CRC MAIN: 303.623.1540 or 800.516.6284

CRC Board of Directors

Pat Greer (she, her, hers)

Board Co-Chair

Retired Assistant Professor, University of Denver

Leslie Baldwin (she, her, hers)

Board Co-Chair

Grants Manager, Boettcher Foundation

Jaclyn Lensen (she, her, hers)

Board Secretary

Senior Communications Officer, The Colorado Health Foundation

John Owsley (he, him, his)

Board Treasurer

Gary Community Ventures Piton Fellow

Jodi Walker (she, her, hers)

Board Vice Co-Chair

Executive Director, Kids At Their Best

Aaron Miltenberger (he, him, his/they, them)

Executive Director, Boys & Girls Club of the San Luis Valley

Lee Wheeler-Berliner (he, him, his)

Managing Director, Colorado Workforce Development Council

Cynthia Nieb (she/her/hers)

Director of Economic Development, Urban Renewal, the Certified Local Government Program and La Junta RISE, City of La Junta

CRC Team

Jennifer Allen

Rural Philanthropy Days® Event Coordinator – Western Slope

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Jennifer is the Co-Founder of Next Level Regen, a small health and wellness business in Grand Junction since 2018, and one of the Co-Founders of Bravestone Project, a non-profit that assists survivors of human trafficking and sexual traumas in finding hope, healing, and restoration. She moved to Grand Junction 12 years ago from North Carolina and loves Colorado! She enjoys hiking, planting and growing flowers, traveling, and spending time with my family.

Kirsten Atkins (she/her/hers)

Lead Community Organizer

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Kirsten grew up in New England and moved to Colorado to attend the University of Denver. Her love of skiing and the mountains led her to her new home in Crested Butte, CO where she lived for 30+ years. Kirsten worked the full gamut of “resort” jobs but found a real passion in her work at the Adaptive Sports Center (ASC), an organization that provides recreation for people with disabilities and their families. As a sibling of a brother with disabilities, it was a perfect combination of her life experience and her love of skiing. Kirsten wore many hats at the ASC as the program grew over the years, including being responsible for developing curriculum and implementing training courses for instructors and volunteers. Kirsten was eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame for Disabled Sports USA.

Kirsten is also known in her community for her extensive activism. In the early 90’s she worked with Colorado’s Ancient Forest Rescue (AFR) which aimed to protect old growth forests and roadless areas, through education, litigation, and non-violent civil disobedience She has since been involved in a multitude of campaigns working towards environmental and social justice in alliance with BIPOC organizations. For example, during the pandemic she helped to form the Colorado Navajo Resiliency Project, securing and delivering much needed supplies for short term needs and water vessels to aid in long term food sovereignty.

Kirsten recently moved down from 9,000 feet to warmer climes with her husband Heath and their small herd of horses. She is enjoying living in Montrose, in a climate where they can grow fruit and vegetables and there’s a lot less shoveling! She’s excited to be in her new role of Lead Community Organizer the Western Slope, for the Civic Outreach Team.

Alexandra Cruz (she/her/ella)

Lead Communtiy Organizer

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Alexandra Cruz (she/her/ella) works as a lead community outreach organizer for the Civic Engagement team at CRC. She graduated from MSU Denver with a major in business administration and minor in Italian and has been involved with non-profit organizations since she was in high school. Due to this, she was able to experience the positive impact non-profits had in her family, future and community. In 2009, she migrated with her family to the US from Guadalajara, Jalisco, and feels lucky she ended up in beautiful Colorado.

Alexandra enjoys sharing resources with the community and talking to community members. She’s excited to continue to work at CRC and with partner organizations. In her free time, she enjoys spending time being active, either taking a gym class (dance or yoga) or taking a walk with her husband and their dog. She also loves hot springs, watching T.V. series, and traveling.

Monica DeWitt (she/her/hers)

Civic Engagement Program Manager

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Monica brings over a decade of experience managing projects in the nonprofit and public education sectors. As Civic Engagement Program Manager, she believes civic engagement across Colorado has never been more important. She prioritizes data-driven decision making and cultivating meaningful partnerships to meet collective goals. She is returning to CRC after working on the Colorado Healthcare Corps pilot project where she recruited and coached AmeriCorps members to build capacity in healthcare.

Monica lives in Lafayette and enjoys reading and yoga. She is currently learning how to make sourdough bread and garden. She spends sunny weekends with her partner, daughter and dog hiking and camping in the mountains.

Azucena Holland (Estrada) (she, her, hers)

Interim Co-Executive Director / Director of Finance and Compliance

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Azucena was born in Mexico and migrated to the United States with her family at the age of four. Her father wanted to give her and her sibling the educational opportunities that they might not have had otherwise. She grew up in a small town called Swink in Southeast Colorado. There she attended Swink School from kindergarten to her senior year. Azucena is a first-generation college student. She received an Associate of Science and an Associate of Arts from Otero College and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration through Adams State University. Her career background is in healthcare administration, human resources, and finance.

She is a VERY proud mother of an 18-year-old son. She recently got married and has three other bonus young adult children. She loves chocolate, red wine, food, and dogs (especially labs)! She enjoys camping, fishing, CrossFit, cooking, and spending time with her family! She comes from a large family and really enjoy their many family gatherings.

Azucena is excited to continue to grow in her career in the nonprofit sector and is extremely excited for this opportunity and to represent CRC in the Southeast Region of Colorado!

TC McCracken (she, her, they)

Employment Practices Advisor

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TC McCracken is the Human Resource Manager for the Community Resource Center.  She has leadership experience working in the private, public, and non-profit sectors.  All her roles focus on supporting others.  She holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication and Master of Education. She brings CRC decades of experience in the fields of Marketing, Education, and Human Resources.  She doesn’t count the years, instead she focuses on doing what she loves, providing support and enthusiasm to the communities she serves.  She is honored to serve those at CRC creating opportunities, tools, and strategies to develop nonprofits and community groups to strengthen Colorado.  Outside of work, she enjoys jogging at a slow pace, performing with sketch and improv teams, writing heartfelt stories, and telling hopefully funny jokes.

Alex McHenry (she, her, hers)

Interim Co-Executive Director / Director of Civic Engagement

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Alex brings over twelve years of experience in the fields of education, leadership, and community engagement. As the Director of Civic Engagement, Alex oversees CRC’s civic engagement programs including the Participation Project and The Root Causes Network helping nonprofits to build and strengthen their advocacy efforts. While born and raised in Denver, Alex has spent the majority of her adult life moving around the US and abroad, including living in Kenya and Malaysia, and she is happy to once more be settled in the sunny state of Colorado. Alex has a masters’ degree in conservation social science, is a graduate of the Family Leadership Training Institute (FLTI), and is passionate about working at a systems level to tackle complex social issues. In her free time, Alex can be found hiking, playing volleyball, or exploring one of Denver’s many thrift stores.

Katy Pepinsky (she, her, ella)

Director of Grant Services (Spanish Speaker)

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Katy Pepinsky (she/her/ella), Director of GrantCorps, works to build the capacity of Colorado nonprofits to access and manage public and private grant funds. Katy started with CRC in June 2022. Prior to her current position, Katy worked as the Executive Director of a youth services organization in La Plata County. For over twenty years, she has worked with a diverse array of non-profit and service organizations to help build more resilient communities including La Plata Youth Services, Cooking Matters Colorado, Growing Partners of SW Colorado, Mercy Hospital, Peace Corps, and Colorado State University Extension. A native of Bloomington, Indiana, Katy holds a master’s degree in Extension Education from Colorado State University and a Professional Non-Profit Management Certificate, from Fort Lewis College. Katy lives in Durango and enjoys reading, gardening, practicing yoga, and exploring the rural rivers and trails of the Southwest with her two kids, husband, and dog. Ella habla español.

Katy Sawyer (she, her, hers)

Director of Capacity Building

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Katy joined Community Resource Center in 2020 to help build and launch the COVID Containment Response Corps- an AmeriCorps program that engaged over 800 people in National Service across Colorado. Katy brings the perspective of having worked in grassroots nonprofits in developing countries as well as national nonprofits in the US to her role as the Director of Capacity Building. Katy spent over 10 years working with Jumpstart, a national early childhood education organization, gaining experience in program management and development, AmeriCorps programs and funding, nonprofit fundraising and board management, and national campaigns. Combining her professional skills and experiences with her love of (and degrees in) international relations and Spanish, Katy moved to Nicaragua to work with organizations providing supplementary educational opportunities to children in Granada. Katy was excited to discover CRC and move to Colorado. In her free time, Katy enjoys exploring Colorado, new trails, and (attempting to) cross some 14ers off her list.

Amy Scavezze (she, her, hers)

Rural Philanthropy Days® Event Coordinator- San Luis Valley

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Amy grew up in the San Luis Valley and has lived here for nearly 40 years. She has a deep love for outdoor adventures and has a background in group leadership and experiential learning. With more than a dozen years in the local nonprofit community, Amy loves the innovation and grit that SLV folks have in addressing community needs. Amy has served on previous RPD steering committees and was a founding member of the first SLV Nonprofit Collaboration Summit. She is so excited for all the potential and opportunity the 2024 SLV RPD conference brings to the Valley.

Lani Silva (she, her, hers)

Rural Action Network® Program Coordinator

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Lani joined Community Resource Center as an AmeriCorps VISTA Leader in 2022, and has been with the organization since and is now the Rural Action Network™ Program Coordinator. As a native to the South, she graduated from Florida International University in Miami with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance. With a strong passion for serving the community, Lani is excited to bring her skills and expertise to the team. In her free time, she enjoys being out in nature whether that be hiking, water sports, skating, or chasing sunsets.

Tayah Wheeland (she, her, hers)

Business Operations Manager

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Tayah is originally from Berkeley, California and received a master’s degree in international affairs with a focus in environmental policy from UC San Diego. She has studied four foreign languages and worked, lived or travelled in more than 20 countries. Tayah brings 20 years of experience in administrative roles in the private, public, and non-profit sectors and has done volunteer work for non-profit organizations as a Spanish-language translator. In her free time Tayah loves visiting new places, spending time with her kiddo, watching documentaries, cooking, and making jewelry.

VACANT

Colorado Grants Guide® Manager

VACANT

Rural Action Network® Program Manager

AmeriCorps VISTA Members

Silas Babilonia (he/him/his)

AmeriCorps VISTA – Grant Writing Specialist – Grant Corps

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Silas Babilonia (he/him/his), Grant Writing Specialist, works to help non-profits across the state of Colorado receive the funding and resources necessary to thrive through the function of grant-writing. Silas started with CRC in October 2022. Prior to his current position, Silas has worked in the non-profit realm in various capacities. He has served previously with AmeriCorps, working with CRC to combat the COVID pandemic as a Contact Tracer/Case Investigator. Before that, Silas also served as both a case manager and overnight assistant at several different facilities run by Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. Silas grew up in Aurora, Colorado, and considers the state his home. He is a lifelong traveler, having been across Europe and the United States; however, Colorado always had a special place for him. He is currently located in the Capitol Hill area of Denver and spends his time with family and friends, works on making and producing electronic music, and spends time with his Guinea pig named Jim. 

Gina Gottlieb, Data Systems Coordinator VISTA (she/her/hers)

AmeriCorps VISTA – Data Systems Coordinator

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Gina (she/her/hers) joined Community Resource Center in 2023 as Data Systems Coordinator. Previously, she spent 15+ years working in high tech and management consulting. After moving to Denver in 2022, she decided to change gears with her career and explore opportunities to contribute to the community. In her free time, Giorgina enjoys spending quality time with her chosen family, savoring tasty food, and exploring Colorado and beyond.

Joe Raymond (he/pers/name)

AmeriCorps VISTA – Grant Writing Specialist

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Joe is a recent graduate of UNCO. He came to Colorado in 2021 after a service year with AmeriCorps Indiana, where he taught work literacy remotely to adults. Joe finished writing in what he refers to as his Volume I when he retired in 2017. He considers joining VISTA  to be the start of his Volume II, Chapter 4. In Indiana, Joe fundraised for the Midwest Food Bank & Gleaners because 22% of that city lives in a food desert without access to transportation. He was also active with multiple agencies in varied capacities that support BIPOC Indianapolis communities in need of housing, medical care, educational supplies, clothing, transportation and housewares. Joe prefers to drive the country roads over the highways whenever reasonable. This is probably a direct result of growing up in Council Bluffs, Iowa and spending summers and holidays working on his cousin’s Iowa farms. Work, sunshine, community, and food were plentiful. He believes VISTA will provide him an opportunity to support preserving some of that legacy. Joe’s employment experiences include a startup of his own print studio in California, decades of direct technical support and troubleshooting for manufacturers, working hands-on with customers to improve their processes, creating and developing marketing materials, writing and delivering technical training programs, authoring articles in multiple countries, product development, and project management in addition to his work with “not for profits”. Three years ago he began “The Grey Goat Project”, a mobile art studio intending to serve Veterans reentering our community, seniors and schools without resources through artistic expression. Grant Corps seems to be the perfect opportunity to roll his experience into passion.

Callin Hahn (she/her/hers)

AmeriCorps VISTA – Statewide Data Analyst VISTA

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Callin Hahn (she/her/hers) is a Statewide Data Analyst VISTA working with GrantCorps at the CRC. As a Data Analyst, she combines her love for research and mathematical problem-solving with her passion for lifting people out of poverty. Before joining the CRC, Callin had careers in software engineering and in raising children. She holds a M.A. in International Development from the University of Denver. Having called Colorado home for most of her life, Callin enjoys camping, lakes, and skiing and spends most of her free time making fun for her three kids.

Ivy Brooks (she/they)

AmeriCorps VISTA – Statewide Data Analyst

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Ivy Brooks (she/they), Statewide Data Analyst, currently works for CRC via the Americorps Vista program. As a Statewide Data Analyst, Ivy assists Colorado nonprofits in their efforts to access grants via the Colorado Grants Guide. Prior to joining CRC, she graduated with a MS Mathematics degree from the University of Texas while working as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. During her time at CRC, Ivy hopes to to use the knowledge she gained during her degree to assist in the fight against poverty across Colorado. Ivy grew up in Texas and enjoys reading, gaming (both tabletop and video), programming, and mathematics.

CRC Interns

Amy Manhard (she, her, hers)

Advocacy Intern

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Amy Manhard (she/her/hers) is an Advocacy intern who is working with the Civic Engagement and Advocacy team. She is currently a student in the Master of Social Work Program at the University of Denver, with an undergraduate degree in Therapeutic Adventure Programming. Amy is passionate about harm reduction, positive youth development, and social justice. In her free time, she enjoys snowboarding, practicing yoga, tap dancing, and all the outdoor activities Colorado has to offer.