Mission
Our mission is to partner with youth and their families as they successfully navigate school, college, and career by providing a holistic academic, social, and emotional program from elementary school through college, along with postsecondary scholarship assistance.
Vision
Our dream is a world where every child has equal access to educational and career opportunities that will ignite their innate potential.
Values
Colorado Dream Foundation strives to embody the values of:
Commitment: We are invested in the growth and well-being of one another. We show up and are at our best each and every day. We fulfill our responsibilities with integrity. We identify needs and work until these needs are met.
Community: We treat one another with kindness, concern, and respect. We value inclusivity and we display it. We work collaboratively to solve problems.
Connection: We build strong, lasting relationships. We show empathy, acceptance, and compassion. We bring passion, love, and excitement to all that we do.
History
Colorado Dream Foundation Class of 1988
Standing on the back lawn of the Colorado Governor’s Mansion in 1988, a group of “twenty-somethings” came together with a common goal – inspired by Eugene Lang, Founder of the “I Have A Dream” Foundation in New York. Their dream was to take Eugene’s vision and create the Colorado Dream Foundation where individuals, civic-organization, corporations, and local and state government would make a long-term investment in Colorado’s children that could ultimately change the trajectory of a child’s life.
Today, many of those “early adopters” remain involved including Chris Romer, Rusty Wehner, Noel Ginsburg, and Rob Cohen. They remember fondly the guidance and generosity of Anabel and Jerry McHugh and continue to believe that impact is measured in years and through a deep, sustained commitment to youth and their families, our community can thrive.
A Walk Through Our History
Meet the Team
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Aimee Alcorn (She/Her)
Senior Director of Emotional Wellness
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Akilah Martin (She/Her)
Engagement Specialist
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Aleix Lyon (She/Her)
Engagement Specialist
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Allison Stertzer (She/Ella)
Behavioral Health Therapist
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Andy Hung (He/Him)
Clinical Intern
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Beatriz Chong (She/They)
Behavioral Health Therapist
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Blair Cooper (She/They)
Engagement Specialist
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Bobby McGreal (He/Him)
Engagement Specialist
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Briannah Hill (They/Them)
Program Coordinator - Z Place Opportunity Center
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Claire Palius (She/Her)
Clinical Manager at Z Place Opportunity Center
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Galen Duran (He/Him)
Behavioral Health Therapist
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Gemma Sanchez-Contreras (She/Her)
Program Coordinator - Westwood Opportunity Center
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Jennifer Ramirez
Behavioral Health Therapist
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Kaye Taavialma (She/Her)
President & CEO
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Kenidee Myers (She/Her)
Clinical Intern
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Lianna Semonsen (She/Her)
Systems Advocacy Intern
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Lincoln Koester (He/Him)
Clinical Intern
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Lindsey Land (She/Her)
Clinical Intern
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Lissette Uribe (She/Her)
Engagement Specialist & Systems Advocacy Intern
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Malik Burton (He/Him)
Program Manager - Z Place Opportunity Center
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Mary Elizabeth Taylor-Fishwick (She/Her)
Behavioral Health Therapist
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Sophie Silver (She/Her)
Clinical Manager at Westwood Opportunity Center
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Steph Dreiling (She/Her)
Vice President of Finance & Operations
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Summer Wimberly (She/Her)
Director of College & Career Development
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Taylor Vaughn (She/Her)
Program Manager - Westwood Opportunity Center
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Toni Herr (She/Her)
Systems Advocacy Intern
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Vincent Robinson (He/Him)
College & Career Program Manager
Clinical Extern
Our Board
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Commercial real estate occupancy is the result of employment, financial, an operational decision-making. As such, Anthony ensures that his clients have access to world class local market insights, portfolio optimization, labor analytics, lease administration, state and local economic incentives, debt & equity financing, facilities management, and developer/construction oversite through project management. Because of his holistic strategic approach Anthony is frequently looked to by his clients and peers for partnership on many of the largest and most complex real estate projects in Denver and beyond.
Anthony has focused on Denver and national tenant representation for over a decade. Additionally, in 2013 Anthony co-founded the CBRE Energy Facilities Group (EFG), a North American practice group that he continues to lead today.
In 2015 Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock appointed Anthony to the Denver Urban Renewal Authority (DURA) Board of Directors for a 5-year term. The City and County of Denver created DURA in 1958 to assist in the redevelopment of blighted property and help foster the sound growth and development of Denver.
Specialties: Strategic advising, multimarket accounts, commercial acquisitions and dispositions, sale/leasebacks, and build to suits.
Anthony earned his Bachelor of Science in Real Estate & Management from Ohio University.
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Vanessa co-founded several financial firms and served as a turn-around executive for three additional firms. She began her career in the late 1990s, serving as President and CEO of a de novo banking platform. She formulated and executed the corporate strategy successfully targeting a multi-national Latin American market and grew the company from 36 employees to over 1,200 employees while maintaining profit margins and diversifying the company’s sources of revenue within 36 months.
Vanessa’s career has a rich history in the financial sector with many notable accomplishments but most importantly always attracted to disrupting the status quo to help organizations launch products, grow, execute operational models, build their corporate culture and market understanding by executing on strong organizational programs. Today, Vanessa leads a team of management consulting experts to assist organizations go through business transformation initiatives which involve business strategy, capability-building & organizational design, enterprise strategy, change management and business process management. Panorama’s philosophy is about bringing together the People, the Process and the Technology in order provide breakthrough value. Panorama’s New York staff is assisted the communities affected by Hurricane Sandy and Irene by managing the largest buy-out and acquisitions program for the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery for the State of New York, HUD and FEMA. With a strong financial and political acumen, Vanessa is paving the way for many socio-economic projects around the world and affecting change to have a greater humanitarian impact on society.
She is a graduate from the Harvard School of Business, the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University, holds a B.S. from the University of California at Berkeley, holds the well-respected CMB designation from the MBA, Six Sigma Black Belt and is fluent in Spanish. She serves on both private and public sector boards such as Colorado Dream Foundation, Pacific Mutual Real Estate Investment Trust, ECS Team, Inc., and The Global Chamber.
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Denny O’Malley was the President of Craig Hospital from 1974-2008. Under his leadership, Craig was internationally recognized as a premier center for the rehabilitation and research of adults with spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury.
Denny received a B.S. in Business from Creighton University in 1971 and a Masters in Hospital and Health Care from the University of Minnesota in 1973. He was chair of the Board of the Colorado Hospital Association, the American Hospital Association’s Rehabilitation Governing Council, the American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association, the Denver Zoo, and has served on numerous other non-profit boards during his career. He received the El Pomar Foundation’s Colorado Leader of the Year Award in 2008. He received lifetime achievement awards from the Denver Business Journal and Anthem Blue Cross of Colorado, the Insurance Rehabilitation Study Group, and the Brain Injury Association of Colorado. In 1997, Denny was recognized by his peers for his leadership and vision when he was awarded the American Hospital Association’s Brent England Award for outstanding leadership. He is a member of the Nebraska Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and is a certified Spinning instructor. He and wife Denise have 6 daughters and 12 grandchildren.
Since 2008, Denny has been a strategy consultant for a variety of non-profit and for-profit enterprises. From 2009-2017, he was the lead consultant in the complex merger of Creighton University’s academic medical center into a regional community hospital system and migrating all health science teaching programs. He has been a consultant to the executive team and board of the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, a charitable giving foundation which contributes over $25 million annually to spinal cord injury causes. He is the Executive Director of the Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals and has served as a facilitator to the leadership of numerous organizations in their strategic planning efforts.
From June 2017 to September 2018, Denny served as Interim CEO of the Denver Zoo while the Board conducted a national search. He was a member of the Zoo Board of Trustees from 2008-2016, and Chair from 2014-2015.
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Jim received his Bachelor’s Degree in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology in 1973 from the University of Colorado. He completed his Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine in 1983 and completed a General Practice Residency program in 1984 at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.
A Denver native, Dr. Stambaugh practiced general dentistry 29 years in Denver prior to joining Cody Dental group in 2013. He is a member of the American Dental Association. He has the Elevate Dental study Club. Dr. Stambaugh is the dental representative on the Medical advisory Board for the Cherry Creek School District.
Dr. Stambaugh was previously a clinical instructor at the University of Colorado School of Dentistry.
Dr. Stambaugh enjoys golf, fly-fishing, photography and skiing. He is the Past President of the Rotary Club Southeast and is involved with several projects of the Rotary Club. He and his wife, Lynn, enjoy their four grown children and seven grandchildren.
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Tonya Allen is a Senior Staff Program Manager in Release Management at ServiceNow. She manages large-scale cross-functional software development programs with engineering teams around the world. Tonya is passionate about empowering individuals, teams, and stakeholders in improving their effectiveness and culture through Lean-Agile thinking. Before her time with ServiceNow, Tonya worked at Tivo as a program manager on mobile and web applications, and prior to that, she worked for 14 years in a variety of roles in Information Technology at Level 3 Communications.
Tonya has a heart for kids, family, and her community, having fostered children and volunteered at a number of Denver area youth organizations and is one of our newest Colorado Dream Foundation Board members. She is excited about being part of a great organization that is making a difference for kids in Colorado.
In her free time, Tonya enjoys traveling, hiking with her sweet dog Hope, camping, road biking, snowboarding, snowshoeing, scuba diving, yoga, and spending time with family and friends. She is working her way down her wish-list of worldly adventures, and adding new ones all the time. Currently top of her list is visiting an elephant sanctuary in Asia with her children and snowboarding at Jackson Hole on a power day!
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George works for Lockheed Martin as an Engineer. His work focuses on: Multi-Industry “Integrated Hardware, Software & IT Development” Program Manager, Systems Engineering Mgr., Major Subcontracts Mgr, Business Development Mgr in Medical Device, Healthcare IT, High-Speed/Density Interconnect Printed Wire Board Design W Electromagnetic Compatibility & Interference Analysis, Launch Vehicles/Missiles, Material Science, Satellites, Telecom, & Turbomachinery.
President, Western Springs Group Holding and Management Company (investments).
COMMUNITY AFFILIATIONS: COLORADO DREAM FDN (Past Board Chair, Treas, Secy); COLORADO SPACE COALITION; DENVER METRO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (Comm’s on Public Affairs, Transportation, Infrastructure, Water, & Education); and RED ROCKS CREDIT UNION (Board Chair 6 times, Treasurer, Secretary, Investment Chair).
Education: MBA & BSME; Bradley Univ. PMI PMP. Information Technology: Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC); LM; Batky-Howell. Stanford Chief System Engineer Certificate, INCOSE Instructors, text. Studied ITIL v3, MCSE. SSBI, TS, SCI w Poly.
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Becky Mancero is a business attorney at SPZ Legal in Denver, Colorado. Becky is a trusted advisor for startup companies and venture capital funds as an outside general counsel and deal counsel. Becky is passionate about working with social impact organizations that strive to make the world a better place for the current and future generations. Becky received her law degree from the University of Denver and her undergraduate degree in Media Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. During law school, Becky co-founded the Venture Law Society, Pioneer Venture Group, and a pro bono legal clinic for early-stage entrepreneurs through the Downtown Denver Partnership at The Commons on Champa. Becky is passionate about youth advocacy and early childhood education in underrepresented communities. Education and mentorship played a vital role in Becky's personal and professional success. She is grateful and honored to serve on Colorado Dream Foundation's board of directors to give back to the community.
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Rusty is a founding board member of the Colorado Dream Foundation (1988). He has been a real estate professional in the Denver area since 1983. Throughout his entire career, Rusty has been recognized by the Denver Board of Realtors as a “top producer”. Currently, he is a senior loan officer for SWBC Mortgage.
A Denver native, Rusty graduated from East High School in 1978 and from CU Boulder in 1983, with at BA in Economics and Business.
Rusty enjoys coaching soccer, riding bicycles (mountain and road), golf, traveling, and fixing up old home back to their former glory. He and his wife, Frances, have two grown sons Zachary and Ian.
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Sean Camacho grew up in a working-class Puerto Rican and Guamanian family in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and attended public schools in the Widefield School District. Sean graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy and served as an Air Force officer in the United States and on deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, East Africa, and Colombia. After leaving active duty, Sean used his Post 9/11 GI Bill to attend Suffolk University Law School in Boston, Massachusetts. Sean is an attorney with Dentons US LLP and practices commercial and government contracts litigation serving as legal counsel for individuals, small businesses, and large corporations while continuing to serve in the Air Force Reserves.
Sean has a passion for public and community service. He is active in Denver politics, serves on numerous non-profit boards, coaches youth sports, and mentors young people pursuing careers in public service and the private sector. Sean’s wife practices medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, and they have two boys in Denver Public Schools. Outside of work, Sean enjoys taking advantage of Colorado’s hiking, running, and mountain biking trails.
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A Denver native, Leslie Ginsburg graduated from Colorado State University with a BFA, owned and operated a graphic design studio for many years, as well as an art gallery in Cherry Creek North.
As a dedicated community advocate, Leslie has been active in many organizations. She previously served on the board of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) board for 15 years, as well as Jewish Colorado Women’s’ board/committees for more than 20 years. She is a past board member of the Cherry Creek Schools Foundation, where she served as the Board Chair from 2013-2014. She also serves as a Board of Director for the Jewish Family Services of Colorado. Leslie has also been involved with the Colorado Dream Foundation for over 25 years and is past Chair of the Board. Her husband Noel was a founding member of the Foundation and Noel and Leslie became a class sponsor for 42 inner city children at South Lincoln Housing Project through the Foundation. Their commitment continued through the Children’s graduation from high school, spanning a period of more than 10 years. Leslie has served on the board since 2007 and served as the Board Chair from 2015-2017.
Leslie and her husband Noel have two children Corey and Ali.
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Wendy Rockwell is the Director of Market Access at CSL Vifor. She manages a team who works with health plans, hospital systems, dialysis organizations, and Veteran’s Affairs/Department of Defense across the United States. Wendy is passionate about delivering appropriate access to healthcare and approved therapies for patients. CSL specializes in nephrology and rare diseases.
Besides, work, Wendy has a passion for improvement in health care at home. Her husband has a rare disease called Hereditary Angioedema and her daughter has Celiac Disease. Wendy has spent countless hours creating support groups and advocating for caregivers. Wendy also carried over her work experience into the legal space and was one of the faces supporting the passing of the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work law that was put into effect.
In her free time, Wendy enjoys spending time with her two-college kids (go CSU and ASU!) and her husband. She travels extensively and loves to ski, hike, row, and do Pilates and yoga. She is also involved with alumni relations at her graduate school, Thunderbird.
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Robert Cohen is the Chairman and CEO of The IMA Financial Group, Inc. The IMA Financial Group is a diversified financial services company which is currently comprised of four primary businesses. IMA, Inc. is a retail insurance broker, offering a full range of risk management-related products. Signature Select is a subsidiary of IMA, Inc. that focuses on high-end personal lines and specialty commercial business. Eydent Insurance Services, Inc. is a Managing General Agency/Managing General Underwriter. Towerstone, Inc. is a wholesale insurance broker. TrueNorth, Inc. is a discretionary money manager as both a registered investment advisor and a limited broker dealer.
A native of Kansas, he received his bachelor’s degree in Risk Management and Finance from the University of Texas at Austin. His professional memberships include Colorado Concern, the Colorado Forum, Assurex Global, Intersure, World Presidents’ Organization, the Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers (Chair), and World Broker Network.
He earned his Charter Property Casualty Underwriters designation (CPCU) and is a graduate of Leadership Denver and 50 For Colorado. He is a 21-time participant in the City-to-City Leadership Exchange.
He and his wife, Molly, have three sons and one daughter.
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As Vice President and Relationship Manager for Vectra Bank Private Banking and Wealth Management, Mark develops and manages a portfolio of business, Non-Profit and personal client relationships. As a Certified Wealth Strategist, he brings over 25 years of banking and financial experience to his position. He delivers high-level personal service by providing thoughtful guidance and tailored solutions for every relationship. Specialty areas include; Customized Lending Solutions; Real Estate/Construction Financing; Debt Restructure; Cash and Treasury Management Solutions; Strategic Planning.
Dedicated to serving his community and family, Mark has served on the board of several non-profit organizations over the last two decades. He is also an active volunteer for a number of local non-profit organizations. Mark received his Bachelor of Science from James Madison University and Certified Wealth Strategist designation from Cannon Financial Institute.
In his free time Mark enjoys spending time in the great Colorado outdoors, hiking, bicycling, fishing and snowshoeing. He also enjoys traveling, spending time with family and friends and exploring Denver’s premier restaurant scene.
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Derek has been helping to lead health care transformation for the last 15 years of his 20-year career. Making his start in software development he has been able to build and grow innovative health care software and business models.
Derek currently serves as the Vice President of Physician Experience and the General Manager of DaVita Physician Solutions. DaVita is a Fortune 200 Healthcare company where Derek has helped increase health-related quality of life for DaVita’s patients by focusing on engagement, satisfaction, and technology tools for physicians.
He joined DaVita in 2011 from McKesson Corp where he served as the Vice President of Strategy and Business Development. Derek joined McKesson in 2007 and has been leading businesses in the high growth ambulatory practice management and electronic health records market for both the small and enterprise physician offices.
Derek started his career at Accenture adapting and implementing software solutions such as SAP. Mr. Schoonover then pursued the promise of the Internet with a supply chain software start-up which led him to GE Healthcare where he has had a number of leadership roles including the General Manager of the Perioperative and Acute Care business.
Derek brings balanced functional expertise through a background in the development, implementation, sales and marketing of software in a number of different industries including energy, manufacturing, and government. This foundation along with his inpatient and outpatient Healthcare IT business leadership provide a new perspective on healthcare and the power software and process improvement have on patient health, safety and business growth.
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Shelby Martin is an experienced litigator and accomplished trial lawyer representing corporate clients in state and federal court. Ms. Martin focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation across multiple districts. She has also counseled clients in pharmaceutical and medical device litigation and advocacy and has experience representing one of the largest medical device manufacturers in the United States. Ms. Martin’s motion practice has included briefing motions in opposition to class action certification in federal court, and she is frequently involved in identifying, retaining, and prepping expert witnesses for depositions and trials, as well as in taking and defending depositions. Ms. Martin has been a critical member of trial teams appearing in state and federal courts on a diverse array of subject matters. She also has experience conducting highly complex and sensitive investigations on behalf of major companies, educational institutions, governmental entities and not-for-profit organizations, including related to alleged policy violations, workplace misconduct and discrimination.
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Cooper Cohen, a Colorado native, is a dedicated risk management consultant and insurance broker at the IMA Financial Group in Denver. IMA is a leading employee-owned insurance brokerage firm that operates with a mission to protect assets and make a meaningful difference for clients. With a keen focus on commercial clients, Cooper works to provide a comprehensive range of risk management and insurance services, tailoring solutions to businesses of various sizes and industries. Prior to IMA, Cooper began his career as an International Underwriting Specialist at CNA Insurance in Chicago.
Cooper earned his Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Entrepreneurship from the University of Notre Dame. Cooper holds designations as a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), Associate in Risk Management (ARM), Associate in Insurance Services (AIS), and as a Commercial Lines Coverage Specialist (CLCS).
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Caitlin’s journey has included exposure to an expansive array of fields, including music education, vocal performance, salon management, massage therapy, skincare, financial advising, and strategic business operations. Throughout her varied work experiences, her desire to solve problems and make the world a better place has remained a consistent driver of her endeavor toward excellence. It is this drive that led her to the Colorado Dream Foundation, where she gets to connect with like-minded individuals who together strive to provide new opportunities for the community and its youth. The CDF mission resonates strongly with her, because she believes that every child should have the chance to realize their potential and do amazing things in life.
She is the Strategy Administrator at Trilogy Financial, a role which allows her to support the firm's financial advisors by implementing programs & tools that help them do their best work for clients. She and her fiancé Wes reside in Denver with their two loveable cats, Tony and Wanda, both of whom will high five or spin around for treats (it's true -- cats CAN be taught tricks!). In her free time, Caitlin can be found adventuring with Wes or spending time with friends. She also has an eye for photography, enjoys playing bass, and teaches Zumba classes within the community.
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Sandy was born and raised near St. Louis, MO and is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin. He is a Texas CPA by training and has worked with some of the largest and most respected financial services companies in the world. Over the course of a career that began in 1981, he has worked on numerous international transactions as an international tax advisor, mergers and acquisitions specialist and project finance specialist. Living and working in the United States, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, and Greater China has given him a wide variety of international business and transactional experience. Sandy resides in Denver, CO with his wife, son, and dog. He and the family enjoy the great outdoors in Colorado, especially skiing, and Sandy can be seen risking life and limb chasing his son down black diamond ski slopes every winter.
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As a dedicated board member of the Colorado Dream Foundation, Kirsten Van Arsdale brings over two decades of experience in the Cherry Creek School District, where she currently serves as a Special Education Department Chair and Learning Specialist. With a Doctor of Education in Leadership for Educational Equity, her passion lies in advocating for social justice, public education, and the support of teachers, and recognizing the inherent value in nurturing the potential of young minds.
Beyond her professional commitments, Kirsten finds joy in viewing the world through the eyes of her 2nd-grade daughter, Nia, particularly as she explores the performing arts of dance and music. Family moments, including time spent with her supportive husband and beloved dog, Leroy, hold significant importance.
In addition to her educational pursuits, Kirsten embraces a diverse range of interests. She finds fulfillment in exploring tropical destinations, hiking, and paddle boarding. Continual personal growth remains a priority coupled with a belief in the healing power of nature, especially the ocean. Remarkably, Kirsten also maintains a commitment to physical fitness, having competed at the national level in bodybuilding and still engaging in regular gym training sessions.
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Following an early career in financial services and international business development, John has served in Chief Operating and Chief Financial roles in educational and healthcare-focused nonprofits with statewide to worldwide footprints. In retirement he services on multiple nonprofit boards including Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres) in the U.S. and Switzerland and Prostate Cancer Research and is a Past Present of the Rotary Club of Denver Southeast, a long-time supporter of the Colorado Dream Foundation.
In both volunteer and professional roles, John has a passion for helping nonprofit teams be successful while effectively using donor and public funds to make an impact. He has a special interest in helping children and young adults achieve their full potential and have lifelong impacts on their communities. He and his wife Judy have been engaged in supporting Unaccompanied Refugee Minors from multiple countries.
John enjoys traveling to unique places around the world and biking, kayaking, and skiing. He has two daughters, one living in Colorado and the other in Alaska.
