’t just supporting my passions — she wanted to use them to lift others up. That’s when I knew our love was something special.”
— Dana
“Love and life are precious gifts. Every action, no matter how small, can contribute to the good when it’s rooted in compassion.”
— Carli