 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Announcing The Women's Foundation of Colorado's
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sponsored By:
|
Special Thanks to our Media Partners: |
Congratulations to our Be Bold Award Winners
JENNIFER ATLER
Invest in Kids, Denver
Jennifer Atler was named executive director in 2000. Under her leadership, Invest in Kids helped to secure state funding for Nurse-Family Partnership, a proven nurse home visitation program, that now serves families in 52 counties. With Jennifer's direction, the organization has also replicated a highly effective preschool program across the state. She has received recent awards from local chapters of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Girl Scouts.
PATRICIA BARELA RIVERA
U.S. Small Business Administration, Denver
Patricia Barela Rivera is the U.S. Small Business Administration (S.B.A) district director in the State of Colorado. She manages the implementation of key economic and outreach programs for the small business community, lenders, resource partners, and the minority and women's communities. Under Patricia's leadership the Colorado district office has received several S.B.A. national honors.
JANET BEARDSLEY
YWCA of Boulder County, Boulder
Janet Beardsley has been the executive director of the YWCA of Boulder County for nearly 21 years. During her tenure, Janet transformed the organization to one with a million dollar balanced budget serving 4,000 women, girls, and families annually. In 2006, the YWCA finished a successful $2.5 million capital campaign, doubling the capacity of the YWCA and adding a second story flagship building.
MICHELE A. BLOOM
Former Dean, The Women's College at the University of Denver
Michele ("Mike") Bloom served as the first dean of The Women's College of the University of Denver, the Rocky Mountain region's only all-women's higher education program, serving adult women students in four undergraduate degree programs. Mike is credited with driving the institution's mission: The transformation of women's lives through education. She has served on numerous advisory committees and boards of directors of community organizations in Denver and Colorado Springs.
MARY CARRAHER
Project Self-Sufficiency, Fort Collins
Mary Carraher has been the Executive Director of Project Self-Sufficiency for the past 17 years. With Mary's leadership, Project Self-Sufficiency has created innovative program elements such as Cars for Families, volunteer car repair, child care scholarships and self-esteem building classes. Mary is also an active member of the Women and Family Action Network sponsored by The Women's Foundation of Colorado.
SUSIE DAVIS
Vail Valley Youth Foundation
Susie Davis has been engaged in issues facing families in Eagle County for more than 25 years. Susie has served a leadership role with many causes, including: The Public Education Foundation, Eagle River Youth Coalition, RSVP Advisory Board, CASA of the Continental Divide, Eagle County for Human Rights, the Salvation Army, Business Education Partnership, Child Protection Team, Eagle County Schools, early childhood issues, local political campaigns and initiatives, and The Women's Foundation.
ANDREA DURAN
Open World Learning, Denver
Andrea Duran works in the community where she grew up. She believes it is her turn to now give back. As a Student Leader Program Coordinator she is deeply committed to bringing out the best in each child, and she leads by example, demonstrating that despite the many challenges life brings, working hard to accomplish a goal builds character and strength. She is working on a bachelor's degree at the University of Colorado-Denver.
JEAN F. EAST
Project WISE, Denver
Jean F. East is an associate professor at the University of Denver, Graduate School of Social Work. Jean has contributed leadership and research for the benefit of women who experience poverty, domestic violence, mental illness and isolation. Jean's work promotes community organizing, program development and transformational social change. She is co-founder of Project WISE, which seeks to empower Colorado women with low income.
CHELLEY GARDNER-SMITH
Partners in Housing, Colorado Springs
Chelley Gardner-Smith is a drama teacher at Mountain Ridge Middle School and an adjunct professor at Regis University. She also serves as a role model and board president for Partners In Housing, a Colorado Springs non-profit which helps homeless families obtain permanent housing and economic self-sufficiency. As a former homeless mother and graduate of the program, Chelley serves as an inspiration for struggling moms.
LAURIE A. HARVEY
CWEE: Center for Work Education and Employment, Denver
Laurie Harvey has served as executive director of CWEE since 1988. Celebrating 25 years of success in 2007, CWEE assists single parents and low income adults to enter the workforce. Laurie has been active on the front lines for policy development and program implementation in the areas of welfare reform and workforce development, both locally and nationally. She is an active member of several community boards and is a graduate of Leadership Denver 1993.
CARMEN HUBBS
Archuleta County Victim Assistance Program, Pagosa Springs
Carmen Hubbs is the executive director of the Archuleta County Victim Assistance Program. She began her career in human services in 1995 working with at-risk youth, many of whom had horrific histories of abuse and neglect. This experience ignited her passion for her current work as a victim advocate. For more than nine years, she led courageous women through the transformation of their lives.
SUSAN KENNEY
Project WISE, Denver
Susan Kenney has contributed to the Colorado community with efforts to provide strengths-based mental health treatment and advocacy for women and children. She has provided instruction to numerous graduate students in the human service fields, and has helped lead efforts to address issues impacting low-income women. She is the co-founder of Project WISE, which seeks to empower women with low income.
HEATHER LURIE
White House Project, Denver
Heather Lurie is the director of strategic development for The White House Project, an organization dedicated to advancing a richly diverse critical mass of women into leadership across sectors. She is also a lawyer, consultant and volunteer working with grassroots nonprofits and political organizations on strategic planning, board development, fundraising and organizing. She also serves on the steering committee of the Center for Women's Health Research.
CYDNEY MARSICO
Philanthropist, Denver
Cydney Marsico is the President and CEO of the Cydney and Tom Marsico Family Foundation. Since its inception in 1998, the Foundation has made a significant impact on numerous organizations within the focus areas of education, youth services, homelessness and housing. Cydney, and the Foundation she directs, are widely credited with the stabilization and growth of Girls Incorporated of Metro Denver, providing leadership to their successful capital campaign and serving on the organization's board of directors from 1996-2006.
LEIGH MCGOWN-KAUFFMAN
Yampah Teen Parent Program, Aspen
Leigh McGown-Kauffman began her career as a ninth-grade teacher in Durango. Inspired to affect positive change in the town's diverse population, Leigh identified teen mothers among the high school's students who were desperately in need of support. Since 1997, she has influenced teen parents in the Roaring Fork and Colorado River Valleys as the director of the Infant and Toddler programs and also as a student advisor at Yampah Mountain High School.
LINDA MERIC
9to5 National Association of Working Women, Denver
Linda Meric is the director of 9to5, National Association of Working Women. This inclusive multi-racial organization seeks to strengthen the ability of low-wage and low-income women to win economic justice. Linda helped found 9to5 Colorado in 1996 and served as the chapter's director until fall 2004, when she became 9to5's national director. The local organization became 9to5's largest one of its most impactful chapters under Linda's leadership.
YOLANDA RUSSELL
KeyBank's Key4Women Program, Denver
Yolanda Russell has 30 years experience in the banking industry and is a business banking team leader at KeyBank. She is the chair of the Key4Women program at KeyBank, which provides business solutions and networking opportunities for women business owners. Yolanda is affiliated with NAWBO, the Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce, the Small Business Development Center, and is a past board member of the Falcons Youth Organization.
TONI SCHMID
Work Options for Women, Denver
Toni Schmid is the founder and executive director of Work Options for Women, a culinary job training program for women living in poverty. She holds an M.S.W. from the University of Denver and has seventeen years experience in non-profit management and in creating programs for women living in poverty. During her second year in graduate school, she co-founded The Gathering Place and acted as its first executive director.
ELIZABETH SUAREZ
Avanza Business Group, Denver
Elizabeth Suarez is the co-president of the Adelante Mujer Board of Directors, an organization that provides training to young Latinas in the Denver metro area. She helped found one of the organization's most popular events, the LaTEENa Conference. Elizabeth serves on the board of directors of Girls, Inc., and is a delegate for the Junior Achievement Hispanic Initiative National Advisory Board. She also serves as an adjunct professor at Metro State College.
LAURA TYSON
Women's Wilderness Institute, Boulder
Laura Tyson is the founder of The Women's Wilderness Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to building courage, confidence, and leadership for girls and women. In her ten years as executive director, she integrated her previous experience as an outdoor educator and psychotherapist specializing in women's issues, to develop a new model of outdoor education that recognizes the needs and developmental issues of teen girls.
Two Decades of Investing in the Success of Colorado's Women and Girls
In 2007 the Women's Foundation of Colorado will celebrate 20 years of transforming the lives of women and girls in Colorado. In just two short decades, we've invested nearly $9 million and partnered with more than 180 agencies and communities to make women's financial independence and security a state priority.
In the process, we've transformed the face of philanthropy and advocacy by demonstrating how strategic giving can lift women and girls and their entire communities.