MYCRMS
Virtual TourGolden Forge: A Refuge for Those Who Serve
In honor of Veterans Day, we interviewed Suzi McKinley ’96, who turned lessons learned in the classroom and combat into the Golden Forge Ranch—a 163 acre retreat where veterans, active-duty service members, and frontline professionals rebuild strength, purpose, and belonging.
Do you have a favorite CRMS memory?
My favorite CRMS memories aren’t confined to a single moment….they’re the countless days when the classroom spilled into the outdoors. Whether backpacking through the mountains or studying geology beside the river, CRMS taught me that growth happens where curiosity and the wilderness meet.
What have you been up to since graduating from CRMS in 1996?
After serving as a Marine Corps officer with multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, I transitioned to Palantir Technologies, where I helped build technology that supported those still in the fight. Across both roles, I came to understand how strength and healing are deeply connected—and how often that link is lost when people return home. I wanted to create something tangible to bridge that gap. That vision became Golden Forge—a 163-acre refuge in the Colorado Rockies where movement, integrative healing, and regenerative land stewardship come together to help veterans, active-duty service members, and frontline professionals rebuild from the inside out. It’s where strength and healing meet purpose. At Golden Forge, we redefine what it means to heal and to serve—creating a place where those who’ve given so much forge strength, purpose, and belonging beyond the uniform.
What are some of your interests?
Most of my days are spent outside—working the land, shaping projects, cutting trail, or riding my bike through the high country with my two golden retrievers, Odin and Atreyu. The wilderness is where I think, create, and reconnect with purpose. Whether it’s training, building, or simply hiking through the mountains, time in the elements fuels everything I do.
How did CRMS play a role in your professional, personal, or community life?
CRMS taught me to stay curious, to learn through experience, and to find balance between mind, body, and purpose—lessons that continue to guide how I live and lead.
How has your experience at CRMS influenced what you’re doing now with Golden Forge?
CRMS shaped how I see strength and purpose—it taught me that growth comes from doing hard things alongside others, and that the land has a way of grounding what we learn. Those lessons carried forward into Golden Forge, where that same blend of work, reflection, and service now helps veterans, active-duty service members, and frontline professionals rebuild strength, purpose, and belonging beyond the uniform.
What’s the most rewarding part of your work?
Watching veterans and first responders rediscover strength and joy in their bodies—and seeing that renewal ripple through their families and communities. Seeing that renewal reminds me why this work matters: when one person heals, it strengthens the whole.
What’s been a highlight since you graduated from CRMS?
Standing on my own land in Guffey for the first time—realizing that every step, from war zones to boardrooms, led to creating a place devoted to healing those who serve.
What advice would you give current CRMS students?
Growth begins in moments of uncertainty—something CRMS first taught me and Golden Forge continues to reinforce. Forging who you are takes curiosity, resilience, and the willingness to start again. Stay curious and get comfortable being uncomfortable. Strength comes from showing up consistently—on the trail, in life, and for each other. Your path doesn’t have to be straight to be extraordinary!
At Golden Forge, McKinley has created more than a retreat—she’s built a place where those who’ve given everything can forge a new kind of strength and purpose. This Veterans Day, we honor her service and the vital work she continues through Golden Forge.
