Who We Are
The People Behind The Movement
MEMBER STRONG
EPIC is a group of prestigious business executives partnering to invest in children. As leaders in their companies and industries, our Members are leaving a legacy of true progress and lasting change.
EPIC’s Board of Directors
MEMBERS
David Hammond
Chairman of the Board
Retired Partner
Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP
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After specializing in complex civil litigation at both the trial and appellate levels throughout the western United States for 35 years, David Hammond retired from the practice of law in January 2015. For his entire career, including 30 years as a partner, Davis Graham & Stubbs was his professional home.
David now devotes more time to his community activities. He has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the Mile High United Way since 2001. He has participated in several strategic planning efforts for the United Way, including the decision to move from a model providing for the annual funding of established partners to a competitive request for proposals process. Three times, he chaired the Board’s committee that selected winning proposals for multi-year grants. He led the Board’s task force for two major revisions of the United Way’s bylaws.
David is Chairman of the Board of Executives Partnering to Invest in Children (EPIC). For EPIC, David has written several newspaper guest columns, served on several of the Board’s committees, participated in the successful effort to extend Colorado’s Child Care Contribution Tax Credit, and promoted the collaborative use of the tax credit.
In 2017, David joined the Board of the Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance, which works with Colorado’s local Early Childhood Councils to improve young children’s access to quality services and supports.
David and his wife, Mary Mead Hammond (universally known as “Mooey”), have three grown children, an art dealer, a physicist, and doctor. Mooey and David enjoy travelling and gardening together. In addition, David is an avid cyclist and backpacker.
David graduated from Dartmouth College and from Harvard Law School.
Greg Anton*
Partner
BDO USA
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Greg Anton is a founding partner of Anton Collins Mitchell LLP (ACM), a Denver, Colorado based CPA firm with offices in Boulder, Denver and Greeley. ACM has been distinguished for both its rapid growth over the past decade and the creation of a desirable work environment. The 100+ member firm has been recognized as a 2010-2014 Best Accounting Firm to Work for by Accounting Today, a 2011-2015 Best Company to Work for in Colorado and a two time Fastest Growing Private Company.
Greg served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) (2011-2012). He is the recipient of the AICPA’s 2015 Gold Medal Award for Distinguished Service, the highest award granted by the AICPA and is given to CPAs who have made major contributions to the CPA profession. Greg is the founder of the AICPA’s What’s at Stake? The CPA Profession on Federal Fiscal Responsibility initiative which offers non-partisan guidance on how the U.S. government’s financial statements can be used for greater understanding of the nation’s fiscal health and clear analysis into why the financial statements provide a different perspective compared to the annual federal budget. Accounting Today has recognized Greg as one of the Top Most Influential People in Accounting. He has also been named one of The Top 25 Thought Leaders in public accounting technology by CPA Practice Advisor magazine.
During his career Greg has provided accounting and auditing services to private, public and multinational businesses. He has consulted on debt and equity offerings and various IPO’s. Greg’s defining characteristics are the long-term relationships he fosters with his clients, and his dedication to their total business needs which go beyond traditional accounting and auditing services.
Greg served as Chair of the Colorado Society of Certified Public Accountants (COCPA) Board of Directors during its Centennial year, is past President of the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) Alumni Association and past chair of the UNC School of Accountancy Advisory Board. Greg also co-chaired the COCPA Foundation’s Centennial Scholarship Campaign which successfully raised over $1.0 million for college accounting scholarships. Greg is a recipient of the Honored Alumni Award from UNC for his contributions to business and has been recognized as a top business news maker by the Denver Business Journal.
Greg and his wife Julie have two children, Cameron and Jacob. He enjoys spending time with his family including skiing, mountain biking, boating and fishing.
Professional Affiliations:
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Board of Directors (2006-2009, 2010-2013), Chairman (2011-2012)
International Federation of Accountants, Nominating Committee
National CPA Financial Literacy Commission, Chairman
Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, Past Board Member
Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, Council Member (2011-2013)
Executives Partnering to Invest in Children (EPIC), Chairman
Mile High United Way, Board of Trustees
Junior Achievement, Board of Directors
Colorado Concern, Member
Wish of a Lifetime, Board Member
Colorado Society of Certified Public Accountants, Real Estate Committee (1995-1999), Board of Directors (1999-2005), Chairman (2004-2005)
Governor’s Early Childhood Leadership Commission (ECLC), Past Member
Colorado Concern, Member
Colorado License 0013767
Education:
BS Accounting, University of Northern Colorado
Geta Asfaw*
President
Addis & Company/Ababa & Company
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Geta Asfaw is a native of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He moved to the United States at age 18 to attend the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. He has earned three college and post-graduate degrees, including an A.A., B.A., and M.A. He has been married to his wife Janice for over 30 years and has three grown children named Elias, Desta and Abraham.
Today Geta is the owner of eight McDonald’s restaurants and has a number of real estate investments throughout the Denver metro area. He has sponsored a number of activities with schools and non-profit organizations. Geta is a member of the “Global Hunger Project,” which is an organization dedicated to ending world hunger. This organization is active in over 24 countries. His achievements have been highlighted in the Colorado Black Leadership Profiles, and he has been named as a “Who’s Who among Colorado’s Outstanding Leaders.”
Geta has recognized the need to help the community, the city and beyond. He created the Asfaw Family Foundation to serve as a vehicle to give back to the communities in which he has served for over the past 20 years. One of these programs is, the “Arches of Hope Bicycle Giveaway,” which provides over 300 new bicycles and helmets to worthy elementary school students every Christmas season. The Foundation also provides tuition and other important benefits to school children in East Africa. In addition, the “Aim High” scholarship program provides financial assistance to African American male students. This program is designed to help increase the number of African American males on college campuses. Geta always believes that it is the responsibility of every business person to be involved and give back to the community – A strong community means a strong business and a win-win result for everyone.
Geta has been honored to receive numerous awards and to be recognized by a variety of organizations. Some of these recognitions include:
- The Colorado Council of Mediators and Mediations, “Peace in the Community” award.
- The Denver NAACP, “Caring and Sharing” award.
- The American Red Cross, “Volunteer in Foreign Language Interpreter” award.
- The Denver City Council, “Outstanding Community Service” award.
- The Urban Spectrum News, “An African American Who Makes a Difference” award.
- 100 Black Men of America, “Entrepreneur of the Year” award.
- The Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce, “Entrepreneur of the Year” award.
Geta has also lent his time to be involved with non-profit organizations, as well as board member and advisory positions. Some of these organizations include:
- The Ronald McDonald’s House Charity
- University of Colorado Boulder – Athletic Mentor Program
- Denver/Boulder Better Business Bureau
- Denver Kids, Inc.
- City Park Alliance
- Urban Peak
- The Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce
Ryan Beiser
Regional President
PNC Bank
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In this role, Ryan is responsible for leading overall growth across Colorado with a special focus on the Denver Metro area, as well as overseeing all aspects of Corporate Banking in the region. His office implements all local sponsorship and philanthropic efforts to execute PNC’s community-based goals and initiatives.
Ryan previously served as the chief operating officer of PNC’s Corporate and Commercial Banking groups. Prior to his COO role, Ryan led Corporate Banking for PNC’s Florida East region. During his tenure, he has participated in numerous internal and external initiatives while at PNC, including Men Advocating Real Change (MARC), Women Connect, and United Way West Palm Beach.
In Denver, Ryan is a member of YPO Colorado and serves on the board of Mile High United Way, the Board of Advisors for the University of Colorado Denver Business School, and on the Major Gifts Council for Early Childhood Education of the Mile High United Way.
Ryan earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from St. Vincent College and a MBA from the University of Maryland. He and his wife Heather live in Denver with their three children.
Christine Benero*
President and CEO
Mile High United Way
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Christine Benero is President and Chief Executive Officer of Mile High United Way, which just celebrated its 125th Anniversary as the first United Way in the country. Mile High United Way works to advance the common good of the community by investing and focusing on the issues of School Readiness, Youth Success and Adult Self-Sufficiency. Last year, Mile High United Way invested over $30 million in the Denver metro area.
Christine is the former Chief Executive Officer of the American Red Cross Mile High Chapter, in Denver, Colorado. Prior to joining the American Red Cross, Christine was the Director of the Office of Public Liaison for the Corporation for National Service in Washington, DC. She served in two Presidential administrations working for both Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Christine has served as Vice President of the National Civic League, and as a Community Affairs Corporate Program Officer for Target Stores in Minneapolis, MN.
Christine serves on the Boards of HealthOne, the National Civic League, Community Wealth Partners, Colorado Society of CPA Board of Director’s, City Year Denver and EPIC. She was appointed by Denver Mayor Michael Hancock to the Denver Education Compact Board and currently serves on the National Professional Council for United Way Worldwide. Christine was named the 9News Leader of the Year in 2007 and in 2009 received the Community Leader Award by Goodwill Industries and was named by both the Rocky Mountain News and the Denver Post as one of “Nine to Watch in 2009.” In 2010 she was named a “Woman of Distinction” by the Girl Scouts of Colorado and in 2011 received the “Las Madrinas” award from Centro San Juan Diego. In 2012, Christine was honored nationally by Girl Scouts of America as one of “One Hundred Distinguished Alumni” in honor of Girl Scouts 100th birthday. In 2013, she was named one of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Denver by the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce and presented with the Urban League’s “McKinley Harris Distinguished Warrior” award.
Christine is a past President of the Association of Junior Leagues International, a past chairman of the Women’s Foundation of Colorado, Coalition for America’s Children and the Kiwanis International’s Young Children: Priority One Advisory Board. She was a delegate both to the Presidents’ Summit for America’s Future in 1997 and to the NGO Forum at the UN Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995.
Christine holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Special Education from Boston University, a Masters in Education from Harvard University, Graduate School of Education and was selected as a 2007 Gates Fellow for the Senior Executive Program at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.
Daniel Ritchie*
Chancellor Emeritus
University of Denver
Emeritus Board Member
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Daniel Ritchie is EPIC’s founding board chairman and has a wiki profile here.
Akash Bhalla
Treasurer, EPIC
Partner
Ernst & Young LLP
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Coming soon…
Brad Busse*
President
Busse Ventures
Emeritus Board Member
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Brad Busse is President of Busse Ventures LLC. Busse Ventures is an entity Mr. Busse formed to manage his business interests and investments.
Most recently, Mr. Busse provided senior industry coverage across all industry groups for RBC Capital Markets, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Royal Bank of Canada, from April 2012 to February 2014.
Previously, Mr. Busse was Co-Head of the U.S. Communications, Media & Entertainment (“CME”) Group for RBC Capital Markets from January 2007 to April 2012, where he was responsible for the management and strategic development of the CME Group’s business, which includes mergers & acquisitions, equity and debt capital formation and financial advisory engagements.
Mr. Busse joined Daniels & Associates in 1985 after receiving broad experience in finance and accounting. After briefly serving in the Cable Television Group, he took responsibility for building the Telecommunications Group, which completed more transactions in the wireline, wireless and telecom infrastructure sectors than any other investment bank during his tenure. Mr. Busse was President and one of two lead principals at Daniels & Associates when it was acquired by RBC Capital Markets in January 2007.
Mr. Busse began his professional career at Arthur Anderson & Co. in 1980 and, subsequently, became a financial manager for a $1 billion energy concern. He received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Denver and an MBA from Regis College.
Mr. Busse served as chairman of the PCIA Foundation (1999 – 2001), a leading wireless industry foundation, and was appointed by Governor Bill Owens to serve on the Colorado Commission on Science & Technology (2000-2006). In 2010, he was appointed by Governor Ritter to the Colorado Commission on Early Childhood Leadership and was reappointed by Governor Hickenlooper in 2012. Mr. Busse is a member of the Executive Advisory Board of the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver which he chaired for three years (April 2009 – April 2012) and is on the Board of Trustees of Mile High United Way which he chaired for two years (July 2008 – June 2010). He also served as Chairman of the Million Dollar Roundtable Council for United Way Worldwide from 2002 to 2007.
Mr. Busse also chairs the Executive Roundtable of EPIC (Executives Partnering to Invest in Children) and is an active member of Colorado Concern, which is a non-partisan association that addresses issues which impact Colorado’s economy and lifestyle and whose membership includes most of the top business executives in Colorado
Kelly Causey
President and CEO
Colorado Children’s Campaign
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Kelly has more than two decades of experience leading large Colorado non-profit organizations. She has devoted more than 25 years working with children and youth, from one of her first jobs in residential treatment to more than two decades engaged with youth conservation corps. Kelly holds a Ph.D. in Health and Behavioral Sciences from the University of Colorado at Denver, where she has also served as a sociology instructor. She has several publications related to child custody and stigma. She has served on the Corps Network National Board of Directors, the Colorado Workforce Development Council, and the Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships Commission. She currently serves on the board of EPIC. In her free time you’d likely spot her at a CU sporting event or catching a performance at the DCPA.
Mike Kehoe
VP Finance,
PCL Construction
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PCL Construction Enterprises, Inc., VP-Finance (2000-Present) PCL’s most senior finance professional in the U.S., responsible for the accounting, financial reporting, tax, investment, and treasury functions. Member of PCL’s primary operating board of directors and its investment committee. Secretary/Treasurer and Board Member for numerous PCL subsidiary companies in the U.S. KPMG, LLP, Audit Associate/Senior/Manager/Sr. Manager (1992-2000) Worked as an auditor with a primary focus on the construction, engineering, and real estate industries. Early promotion to Audit Senior, Manager and Sr. Manager.
Education/Recognition University of Colorado-Boulder, MBA in Accounting, 1992. Treasurer of the Beta Alpha Psi accounting fraternity. University of Wisconsin-Madison, B.S. in Investment, Banking & Finance, 1987. Member of the Finance Society. 2017 Denver Business Journal-Top Financial Executive Award Recipient 2019 Kate Waller Barrett Community Service Award Winner
Charitable/Not-for-Profit Experience Mile High United Way Board of Trustees Member (2016-2019), Alexis De Tocqueville Society Co-Chair (2019-2021). Former Board Chair-Florence Crittenton Services of Colorado (formerly Parent Pathways), a charitable organization that includes a high school in partnership with DPS and support services for pregnant and parenting teen mothers. Successfully led capital campaign, campus redevelopment plan, and renewed public/private partnership with DPS (2009-2015). Former Board Member for the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA)-Denver Chapter (2004-2012). Active membership in the Denver Chapter. Served 19 Seasons as a youth sports coach in Golden, CO.
Adeeb Khan
Executive Director
Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation
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Adeeb is the Executive Director of Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation. He was previously senior director of corporate social responsibility at TIAA, senior director of volunteer engagement at Mile High United Way, and regional director of health & safety and community services at American Red Cross. He holds an MBA from the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver and a BA in communications and media studies from the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. He is currently serving on the board of College Track, the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation, and B:CIVIC.
Mike Kopp*
President and CEO
Colorado Concern
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Mike Kopp is the President and CEO of Colorado Concern, an alliance of top business executives with a mission of enhancing the Centennial State’s business climate. Mike Kopp’s leadership experiences include service as a hotshot firefighter who battled wildfires in the west, an Army paratrooper who earned the Ranger tab and served in the Gulf War, a leader in ministry and as a member of the Colorado state senate. Mike owned his own consulting practice and served as Corporate Affairs Manager in the state’s largest electric cooperative. He has served on several nonprofit boards in the community. Mike is a runner and endurance athlete. So far his favorite races have been the Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race, the St. George half – Ironman and the Phoenix marathon. He plans to compete in the full ironman in Cozumel. He and his wife Shannon and their kids Meghan, Allie and Soren live in Golden. Their son Ethan serves in the Army infantry.
Marc Pasquariello-Williams
Secretary, EPIC
Senior Vice President, Financial Advisor
RBC Wealth Management
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Marc has been serving clients in the private wealth management industry since leaving public accounting in 1991 and is currently, Senior Vice President and Financial Advisor for RBC Wealth Management. Prior to RBC, he was Family Wealth Director, Senior Vice President, Senior Portfolio Manager and Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley for over 9 years; and then Senior Vice President for almost 18 years at Wells Fargo. Marc has a background in law, JD from William Mitchell College of Law, accounting (CPA), and business (MBA from Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management).
When Marc is not busy earning the title of trusted advisor to his client base who seek to fulfill their true intent for advancing purpose and legacy, you can find him engaged in any one of several outdoor activities, enjoying all that Colorado has to offer. Marc is the single father of two daughters. His oldest, Gabrielle, graduated from the University of Richmond this spring and is living in Raleigh, N.C., and his youngest, Sophia, is heading back to college this fall after recovering from her fourth and final shoulder surgery in less than 5 years. Marc is also a professionally certified tennis racquet stringer. Having strung thousands of racquets while his daughter was pursuing her passion on the tennis courts, he created Last Second Stringing, a purely philanthropic endeavor and donates all funds collected to a foundation that runs a school for children in Uganda.
Marc participates on EPIC’s Policy and Initiatives committees and his expertise and input is highly valued.
David Perez
Independant Board Member
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With 40 years of executive leadership in medical device and health care services, David Perez serves as an independent board member and advisor to several corporations and non-profit organizations. His expertise encompasses growing highly regulated global businesses organically through R&D and innovation and inorganically through M&A, leading within a variety of foreign, public and private equity ownership structures, strategic planning, culture and talent development, succession planning, enterprise risk management, operations, compliance, and corporate governance.
Perez retired from his leadership role at Terumo BCT in March 2019 following a comprehensive 2-year succession and transition plan. During his more than 18 years serving as president and CEO, Terumo BCT grew from $160M in global revenue to $1B as an innovation driven biomedical company focused on unlocking the potential of blood and cell-based therapies in the blood banking, transfusion medicine and cell therapy/regenerative medicine sectors.
Beginning with COBE BCT in 1999, through Gambro BCT, CaridianBCT, and then Terumo BCT, Perez guided the company through several foreign ownership structures, leveraging his extensive experience leading complex, multinational businesses and diverse, cross-cultural organizations. Under his tenure, the company grew from a single manufacturing and R&D site to employing over 7000 associates at five regional headquarters, five R&D centers and six manufacturing plants located in the U.S., Ireland, Belgium, Japan, Vietnam and India. His strategic vision took the organization from two business units, focused on two product platforms, into global leadership positions in five business areas and 12 product categories serving customers and patients in 130 countries, with 70% of the company revenue coming from international customers.
As CEO of CaridianBCT, under the private equity ownership of EQT and Investor AB, Perez and his global team increased company value by 85% over 4.5 years, resulting in a $2.6B exit to Terumo Corporation (4543.T. Nikkei) in June 2011. Perez continued to lead the company for 8 more years, also serving on the Terumo Corporation Board of Directors until June 2019, where he was one of fewer than 300 non-Japanese board members of all publicly traded companies in Japan.
Sue Renner*
Executive Director
David and Laura Merage Foundation
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Sue E. Renner directs a consortium of private foundations representing three generations of the David and Laura Merage family in Greenwood Village, Colorado. The Merage Foundations invest in, and take risks with, innovative social entrepreneurs to achieve significant community impact in the United States and Israel. In addition to overseeing grantmaking and operations, Sue is spearheading the development of the Foundations’ Early Learning Ventures initiative to increase the stability and productivity of Colorado’s ECE sector through market-based interventions.
Prior to joining the Merage organization in 2006, Sue was the Executive Director of Early Childhood Connections, a non-profit corporation providing early intervention supports and services to over 1,000 infants and toddlers and their families each year in the Denver-metro region. Sue also worked as a Senior Program Manger with the Colorado Office of Resource and Referral Agencies where she was responsible for launching Colorado’s T.E.A.C.H. program, a public-private venture to provide early care and education professionals with college scholarships.
Sue’s experience includes volunteer leadership roles with several community development, family support and early care and education organizations. In her tenure as President of the Arapahoe County Early Childhood Council she established several new initiatives including the Developmental Surveillance Project, a successful venture to engage pediatricians and parents in the early identification of developmental delays. Ms. Renner received her BS in Human Development from California Polytechnic University, and her MS in Child and Family Development from Colorado State University.
Amy Schwartz*
Executive Director
BuildStrong Education
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Ms. Schwartz has been with BuildStrong Education (formerly the Foundation for Educational Excellence) since 2008. Before moving to Colorado in October of 2007, Ms. Schwartz lived and worked in Los Angeles, California. She graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with her M.A. degree in Social Research Methodology, from the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies in June 2007. While in graduate school, Ms. Schwartz consulted with First 5 LA, the Los Angeles County Proposition 10 Commission, with their School Readiness Initiative which administered $134 million to 42 diverse communities within the county. Before attending graduate school, Ms. Schwartz spent three years as the School Readiness Program Director with a non-profit agency serving a densely populated Hispanic neighborhood in the Los Angeles metro area. Ms. Schwartz began her career in education and the non-profit field as an AmeriCorps*VISTA volunteer in 1997.
In total, Ms. Schwartz has twenty years of experience working with various educational and family-support programs. Her work has centered on the goal of increasing student outcomes in low-income, low-performing schools through collaborative, family support and public-private partnerships.
Ms. Schwartz was a founding board member of the Lyons Valley Preschool which opened soon after the devastating floods of September 2013. She is also a founding board member of Steps to Success a non-profit created in 2016 with the mission to sustain youth violence prevention work in the Montbello neighborhood of Denver.
Susan Steele*
President and CEO
Buell Foundation
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Susan received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Northern Colorado and began her career as a middle school math teacher. After several years of teaching, she moved into the business arena serving in management and accounting positions for several family-owned businesses in Denver. She joined the Buell Foundation as controller in 1993. In 1998 she was named Executive Director.
During her tenure, she has helped guide the foundation to prominence as a leader in early childhood development throughout the state of Colorado. Under her leadership, the Foundation was recognized as the Colorado Foundation of the Year in 2012. In 2013, Susan was appointed to the Colorado Early Childhood Leadership Commission, where she helps to advise the Office of Early Childhood on issues related to early childhood education and development. Susan currently serves on the Management Team for the Buell Early Childhood Leadership Program at the University of Colorado at Denver and has played an important role in the creation of the Buell Early Childhood Leadership Network. Both of these groups exist to nurture and build the leadership capacity of experienced and emerging leaders to create equity, opportunity, and educational excellence for all young children and their families in Colorado. She also chairs the Early Childhood Funders Collaborative and is immediate past president of the Colorado Association of Funders. Susan is one of the founding partners that created Colorado EPIC and remains an active member on the governing board today.
* Founding members/organizations
Executive
MEMBERS
Dan Ball
Senior Managing Director
RBC Wealth Management
Rachel Carlson
CEO and Co-Founder
Guild Education
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Prior to founding Guild, Rachel was the CEO of Student Blueprint, led student services at American Honors, and worked for the 2008 Obama campaign before serving in the Obama White House. She and her co-founder, Brittany, were previously selected for Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list, and The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce named Guild as the 2017 Top Woman-Owned Business of the Year. Rachel holds an M.B.A. from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business as well as an M.A. in Education and B.A. in Political Science from Stanford University. Rachel lives in Denver with her husband, David, and their twin girls, Lily Grace and Magnolia Bea.
Roberto Cota
Managing Director
Deloitte
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Coming soon…
Wes Gardner
CEO
Prime Trailer
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Wes Gardner is the founder and CEO of Prime Trailer, a semi-tractor-trailer dealership with an emphasis on rental and leasing. Prime has operations in Colorado, Utah and Nevada. Wes is a successful entrepreneur with a strong faith which he integrates into his businesses and the marketplace. He has an ardent desire to give back to his employees and his community. Wes believes that a “Good Job” is the best way to fight poverty which is why he founded The Gardner Family Foundation which provides grants to nonprofits that focus on education, job training and sustainable self-sufficiency programs for single moms. Wes sits on several boards including CityUnite and Activate Workforce Solutions. He is married to his high school sweetheart, Allyson, and has two children and 6 grandkids that he calls his “True North!”
Antoinette Gawin
President and CEO
Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies
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Antoinette Gawin is President and Chief Executive Officer of Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies, a mission-driven medical device company that is focused on unlocking the potential of blood and cell-based therapies. The innovative company strives to advance healthcare, broaden treatment options and improve patient outcomes through its technologies within the sectors of blood banking, transfusion medicine and regenerative medicine.
Antoinette focuses on how the company will continue to evolve with healthcare’s rapid changes to meet more patients’ needs globally. She believes medical device manufacturers must change and go beyond equipment to think about services, data management and new geographies where people do not yet have access to the technologies that can advance their health and lives. Antoinette is ensuring that Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies continues to focus on service and helping our customers solve problems — enabling them to better serve patients.
She has nearly 30 years of experience directing diverse global teams and transformational change. Building from a foundation in finance, operations and customer service, Antoinette has led joint ventures and acquisitions, as well as all aspects of marketing, strategic planning and commercial operations for divisions of companies in the healthcare, information technology and energy sectors.
Antoinette joined the company in 2016 and previously served as Executive Vice President, Global Commercial. She was responsible for leading the company’s global sales, services, marketing and commercial teams.
In her past leadership roles at Baxter Healthcare, she oversaw global market access and commercial excellence, strategy and commercial operations. For more than 20 years prior, Antoinette worked at GE Corporate and a number of subsidiaries, including GE Healthcare Technologies, GE Industrial and Power Systems and GE Information Services.
She is a member of the AdvaMed Board of Directors and serves as the chair of the AdvaMed Ethics and Compliance Committee.
Antoinette is involved in many civic organizations, including American Friends of Watershed Trust Organization, a nonprofit focused on sustainable access to clean water in India. She lives with her family in Colorado, where they enjoy the outdoors and the performing arts.
Pat Hamill*
Chairman and CEO
Oakwood Homes
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Patrick Hamill received his BSBA in the School of Real Estate and Construction Management from the University of Denver in 1981. In 1991, he founded Oakwood Homes, LLC. His company’s commitment is and always has been, to listen to the customer, focus on their needs and provide a rewarding buying experience. Currently Oakwood Homes is the largest private builder in the Denver metropolitan area and is ranked third in the market share. Oakwood homes celebrated their 20th year in the home building business in 2011, as well as building their 10,000th home. Aside from the sales figures, Oakwood Homes, under the direction of Mr. Hamill, is a company committed to the growth and development of the Denver area beyond housing.
He is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Oakwood Homes, LLC. In addition to Oakwood Homes, Mr. Hamill’s other business affiliations include: Town and Country Title and Insurance, Green Valley Ranch Golf Club, Precision Building Systems and PKK Investments. He is a Past Chairman and a member emeritus of the Board of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver, Trustee of the University of Denver, Chairman of the Colorado Open Golf Foundation, Chairman of the Board of Colorado Concern and serves on the board of HealthOne. He is also serving on the Governor’s Early Childhood Leadership Commission.
In an effort to not only build a master-planned community in the Denver area, but also support the community in and around it, Mr. Hamill co-founded two community development organizations in the greater Denver area: The Foundation for Educational Excellence and the 21st Century High Tech Academy.
His creation of the “Home for Good” program where Oakwood Homes, along with affiliated trade contractors, built and donated a home valued over $300,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver. This program raised in excess of $700,000 for the Clubs. In 2012 Oakwood, and its affiliated trade contractors, built and donated the Dream Home for St. Jude’s Hospital, which netted them $1,200,000 for research and the hospital. In 2013 Oakwood completed their second Dream Home for St. Jude’s.
Mr. Hamill has received the “Professional Achievement Award” through the University of Denver Founders’ Day in 1999 and in 2007 was awarded the Boys & Girls Clubs Champion of Youth Award.
Jena Hausmann
President and CEO
Children’s Hospital Colorado
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With nearly 20 years of experience in healthcare administration, Jena Hausmann is one of the leading women in healthcare in the US. As President and Chief Executive Officer for Children’s Hospital Colorado, she oversees an integrated healthcare system for children, which is affiliated with the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
With 700,000 patient visits annually and 593 licensed beds, Children’s Hospital Colorado has consistently ranked in the top ten children’s hospitals in the nation. Jena oversees the Children’s Hospital Colorado at the Anschutz Medical campus, the Children’s Hospital Colorado network of care in 17 locations in the metropolitan Denver area, the Children’s Hospital Colorado pediatric services at Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs, and the newly opened Children’s Hospital Colorado South Campus, a full service generally licensed hospital in south Denver.
During her tenure, unprecedented increases in patient volume have been achieved. With employees now numbering over 5000, Jena is proudest that Children’s Hospital Colorado continues its focus on the precious children and families it serves through a culture of intimacy, connection and purpose. In a reaffirmation of the values inherent in Children’s Hospital’s child and family focused culture, the scores for patient satisfaction and employee engagement rank among the highest in the US.
Jena joined Children’s Hospital Colorado in 2004 as the Vice President of Strategic Planning and Network of Care Operations and assumed the role of Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in 2008. In May of 2015, Jena was named President and Chief Executive Officer.
She was motivated to become a healthcare administrator after watching a loved one go through the system in their final moments of life. After earning a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from the University of Minnesota in 1996, Jena completed an administrative fellowship at the Fairview Health System in Minneapolis, MN. There, she helped redesign the care delivery and financing models for nursing home residents through a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant.
Following the fellowship, she served as the Director of Provider Relations at The University of Minnesota Medical Center, an organization consisting of a then recently-merged 500 bed community hospital and a 500 bed academic medical center. After 11 months in the role, she joined the senior management team and remained there for the next six years providing leadership over a large number of operational areas as well as planning and business development activities. The cultural and operational challenges in this merger of two large entities into a comprehensive, integrated health system prepared Jena for her executive role at Children’s Hospital Colorado.
In 2008, Modern Healthcare featured Jena as one of 12 “rising healthcare management stars.”
Jena currently serves on the board of directors for the Metro North Chamber of Commerce. In 2012, she served as the March of Dimes’ March for Babies revenue chair and she served on the YMCA Metro Denver board from 2009-2012.
As a leading woman in healthcare, she annually mentors as many as 30 individual women at the CU School of Medicine as well as throughout the Children’s organization to help them understand their roles and opportunities and to demonstrate personally and professionally the ability of women to succeed in executive roles in healthcare.
Jena, her husband Kevin, and three children, Ellie, Andrew and Carson, find their life’s purpose is to provide much love and laughter each day.
Suzy Jaeger
SVP, Chief Patient Experience & Access Officer
Children’s Hospital Colorado
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Ms. Jaeger, age 59, has been employed by Children’s Colorado since 1992. She was named the Chief Patient Experience and Access Officer in September 2015. Prior to that, she held the position of Senior Vice President, Ambulatory Services and the Network of Care, for three years. Ms. Jaeger was named Vice President in 2004 after serving in several progressive managerial and director level roles in Ambulatory Services from 1992-2004. In her current role, she serves as a member of the Senior Executive Leadership Team, providing operational management and strategic direction for the outpatient clinical practice operations on the main campus and throughout the Network of Care and seven-state region (specialty care, primary care, dental care, therapy care); the inpatient, emergency department and urgent care services in the Network of Care, including the South Campus and North Campus hospitals. She provides Senior Leader leadership for a broad array of Patient-Family Experience services and the Association of Volunteers. In addition, she provides leadership and direction for Children’s Colorado’s ACCESS strategic initiative (improving access to care across the entire care continuum and communication among team members, referring community providers and patients/families). Ms. Jaeger also serves on the Boards of Directors for Reach Out and Read Colorado (current Board Chair), Brent’s Place, and Children’s Hospital Association of Volunteers.
Ms. Jaeger received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management from the University of South Dakota in 1985. She is married and has three children and two grandchildren.
Mike Johnston
President and CEO
Gary Community Ventures
Paul Major
President and CEO
Telluride Foundation
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Paul Major has served as the President and CEO of the Telluride Foundation since its inception in June 2000. Major leads the Foundation’s multi-million dollar development, grantmaking, capacity building and initiative efforts.
Prior to the Telluride Foundation, Major worked as the Director of Business Development for Booth Creek Ski Holdings six resorts. Major’s ski industry experience began in 1984 with the U.S. Ski Team in Park City, UT. He served as the Vice President of Athletics and Alpine Olympic ski coach, directing and managed all athletic aspects of the 6 Olympic sports of the U.S. Ski Team including 200 athletes, 60 staff and 50,000 members.
Major is a board member of the Mobile Accord, Bright Futures for Early Childhood and Families, EPIC (Executive Partnering for Investment in Children) and formally Colorado Association of Funders, and the Council on Foundation Community Foundation Leadership Team and chaired the Technology Task Force.
Major holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Colorado, Boulder and studies towards a master in Mechanical Engineering. Major lives in Telluride, Colorado with his wife, Lois Whitesel Major, J.D.. They have three children, Victor currently at Williams College, Naomi currently at St. Michaels College and Malcolm at Telluride High School.
David Merage*
Chairman and CEO
Consolidated Investment Group LLC
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Until its sale to Nestle in September 2002, David Merage was co-owner and co-founder of Chef America, Inc., a national frozen food manufacturer. Chef America, Inc. products are sold in supermarkets, club stores, and other institutional operations throughout the United States under brand names such as Hot Pockets, Lean Pockets, Croissant Pockets, etc. In 2002, Chef America, Inc. sales were approximately $750 million and had 1,800 employees.
Prior to founding Chef America, Inc., David was involved in real estate investments and continues to be active in this area. David is currently Principal of Consolidated Investment Group (CIG), an investment management company specializing in Wall Street and real estate investments for a select group of private clients. The company’s Wall Street investment group allocates capital through opportunistic and value-oriented strategies to preserve capital while maximizing returns. CIG’s Real Estate Division seeks optimal returns through creative partnership structures, asset repositioning, and other innovative techniques. CIG has been actively investing in value added real estate since 2003 and is building a diverse portfolio. Real estate is acquired in multiple US and International markets through operating partners, direct investment, and opportunistic funds. Target asset types include residential, multifamily, office, industrial, retail, mixed use and land.
In addition to the CIG operations, Mr. Merage also provides leadership to three philanthropic foundations: David and Laura Merage Foundation, Andre and Katherine Merage Foundation, and Merage Foundations – Israel. The operational platform of the foundations was modeled on Mr. Merage’s successful business ventures, and his entrepreneurial spirit and management expertise provide a clear road-map for the social investment strategy. The foundations have a focus on venture philanthropy, and the investment process is highly interactive to ensure grantee partners have programs with measurable outcomes and significant community impact. One of these projects, Early Learning Ventures, was founded by the David and Laura Merage Foundation in 2009.
David was born in Tehran, Iran. At the age of fifteen he traveled to England to pursue his studies. Later, he moved to the United States where he continued his education. David received his Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from California State University. David is married to Laura Merage. Laura was born in Tehran, Iran and immigrated to Los Angeles at the age of fifteen. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from the University of Southern California and her Masters Degree in Art from New York University. Laura is an artist/photographer with works in public and private collections nationally and internationally.
Dick Monfort
Owner/Chairman and CEO
Colorado Rockies
Stacie Packard
President and CEO
Delwest Management Corp.
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Stacie has been in the affordable housing community since 1993. She is the President of Delwest Management and brings more than two decades of experience serving as the Vice President of the Ross Management Group, one of the nation’s leading affordable housing property management firms. Her experience also includes a 15-year term on the Board of Directors of Affordable Housing Management Association, including two years as President of the Board. Stacie is an alumnus of the Denver’s Community Leadership Foundation.
Stacie is in charge of supervising all management staff while maintaining their building assets at Delwest Management. During the pandemic, residents at Delwest’s properties were facing the adversity of sending their children to school online. Some residents could not afford computers or even the internet, so Stacie and her team came up with the solution to have Educational Pods for our population of families so that teachers could go to the properties every day to manage children’s online educational needs including purchasing computers and paying for internet. They also realized a lot of these children depended on a meal while attending school they would no longer receive, so they had lunches and snacks delivered so that no child missed this meal. The next goal for Stacie is to provide low or no-cost child care in their affordable housing developments.
Dave Rogers
Retired Shareholder
Deloitte & Touche LLP
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Dave was a Partner in Deloitte’s Government & Public Services (GPS) practice prior to his retirement from Deloitte in May 2020. From February 2017 to May 2020, Dave served as the GPS Geographic Hyper-Growth leader for Colorado and, in that role, was responsible for leading the expansion of the GPS Defense, Security & Justice, Civil Government and Health sectors in Colorado. Dave also served as the GPS Risk & Financial Advisory Geography Champion for the Pacific & West Geographies. Dave has over 40 years of experience consulting with a diverse group of federal and state government and commercial organizations on a broad range of internal control, corporate governance, business process, financial, operational and regulatory issues, and had a specialty in helping clients address their Sarbanes-Oxley and financial reporting internal control challenges. Dave was the Lead Client Services Partner for the National Institutes of Health from 2015-2017, the Lead Advisory Partner for the US Postal Service from 2007-2015, and the lead Federal Advisory Practice Quality Risk Manager from 2007-2017. Dave is a Certified Public Accountant and served as an Audit partner in the Deloitte & Touche commercial audit practice from 1993-2001.
Dave received his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Colorado at Boulder and is a native of Colorado (Colorado Springs). Dave enjoys skiing, biking and running, and he and his wife, Pam, enjoy traveling and spending time in Boston with their two daughters and their families, including two granddaughters and a grandson.
Lisa Steven
Founder and Executive Director
Hope House Colorado
Colin Stewart
Founder and CEO
STEM Child Care, Inc.
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Colin is the Founder & CEO of STEM Child Care, Inc., an educational start-up focused on offering a center-based STEM curriculum to infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Investing in early education and the next generation of leaders is important to him because he is a product of a STEM-focused early education, so he is humbled and excited to be developing a platform that promotes the acquisition of STEM knowledge and problem-solving skills through individualized learning experiences. Colin has the utmost respect for education as a vehicle for knowledge acquisition and as a foundation for climbing the socioeconomic ladder. For that reason, he could not pass up the opportunity to reinvent the large child care center model with the mission of helping scholars at his preschools reach their full potential.
Due to Colin’s early exposure to STEM education and diligent work ethic, he has excelled in his academic and professional careers; Colin earned an undergraduate degree from Princeton University, MPH from Columbia University, and MBA from Dartmouth College, and has worked for Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, UnitedHealth Group, and DaVita as an investment banker and leader of revenue-generating business units. Colin is grateful for the opportunity to join EPIC, to expand his professional network with like-minded individuals, and to meaningfully contribute new ideas that support the creation of family-friendly work environments and increase access to quality, affordable early education in our community.
Linda Weise
President
Colorado Springs Community Cultural Collective at City Auditorium
* Founding members/organizations
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We are the business community’s nonpartisan voice for early childhood care and education.
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EPIC TEAM
Nicole Riehl
President and CEO
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Nicole joined Executives Partnering to Invest in Children (EPIC) as President & CEO in September of 2019. Her experience spans across the private and non-profit sectors, with her career beginning as an early childhood teacher at an on-site corporate child care program. After working in the financial sector on behalf of a large national homebuilder for several years, Nicole returned to early childhood and supported the quality ratings and onboarding of over 200 child care programs participating in the Denver Preschool Program after it was authorized by Denver voters in 2006. Her work grew to include the management of quality improvement initiatives and grant contracts at Qualistar Colorado, which sparked her passion for non-profit leadership and management.
Most recently, Nicole held the position of Chief Operating Officer at Denver’s Early Childhood Council, where she helped build a team of 30 staff and an organizational operating budget of $5.5 million over the course of 8 years.
Nicole earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management from the University of Colorado at Denver and a graduate certificate in Non-Profit Management and Leadership from Duke University. She is also an alumna of several leadership development programs and stays active within the community as a volunteer and supporter of several organizations.
Nicole is a Colorado native and enjoys traveling, cycling, skiing, and staying active with her husband and Kindergarten daughter in her free time.
Alethea Gomez
Director of Programs and Initiatives
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Alethea has worked in both early education and business for more than 15 years. Her undergraduate studies focused on Business Administration, Early Cognition and Development, and she completed her Masters in Life and Developmental Sciences at CU Denver’s Department of Human Development. She also holds several licensures in Colorado, and continues to pursue opportunities to deepen her experience and knowledge of the field.
Alethea has extensive experience overseeing large educational institutions in both leadership and administrative capacities, working privately and professionally with families, and creating vision, structure and growth in the departments she has led. This has honed both her ability to support the needs and goals of complex projects, and make direct connections to the incredible benefit of the integration of family and business needs.
Her past tenures included work with UCLA, Harvard University, Pixar, Facebook, and Bright Horizons Family Solutions – specifically supporting the needs of children and families – and equipping her with a unique ability to understand and represent the needs and support structures for business owners, educators and families. She is thrilled to continue this work supporting the goals and expanding the influence of EPIC across Colorado and beyond.
Marianne Hodge
Director of Operations
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Marianne joined EPIC in December of 2019 and on the very same day, she and her family moved into their first mountain home in Bailey, Colorado. Formally, an east coaster, Marianne grew up in Upstate Ny in the Adirondack mountains. After, obtaining a B.S. in Finance at Siena College, she decided to seek out a business career in Washington, DC. After a couple years in the business sector, Marianne followed her heart and switched paths into education. She worked as a paraprofessional, until she found her calling as Lead Teacher, in the Child Development Center at Sidwell Friends. There she learned the value and importance of a child’s most formative years from zero to three, and there she learned of her desire to shout it from the roof tops! While happy with her purpose in life, the mountains were calling her name, except this time it was the Rocky Mountains. She knew she needed to be around like-minded individuals who not only cared about the importance of early care and education but also cared about it from 5,280 feet. She picked up and moved to cap hill in Denver, where she could walk to Warren Village and teach her students and their parents in a full circle operation about how the brain develops, and how important “windows of opportunity” can impact a child’s future success.
Prior to EPIC, Marianne served as a Quality Navigator at Denver’s Early Childhood Council, where she helped over 45 child care providers with business administration, PDIS, and navigating the QRIS system to effectively use QI funding.
Marianne has collectively 10 years’ experience as an Early Childhood Educator and home provider, while she stayed home with her now 6 year old son for his formative years until he was ready for preschool.
When she is not busy maintaining EPIC’s daily operations and supporting EPIC’s President & CEO, advocating for early care and education, she is spending time with her friends and family enjoying the outdoors of colorful Colorado.
Carla Finn
Director of Membership & Communications
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Carla Finn joined the EPIC team as our Director of Membership & Communications in May of 2022. Carla brings over 20 years of experience in multi-channel marketing and communications with an emphasis on public relations and events. Carla’s experience with non-profits will be of great value to EPIC as we charge forward in cementing our mission. Carla is passionate about working with membership and has a deeply personal connection with early learning and child care.
Carla, a Colorado native, was born in Adams County and raised in a Pueblo daycare home. She has been married to her high school sweetheart, Steve, since 1994 and they have two grown children, Sam and Malaney, two dogs and two cats. In addition to caring for her family, Carla is an avid outdoors enthusiast, loves to garden and listen to audio books.
Angela Ervin
Operations Coordinator
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Angela has worked in early childhood education and with children and families for the last 8 years in a variety of settings. She started her career in different preschool environments as well as worked with the Child Abuse Prevention Council of Butte County in Chico, CA. After obtaining her B.A. in Child Development with a minor in Family Relations from California State University, Chico, she went into the Early Intervention Field working with children under the age of three with developmental delays. There she learned the importance and just how crucial the birth to age three years truly are. She was able to meet the child where they were at developmentally, support families, and aid children and families to meet goals and developmental milestones. 2 years later, she became a Program Manager in Early Intervention and was able to manage her caseload of children’s programs, supervise others, as well as gain experience and knowledge about Autism Spectrum Disorder, IEP meetings, and much more.
Once COVID hit, Angela began exploring options and moved to Colorado in October 2020. That’s when she began her Montessori teaching career as an Assistant Guide in a Toddler environment. Shortly after she began, she received a sponsorship to get her AMI Montessori Training from birth to age three and became a Lead Guide in a Toddler environment while in her training. She finished her AMI Montessori training in August of 2022. Overall, Angela is thrilled to join the EPIC team and to be a part of advocating for early care and education.
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