Vision: A Metro Denver that is racially equitable in its leadership, prosperity, and culture.
Primary Role: To achieve our vision, we will be a proactive, collaborative, and resolute leader in reducing racial disparities.
Board Chair
Board Vice Chair
Board Treasurer
Board Secretary
Lisa Zúñiga Ramírez, CFA is a corporate and mutual fund director serving on the boards of Century Communities, Inc., Peoples Financial Securities Corporation, and the Trust for Professional Managers. Prior to becoming a director, Lisa spent 31 years with Denver Investments and its acquiring company, Segal, Bryant and Hamil. She rose from intern to a Partner and Senior Portfolio Manager before “rewiring” in 2020. Lisa strongly believes that giving back to her community is an obligation and a privilege.
Beyond her professional commitments and corporate boards, Lisa serves her community on the boards of The Denver Foundation, Boettcher Foundation, NACD’s (National Association of Corporate Directors) Colorado Chapter. She previously served on the boards of Denver Employees Retirement Plan, Latinas First Foundation, the Latin American Educational Foundation, and Vuela for Health.
A wife and proud mother of twin sons, she enjoys family time, golfing, cooking, and cheering on Denver’s sports teams. She brings a strategic mindset, financial acumen, and a collaborative spirit to every board she serves.
Peter Kirsch is a founding partner at the law firm Kaplan Kirsch & Rockwell. His practice emphasizes environmental and land use law, and public-sector negotiations. Peter most often represents local governments in environmental and land use negotiations and litigation concerning airports and major public infrastructure projects. Peter serves on many nonprofit boards. He has lived in Denver since 1997.
Mira J. Finé is a tax consultant with more than 35 years of professional experience providing tax planning, consulting, and compliance services. She is an expert in tax planning, consulting, and succession planning for businesses, their owners, and their executives. Mira is involved in the Private Client Group Practice and Firm and Real Estate Practice at Woody Creek Management Group.
Sean Kenney is a consultant and co-founder of Project Deviate. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he studied anthropology and Spanish and Portuguese language and culture. After working in the nonprofit sector and later the Leeds School of Business, Sean returned to graduate school at the University of Colorado Boulder to explore a few persistent curiosities related to identity, belonging, and organizational design. He is a producer for OutSources, Colorado’s only weekly on-air radio program dedicated to queer issues.
Michelle Adams is an attorney, speaker, coach, and newly titled author. She is the founder of Hello Legacy, a training and personal development company, and the Law Office of Michelle Adams, LLC., where she helps families in the areas of estate planning, elder law, special needs planning, and family legacy planning. She is an adjunct faculty member at Metropolitan State University of Denver, where she teaches a course on Child Abuse.
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. 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.
Kelly Brough is the President and CEO of the Fitzsimons Innovation Community where she leads efforts to support groundbreaking life sciences and bioscience research. As a former chief of staff to Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, head of human resources for the City of Denver, and CEO of the oldest and largest business advocacy organization in Colorado, she has built effective teams, managed large budgets, negotiated key contracts, influenced public policy and navigated the intersection of the public and private sectors. Kelly led the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce as its first female CEO from 2009 to 2021.
During her tenure, she nearly doubled revenue for the organization, growing it from $17 million to $30 million annually. Kelly has also worked in the public sector as the Director of Human Resources for the City of Denver and Chief of Staff for Mayor John Hickenlooper. Kelly has an MBA from the University of Colorado Denver and a BS from Montana State University. In her free time, you can find Kelly outdoors — biking, hiking, skiing, or paddling.
Alisha Brown is the senior vice president at The Foundation for Sustainable Urban Communities. She established the be well Health and Wellness Initiative, a grassroots movement of communities coming together to take control of the health of their communities by addressing the social determinants of health. Her work includes the creation of the well Block Captain community engagement model, an evidence-based approach that is known nationally and is supported by various organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). She speaks locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally to demonstrate the importance of grassroots involvement. As a graduate of Regis University, she earned a Masters of Nonprofit Management and was a Colorado Trust Fellow. Alisha earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcast journalism from Langston University.
Meg Franko, Ph.D., has spent the past thirty years working on public policy issues at the national, state, and local levels. She has expertise in early childhood systems, school readiness, and program implementation and has led research and evaluation projects for governmental and non-profit clients in Colorado and across the country. Meg has served in leadership roles with the Butler Institute for Families at the University of Denver, was research faculty with the Graduate School of Social Work, and has founded and run her own research and evaluation firm. Meg was born in Denver and raised two (now adult) children here.
Joe Garcia is the Chancellor of the Colorado Community College System (CCCS). Previously, Garcia served as President of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (“WICHE”), Lt. Governor of Colorado, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education, and President of both Colorado State University-Pueblo and Pikes Peak Community College. He also served on the Cabinet of Governor Roy Romer and as a White House appointee under President Bill Clinton. He was the first Hispanic partner at Holme Roberts & Owen, where he focused on public education law. He is married to Dr. Claire Garcia, and they have four children and three perfect grandchildren.
Kenneth Ho has spent his 25-year career developing more sustainable solutions to how we live, work, and play. 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.
Jennifer Kilpela is the head of strategic investment initiatives at The Nature Conservancy. Kilpela has a 20-year career in finance and institutional investment management. She was previously a managing director at Monticello Associates, a large investment consulting firm based in the Denver area. Jennifer also held investment roles at university endowments, including George Washington University and The University of Texas at Austin and started her career as an investment banking analyst at Credit Suisse First Boston. Jennifer earned a BBA from The University of Texas, MBA from Darden Business School at the University of Virginia, and is a CFA Charterholder. Most recently, she earned a certificate in Natural Resource Management and Sustainable Ecosystems from Harvard University Extension School.
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. Additionally, she was a founding member of Latina Safe House. 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.
Mark is a co-founder of the Left Behind Workers Fund, which provided $35 million in cash assistance to recently unemployed undocumented workers during the pandemic. He worked with the Colorado Peoples Alliance, the Colorado Fiscal Institute, and other allies to pass the bill that created Colorado’s Benefit Recovery Fund, a permanent employer-funded unemployment assistance program for undocumented workers who are paid as employees. Mark is also a co-founder of AidKit, a technology company that provides software and infrastructure to make cash assistance programs more efficient, accessible, and effective. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of SWIR Visions Systems, Epic River, The Denver Foundation, and Impact Charitable.
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 and Michael & Susan Dell foundations. He has also served as a community organizer, start-up entrepreneur and community banker.
Lee Reichert is the Deputy Attorney General – Business & Licensing for the State of Colorado. He previously served as the chief legal & government affairs officer and corporate secretary for Molson Coors Beverage Company. Lee has also served on the boards of a number of nonprofit organizations, including as the board chair for the Colorado Children’s Campaign. A third-generation Coloradan, Lee lives with his family in the University Park neighborhood.
Karen M. Robinson, CFA, co-founder of Cook Street Consulting. Prior to starting Cook Street, Karen was an institutional portfolio manager and analyst with Ocean Fund Advisors, LLC (Santa Monica, CA), where she specialized in general market research, portfolio analytics, and risk management. Preceding this, she was an Associate Vice President for Roxbury Capital Management, LLC (Santa Monica, CA). Karen’s experience also includes two years as a Senior Analyst with Monticello Associates, an institutional investment consultancy.
Simone D. Ross, is CEO of the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Executive Director of its foundation. She founded Simone D. Ross, LLC, focusing on change management, and leads SDR Events and Youth United University, fostering inclusive leadership among middle schoolers. Her corporate journey includes pivotal roles at Kaiser Permanente, Delta Dental of Colorado, SCL Health, and The Riveter, impacting business development and market expansion. Holding an MA and MBA from Colorado State University, Simone’s accolades include COBiz Gen XYZ Most Influential, Denver Business Journal’s “Outstanding Women in Business” and “40 Under 40”, and recognition as a Top 25 Most Powerful Woman by the Colorado Women’s Chamber.
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. 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.
1009 Grant Street
Denver, Colorado 80203
303.300.1790
information@denverfoundation.org
EIN: 84-6048381 | 501(c)(3)
