Nonprofit Boardbound Participants and Alumnae

Nonprofit Boardbound is the new name for our Community Boardbound program. It focuses on educating participants on the good governance tactics that are important to serving on boards of non-profits, hospitals, universities, and city / state boards and commissions. Below is a list of the alumnae of the program.  

Please contact us at boardbound@womensleadershipfoundation.org if you are interested in considering them for your board of directors.

2023 ALUMNAE

Anelia Nagaraj is an experienced Continuous Improvement leader and has an extensive background in management, financial and statistical analysis, and strategic planning. Anelia has an exceptional record of leading teams to achieve strategic plans, goals and operational results.  Over the past ten years, Anelia has served on the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Board of Examiners, as well as on the Rocky Mountain Performance Excellence Board of Examiners as a senior examiner in the Education and Healthcare sectors. Anelia is highly motivated, a lifelong learner, and wants to inspire others to achieve excellence. Anelia holds an MBA and is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Business Administration.

Brie McNally is passionate about women’s health, sustainable development, education, and technology. Brie started her career working in direct patient care as a certified Oncology Registered nurse. During her time working in patient care she devoted herself to improving patient satisfaction and outcomes. Brie volunteered as her Unit Champion for the Mount Sinai Magnet Committee in preparation of re-designation for nursing excellence and patient satisfaction. Brie also helped coordinate stronger partnerships with the Palliative Care teams at the University of California, San Francisco to ensure adequate symptom management of chronically ill cancer patients. Brie’s career pivoted to focus on global health at UCSF where she conducted research in Ghana on the impact of an integrated simulation training model on provider knowledge and perceptions of obstetric and neonatal emergencies in low resource settings. Brie decided to combined her love of technology, research and healthcare and now works at Flatiron Health as a Product Manager working on innovative technical solutions to help expand access to our many data points so the field of oncology research and pharmacology can learn faster from the experiences of cancer patients, accelerate research and power smarter patient care. Brie holds a BS in Nursing from the New York University and an MS in Global Health from the University of California, San Francisco. When not working as a Product Manager for Flatiron Health, Brie can be found enjoying the great Colorado outdoors with her husband Jack and her dog Colby.

Board Interests: Health, Women’s Empowerment, Education

Brooke Larson is passionate about finding creative and innovative solutions to challenges impacting those with the most urgent needs. In her professional life, Brooke works directly with Fortune 500 clients to develop data driven, measurable strategies to drive key business objectives. Her work focuses on speech analytics primarily with the customer experience and data science segments of the organization. Key vertical expertise in telecommunications, ecommerce and insurance. She thrives on strong, collaborative relationships, teams that utilize each member’s strengths and clear, honest, consistent communication. In her civic life, Brooke has served as the President of environmental non profit, Thorne Nature Experience, as a board member for Western Resource Advocates, focusing on environmental, energy and water law. Additionally, she has been a Board Member, Secretary and Executive Committee Member on her family foundation focused on Early Childhood Education interventions. Throughout her time raising her two kids with her husband Gregg, she served on a Longmont Community Block Grant committee, as President of the Casey Middle School PTA and was trained as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). A graduate of the University of Michigan and the University of Colorado with an MBA, Brooke enjoys competitive tennis, hiking, biking, running, reading, camping, baking and travel. 

Board Interests: Healthcare, Education

Courtney App has volunteered most of her life. Whether raising money for developmentally disabled children, leading corporate volunteer days, helping neighbors shovel snow in the winter, or donating time or money to local food banks, she loves being of service to others. She has a keen awareness that we are all one and that what affects any part of our community affects us all. She is curious and collaborative in her commitment to solving problems. Courtney loves soccer, hiking, and listening to live music. She can frequently be found with her dear companion Jack tending to their native plant garden or listening to their favorite bands at Red Rocks Ampitheater. Courtney works as an IT Director and has a Master’s Degree in Information Technology Management from Colorado State University. Her Bachelor’s Degree was in Physical Education with a minor in Athletic Training from the University of Evansville.

Board Interests: Education, Helping Individuals Achieve Their Goals, Connecting People to Resources for Personal Growth

Dawn Bitton is a Senior Wealth Advisor and Leader of the Rocky Mountain Region who believes in the power of helping high-net-worth individuals and families develop and execute plans for a successful financial future.  She began her journey in 2007 finding herself in a position fulfilling her desire to help others with the unknowns of the financial industry.  Dawn received her bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University in Business Management with a specialization in Non-Profit and Public Management. She holds advanced trust certifications from the American Institute of Banking and Cannon Trust School, deepening her familiarity with trust distribution and taxation.  Dawn is passionate about serving others, she’s collaborative and a strategic thinker.  As a wealth advisor, Dawn’s philanthropic approach to both her personal and professional life has aided in her ability to act as a trusted advisor for her clients.  Outside her professional role she makes an impact in her community and enjoys giving back in substantial ways.  She has spent time on committees and the board for Colorado Planned Giving Roundtable and volunteers for nonprofit organizations locally and nationally. 

Board Interests: Special Education and Athletics, Youth Development, Education, Health and Mental Wellness, Food and Nutrition

Desiree Sanchez Goitia is a powerhouse in the world of dental office management with an undeniable zest for life! With over 12 years of experience in customer service, medical, and dental fields, Desiree’s dynamic leadership skills and unwavering dedication to uplifting those around her have made her a true trailblazer in the industry. Desiree’s vibrant career journey includes her time as an Expanded Duties Dental Assistant, Senior Officer Manager, and currently as the Practice Manager at the renowned Colorado Center for Implant and Prosthetic Dentistry and board member of the Denver chapter of the American Association of Dental Office Managers. Her continuous pursuit of personal and professional growth is evident in her active AADOM membership, extensive certifications, and insatiable thirst for knowledge. Beyond her professional accolades, Desiree is a true people-person with a diverse range of interests that reflect her lively personality. She’s a music enthusiast, outdoor adventurer, and fitness aficionado, with a special love for Zumba. Her unique blend of interests allows her to forge connections with individuals from all walks of life, enriching in her community in countless ways. Desiree is a shining star in the dental management world, and an invaluable asset to her colleagues and the dental community. Her infectious enthusiasm, passion for excellence, and unwavering commitment to helping others will no doubt continue to inspire those fortunate enough to cross her path.

Board Interests: Community Health Initiative, Wellness, Dental Health

Holly Sanders is currently the Chief Transformation Office at World Education Services (WES), a non-profit social enterprise dedicated to helping international students, immigrants, and refugees achieve their education and career goals in the US and Canada. Throughout her career, Holly has found herself in roles that require her to step in and be the fixer. Given her ability to tackle problems and find solutions, she seeks ways to blend people, processes, and technology to improve results, while still remembering the humans doing the work.  Currently, she has taken over a major business and technology transformation at WES.

Holly holds a BS in Management and Marketing from the University of Northern Colorado and an MBA from Seton Hall University. She is a certified PMP from PMI and is a Certified Information Professional (CIP) from the Association of Intelligent Information Management (AIIM). 

She is also passionate about safe and inclusive opportunities in youth sports. Over the past 40 years, she had been both a gymnast and gymnastics coach. When not working, Holly enjoys traveling, being outdoors as much as possible, and sampling new cuisines.

Board Interests: Youth Sports, Sports Diplomacy, Immigrant and Refugee Issues, Education, Helping Organizations Advocating for Individuals Lacking Access and Opportunity

Izi Stoll received bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Psychology from the University of Illinois in  Urbana-Champaign, then earned her doctorate in Neurobiology and Behavior from the University  of Washington in Seattle. After moving to England to conduct post-doctoral research in cellular bio-energetics, she started her own lab at Newcastle University, where she led a talented team of  scientists to develop new therapeutic interventions for neurological disease. This work involved  developing new small-molecule therapeutics for malignant brain tumors and gene therapies for the  treatment of epilepsy. Her research has garnered awards from the Society for Neuro Oncology and  The American Federation for Aging Research. With over twenty years of experience in neuroscience  research, Izi is adept at using a range of molecular-, cellular-, systems-level, and mathematical  approaches to understand brain function in health and disease, and she is especially passionate  about studying the intersections between biology and mathematics, physics, and computation. 

In 2019, Izi founded the Western Institute for Advanced Study to support theoretical research into historically intractable problems in science, and she tackled the Institute's first Grand Challenge to  get the momentum rolling. Now, as Scientific Director, she enjoys devising the Institute's Grand  Challenges and building scientific teams to tackle these big questions with a highly interdisciplinary  approach. Along with fostering scientific programs, Izi has been working to support non-profit  organizational governance – maintaining compliance with state and federal regulations, identifying  software platforms, professional services, and other resources to support operations, and raising  money to support programs, through public engagement activities and donor focused events. She is  eager to bring her expertise and enthusiasm to science-, technology-, health-, and education-focused  non-profit organizations. 

Board Interests: Science, Tech, Health, Education

Kelly Hunt is passionate about driving sustainable change in the healthcare sector by focusing on improving the patient and staff experience and reducing the overall cost of getting high-quality care. She is currently a Director at Kaiser Permanente leading a team of internal consultants who collectively guide a portfolio of 40+ initiatives to support the mission and strategic plan of the organization.

Kelly’s career in healthcare started as an Applied Behavior Analysis Therapist and pediatric Physical Therapist serving patients and their families in the greater Denver Metro Area. She loved, and often misses the daily interactions with sweet children, but appreciates the state-wide impact of her work in administration. As a leader she is enthusiastic, caring and committed to empowering all she encounters. She is also an expert change agent, facilitator and strategic thinker. She holds a Doctorate in Physical Therapy and Masters in Business Administration from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

Kelly is very interested in serving on a board in either an advisory or working capacity. She’s passionate about organizations focused on improving the lives of women and children, and ensuring they have the safety, stability, and access to mental and physical healthcare to thrive and reach their goals.

Kelly is a proud wife and mother to three young children and one furry pup in downtown Denver.

Board Interests: Healthcare

Kristi Budish is a passionate leader who has spent her entire career in housing: first with a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), then a small development company, and now with a quasi-governmental agency.  She finds joy in her current role supervising a team of sixteen at the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority, a mission-based organization focused on affordable housing and economic development.  As the working mother of two daughters, Kristi’s early volunteer efforts were dedicated to supporting her children’s development in both school and their chosen activities.  Her roles included board positions with Parent Teacher Organizations and Booster Clubs, as well as numerous volunteer positions with various club teams.  As her daughters have grown into adulthood and she has more time outside of work hours, her volunteer focus has shifted to helping to improve the lives of women and children in Colorado by volunteering with the Women’s Foundation of Colorado.  Kristi holds a BA in International Affairs from the University of Colorado.  When not at work, she can be found hiking with her husband Chris and their two dogs or curled up on the couch with her cat reading a book or watching a good hockey game.

Board Interests: Women’s Issues, Affordable Housing, Economic Mobility

Lee Dabberdt is an accomplished finance executive with over 25 years of experience building, leading and advising organizations through mergers and acquisitions, capital transactions, system implementations, restructurings, complex technical accounting and audits. Her years in public accounting working with clients from $50 million to $40 billion along with her C-level industry experience provide her with the business acumen to bring necessary technical skills and management experience to companies as a trusted advisor.

Lee now has her own finance and accounting consulting business and has the time to focus on giving back to the community. Based primarily on her family history, she is passionate about mental health awareness as well as medical research and is seeking a board position to contribute her time and expertise to these causes.

Lee is a CPA and earned a Master of Business Administration in Accounting, from the University of Colorado - Denver, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in English, at the University of Wisconsin - Madison.

Board Interests: Mental Health Awareness, Medical Research

Maria Kuntz is passionate about empowering women and families, education, mental health and wellness, protecting the outdoor environment, and the performing arts and creating more diverse, equitable and inclusive organizations. She has conducted research on access to healthcare for immigrants and refugees in Greece, supported legal advocacy for immigrants seeking citizenship with the Chicago-based Midwest Human Rights Center, was a founding strategic consultant for New York-based Broadway For All and volunteers with youth outdoor leadership programs.

As a marketing communications director with 14+ years in inaugural and progressive roles, she has served on faculty at University of Colorado Boulder and University of Denver’s graduate program for communications management. She trains and speaks at local, regional and national events about inclusive communications. Currently, she is the Director of Creative Communications and Services for University of Colorado Boulder. She leads a team focused on elevating the university’s brand through meaningful storytelling that connects and engages donors, alumni, students and community members. Previously, Maria has worked at University of Denver, Open Media Foundation and Seniors’ Resource Center.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in French, international studies and theatre from Loyola University Chicago and a master’s degree in international and intercultural communication from the University of Denver. She was a U.S. State Department Fulbright Scholar in Greece from 2006-2007.

Board Interests: Education, Health and Wellness, Women and Families, Outdoor Environment, Performing Arts

Megan Sparks is passionate about building meaningful opportunities for connection and growth that elevate the voices of unique, diverse change makers and leaders. Through over 10 years in the public sector, creating and managing programs and events for community convening organizations, she has gathered thousands of individuals from across the philanthropic, historic preservation, architecture and technology industries. Most recently, she has been focused on supporting women in these traditionally male-dominated industries, through programming that uplifts and inspires entry-level through executive-level women as they navigate their careers. Megan holds a BS in Business Administration, with a concentration in Marketing, and a BA in Communication Studies from Colorado State University. When not working as Vice President of Programming and Community Engagement for Colorado Technology Association, she can be found reading a good book or enjoying live music with her husband Tyler.

Board Interests: Advancement of Women and Girls, Physical and Emotional Health, Historic Preservation

Michaela Lane Spiel, MA in International and Intercultural Communications and MA in Social, Multicultural and Bilingual Foundations of Education, has over 20 years of experience working with underrepresented populations in Colorado. Having worked in the Denver Public Schools system for over 15 years, Michaela developed and delivered programs and trainings that have radicalized access to higher education, actively addressing the lack of teachers of color, and creating pathways for those already working in education to become teachers. Michaela believes first and foremost in acknowledging oppressive systems and recognizing latent behaviors and biases embedded in white supremacy culture. She believes in the power of deep listening so that individuals feel seen and heard. She also believes that through collaboration, solutions come from within communities instead of being placed upon them by an outside force. Michaela is currently working on her Certified Professional Diversity Coach (CDCP) credential and is committed to empowering communities, organizations and individuals to be equitable, inclusive, and connected. Michaela has a systems-thinking, intersectional approach to working with organizations. “I meet people where they are, address issues in thoughtful ways, and co-create solutions that generate a positive ripple within the community and beyond.”

Board Interests: Education, Diversity

Monica Van Buskirk has over 15 years experience leading change in health care finance and policy  implementation. She has held seats at the table from the provider, payor, regulator,  and marketplace. 

Monica currently owns and operates Meapta Inc, a consulting collaborative with over  100 years combined expertise combined expertise in strategy, operations, marketing  and analytics. 

She was Chief Policy and Relations Officer at Connect for Health Colorado over  marketing, external relations and compliance functions. Since moving to Denver in  2013, she has developed and managed business strategy at the Department of  Health Care Policy & Financing, Denver Health, Kaiser Permanente and Colorado  Permanente Medical Group. Prior to Colorado, she supported the Affordable Care  Act rollout at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation  Center and supported comparative effectiveness research at Massachusetts General  Hospital in Boston. Prior board experience includes USA Rugby, Colorado’s Task  Force on Health Care Costs, and the Gay & Lesbian Athletic Foundation. 

Ms. VanBuskirk earned her bachelor’s degree from Smith College and holds a  master’s degree in Business Administration from Duke University where she was  awarded the Asa T. Spaulding Sr. Award for Leadership.

Board Interests: Sports, Technology, Non-Health Insurance Products

Nina Vendhan is a native of Colorado. She currently works as a venture capital investor. Previously, she was the editor of two best-selling economics textbooks and is passionate about providing quality education to children worldwide. In addition to volunteering and fundraising in her local community, she has conducted award-winning economic research on how to improve India's school system. Nina graduated summa cum laude from Harvard University with a degree in economics and mathematics. She is also a board member of YouthRoots and served as an inaugural advisory council member for the Women and Girls of Color Fund. Nina enjoys skiing and hiking in her free time.

Board Interests: Education, International Development, Youth Leadership, STEM

Peggy King is Vice President and Branch Manager for Vectra Bank Colorado. She has thirty years of experience in the financial industry specializing in overseeing and maintaining a profitable and healthy functioning environment for her team and line of business partners. In her role, Peggy is responsible for the growth of the branch balance sheet through managing  to her teams’ activities, building relationships inside and outside the branch and utilizing the strengths of her line of business partners. In addition, Peggy continues to build on center of influence relationships who continue to introduce their client to her and her team. At the heart of her success is her expectations of the client experience delivered by her and her team. They continuously stay in communication with their clients as well as their prospects. In the community, Peggy engages in the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce at the Economic Development Group level. She helped earn Vectra Bank Colorado ‘Large Business of the Year’ in 2022 for her dedication to the small businesses in the community in relationship to the Paycheck Protection Program. Peggy continues to stay active in her community where her mid-west values continue to guide her and her integrity is recognized.

Board Interests: Finance

Rachael Robinson, a process analyst with a passion for farming, agriculture, and the arts, is excited to bring her talent and passion to either boards who focus on bringing music to children and young adults, or who cultivate the land through farming or community gardens in order to provide food to those in need. 

Rachael developed a passion for music and agriculture very early in her childhood years. Growing up on a corn and soybean farm in Illinois, she developed a love for the land and an appreciation for the bounties reaped through hard work and dedication. When Rachael stopped spending her days in tractors, she started attending school and quickly fell in love with music classes. Her free time was dedicated to performing in the school choir, acapella groups, and on stage in school musicals. 

Rachael graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and a minor in Finance. Determined to align her professional career with her passion for farming, in 2014 she began working for CoBank, one of the largest private providers of credit to the U.S. rural economy. Rachael spent the first part of her career working in the Loan Operations division of the bank, establishing and maintaining loans for America’s coops and Farm Credit Banks. She then expanded her career working as a Risk Analyst, Business Analyst, and is currently employed as a Process Analyst. In her current role, Rachael ensures all processes within the bank are completed as efficiently as possible, with a focus on applying Six Sigma methodology and Automation strategies to all areas of the bank. Rachael also co-leads the CoBank Young Professionals Associate Resource group, an organization with a mission to develop future leaders through various community outreach, networking, and professional development opportunities. Running this group on top managing the responsibilities of her career is just one example of how she will consistently go above and beyond what is asked of her. Rachael is dedicated to her work and strives to consistently grow, develop, and challenge herself, and encourage the growth of others. 

Outside of work, Rachael found a love for the mountains of Colorado and enjoys hiking and camping in the summer months. Rachael continues to pursue her passion for music by singing in a folk band in her free time.

Board Interests: Arts and Music, Agriculture, and Environmental Protection

Rebeckah Navitsky, the head of Learning and Development at a Colorado-based dental insurance company, is passionate about training and education and hopes to spread fertility awareness through educational resources to help families find the best possible care. Being an IVF mom herself, Rebeckah became involved with the local Colorado fertility community, which ultimately led her to Colorado Fertility Advocates (CFA).  Lending her skills of social media management, infographics, and event promotion will help any board promote their mission.

Rebeckah graduated with an I/O Psych degree from Montclair State University and completed her MBA and Doctorate of Management and Organizational Leadership courses at University of Phoenix.  She has become a learning and development professional through her 15 years of experience. 

Rebeckah loves spending time with her family and friends, especially traveling outside of the country, building memories. Living in Colorado, she takes advantage of the beautiful hiking trails, ski slopes and golf courses. She and her family enjoy the nice weather by walking their dogs and hanging out at the reservoirs.

Board Interests: Education, Dental Health, Fertility

Stacie Forsberg started in the banking industry almost 20 years and has been with Vectra/Zions bank corporation for the last 13 years. Throughout her career, she has held numerous positions including Teller, New Accounts Banker, Loan Officer, Operations Manager, Assistant Branch Manager, Branch Manager, Area Branch Manager overseeing multiple locations, and now currently role of Sales and Service Program Coordinator where she focuses on skills transfers and execution on key strategies and initiatives.  

She brings qualities such as team collaboration, networking, problem solving, and coaching abilities. Additionally, Stacie loves to take on new challenges and development personal and professional. She enjoys cooking, fitness, traveling the world, and spending time with her two teenage daughters.

Board Interests: Banking, Finance

Zoey Woodrow is passionate about giving back to the Colorado community by supporting equity, social justice, and sustainable practices. In addition to her role as Senior Executive Administrator to Vectra Bank Colorado’s President and CEO, Zoey has also taken on the project manager role in reinvigorating the company’s CSR efforts since joining in August 2022.  Zoey coordinates and supports efforts of three pillar councils focused on Employees, Community, and Environment by participating in meetings, providing structure and accountability for programming and reporting on all CSR related efforts within the company. She is also passionate about the impact that DE&I focused Business Resource Groups can have on employees in the banking industry and has been a board member of a Women’s BRG as well as a founding member of a Black Heritage BRG and two LGBTQ+ BRGs. Zoey holds a B.S. in Business Management focused on Human Resources from the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado as well as a B.A. in Chinese Language and Civilization from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Board Interests: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Social Justice, Women’s Empowerment & Resources, and Environmental Sustainability

2021 Alumnae

Katie Cashette is the owner of L’Esthete & a licensed Medical Aesthetician. After spending ten years as a Sales Director and Trainer for a beauty distributor, Katie saw the drastic shift from retail to Ecommerce within the beauty industry and wanted to explore the medical side of aesthetics. A total product junkie, Katie is passionate about staying on top of the newest trends and continues to build an extensive repertoire of coveted skincare techniques. Outside of work, Katie is a proud alumnus of the University of Colorado at Boulder and a loyal CU football fan. She has an affinity for classic cars and loves animals, Pilates, fashion, and true crime documentaries. A Denver native, her job has taken her to upstate New York, Kansas City and San Francisco. She moved back to her hometown from San Francisco during covid and met her dear friend turned business partner Kari in esthetics school.

Board Interests: Education, Mental Health and Crises Intervention, Civil Rights, Social Action and Advocacy

Noelle Cochran is a Colorado native and proud of the many non-profit programs Colorado offers.  She participated in many of those programs in her youth, especially youth leadership and engineering education programs, and believes it is important to support similar programs as an adult. Noelle began her volunteer activities in her youth and continues to enjoy volunteering.  Her recent efforts include serving on non-profit boards, serving on professional organization committees, leading a mathematics competition program for middle school students, and helping to advance student interest in engineering and the environment. Noelle received her degree in Civil Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and works in the engineering consulting business. Her professional experience includes managing complex engineering projects, primarily in the environmental sector, as well as managing business operations and personnel.  Her business operations experience includes managing profit and loss and other financial metrics, staffing, client relationships, quality assurance, and training. She currently serves as a Risk Manager for a large international engineering, architecture, and construction firm providing risk management and quality assurance guidance to a variety of engineering and architectural design projects.  Noelle would be pleased to bring her volunteer efforts and professional skills to a non-profit board to enhance their programs.   

Board Interests: Youth Leadership, Engineering (STEM) Education, Environmental Protection

Felisa Gonzales PhD, MPH is a native of the San Luis Valley in Colorado. She is a strategic thinker, collaborative partner and published author with extensive experience in health disparities research and participatory evaluation. Currently, Felisa is an Evaluation and Learning Manager at The Colorado Trust where she oversees the evaluation of advocacy grantmaking strategies. In this role, she works with diverse grantees, foundation staff and contractors to identify and measure indicators of success. She shares evaluation data and insights with foundation staff and grantees to inform strategic and programmatic decisions. Felisa received a Boettcher Scholarship to attend The Colorado College and graduated with a BA in Neuroscience, a minor in Spanish, and a certificate in International Relations in 2001. She obtained a PhD in Applied Social Psychology from the George Washington University in 2013, and an MPH in Epidemiology from the University of California Berkeley in 2014. In her free time, Felisa enjoys biking and hiking with her husband and son.

Board Interests: Healthcare and Access, philanthropy, Social Justice, Early Childhood Education

Sarah Heermann is a senior analyst in CoBank’s Capital Markets division, responsible for loan syndication and corporate financing for the Leveraged Corporate Agribusiness and Telecommunications business sectors. Ms. Heermann utilizes relationship building skills and critical thinking abilities to provide excellent customer service and financial solutions for her corporate borrowers. Prior to joining the Capital Markets team, Sarah’s experience on the asset review team expanded her financial knowledge and communications skillset. Ms. Heermann earned bachelor’s degrees in both Finance and Business Management from the University of Denver. Outside of work she is active in her community, having served as a board member of the Rocky Mountain Risk Management Association leading the Young Professional’s committee. She founded an intergenerational activity program for her hometown nursing home and volunteered on several community-focused projects.  She will contribute financial expertise, relationship building skills, entrepreneurial knowledge, and fundraising efforts to your board.

Board Interests: Agriculture, Animal-related, Healthcare

Sarah Herzog is a Senior Director of Strategy & Collaboration with Ardent Mills in Denver, Colorado. She applies technology & data to open new business and process transformation opportunities. Over her 22-year career, she has worked in multiple industries while gaining experience in multiple areas of technology, organizational culture and leadership. In her current role, she leads a team of Business Architects and Data Analysts as well as driving forward progress in Financial Transparency, Workforce Planning, New Technology Discovery, and Culture. She has a passion for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as well as for women in tech and women in leadership. At Ardent Mills, she founded the WIT (Women in Tech) group and she currently leads the Women of Wheat (WOW) Employee Resource Group which provides impactful programming for women and their allies across the organization. Under her leadership, WOW has expanded its focus to recruit allies, educate allies, as well as work with leadership and HR to understand gaps and take action to be more impactful for women. Before joining Ardent Mills, she spent 15 years at Cargill in Minneapolis in various global roles. Sarah graduated from North Dakota State University with a Bachelors degree in Management Information Systems.

Board Interests: STEM Education, Animal-related, Agriculture, Women’s Leadership

Arja Jewbali is Senior Director with Newmont Mining Corporation specializing in Geostatistics and 3D modeling of ore deposits. Arja has a a B.Sin Geology anda PhD in Geostatistics from the University of Queensland in Australia. She started work as a Resource Geologist in the Pilbara, Western Australia and over 16 years grew into her current role, where she leads a global highly analytical team of subject matter experts.Her life experiences in the mining industry with so many opportunities to grow/learn and see the world have made her a passionate advocate for women in STEM fields. She is acutely aware of how STEM education can change lives and open doors. Arjais a highly motivated lifelong learner and is always reading and learning something new. She wants to inspire others to do the same.

Board Interests: STEM Education and Literacy, Technology, Women’s Resources, Youth Development, Startups

Kari Kruzic has an extensive background in management, sales, and marketing. In her thirteen-year career with MillerCoors she served in many different capacities as Promotions Director and Operations Director for the state of Colorado. With her heart in a leadership capacity and a passion for education, she had the opportunity to expand her knowledge in the medical aesthetics field and plans to one day open an Aesthetics Institute. Her goals are to learn and serve education and mental health and crises intervention boards. Kari grew up in a rural midwestern town in Kansas but considers Denver home after celebrating twenty years in Colorado.

Board Interests: Education, Mental Health and Crises intervention, Diseases, Disorders and Medical Disciplines

Kate Liosis has had the opportunity to work for a local financial institution, FirstBank since 2003. She joined the organization in a customer service capacity which allowed her to hone her servant-leadership skills and develop a passion for helping others. Nine years ago, Kate joined FirstBank’s IT Department and is currently the IT Director leading the Project Management Office. In her current role, she helps develop the strategic direction for the company’s project prioritization, project management, business analysis, and change management areas. Additionally, she oversees and contributes to the Agile and Lean strategies that support the entire IT Department. Her experience has provided opportunities to demonstrate her strengths and competencies in communication, organization, effective change management, facilitation, and strategic thinking. For the last two years, Kate has been one of two executive sponsors for FirstBank’s Employee Resource Group, Women in Technology This role has allowed her to support and promote diversity as well as mentor others throughout the organization. In addition to the work stated previously, Kate is passionate about being a supportive and empowering leader for those in her department. As a current adult college student, Kate is an advocate for supporting other adult learners and helping to create learning opportunities for others through her volunteerism for these services. Kate is a Colorado native and enjoys being outside with her K9 kid, supporting local businesses and trying new restaurants up and down the front range.

Board Interests: Adult Education, Employment, Technology

Jennifer Madden is the Assistant Vice President and Product & Project Implementation Manager with Vectra Bank Colorado. In her role, she is responsible for enhancing and enforcing the defined product strategy for consumer and business deposit products, digital banking services and bankcard products. In addition, Jennifer handles many bank projects that require her to be a liaison with parent company, Zions Bancorporation. In the community, Jennifer is currently serving on the volunteer relations committee for Food Bank of the Rockies. She is also heavily involved with Mile High United Way through volunteer efforts and helping to support their community initiatives by organizing Vectra’s employee giving campaign. Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Colorado State University –Pueblo. She and her husband reside in Thornton and enjoy spending time with family and friends and also watching their 10-year old play soccer.

Board Interests: Housing and Shelter, Human Services, Youth Development

Lee Morning graduated with honors from Regis University with a BS in Business Administration. She has an extensive background in sales, management and education. She is passionate about empowering youth and young adults, especially from communities of color, towards successful post-secondary degree/certificate attainment. To that end she co-developed the Board and then served as Executive Director for the Aurora Post-Secondary Pipeline.The APP was a Collective Impact Collaborative between Goodwill Industries of Denver, Aurora Public Schools, Community College of Aurora and Metropolitan State University.

Board Interests: Education, Youth Development, Civil Rights, Social Action and Advocacy

Vanessa Napier With over 15 years serving communities focused on education, Vanessa has led a variety of project initiatives that drive revenue while improving organizational effectiveness and client satisfaction. Her current role with the University of Colorado’s Leeds School of Business involves administrative leadership, instructional design, cross-functional teamwork, data management and oversight of fiscal operations. With strategy rooted in Design Thinking, radical collaboration while adapting and improving program outcomes has been at the forefront of her work.Vanessa has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of North Florida and an MBA focused in Management and Economics from Mercer University.

Board Interests: Education, Environment, Animal-related

Katie Obarski has nearly twenty years of marketing experience specializing in content creation, communications, and brand development for financial and professional service organizations. She is presently the Vice President / Marketing Manager of Vectra Bank Colorado. Previously, Katie spent close to 15 years serving one of the country’s largest public accounting firms. Katie serves on the Board of Directors of PlatteForum and is Chair of its Marketing Committee, having previously served as President of The Association of Accounting Marketing (AAM) Colorado Chapter, President of the Young Arrupe Philanthropists, and Chair of the Recruitment Committee for Metro Denver Partners. She was twice recognized by the Denver Business Journal as a Mentor of their Mentoring Monday series. Additionally, she is a graduate of the Colorado Banker’s Association Center for Bank Advocacy—a leadership program focusing on government affairs. She recently obtained her "Boardbound" certification through the Colorado Women’s Leadership Foundation.

Board Interests: Arts, Culture, and Humanities, Animal-related, Youth Development

Emily Raguse MPH, currently serves as Customer Success Manager for CirrusMD where she builds relationships and increases utilization of barrier free career across employer groups. For the past 5+ years she has had focused experiences in building relationships for health and wellness organizations through business development, marketing, and project management best practices. Emily has a B.S in Science from University of Dayton and a Master’s in Public Health from the Colorado School of Public Health. She is passionate about creating greater access to physical and mental health resources in her community.

Board Interests: Healthcare, Mental Health and Crises Intervention, Diseases, Disorders, and Medical Disciplines

Rachael Roark is a Senior Director of Search Engine Marketing at GroundFloor Media and CenterTable and has deep digital marketing experience with a strong focus on audience-based research to inform integrated PR and digital programs and to keep a pulse on crisis and issues management situationsas she provides strategic counsel. She has developed highly targeted, integrated marketing strategies for a variety of clients in the real estate, energy, healthcare, nonprofit and technology industries. She is passionate about making a positive impact to the community and has volunteered with Food for Thought and Urban Peak and has participated in the Downtown Denver Partnership Leadership Program. She is also a member of the Boardbound marketing committee.

Board Interests: Women’s Initiatives, Arts and Culture, Food Security, Leadership Development, Healthcare and Helping Our Youth.

Jocelyn Goddard Rodda serves as a Senior Commercial Loan Officer for the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority. In her role, she underwrites various types of multi-family affordable housing loans including FHA insured, Capital Magnet Fund, conventional and loans funded with private activity bonds. Joycelyn serves as a board member of Brothers Redevelopment, Inc. and as a member of the Finance Committee for the Douglas County Housing Partnership. She graduated from the University of Illinois with a Bachelors Degree in Finance and from the University of Denver with an Executive Masters of Science Degree in Real Estate and Construction Management. Joycelyn is passionate about affordable housing and affordable housing education and hopes to create a specialty degree program at one of our local universities.

Board Interests: Education, Mental Health and Crises Intervention, Housing and Shelter

Jenine Winesuff Rubin serves as Director of Operations for Innolution, an Agile and Scrum training and consulting company. She is also an angel investor. She recently joined Allotrope Medical’s Board of Directors as the Preferred Director. Jenine has held a variety of positions in medium sized and start up companies that enabled her to demonstrate and hone her skills in marketing and strategic planning. She is able to see the big picture and work with others to find unique solutions to issues large and small. Jenine has a BS in Biochemistry with a minor in Statistics from UC Davis. Ms. Rubin has lived in Colorado for 26 years. She enjoys gardening, cooking, hiking and trying to guess what her dogs are thinking.

Board Interests: Start up ecosystems, animal welfare, education, fitness/health/wellness

Kelly K. Foley Schin is an experienced business strategist, risk manager, and business development manager focused on strategic planning and execution. Kelly is known for putting finance, strategy, and customer needs first. Her industry experience spans from education to petroleum to aerospace. From 2015 to 2017 Kelly served on the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologist as Second VP, leading monthly 100+ member meetings and coordinating educational events for the Association. Kelly is currently the Senior Engineering Risk Manager at Ball Aerospace, a government contractor aligned with supporting our military and deep space research. Kelly enjoys supporting community events through company sponsored events such as the Multiple Sclerosis MS150 2-day bike ride from Westminster to Fort Collins and sorting food at the Louisville Community Food Share. Kelly is passionate about mentoring and coaching young professionals.

Board Interests: Education, Environment, Animal-related

Purnima Wagle is a business transformation executive with 25+ years of global corporate leadership experience in medium to large multi-national companies spanning across multiple industries like Oil & Gas, High Tech, Automotive, Manufacturing and Supply Chain. Purnima is currently the CIO & Digital Transformation leader for DCP Midstream, a Fortune 500 energy company. She drives the comprehensive digital vision and strategy for DCP including digital upskilling for the workforce. She has accelerated digital transformation to drive innovation, increase operational excellence, enhance customer experience, and enable workforce of today. She leads all digital technology organizations within DCP - IT, OT, data & analytics, cyber security, automation security, enterprise services, robotic process automation, and digital product development. Purnima serves on the board of Colorado Technology Association (CTA) since 2018. She is an avid supporter of CTA and major events like Women in Technology. She is also a co-chair for the Denver CIO Inner circle by Evanta, a Gartner company.

Board Interests: Health Care, Education, Public Safety and Disaster Preparedness

Molly Williams is a Team Lead at Namaste Solar Electric and runs their Residential EPC department. Molly is a co-owner at the unique, worker-owned cooperative and certified B-Corps based out of Colorado. Molly was elected to the board in 2019 as an internal board member and currently serves as Board Chair. She has experience with running a P&L, skilled trade and team management, workflow and process development and implementation, and expert solar knowledge. Molly’s background includes a bachelor’s in chemistry from Smith College, and a master’s in environmental policy from Bard College, and several years working in higher education admissions and graduate recruiting. Finding her niche in the solar industry, she’s earned her NABCEP Professional Installer Certification and her Residential Wireman working as a solar installer, service project manager and now operations manager.

Molly’s passion for learning and growing both in her career and her personal time has brought value to her life and those around her. Molly lives in Fort Collins with her family and enjoys hiking, cooking, and traveling.

Board Interests: Environment, Food Agriculture and Nutrition, Employment

2020 Alumnae

Stacy Aurich is a Sr. Community Bank Sales Leader with Vectra Bank Colorado, managing a team that focuses on external business development.  Her 18 years of banking experience has been primarily focused in Retail Banking management, achieving top regional performance among peers in 2017 and 2019.  Her knowledge of retail structures has been utilized at executive levels to enhance products, processes and internal banking relationships. Regulatory influence and advocacy is a high priority for Stacy and she uses her involvement with the Colorado Bankers Association (CBA) to engage colleagues and clients in local legislation. She has been awarded Advocate of the Year (2016) as well as Banker of Distinction (2019) by the CBA and enjoyed the opportunity to testify on legislative matters. Outside of the banking environment, Stacy is involved with planning for various community events and assists with a Christmas gift drive for over 60 at-risk teens. She and her husband stay active with a blended family of six kids and love to share new travel experiences with their family.

Michele Bodie is an experienced Sales Director with a demonstrated history of working with health, life, disability, dental, vision and supplemental health products. Skilled in Strategic Planning, Employee Benefit Design, Negotiation, Coaching, and Financial Accountability. Motivating leader with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Health Service Administration from State University of New York at Fredonia. Growing up on a farm in Western New York, I have gained a tremendous work ethic from a young age.

Board Interests: Passionate about Agriculture, Women’s Initiatives, Healthcare and helping our Youth.

Lisa Cashman has more than 18 years of banking experience.  Before joining Vectra Bank as a Vice President in the Treasury Management division in 2019 Lisa worked for JP Morgan Chase and Bank of America.  Lisa’s diverse knowledge allows her to assist complex treasury management clients with their unique needs.    She graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and holds the Certified Treasury Professional (CTP) credentials. Lisa currently serves on the Economic Literacy Colorado Board.  Outside of work Lisa enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons (ages 2 and 4 years old), skiing, golfing, and gardening.  

Ashely Comstock is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Vectra Bank Colorado. She manages the overall financial strategy for Vectra Bank. Comstock develops the strategic financial planning that drives Vectra's continued growth, while managing the bank's risk.Comstock brings more than 14 years of financial services experience to role. Since joining Vectra Bank in 2012, Comstock has worked closely with the finance team and management to develop complex models to help determine decisions on pricing loans, deposits, and treasury products. She compiles and manages the annual budget process, develops periodic forecasts and plays an integral role in creating the overall strategic plan for Vectra.Before joining Vectra, Comstock was with Deloitte in the Audit and Enterprise Risk Services division, where she held various positions. Comstock graduated from Gonzaga University, School of Business Administration, with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration BBA with an emphasis in accounting.

Kelly Cruse is a commercial relationship manager at Vectra Bank Colorado specializing in corporate real estate financing. She works to develop relationships and provide financing solutions for real estate developers, investors, and other clients operating in the real estate industry. Kelly’s areas of expertise include affordable housing, multifamily, and residential homebuilder financing on the residential side; as well as industrial, office, and retail on the commercial side – including construction, bridge, and term financing. Kelly brings nearly 10 years of experience in commercial lending and underwriting and has a broad range of knowledge in the financing realm. She is an active member in many real estate industry groups in Denver, including the National Association for Industrial and Office Parks (NAIOP), Urban Land Institute (ULI), and Housing Colorado. Kelly also recently successfully completed the Downtown Denver Leadership Program (DDLP), a program sponsored by the Downtown Denver Partnership with a focus on developing Denver’s future leaders by illustrating the opportunities and challenges that exist in a downtown environment and engaging participants in creating the Downtown Denver of the future. Kelly has a strong interest in the production and preservation of affordable housing and attends the annual Housing Colorado Now Conference, which is the largest affordable housing conference in Colorado. Kelly is a graduate of West Virginia University’s John Chambers College of Business and Economics with a master’s in business administration (MBA).

Sheila Duffy is a Senior Business Development Officer with PNC Institutional Asset Management, delivering investment management, advisory and related solutions to Endowment & Foundation, Corporations, Taft-Hartley, Government, Insurance, and other institutional clients. Prior to her role with PNC, Sheila was a Director with Public Trust Advisors in Investment Advisory Services, having started with the start-up company before their opening and working with the growing team to build the business over her nine years with the firm. Sheila has served in investment management or advisory roles both in the private and public sectors. She served as the Chief Investment Officer for the State Treasurer of New Mexico where she led the portfolio management team, managing the State’s operating funds, bond proceeds and debt service funds as the country emerged from the great financial crisis of 2008. In all of her roles, Sheila has prepared and presented periodic reports to governing boards, councils and commissions. She has a keen ability to synthesize sometimes complex financial concepts to an understandable format for any audience and to field questions effectively in order to achieve understanding and consensus building amongst boards, teams and other stakeholders. Sheila received a Bachelor of Arts in Administrative Science from Colby College in Waterville, Maine and a Master of Business Administration in Finance from New York University’s Stern School of Business. She also holds a FINRA Series 65 license. She is a member of the CFA Society of Colorado and serves as a Board Member on the Women in Public Finance National Board, for which she is co-chair of the Mentorship Committee.

Katie Genova is a strategic minded, analytical, and resourceful banker that applies these abilities when creating relationships based on trust and consultation.  Katie is a Vice President of Commercial Banking at Vectra Bank Colorado.  She works with companies and communities on the implementation of liquidity management, growth strategies, acquisition capital and improvement of profitability. Katie’s focus includes how to improve operations and profitability with proper utilization of capital and treasury management services. Prior to joining Vectra Bank in 2015, Katie was a Commercial Banker in Massachusetts and has over 15 years’ experience in the Banking industry.  Katie has expertise in the nonprofit, construction and contracting industries, manufacturing, technology and service sectors. She graduated from Connecticut College with a BA in Economics, holds an MBA from University of Massachusetts, and a Masters in Banking from the Stonier Graduate School of Banking.  

Raquel Hinman, CFP®, is a fee-only planner and founder of Hinman Financial Planning, where she helps busy individualsand families envision and plan for their future. She has more than 20 years’ experience providing financial planning,wealth coaching, and investment management to people in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s who are trying to balance their life,purpose, and money. Located in Erie, CO, Hinman Financial Planning, Inc. serves clients in Erie, Boulder, Longmont and surrounding DenverMetro communities. Raquel is also the recipient of the 2017, Board Member Lifetime Achievement Award - Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council.

Shauna Hoekstra is Assistant Vice President and the Talent Engagement Manager for Vectra Bank Colorado. She provides talent and organizational development support for all business units within Vectra Bank. She also is heavily involved with various bank wide councils and committees that support community, leadership and employee engagement and development efforts. Hoekstra partners with Human Resources and the Executive Management Committee to create employee development in alignment with business objectives and overall bank strategy. In addition to conducting reviews and assessments, Hoekstra works with management to identify emerging talent and develop the banks succession plan. She also manages all leadership development program sponsorships and manages the bank’s mentorship program. Hoekstra brings 14 years of experience from instructional design, learning and development and private banking to Vectra Bank. She serves as Chair for the VectraWomen Business Resource Group, sits on the Diversity and Inclusion Council, and is a member of the bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility Executive Advisory Council. Hoekstra is also an active member of both the Corporate Giving and VectraGives committees, that support the community through grants and contributions and fundraising and volunteerism, respectively. Hoekstra holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Colorado Boulder.    

Chelle Johnson is an Award-winning Global Career Connector & Change Maker | Former Recruiting and HR Executive | Inclusion Ally | Speaker | My clients amplify their awesome and live abundantly. Chelle is an expert in Executive Coaching · Resume Writing · Interview Preparation · Negotiation · Career Development Coaching · Public Speaking · Management Consulting · Human Resources (HR) · Change Management · Life Coaching

Dr. Nicole Pearson, PsyD, BCBA-D is a Licensed Psychologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D) who has been working in the field of autism and developmental disabilities for more than a decade. She currently serves in a dual leadership role as the School Age Program Director and Director of Psychological Services at The Joshua School, a facility school serving children with autism spectrum disorder based in Englewood, CO.  Dr. Pearson is also the Founder and Executive Director of West Side Behavioral Associates, which provides consultation and treatment services to schools and families of individuals with developmental disabilities. Passionate about serving children with complex medical and behavioral needs, Dr. Pearson has worked across a number of settings including hospitals, clinics, homes and schools. She has also volunteered with autism programs internationally in Kenya and the Maldives. Dr. Pearson holds Masters and Doctoral degrees in Psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a BS in Business Administration from Villanova University. Prior to relocating to Colorado in 2018, Dr. Pearson served as a member of the Board of Directors for the New York State Association for Behavior Analysis and the Junior Board of the NYC Autism Charter School. Her commitment to service extends beyond her daytime work as she regularly volunteers with Food Bank of the Rockies, Food for Thought and Urban Peak. She is also a member of the Women Powering Change organizing committee and involved with the Women’s Foundation of Colorado as a Power of Extended Philanthropy (PEP) member.

Misti M. Rice joined Magna in October 2016 and holds the position of Executive Director of Government Affairs. In this role she is responsible for the strategic management of Magna’s government affairs initiatives, and she provides effective economic and workforce development, education and advocacy services to all of Magna. She also serves as the company’s voice with global public policy makers, government officials, industry organizations and community leaders to promote the mission, business objectives and strategic goals of Magna. In 2020, Rice was appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer to the Michigan Women’s Commission. She also serves on the boards of directors for Women in Manufacturing, the Public Affairs Council and the Michigan Manufacturers Association and is a member of the Automotive Women’s Alliance Foundation, the Southern Automotive Women's Forum and the State Government Affairs Council. Rice serves on Data Advocacy committee for the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC) which is an organization that provides policymakers from around the world with the information and technical assistance to formulate and execute innovative, regional, job-creating economic strategies. Prior to joining Magna, Rice worked for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles US. She has more than 25 years of legal, government and consumer affairs experience and has advanced policy areas including automotive, transportation, consumer privacy, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, finance, non-profit, consumer credit, education, retail sales, insurance, real estate and health care law. Rice also managed political campaigns for a variety of issues, organizations and candidates and has been an adjunct professor of history, public relations, political science and public administration. Rice holds a juris doctor degree from the University of Tulsa, a master’s in public administration from the University of Oklahoma and a bachelor of arts from Northeastern State University.

Brooke Severyn is Senior Vice President, Relationship Manager, for Vectra Wealth Management. Brooke Severyn has been serving the financial services industry for more than 19 years. Her experience includes relationship management, business development, financial analysis, leadership, and sales roles. Brooke has extensive experience developing and managing consumer and business deposit and loan relationships. She advises high net worth individuals, their closely held businesses, and their families to grow, protect, and preserve their wealth. She believes providing a high level of service, listening to her clients, and understanding their business and financial objectives are key components to developing meaningful value-added relationships for the future. She takes a comprehensive approach to ensure her clients are on target with their goals specific to investments, trust, banking, lending, and planning. When not serving as a trusted advisor to her clients, Brooke enjoys traveling, enjoying the outdoors, and spending time with family.

Elizabeth Stanley (Eli) I currently work at Vectra Bank Colorado and have for the last 6.5 years but have been in banking for over 20 years. In my current role, I oversee a portfolio of business clients/owners as their Business Relationship Manager. I have recently taken on the role of Co-Chair/Ambassador to our newly formed Minority Council within Vectra Bank. I have my Bachelor of Science in Business Management although I have an incredible passion towards childhood development.  I try to channel my business and finance knowledge into educating and mentoring our youth. After all, in the words of Whitney Houston, “I Believe the Children Are Our Future!” When I’m not at work, I love and enjoy all the things that being from Colorado brings. Whether it is skiing, hiking, biking, paddle boarding; I like to stay active and get my workouts in. Pre- COVID; you could find me during the Fall and Winter season following the Colorado Buffaloes. GO BUFFS!!!!

Christina West - Proven Business Development Executive with demonstrated success providing Enterprise IT and business solutions with leading software, hardware, and consulting companies in the USA and EMEA. Out of the box thinker known as an experienced leader and customer advocate. Skilled in creating customer value through cost-effective business and technology strategy, developing strategic relationships, and leading high performing teams.

Other Participating 2020 Alumnae

Heather Beach

Lauren Riley

Maha Sabra

2019 Alumnae

Judith Ackerman is a strategic thinker and relationship builder who’s lifelong love of food brought her to Metro Caring, an innovative anti-hunger organization serving the Denver metro area. As Corporate Engagement & Marketing Officer, she leads corporate partnerships, strategic communications, and events. A believer that food is a right, not a privilege, Judith brings her gift for storytelling and inspiring others to her public speaking work. A natural problem-solver, Judith is passionate about building relationships and connections for the greater good. Prior to Metro Caring, Judith spent over 18 years leading the event and marketing strategy for various Fortune 500 companies, including Morgan Stanley and most recently Goldman Sachs. Judith has always had a passion for helping others. She has been a nationally recognized fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) since 2011 and has run six marathons and numerous other races through LLS’ Team in Training program. When Judith is not trail running in the Front Range while training for an ultramarathon, she can be found gardening, reading, or hanging out with her cat Holly.

Board Interests: Health and Human Services (focus on basic needs), Outdoor Recreation/Environment, Nutrition

Denise Balkas has worked in executive capacities at five governmental and public policy agencies in the Denver metro area and across the country. Currently, she is a FEMA Community Planning Expert for national disaster recovery efforts on an assignment basis. Her areas of expertise include organizational management, city and regional planning, land use development, transportation/transit-oriented development, affordable housing and economic development. Denise has been active in board service and as a foundation trustee. She holds a master’s degree in City & Regional Planning from Cornell University and a bachelor’s in political science and English from the State University of New York. As a believer in lifelong learning she has participated in numerous professional development programs including the Bighorn Center Public Policy Fellowship Program, the Cherry Creek School District Leadership Program and the Colorado Urban Land Institute’s Real Estate Diversity Initiative to promote women and minorities in the real estate industry.

Board Interests: Public policy Boards and Commissions, real estate development in support of affordable housing, economic development and community revitalization, environmental sustainability and resiliency, personal fitness and health

Carolyn Bond has a 19-year career spanning the fields of accounting, finance, manufacturing, cryptocurrency mining and banking. She currently serves as the Controller for Girl Scouts of Colorado, where she manages the non-profit’s accounting and finance team with special emphasis on compliance and regulatory reporting, efficiency and process controls, cross department leadership and budget management. Carolyn’s background also includes building infrastructure and processes for start-ups, ERP conversions, IPO audit compliance and acquisition/ merger transitions. She served as Controller for HyperBlock USA (North America’s largest cryptocurrency mining company) and was the Controller for both start up and large manufacturing companies. Carolyn earned a Master of Professional Accounting with honors from Colorado State University and is currently sitting for the CPA exam. She is a member of the Institute of Management Accountants and proud supporter of SafeHouse Denver.

Board Interests: Economic Development, Women’s Resources, Healthcare, Startups

Valerie Conard has more than a 25-year career spanning fields of accounting, global strategic sourcing, procurement, global software implementation and project management in support of the food manufacturing industry. Over her career, she has managed over eight hundred million dollars per year in global spend spanning many categories of SG&A and COGS. As the Business Unit Procurement Manager for Cargill Corn Milling, she developed a supplier diversity initiative to grow business and mentor small, diverse-owned companies. Valerie is currently responsible for the development, management, and delivery of projects to fulfill the long-term strategy of Ardent Mills, LLC. Valerie’s passion is to share her personal and leadership journey as a career oriented, mother of four children by mentoring future leaders. Valerie is a graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University with BS in Accounting. Valerie has previously served on a regional board of directors for the National Minority Supplier Diversity Council in Omaha, NE.

Board Interests: Youth Development, Food/Agriculture & Nutrition, Women and Children

Kristen Dalton, M.D. is a Hospitalist, a specialty within Internal Medicine focused on the care of hospitalized patients. Prior to providing direct patient care, she gained healthcare experience at Medi-Flex, Inc. as a Clinical Specialist where she collaborated with Infectious Diseases clinicians and implemented infection prevention strategies in hospitals throughout the country. Kristen spearheaded in-servicing and CE-accredited programs for healthcare providers in Infection Control. She then branched out within the company as an Account Manager and secured growth sales of 65%; the largest among thirteen territories company-wide. Those experiences reignited her true passion for patient care resulting in her completion of medical school. She is now the Medical Lead of the Palliative Care Team, which provides patient and family-centered care to optimize the quality of life for patients with serious illnesses. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and exploring new cultures. Kristen participates in a multitude of activities including running, hiking, biking, and yoga.

Board interests: Homelessness, Women, Wellness/Fitness, and Healthcare

Kay Gilbert is a Real Estate Broker Associate at Madison & Co. Properties. Kay has fifteen years’ experience in nonprofit management and has contributed countless hours in voluntarism at various levels. Starting out in her early 20's as a PR professional in Denver, her career changed to nonprofit programs, volunteer management and fundraising. The opportunities that followed include forming a regional American Cancer Society office in central Washington and managing its three boards and 150 volunteers, providing marketing and PR for Tulane Cancer Center, writing development and marketing plans for various organizations. Kay is resourceful in providing solutions to issues within the community she is serving. Experience and understanding of the demands on women and children today drive her primary interest toward promoting safe environments and opportunity for their individual prosperity and fulfillment. Kay has a degree in Business Administration from Regis University and has lived throughout the U.S., in a remote jungle of Indonesia, and traveled internationally. This combination has helped give Kay tactical insight to solutions in cultural and societal barriers. Exploring and learning from individuals and cultures is her passion. Kay understands the circumstances surrounding health, well-being and safety are apt to change in one’s lifetime and feels it her duty to provide assistance to those in need where she can have a positive impact.

Board interest: Women’s Safety and Empowerment, Divorced/divorcing Women Seeking Confidence and Stability Toward Home Ownership, Child Safety and Stability, Education, and Health

Audrey Kiszla is a technology executive in various industries, Audrey Kiszla is known for building and leading high-performance teams that bridge technology and business, and deep expertise in driving business transformation. She’s built Program Office capabilities with a focus on enterprise collaboration and continuously improving speed to market of solutions that drive system and organizational transformation. She was at the forefront of mutual fund company’s efforts to connect with individual and institutional investors via an online presence. Audrey was a key member of the team that launched Women’s Network, the first Business Resource Group at OppenheimerFunds. She partnered with Human Resources to develop resources for managers just beginning their leadership journey and designed an employee reward program to encourage behaviors that support organizational transformation efforts. Audrey also serves as a mentor for up and coming leaders. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems from Colorado State University and a Master’s in Management from University of Colorado. Audrey is married to a Denver sports columnist. She and her husband love living in Colorado, especially skiing, hiking and biking in the mountains and relishing the great Denver music and restaurant scenes.

Board Interests: Education, Equal Rights for All, Environment

Deon MacMillan is a Chief Human Resources & Communications Officer, joined Ardent Mills in February 2014. Deon is a dynamic, collaborative member of the senior leadership team who understands the critical nature and nuances of leading a people-first business. Deon plays an instrumental role in leading the organizational design of Ardent Mills, aligning each decision with the company’s larger strategic vision. Deon drives business results and establishes trusted partnerships. She has vast experience across the spectrum of HR specialties, including organizational development and effectiveness, HR operations, mergers and acquisitions, and talent management. Deon transitioned from MacMillan Consulting, where she provided strategic HR counsel to a variety of major corporations, including Cargill, where she was an employee from 2008 to 2010. At Cargill, she was the Business Unit HR Leader for Cargill AgHorizons U.S. and Global HR Leader for IT Services for Business. She also has served in strategic senior HR roles at companies such as Lominger/Korn Ferry, Thomson Reuters, Ingenix/United Health Group and Koch Industries. Deon received her bachelor’s degree in business administration, as well as her MBA in business administration with an emphasis in human resources, at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks. Deon was also an adjunct faculty member for several years. Deon resides in Denver, Colorado with her husband, Tavis. She has three daughters, Taryn, Camryn, and Lauryn. In her spare time, you’ll find Deon watching soccer and hockey and spending time with her family and four dogs.

Margherita Mascolo, MD, CEDS is Chief Medical Officer at Alsana, Margherita Mascolo leads the medical component of Alsana’s Adaptive Care Model™. She is responsible for the conceptualization, development, management, and implementation of the medical care across all Alsana sites and levels of care. After completing her undergraduate work at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Margherita earned her medical degree at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center and completed her residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Colorado in Denver. Following residency, Margherita worked as a hospitalist at Denver Health and Hospital and had the opportunity to join a new specialized unit dedicated to the medical stabilization of those suffering from eating disorders. She joined the ACUTE Center for Eating Disorders as a hospitalist and subsequently moved up to the role of Lead Physician, Associate Medical Director, and then was promoted to Medical Director following a national search. Academically, she has been promoted to the title of Associate Professor of Medicine and maintains a faculty appointment at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Margherita is board certified in Internal Medicine, has published multiple peer reviewed articles on the medical complications of eating disorders, travels nationally and internationally to speak on these complications, and has earned her certified eating disorder specialist certification. In her spare time, she can be found traveling the world and visiting her family in her native Italy, cooking, and hiking the beautiful Colorado mountains.

Board Interests: Healthcare, Women’s Rights & Issues, Arts Culture and Humanities

Janice Neoh is a corporate and commercial banking professional with a passion for enabling entrepreneurs and businesses to succeed. Her experience includes financial analysis, relationship management, cross border trade finance and treasury solutions. Janice believes in the ripple effect, and that a successful business community can lead to far reaching benefits for their larger community. Janice joined the Global Commercial Banking group at Bank of America recently, as a Senior Relationship Manager based in Denver. Prior moving to Denver, Janice was a Corporate Banker with OCBC Bank, the second largest bank in Southeast Asia by assets where she managed a portfolio of Malaysian public-listed entities (and their subsidiaries) with market capitalizations between USD 250 million to USD 2 billion. Born and raised in Malaysia, Janice feels fortunate to have received Western style education, which has enabled her to travel the world and eventually cultivated her unique global perspectives. She believes in enriching the lives of those around her through meaningful interactions and volunteer work. Between 2013 to 2017, Janice co-founded and ran “Random Acts of Kindness” with a few friends in Penang, an informal fund benefiting charities ranging from soup kitchens, no-kill animal shelters, orphanages and not-for-profit homes for the elderly or disabled. She holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Biotechnology from University of Science Malaysia and is a Certified Credit Professional, recognized by the Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers. In her spare time, Janice enjoys running marathons and travelling. Despite only having lived in the US for a year, she already has a goal to visit every state!

Board interest: Mental Health, Animal rights, Personal / Career development for the Disadvantaged, Women’s rights

Charissa Pilster started her journey as a big picture taker and pivoted to become a big picture thinker. Her weird but cool photographic style has given her an opportunity to tell stories and help those struggling after three major hurricanes, to documenting the journey of a church group recovering after their church building burned down among others. Her adventure started with a degree in photojournalism from San Jose State and a trip across the country to Daytona Beach, Florida. At the end of 2017 she moved from Kansas to Denver. For the past decade she has been a business owner at Pilster Photography and Operations Manager in the IT and Telecom industries. Her current side project, while she is in-between careers, is msnetworker.com. It’s mission is to help empower women by being a resource to all of the women’s business organizations around Denver. Her strengths lie in process development, growth strategies, creative marketing, sales and relationship building. She is a member of the Colorado Women’s Chamber Engagement Committee and a frequent volunteer. Charissa has a strong love for health and sport as an active triathlete herself and volunteered recently at the Colorado Classic during its first year of being an all-women’s race.

Board Interests: Women’s Rights and Issues, Health and Well-Being of Children, Fitness/Health/Wellness, Startups

Natalie Parker is an experienced financial services professional with 20+ years of investment management experience in analytical, product management, leadership and sales support roles. Most recently, as a vice president at Charles Schwab Investment Management, Tracy led the $25 billion sub-advisor oversight business performing quantitative and qualitative due diligence. She was responsible for presenting to Boards and Investment Committees and representing the research team to clients and consultants. She has also held positions at Janus Capital Group (now Janus Henderson) and Merrill Lynch. Tracy has strong relationship management skills and a proven ability to get things done in large global organizations. She previously spent time volunteering with a local non-profit in northern India that seeks to empower marginalized women by teaching them practical skills and providing employment and emotional support. Tracy is actively involved with her church and currently teaches in the children’s ministry. She also serves as the Director of Community Engagement on the Board of the Parent Teacher Organization at Southmoor Elementary. Tracy holds an MBA from Columbia University and a BS in Mathematics from University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charter holder and a member of the CFA Society of Colorado. Tracy enjoys spending time with her two children, ages 6 and 8.

Board Interests: Youth Development, Women and Children, Homelessness. Education

Stephanie Ross a Regional Manager for Pacific Dental Services, Stephanie is responsible for all operational aspects - and ultimately the financial success - of her group of dental practices. Stephanie is often complimented on her professional composure, analytical capabilities and coaching / development skills. She has the ability to work with and influence the behaviors of a wide variety of stakeholders including team members at all levels of the organization as well as those in both clinical and non-clinical roles. Her 20 years of operations experience in the service arena includes the hotel industry and Starbucks. She holds a BS in Hospitality Management from San Francisco State University as well as an MBA from Penn State University. Stephanie moved to Colorado in 2018 and is looking forward to giving back to the local community!

Board Interests: Life Skills & Career Development for the Disadvantaged, Hunger & Homelessness

Dawn Sevy is a driven, dynamic Organizational Development professional with a historical record of driving strategic transformational changes to capture increased efficiencies and alignment with business goals. She is a proven leader who builds, mentors, and coaches talented teams to design, develop, and deliver impactful change management, organizational design, and leadership development solutions to a global client base. She has developed and implemented both internal and external strategic human capital solutions that enhance organization effectiveness and drive rapid business results. She has consulted for several consultancies, including PDI Ninth House (acquired by Korn Ferry), SHL, and the Hay Group. She then served in leadership roles and Edward Jones and Northwestern Mutual. Dawn has left the corporate world and is currently seeking an opportunity to give back to a non-profit organization. Dawn holds an MBA from Avila University and a BS in Business Administration. She is certified in PROSCI Change Management methodology and in a wide variety of assessment and feedback tools including those of Korn Ferry, Myers-Briggs, Hogan, SHL and others.

Board interest: Homelessness, Health and Wellness, Women, and Coaching Leaders

Marie Williams is an Appellate Attorney & Founding Member of Moore Williams PLLC, as a result of her personal experiences, Marie is passionate about several issues affecting children and families, and access to justice. Marie has practiced law for nearly 20 years, including 9 years as an equity partner in one of the 100 largest law firms in the U.S. Her practice currently focuses on appeals and critical legal issues. She earned her J.D. at the University of Colorado School of Law, and her B.S. in Mathematics at Wake Forest University. Marie has personal experience with prematurity, adoption, and the development of girl leaders. She currently volunteers as a troop leader, service unit manager, and Membership Connection Committee member with Girl Scouts of Colorado. Marie previously served on the NICU Family Advisory Committee at Children’s Hospital Colorado; was a board member for her homeowner’s association; and a founding board member for Open Space Golden, Ltd. In connection with her law practice, Marie developed a Medical-Legal Partnership at Children’s Hospital Colorado and served as its Legal Team Leader. Marie personally has represented pro bono clients in a multitude of cases both through that MLP and otherwise; her proudest moment as a lawyer was when she obtained political asylum for a refugee from Rwanda.

Board Interests: Girl Leadership, Children’s Healthcare, Special Education, Prematurity, Adoption, Access to Justice

Melanie Williams is a passionate, devoted, advocate for financial literacy, empowerment, and strategic planning as she fulfills the role of Financial Advisor for Edward Jones in Colorado. Her commitment is fueled through her life experiences and travels beginning with her bachelor’s degree at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. Then continuing onto graduate school at the University of Westminster in London, England. She then grew to lead business development and sales teams globally. Her experiences with both developing and first world nations have informed her perspective on the magnitude of economic power. It is also through her own occurrences with overcoming adversity, breaking barriers, and claiming victory that she is inspired to also help people with social justice, equity, and education innovation. Melanie also enjoys exploring the world with her daughter through travel, food, and adventure such as whitewater rafting.

Board interest: Economic Development, Education, Technology

Sarah Vonnahme is a Principal Human Resources Consultant and Vice President of Consulting Services for Cura HR, a human capital consulting organization based outside of Boulder, CO. Sarah brings 20 years of experience in HR leadership, organizational development, project management and talent acquisition. A key member of the Cura HR team since returning to CO in 2010, Sarah provides strategic HR consulting to small and mid-sized organizations in various industries including start-ups, private equity and non-profit. In her current role, Sarah is responsible business development, strategic project and resource management as well as partnering with leadership team regarding organizational strategy. Sarah graduated from the University of Colorado’s Leeds School of Business with a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources Management and Marketing. She has also earned several professional designations including her Professional in Human Resources certification (PHR) and SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP). Sarah was selected to be a member of the University of Colorado’s Women’s Council where she spends time as a volunteer for the Leeds Business School’s students. She also volunteers her time to Girl Scouts, the Parent Teacher Associations at her children’s schools and her church. In her free time Sarah enjoys spending time with her family and friends, hiking, yoga, live music, cooking and travel.

Board Interests: Youth Development, Education, Employment, Animal Welfare, Women and Children, Health and Wellness

Katy Barnett is the current Government Relations Manager for the Colorado Optometric Association leading their legislative, regulatory and political efforts with a heavy emphasis on engaging members. Katy is a native Coloradan who moved to Denver in late 2017 after nearly a decade in Washington, D.C. She previously worked at The Pew Charitable Trusts, leading research and policy efforts around quality metrics and payment models for palliative and end-of-life care. Katy also worked for a national coalition, leading their communications and policy strategy around healthcare workforce development. She started her career in healthcare policy at a national trade association for home health, hospice, and palliative care. Katy is a graduate of the George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management and Eastern Oregon University.  Katy previously served on the Oregon Student Association Board of Directors.

Board Interests: Health and Human Services (emphasis on aging issues), Arts, Culture & Humanities, and Historic Preservation

Nicole Carner is an experienced finance and operations executive, supporting and leading companies on a trajectory of growth, profitability and change. In her current role as a fractional CFO, she partners with founders and executives of start-ups to build their companies – and has a proven record of success in e-commerce, consumer goods and food companies, driving business results while building strong team relationships. Prior to this, Nicole was the Senior Director of Finance at one of the most rapidly growing e-commerce companies, The RealReal, the leader in online luxury resale, completing multiple funding rounds, totaling $80M. She has extensive experience in equity/debt financing, strategic planning, revenue/pricing optimization, fundraising, sales operations and new product launches. Nicole holds an MBA from California State University Sacramento and a BS in International Management and Finance from California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo. In her free time, she enjoys volunteering, fitness, interior design and travel.

Board Interests: Children, Youth Development, Start-Ups/Entrepreneurship

Jill Engelstad is passionate about sustainable development, global travel, cultural awareness, and physical therapy; combining these passions, she has directed time and energy toward capacity building for individuals living in conditions of extreme poverty so those in least developed countries can be more fully heard, appreciated, and understood. Her overseas outreach has included capacity building empowerment for women in Tanzania and medical mission work in Romania and Ghana. Closer to home, her public speaking efforts have focused on the significant relationship educating girls has in achieving the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Jill holds a BS in Physical Therapy from the University of North Dakota and an MLS in Global Affairs from the University of Denver. When not working as a physical therapist for SCL Health, serving as Outreach Coordinator for AfricAid, or advocating for adolescent girls’ education in areas of extreme poverty globally, Jill can be found hiking or biking with her husband David or reading a good book with her cat Reese.

Board Interests: Global Sustainable Development (emphasis on girls’ education), Fitness, and Health

Laurie Kelly has a 35-year career spanning the fields of accounting, finance, risk management, and banking. Most recently, from 2007 to 2018 she served as the Director of Compliance for CoBank ACB, a $128 billion Farm Credit System institution, where she built and managed the bank’s anti-money laundering, fraud, and economic sanctions compliance programs. Laurie’s background also includes public accounting with Ernst & Young and internal auditing and financial reporting with Great-West Financial. She served as Controller for the ERIC Group (a specialty casualty insurance provider) and was Vice President of General Accounting for Life Partners Group, a holding company for four life insurance companies. In May 2018, Laurie retired from her lengthy corporate career to feed her entrepreneurial spirit and pursue her passion for fitness and wellness. Laurie earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Millikin University, and holds a number of professional designations relating to life insurance, financial planning, risk management and anti-money laundering. She helped found the Colorado Chapter of the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists, serving as Executive Board Chair from 2016 to 2018, and Programs Director from 2015 to 2016.

Board Interests: Fitness/Health/Wellness, Women’s Rights & Issues, Environment, and Animal Welfare

Jennifer Malpiede is an innovative problem solver with a diversified skill set, providing me with a unique ability to assess and address obstacles in a variety of situations. My dynamic, charismatic and detail-oriented personality has allowed me to work on numerous projects in a vast array of fields. I excel in high-pressure situations and will do what it takes to deliver a top of the line product at the end of the day.

Liz Och is a senior associate in the Denver office of Hogan Lovells, a global law firm. Liz combines her legal experience with her background in environmental policy and dispute resolution to bring creative, collaborative solutions to conflicts over natural resources, environmental remediation, and energy production. Clients value Liz’s leadership, team-mindedness, and project-management skills. She has both a personal and professional interest in environmental and conservation organizations. Liz is also passionate about helping others. She has been actively involved in the Legal Aid Foundation of Colorado’s fundraising efforts for the past four years, and is currently a Co-Chair of the organization’s Associate Advisory Board. Liz has a B.A. in Environmental Sciences from Northwestern University, an M.S. in Natural Resources from the University of Michigan, and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.

Board Interests: Environmental or Conservation, Community Service, Arts & Culture

Natalie Parker is a Director at NBH Bank, Natalie is responsible for new deal sourcing on a national level as well as relationship management with syndication bankers and loan traders. Her ten years of banking experience includes commercial lending at Whitney National Bank in Houston (now Hancock Whitney) and structured finance and leveraged lending at SMBC in New York City. She is a member of the Association for Corporate Growth and WoMAN (Women on M&A Network) in Denver. She holds a BBA in finance and accounting as well as an MBA.

Board Interests: Youth Development, Animal welfare, Food/Agriculture & Nutrition, Clean Water

Stacey Shigaya is the Program Director for both Sakura Square LLC and its parent organization, Sakura Foundation, Stacey is responsible for the development, management and implementation of projects and programming to fulfill the vision of Sakura Square and the charitable mission of Sakura Foundation. Ms. Shigaya is responsible for Sakura Foundation scholarships and grants, the Mirai Generations Leadership Program and cultural events throughout the year, the largest of which is the Annual Cherry Blossom Festival. Ms. Shigaya also contributes to the strategic planning, human resources services and management of Sakura Square LLC and its current redevelopment project. Ms. Shigaya’s varied professional experience includes market research in the automotive and cable industries, office management in the commercial real estate field and affiliate relations with a local Internet services company.  She has served in a variety of positions, including co-president, of three Denver Public Schools and Littleton Public Schools PTA/PTSA/PTO boards and was a member of the 2017 Downtown Denver Leadership Program. She earned a BA in Human Development and Learning/Psychology and an MS in Counseling and Personnel Services.

Board Interests: Women’s Rights and Issues, LGBTQ Support and Advocacy, Human and Civil Rights, Education

Brooke Smith is the founder and consultant for Brelis Consulting. Brooke has ten years of leadership experience working with start-ups in the arts and education spaces, and most recently concluded a five-year stint at General Assembly, an education technology company, where she was the Regional Director of Colorado. This role entailed complete ownership of the business including P&L management, sales and customer service leadership, hiring and training all staff members and ongoing business development. Brooke is now acting as an independent Operations & Strategy Consultant, working with non-profits and private companies that support the growth of entrepreneurialism and skills development. From 2016 to 2018 Brooke served on the Young Professionals Board for the Colorado Symphony. She is currently on the Women's Council at The Commons on Champa, a board dedicated to supporting the growth of female entrepreneurs. As part of her duties, she has recently built a successful year-long mentorship program for the organization.

Board Interests: Education, Arts / Culture & Humanities, and Youth Development

Lucy Strong Lucy is a global executive with management, marketing and operations expertise. During the past 20+ years she has developed comprehensive marketing programs for a variety of blue-chip clients on three continents. Currently she provides strategic counsel and serves as an adhoc Chief Marketing Officer to organizations seeking to enhance their brand position and drive sales. Prior to making Denver her home, Lucy served as Vice President, Asia for Octagon (a leading sports and entertainment agency and part of the Interpublic Group of Companies) where she implemented a new management and operations strategy; acted as Chief Marketing Officer for the agency; increased pre-booked revenue 150% in two years and; was responsible for quarterly presentations to the IPG Board (CMG division). She was the first foreigner to develop and teach a sports marketing class at the prestigious Peking (Beijing) University. Lucy has been a volunteer for educational initiatives in the U.S. (United Way) and China (Sun Village). 

Board Interests: Environmental, Education, Animal Welfare

Megan Taylor is Vice President of Finance at DaVita, Inc., Megan oversees the SG&A and capital expenditure portfolios for the U.S. Kidney Care and Strategic Business Initiative (“SBI”) units. These portfolios include the 9 divisions that operate DaVita’s 2,700 clinics across the United States, shared services teams, and several unique SBIs including DaVita Labs and VillageHealth. She also leads the Real Estate finance team for Kidney Care that manages both the health of its existing clinics as well as the new clinic pipeline. Megan joined DaVita in 2010 and prior to her current role served as Group Finance and Strategy Director for 1 of DaVita’s 9 U.S. operating divisions, covering 300 clinics and 125 hospitals. Previously, she led finance and accounting for the mountain sports division of Time, Inc. Megan holds an MBA from the University of Texas McCombs School of Business and a BA in International Business from the University of Denver. In 2014, Megan started a New Moms group at DaVita’s world headquarters in Denver, CO to help teammates navigate the unique challenges that working moms face when having young ones at home. In her time outside of work, Megan loves spending time with her husband and two sons (4 yr old and 1 yr old), running/hiking outside with her beloved 3 yr old English springer spaniel, and enjoys live music and exploring the food/restaurant scene.

Board Interests: Women and Children, Start-Up Ecosystem

Jo Lynne Whiting has long worked for an equal partnership of women and men of all races around the world. She is the Chair of Boardbound by Women’s Leadership Foundation whose mission is to open more board seats for women in Colorado and beyond. Jo Lynne has executive experience as an officer of a Fortune 100 company, general management profit and loss experience and marketing expertise. She also chaired the Board of a Home Health company she helped start, grow and successfully sold in 2011. From 2010-17, she was on the Board of Directors of Population Connection where she was Vice Chair from 2014-17. From 2013-15, Jo Lynne was the Chairperson of Beyond our Borders, a group-advised fund of The Women's Foundation of Colorado. Jo Lynne has MBA from University of Colorado at Denver with an emphasis in Marketing and a B.A. degree from Texas Wesleyan University with an emphasis in English and Math. She lives in Denver, Colorado and grew up on her family’s ranch in Texas that was homesteaded over 175 years ago.

Board Interests: Women’s Rights, Population, Environment