We are thrilled to welcome five new members to our board of trustees. These leaders bring diverse skills to our board. They are community leaders, investment professionals, and philanthropic role models.
You can see a complete list of all board members on our website.
2025 new trustees
Susanne Bates is the co-founder of the Bates Philanthropic Initiative (BPI), a Colorado nonprofit dedicated to providing financial support to under-resourced high school students seeking education and career opportunities in the skilled trades. In addition to being a dedicated advocate for vulnerable young adults, she serves as BPI’s treasurer and chair of the Governance Committee. Susanne spent most of her career as an advisory partner at KPMG, retiring in 2021 after serving global companies as an internal audit executive and financial expert with extensive experience across various sectors, including energy, retail, manufacturing, distribution, and life sciences.
She has served as a partner and advisor to audit committees, bringing a nuanced understanding of the characteristics of high-performing boards and assurance functions, as well as a clear point of view on best practices for financial governance and oversight. Susanne is also skilled at leveraging data and technology and utilizing a risk-based focus for finance practices. Adding to her leadership at BPI and KPMG, Susanne has a history of board service, contributing her expertise to larger organizations such as the Alzheimer’s Association, as well as establishing financial structures and technologies to support newer local nonprofit organizations.
Kenneth Ho has spent his 25-year career developing more sustainable solutions to how we live, work, and play. His passion lies in the balance between economics, policy, and planning to focus on equitable and pragmatic outcomes as a real estate developer and investor.
Kenneth graduated with a degree in Urban Studies with a focus on Urban Planning from Stanford University. He went on to pursue a Masters of Regional Planning and an MBA from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. He has served on a number of boards and commissions, including, the Board of the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation, Historic Denver, Inc., the Urban Land Institute, the 2016 DPS Bond Community Planning and Advisory Committee, and the Denver Language School. Kenneth spent five years as a member and chair of the Denver Planning Board and is a 2006 graduate of Leadership Denver and the 2019 Colorado Civic DNA Fellows program.
Marcela de la Mar is a senior executive experienced as a board chair, director of leading nonprofit entities and government and community affairs. She currently serves on the boards at the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance, Colorado Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Mexican Cultural Center (MCC), and the Biennial of the Americas. Previously, Marcela worked at the Consulate General of Mexico and served as the Executive Director of the Mexican Cultural Center (MCC). Her past board affiliations include the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), World Trade Center Denver, Children’s Diabetes Foundation, Museum of Contemporary Art, Children’s Museum, the Emily Griffith Foundation, and the American Red Cross-Mile High Chapter. Additionally, she was a founding member of Latina Safe House.
Marcela’s leadership and community dedication have earned her numerous prestigious awards, including, the Ohtli Award from the Government of Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the highest honor given to an individual living abroad; Women of Distinction Award from the Girl Scouts of Colorado, Legacy Award from the Mexican Cultural Center, Community Service in the Arts Honoree from the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation, ranked one of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Colorado by the Women’s Chamber of Commerce, and the Unsung Heroine Award from the Latinas First Foundation. Marcela’s work is driven by a deep passion for advancing the causes she values most, leaving a lasting impact on the communities she serves.
Santhosh Ramdoss is president & CEO of Gary Community Ventures (Gary). He also serves as the organization’s chief investment officer. Previously, he served as Gary’s vice president of impact investing, overseeing the organization’s endowment and helping deploy a larger pool of financial assets in service of its mission. Santhosh helped Gary establish partnerships with leading impact fund managers and companies while incubating capital vehicles like The Dearfield Fund for Black Wealth, which offers downpayment assistance to Black homebuyers in Metro Denver.
Before Gary, Santhosh was part of the investment teams at the Skoll Foundation and Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. He has also served as a community organizer, start-up entrepreneur, and community banker. Santhosh was raised by a single mother in a small Indian village, learned to speak English by watching television, and was 25 before he boarded an airplane. He takes pride in his identity as an immigrant and leverages these experiences to inform his commitment towards equity.
Garry Woods is a partner and executive director of IT assurance and cybersecurity services at Richey May & Co., where he leverages over 20 years of experience in governance, risk, compliance, privacy (GRCP), and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver strategic and operational solutions to secure its technology assets as well as meet all requirement regulatory and legislative compliance objectives. He works with business and IT leadership teams to enhance overall governance and risk assessments, provide insights for cyber and privacy support, including but not limited to application development and leadership coaching, helping organizations align IT initiatives with business goals, process optimization, and complex regulatory landscape navigation.
Garry’s expertise includes leveraging AI to strengthen cybersecurity and privacy requirements, driving organizational change, defining SLAs, and leading post-merger integrations for both global and domestic companies. He serves on the boards of Elevations Credit Union as well as Karat Management and Development and has been an adjunct faculty member at the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business. Garry holds a master’s degree in global enterprise management from the University of Denver, a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and physics from Jarvis Christian College, and executive certifications from Harvard University and MIT.
2025 Board Officers
- Lisa Zúñiga Ramírez, Chair
- Peter Kirsch, Vice Chair
- Mira Finé, Treasurer
- Sean Kenney, Secretary
