Board of Directors

Rebecca Arno, Vice President of Communications, The Denver Foundation 

Rebecca Arno serves as vice president of communications for The Denver Foundation, where she oversees public outreach, marketing and positioning in support of the foundation’s goals.  She has worked in the foundation sector since 1993, and in the nonprofit sector since 1988. Most recently, she was vice president of communications for the Daniels Fund. Before that, Rebecca served as communications officer for The Denver Foundation and communications manager for the Peninsula Community Foundation in the San Francisco Bay area. She has worked for nonprofits with such diverse focus areas as land conservation and addiction issues. Among her volunteer activities, she serves as vice chair of the steering committee for CommA (the national Communications Association for community foundations), and is chair of the Trustee Committee and the Diversity Committee for the board of the Logan School for Creative Learning. She is co-editor of Inclusiveness at Work: How to Build Inclusive Nonprofit Organizations, and speaks locally and nationally on the topics of community foundations, philanthropy, marketing, fundraising, inclusiveness and leadership. Rebecca received a degree in creative writing from San Francisco State University, and earned her master’s degree in nonprofit management from Regis University as a member of the Colorado Trust Fellows program.

Bruce N. Atchison, Chief of Staff, Lt. Gov. Barbara O'Brien
Bruce Atchison has worked on behalf of children and families for 30 years. As chief of staff for Lt. Gov. Barbara O’Brien, he is responsible for operations and policy recommendations specific to early childhood education, K–12 reform initiatives, children’s health and wellness initiatives, aerospace, American Indian affairs, the Governor’s Commission on Community Service, the arts, and other special projects. As a member of the Governor’s senior staff, he also participates on the Governor’s Cabinet.
Prior to working in the current administration Bruce was executive vice president of the Colorado Children’s Campaign and the campaign’s lobbyist. Before that he served in Governor Romer’s administration as director of Head Start-State Collaboration. He has been director of Boulder’s Children’s Services Division, executive director of Family Resource Schools for Denver Public Schools, and executive director of a United Way-funded child care center and infant nursery. He has served on the faculty of the University of Denver’s Department Speech Pathology and Audiology and on the faculty of the University of Colorado–Boulder’s Department of Communication Disorders and Speech Science.
Bruce has over 10 years of classroom teaching experience and holds degrees in fine arts, education (with a certification) and early childhood special education. He also serves on numerous local and state boards.

Juan Botello, Chief Financial Officer, Mile High United Way — Board Treasurer
Juan Botello has been the chief financial officer at Mile High United Way since 2000. He previously worked in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors as director of finance at Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado and MIS, Inc. (a software development company). He has served as an advisory board member for the University of Northern Colorado Nonprofit Management Program, guest instructor for the Regis University Masters of Nonprofit Management Program and a Financial Issues Committee member for United Way of America. He has been a member of the Colorado Nonprofit Association Finance Committee since 2004.

Chris Chavez, Director of Corporate Citizenship, United Launch Alliance

Chris Chavez previously served as senior manager of community relations at the Qwest Foundation. He has also managed AT&T’s corporate contributions, public relations and supported its business services, served as the communications manager for the Downtown Denver Partnership, Inc., and as public relations specialist at Martin Marietta Astronautics Group (Lockheed Martin). He served on Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper’s Transition Team as co-chair of the Workforce Development committee and as a member of the Marketing committee. His current and past board service includes the Colorado Nonprofit Association, Latin American Research & Service Agency (LARASA), Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce Foundation and the Leadership Denver Alumni Association, Museo de Las Americas and Metro Volunteers. He was a member of the Leadership Denver Class of 2000 and was named to the Denver Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” list of young business leaders. Chavez also is a member of the Public Relations Society of America Member and University of Wyoming Alumni Association. A Wyoming native, Chavez earned a bachelor’s in journalism from the University of Wyoming, where he graduated with honors. After graduation, Chavez earned six state writing awards as a reporter for the Jackson Hole Guide newspaper in Jackson, Wyo.

David DeForest-Stalls, Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado

David Deforest-Stalls graduated from the University of Northern Colorado and then invested nine years playing defensive tackle for the NFL Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Raiders, as well as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Life after football found him experiencing a variety of occupations, including marine biology, veterinary medicine, investment banking, telecommunications, professional public speaking, and directing Colorado's largest urban recreation department. In 1994, with the help of a number of at-risk youth (gang leaders, break dancers, graffiti artists, homeless, etc.), Dave created the award-winning nonprofit nighttime youth center in downtown Denver called The Spot, which merged in 2003 with Urban Peak. After the merger he invested a month in Puebla, Mexico to study Spanish and interact with three Mexican youth organizations. Dave, who delivers a workshop titled "How to Create Your Own Adolescent-Focused Youth Center,” directed consulting services for Urban Peak and The Spot, helping other communities create more places for adolescents. In the fall of 2003 Dave became executive director of Aspen Youth Experience, a nonprofit that attracts urban high-school-age youth from throughout the U.S. to intense experiences conducted in the mountains of Colorado and develops young leaders among the Latino youth of the Roaring Fork Valley. In 2003 he was named Humanitarian of the Year by 5280 Magazine.

Dr. Tom Downey, President, The Children's Museum of Denver, Inc. — Board Chair
Tom Downey joined the Children's Museum of Denver as executive director in June of 2005 and subsequently was named president by the museum's board. Previously, Tom was a lawyer specializing in administrative, legislative and constitutional litigation. He worked at a variety of firms in Colorado and Maryland and as an assistant attorney general in the Office of Attorney General Ken Salazar. In 2002, he received the Pro Bono Attorney Award from Ballard Spahr, and he was honored by the Denver Business Journal as on of its "Forty Under 40." Tom is in his eighth year on the Board of the Colorado Children's Campaign, having served as Chair and Vice Chair, and served on the Board of Hexagon, a theater group in Washington, D.C. He is on Denver Mayor Hickenlooper's Leadership Team for Early Childhood Education. He has recently joined the Colorado Nonprofit Association's Public Policy Committee.

Cynthia Evans, Monfort Executive Professor, Monfort College of Business, UNC
Cynthia Evans is a Monfort Executive Professor in the Baldrige-Award-winning Monfort College of Business at the University of Northern Colorado. Responsible for the executive professor program and the nonprofit administration minor, she also teaches business communications, history of business thought, and nonprofit management. She joined UNC in 2005.
Cynthia was Xcel Energy’s state vice president for Colorado, Wyoming and Arizona between 2000 and 2004. From 1996 to 2000, she was managing director of corporate communications for Public Service Company of Colorado and New Century Energies, both predecessor companies of Xcel Energy. She was responsible for establishing the New Century Energies Foundation (now Xcel Energy Foundation). Before that she was editor and publisher of Colorado Business magazine, and worked for US West for 19 years in various public relations positions, her last six years as PR director for Colorado.
She holds a bachelor’s degree from UNC and an MBA from DU, and is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Program for Management Development.
Cynthia is vice chair of the board and chairs the audit, investment and finance committee for Delta Dental of Colorado; she has served on several boards, including the Denver Metro Chamber, Southeast Business Partnership, Junior Achievement, and Mountain States Better Business Bureau. She is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors.
 

Susan France, Vice President of Programs, Bonfils-Stanton Foundation — Past Board Chair
Susan France,Vice President of Programs for the Denver-based Bonfils-Stanton Foundation, previously served as CEO of Warren Village, Associate Director of the Colorado Nonprofit Association (then CANPO), Development Director for SafeHouse Denver, Manager of Corporate Giving for Raytheon Company, Research Associate at the Heller School for Social Welfare at Brandeis University, and Associate Director of the Massachusetts Department of Manpower Development. Susan's board service has included the board of the Eleanor Roosevelt Institute, Seeking Common Ground, the Homestead Homeowners' Association, Center for the People of Capitol Hill, and the Colorado Nonprofit Association where she is currently board chair.

Dr. Jane Hansberry, Executive Director of the Foundation for Human Enrichment

Dr. Jane Hansberry leads the Foundation for Human Enrichment, a nonprofit educational and research organization dedicated to the worldwide healing and prevention of trauma, especially among underserved populations and victims of violence, war and natural disasters. Jane has an extensive background in nonprofit management in the areas of women’s issues, therapeutic and mainstream recreation, and arts and culture. She earned her Ph.D. in public administration and policy in 2005 from the University of Pittsburgh. Her research interests have focused on the economic impact of the nonprofit sector and the impact of collaboration on organizational effectiveness. She also holds a master’s of public administration from the University of Colorado and a bachelor of science in economics from the University of Massachusetts. She is currently teaching in the Graduate School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado at Denver, and consults in the areas of collaboration and strategic management. From 1990 to 1999 Jane served as district administrator for the metropolitan Denver Scientific and Cultural Facilities District. She worked in local government and human services in rural Colorado in the 1980s, and was the founding executive director of a women’s resource center. From 1983 to 1987 she was general manager of the Fraser Valley Metro Recreation District in Winter Park, Colorado. Jane has served on numerous nonprofit boards and committees, including Denver’s Rape Awareness and Assistance Program; Denver Comprehensive Plan 2000; Denver Schools Budget Advisory Committee; Denver Metro Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. She has helped develop ski racing programs for skiers with disabilities, and has been involved with Winter Park’s National Sports Center for the Disabled as a disabled athlete and instructor. She currently serves on the Summer Scholars Board of Directors and East High School’s A+ Angels Mentor Program.

Mary Anne Harvey, Executive Director, The Legal Center for People With Disabilities and Older People — Board Secretary
Mary Anne Harvey has worked in management and leadership of human service agencies for over 30 years. She was previously the director of a Wyoming preschool/child care center and director of development for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains. She has served as president of the board of directors of Warren Village, the National Association of Protection and Advocacy Systems (NAPAS), and the Center for Nonprofit Excellence. She is a founder of the Executive Leadership Institute, which supports the development of a group of peers from non-competing organizations and serves as a forum for creative problem-solving.

Judy Hegge, Community Partnership Program Coordinator, Mesa County Valley School District 51
Prior to becoming the Community Partnership Coordinator for Mesa County Valley School District 51, Judy taught in middle and high schools and at Mesa State College. Her civic activities include service as past chair of Marillac Clinic and Mesa County United Way, and board membership on Spellbinders and the Meth Task Force. She is the co-founder of the Teen Court Program in Grand Junction, recipient of the Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce Teacher Recognition Award, Boettcher Foundation Teacher Recognition Award, and National Outstanding Service-Learning K-12 Educator (also in the State of Colorado), 2000. She has two adult children Carly and Jeremy and is passionate about golf.

Lucille C. Johnson, Director of Health Initiatives, The Center for African-American Health
Lucille Johnson is responsible for providing operational leadership for all health programs and services at The Center for African-American Health. In conjunction with the Center’s promotion of increased physical activity in the African-American community, she has been featured in USA Today, numerous newspapers in the U.S. and Canada, and on National Public Radio. She is the executive producer of three health education outreach videos and has served as voiceover talent on numerous projects.
For 30 years Lucille has successfully managed projects and motivated workgroups in nonprofit and corporate settings. Her career experience spans the areas of consulting, management, human resources, legal issues, training delivery, and community health. She holds a BS in business administration (management emphasis/sociology minor) and an MA in psychology, and is a graduate of the Regional Institute for Health and Environmental Leadership.
In addition to her professional responsibilities, Lucille chairs the American Diabetes Association’s National African-American Initiative Subcommittee. She also serves on the Physical and Mental Health Committee for the Denver Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.
Lucille has received numerous awards during her career in recognition of humanitarian, service excellence, volunteerism and team contribution efforts. Most recently, she was awarded the Livingston Fellowship Award by the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation in 2007.
 

Noreen M. Keleshian, President and CEO, Parent Pathways
Noreen Keleshian has led Parent Pathways since 1989, first as executive director and then, after the position was expanded in January 1998, as president and CEO. Before that she was CFO and director of special projects for ARC International (a leadership training company) and a senior manager at Andersen Consulting, LLP.
At Parent Pathways she initiated and led a strategic positioning process that resulted in a name and branding change and also enhanced service delivery to better meet the needs of teen parents and their children.
A member of the Colorado Nonprofit Association’s Leadership Advisory Committee, Noreen has served on the boards of such nonprofits as Mile High United Way, the Colorado Association of Family and Children's Agencies, Family Foundation of North America, Associated Agency Executives, YWCA of Metropolitan Denver, Windstar Connection–Denver, Denver School-Based Clinics, and Family Service America. She has held leadership positions on several of these boards.
A former president of the Denver Mile High Rotary Club and a Certified Public Accountant, Noreen has held several positions at Trinity United Methodist Church. A Girl Scout troop leader, she has also been a volunteer friend and mentor for Denver Kids, Inc., and a volunteer tutor for The Learning Source for Adults and Families.
She holds a BA in economics from Mount Holyoke College and an MBA from the University of Michigan.
 

Katherine Peck, Chief Operating Officer, The Gill Foundation — Board Vice Chair
Katherine J. Peck, Esq., National Director of the Movement Building Center, is responsible for development and implementation of the Gill Foundation's national programming. Katherine came to the Gill Foundation from the Denver-based Rose Community Foundation, where she was Vice President for Programs and had oversight responsibility for the foundation's grantmaking, which in 2004 totalled more than $8 million. Prior to joining the Rose Community Foundation, Katherine was a partner at Holme Roberts & Owen LLP where she practiced law from 1984 to 2001. Katherine's extensive community involvement includes the Women's Foundation of Colorado, where she served as board president; the Denver Foundation's Civic and Education Advisory Committee; and the boards of the Colorado Women's Bar Association Foundation and the Legal Aid Foundation. Her board service includes the Colorado Nonprofit Association, Colorado Nonprofit Development Center and Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains. In 1998, Peck was recognized as a Woman Leader of Excellence by the Colorado Women's Leadership Coalition. That same year, she was included in the prestigious Women's Leadership Circle of the Girl Scouts - Mile Hi Council.

David C. Russell, Jr., President, Pueblo Government Agencies Federal Credit Union
David Russell recently became the president of the Pueblo Government Agencies Federal Credit Union. For the previous 16 years he owned and operated his own consulting company in Canon City, Colorado and around the country, and serves as a SBDC and SCORE counselor specializing in all aspects of small business and nonprofit development. As a former elected official and Bighorn Fellow he has deep experience in policy creation, including working with nonprofits to establish policies for doing advocacy work. He has also served as the executive director of the Fremont Community Foundation, which he helped create. He has served on numerous boards and committees including the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, The Box Project, The Adult Literacy Program of Fremont County and Colorado Community Revitalization Association, where he also conducts "Main St" training. He has been involved with the Colorado Nonprofit Association for a number of years as he was instrumental in planning the Canon City events celebrating Colorado Nonprofit Week.

Kevin D. Seggelke, President and CEO, Food Bank of the Rockies
Kevin Seggelke brought many years of food industry experience to the position when he became president and CEO of Food Bank of the Rockies in 2003. From 1992 to 2002 he was vice president, general manager and division director for Cub Foods’ Wisconsin and Colorado divisions. Before that he was vice president for foods at Twin Valu Stores, Inc. in Cleveland, and held several other positions at Cub Foods, including director of training, store manager, and a variety of store-level management positions.
Kevin’s community service includes membership on the boards of Food Bank of the Rockies (which he served as board chair from 1997 to 1999), Broomfield Boosters’ Club (chair, 1996–1998), and the Young Americans Education Foundation (Advisory Board). He also served the Valley Athletic Association in Stillwater, Minn., as a board member, volunteer coach and volunteer referee, and was a member of the St. John's University National Strategic Planning Committee. In 2005 he was named a Livingston Fellow by the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation.
Kevin holds a BA in history and English from St. John's University, and a J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law. He is also a graduate of Cornell University’s Executive Leadership Program and Food Industry Executive Program.
 

Ex-officio members

Betsy Jansen, CEO, Nonprofit Resources
Because of her background in association insurance programs, Betsy was given the responsibility to set up an insurance agency for the members of the Colorado Nonprofit Association and offer health and related benefits, workers compensation, directors and officers liability and general liability. She has a degree in Business Education from the University of Wisconsin but has spent most of her career in the insurance industry. Betsy is a native of Wisconsin and a "cheesehead". She thoroughly enjoys a football game on a Sunday afternoon.

Charley Shimanski, President and CEO, Colorado Nonprofit Association
Joining the Colorado Nonprofit Association in October of 2004, Charley spent the prior 11 years as the executive director of the American Alpine Club in Golden, Colorado. In this capacity, he moved the organization to Colorado, built the membership and increased the budget four fold, purchased, renovated and endowed a historic building to create the $8 million American Mountaineering Center. An 18 year volunteer of the Alpine Rescue Team in Evergreen, Charley was nominated for KUSA's "9WhoCare" award. A veteran on public policy issues, Charley has been the primary spokesperson or quoted in countless television, newspaper and magazine stories. A graduate in economics from the University of Wisconsin, Charley started his career in banking at the United Bank of Denver and went on to financial and computer positions with Oppenheimer Funds and Darlington Asset Management in Geneva, Switzerland and London, England. Married with two daughters, Charley and his family are avid skiers and enjoy the outdoors.