ROSE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- HR & Operations Project Manager, Benenson Strategy Group
Job Titles:
- Director of Knowledge and Insights, Common Future
Job Titles:
- Accounting and Benefits Manager
Afshin Sarvestani joined Rose Community Foundation in April 2019. In his role as accounting and benefits manager, Sarvestani helps to support the human resources and accounting functions of the Foundation. Previously, Sarvestani worked for six years at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado, most recently as Operations Manager. Prior to joining Big Brothers Big Sisters, he spent many years working in the for-profit sector for both start-ups and Fortune 500 companies.
Sarvestani is a graduate of Denver's East High School and received his bachelor's degree from University of Colorado at Denver. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, traveling, theater, exploring the Denver culinary scene, and spending time with family and friends.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Director of Nonprofit Funds and Endowments
Amelia Fink serves as the director of nonprofit funds and endowments. In this role, she oversees, stewards and grows Rose Community Foundation's portfolio of funds held on behalf of and benefiting nonprofits and oversees two cohort-based programs to promote endowment fund building and planned giving.
Prior to joining Rose Community Foundation, Fink managed The Museum Associates program at the Denver Art Museum and had previously worked in the museum's department of learning and engagement. Before that, Fink was a project manager at the Department of Higher Education and managed programs for nonprofits focused on the arts and youth development.
Fink received a master of art history degree from New York University's Institute of Fine Arts, where she studied 20th century Latin American art. Her bachelor degree is from Emory University. From Denver originally, she and her husband live here with their two kids and scruffy dog, Zelda. In her free time, Fink is a rookie gardener, avid at-home cook, and a lover of books, the outdoors, and travel.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Real Estate, Construction and Environmental Practice Groups, Polsinelli
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Executive Assistant to the President
Anna joined Rose Community Foundation at the beginning of 2023, after working at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver (MCA Denver) supporting their director and the development & membership team for two years. She is from Colorado but spent over a decade in New York City where she attended college and started her family. She holds a bachelor's degree in Education Studies and a graduate degree in Urban Policy Analysis and Non-Profit Management from The New School.
Across ten years of administrative experience, Anna has been assistant to nineteen leaders in various fields and industries. She enjoys supporting initiatives through scheduling, planning, operations management and relationship building. She has experience as a virtual assistant serving 3-5 clients at a time, working with C-level executives and their direct reports, supporting remote and hybrid companies, and coordinating distributed / international teams. From 2010 - 2013, she managed a college-readiness program for students facing obstacles to college entry and a professional development program for public school educators. In 2013, she became assistant to the Chief Technology Officer at Weight Watchers HQ and his executive team. In 2014, she worked for Zirtual as a virtual assistant for clients in publishing, marketing, radio broadcasting, addiction services and change leadership. In 2015, she began at Fareportal (parent company of CheapOair) and worked for the founder and CEO in 2016. Her early career interests were in the arts, education reform, sociology, teaching, and winemaking.
Job Titles:
- Community Leader
- Trustee
- Co - Founder, Chair and Former CEO of Energy Company Nexus BSP
Barry Curtiss-Lusher is the co-founder, Chair and former CEO of energy company Nexus BSP. A member of the Rose Medical Center Board at the time of the hospital's sale in the mid-1990s, Barry was involved with the formation of Rose Community Foundation in 1995, assisted in creating the first iteration of a professional advisors' council and served on the Foundation's first Jewish Life Committee. He is a current member of the Foundation's Philanthropic Services Committee and Investment Committee and is a longtime donor-advised fundholder and Legacy Circle member at Rose Community Foundation. Barry has been actively involved with the Anti-Defamation League since 1982, both locally in the ADL Mountain States Region and nationally, including service as ADL National Chair from 2012-2015. He has also served on the board of the Staenberg-Loup Jewish Community Center and as board chair of Colorado Public Radio and Rose Medical Center. Barry received a BA from Yale University and a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School.
Job Titles:
- Trustee, the Aloha Foundation
Job Titles:
- Managing Principal
- Managing Principal - Kornfeld Commercial Real Estate
Bradley T. Kornfeld serves as Managing Principal for a retail portfolio of a dozen Class-A shopping centers in Colorado, Texas and Ohio. He is both a licensed attorney and real estate broker. He oversees all aspects of the portfolio including leasing, asset management, property management, financing, lender reporting, investor management, acquisitions and dispositions. He began his commercial real estate career in 1994 with Kornfeld Koslosky Properties, serving as General Counsel and becoming heavily involved in the development of new retail properties. HIs responsibilities grew to include full responsibility for supervision of property management and leasing for the firm's company-owned and client-owned retail properties. In 2009, he secured full control of the portfolio. He also established a retail consultancy that advises luxury hotels and governments on a wide variety of retail issues.
Brad is a living kidney donor and dedicates much of his time furthering organ and tissue donation. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Donor Alliance, the federally-chartered organ procurement organization for Colorado and Wyoming. He also served as one of the few non-medical professionals on the Board of Directors for United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the organization established by the United States Congress to establish organ allocation and transplant policy in the United States.
Currently a Trustee for the Foundation and chair of the Finance Committee, Brad's work with Rose Community Foundation dates back to 2001. He served on the Foundation's Jewish Life Committee and on the selection committee for Rose Youth Foundation for many years. He also served on the selection committee for the Foundation's Innovate for Good initiative.
He earned his Bachelor of Science from Emory University and his Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center. Brad is married to Lisa Stein Kornfeld, and they are the proud parents of three children.
Job Titles:
- Psychiatrist, University of Colorado Hospital
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Colorado Market President of MidFirst Bank
As Colorado Market President of MidFirst Bank, Brian Wilkinson is responsible for the executive management of the bank's Colorado presence, as well as developing strategies to ensure that the bank's growth, profit, and community objectives are met. Before joining MidFirst Bank (successor to Steele Street Bank & Trust), he was the Retail Market President at Vectra Bank, Colorado, leading its retail banking and executive banking efforts. His three decade career in Colorado Banking began at Colorado State Bank & Trust.
Brian's professional and community involvement includes serving as a Trustee and chair of the Investment Committee at Rose Community Foundation, and a director of the Western Golf Association. He is a former Trustee of St. Anne's Episcopal School, board member of the Metro Denver Executive Club and director of the Denver Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.
He received a Bachelor of Arts in economics and a Master of Science in finance from the University of Colorado. He is also a graduate of the Pacific Coast School of Banking at the University of Washington.
Brittany joined Rose Community Foundation in July 2023 as an accounting associate. Brittany came to the Foundation from Colorado Outward Bound School, where she served as an accounting and finance manager and later as the interim director of finance and administration. An outdoor education enthusiast, she previously worked at Blue Sky Fund in Richmond, Virginia, as an adventure program manager and, most recently, as their operations director. She held previous supervisory and administrative positions at Riverside Outfitters and the YMCA of Greater Richmond. She holds a BA in Anthropology from James Madison University.
As philanthropy advisor, Carmelita Galicia-Munoz stewards and supports Rose Community Foundation donor-advised fundholders and philanthropic partners. She helps donors connect their values to their giving, develop and implement their charitable goals, and move forward in their philanthropic journeys. She is passionate and committed to advancing equity, justice, and social good through values-driven philanthropy. Carmelita joined the Foundation from the STRIVE Prep (now Rocky Mountain Prep) community of public charter schools, where she was an alumni support manager. She previously worked at Donnell-Kay Foundation in various roles with responsibilities in grants management, project management, event management, communications and fiscal management. She was also a high school and post-secondary learner advocate for RESCHOOL, a nonprofit organization that started as an initiative of the Donnell-Kay Foundation. She began her career in conference services and catering sales management with Hotel Monaco and Panzano Restaurant. She holds a BS in Business Administration and a Master of Public Administration from University of Colorado Denver. She is a member of LatinasGive!, Colorado's first Latina philanthropic giving circle and has volunteered in the past for New Legacy Charter School, Colorado Leadership Alliance and Latino Community Foundation of Colorado. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, running, traveling, going to concerts and spending time with her husband and two young daughters.
Catherine DiBella Lindsey is the Committee Liaison. She was born and raised in Denver and is a graduate of the University of Wyoming, where she received a BFA in Acting and was awarded a teaching position in the Department of Theatre and Dance while still an undergraduate. She began her career on-air at Wyoming Public Radio, and continued to work in public television and documentary film while pursuing her acting career. She served as an Actor's Equity Association Area Liaison, helping local professional actors connect with area theatres and the national union. Lindsey was the production coordinator for the award-winning documentary film company Just Media, creating film, television and media projects about social justice and the environment. Her last film with the company, "The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner", was an Oscar nominee for Best Documentary.
She enjoys skiing with her husband David and going to rock concerts with her daughter Joan.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, Colorado Democracy Alliance
Job Titles:
- Principal, Monroe Group Ltd & Steele Properties LLC
Job Titles:
- CEO & Executive Director, Center for African American Health
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Founding President
- Founding Trustee
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President, UBS Financial
Job Titles:
- Digital Communications Associate
Committees:
Philanthropic Services
Elise A. Barish
Community Leader
Elise A. Barish is an experienced community leader with over 15 years of nonprofit board and committee work. She currently serves on the boards of Jewish Family Service of Colorado, ADL's Mountain States Region, and the Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF), in addition to the Philanthropic Services Committee at Rose Community Foundation and the Finance Committee at The Efshar Project. She is an alum of the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) Society Fellowship and currently serves on the JDC Welcome Committee. Elise initiated and chaired the MRF's inaugural Denver Wings of Hope for Melanoma Gala in 2012 and was honored for her leadership in 2021. Elise and her husband Brian have four children. Before leaving the workforce to raise them, Elise worked as an equity analyst in Denver and New York. She earned her bachelor's degree from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and her MBA from Columbia University.
Job Titles:
- Director of Collaborative Philanthropy
Emily Kornhauser is the Director of Collaborative Philanthropy at Rose Community Foundation. In this role, she enhances donor grantmaking with resources and facilitation and oversees the Foundation's collaborative giving initiatives.
Prior to working at the Foundation, Kornhauser was the community engagement coordinator at The Murie Center in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and program manager of the Small Business Development Center at Sierra Business Council in Truckee, California.
Throughout these experiences, Kornhauser has seen the potential for community growth through youth empowerment. She is propelled to leverage these experiences within the Greater Denver community through grant making, strategic philanthropy and youth leadership.
Beyond her career, Kornhauser finds inspiration around the globe; both in the natural world and through cultural diversity. She has been fortunate enough to travel to the mountains of Argentina, visit the historic cities of Europe, and experience cultural immersion in Israel and India. You can often find Emily digging in the dirt, doing a backbend in yoga or hiking with her dog, Gaia.
Kornhauser is a graduate of the University of Denver with a Bachelor's Degree in Geography and minors in Sustainability and Spanish.
As controller at Rose Community Foundation, Emma Schwarz is primarily responsible for maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the Foundation's financial records. Prior to joining the Foundation, she held various positions in accounting and management in the for-profit sector. While working full time, she also helped run her family business with her husband.
Schwarz serves on the finance committee for Latino Community Foundation of Colorado and has volunteered with Jewish Family Service.
Schwarz received her bachelor's degree in business administration and accounting from Columbia College in 2006. She also studied mathematics and economics in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, where she was born. She recently completed her certificate program for Nonprofit Financial Success from Cornell University.
Job Titles:
- Regional President, BNY Mellon Wealth Management
Job Titles:
- Adjunct Professor, University of Denver and the University of Colorado at Denver
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer, Sakura Square LLC
Job Titles:
- Philanthropic Initiatives Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Director of Jewish Community Grants and Partnerships
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- President, Metropolitan State University of Denver
Committees:
Policy and Advocacy
Janine Davidson, Ph.D.
President, Metropolitan State University of Denver
Janine Davidson, Ph.D., has served as president of Metropolitan State University of Denver since 2017. She is a national thought leader in higher education and on topics such as public service, U.S. foreign policy and national security.
As president of Colorado's third-largest public university, Davidson is a fierce advocate for MSU Denver's 17,500 students. From her first days on campus, she has championed the role public universities play in "holding the line on the American dream." She has staunchly supported the DREAM Act and MSU Denver's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals students, as well as its minoritized students and military and veteran students.
Davidson has spearheaded the development of high-quality, career-oriented undergraduate and graduate academic programs that serve Colorado's communities and power its economy. She launched the University's Classroom to Career Hub, connecting students with employers for a direct pipeline into the state and national workforce. She has also overseen the creation of the MSU Denver Health Institute - a collaboration of 10 academic departments in health-related fields that addresses state health-care-industry shortages.
Prior to her time at MSU Denver, Davidson served as the 32nd undersecretary of the United States Navy. Her appointment by then-President Barack Obama as Navy "under" followed nearly 30 years of academic, civilian and military service.
She has taught at George Mason University, Georgetown University, Davidson College and various professional military schools, and was an aviation and aerobatics flight instructor at the U.S. Air Force Academy. She recently returned to the classroom at MSU Denver, co-teaching a course on the philosophical and legal origins of freedom of speech in the United States.
Davidson began her career as an Air Force officer and cargo pilot. She was a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Squadron Officer School and was the first woman to fly the Air Force's tactical C-130.
Her various honors include: HillVets Top 100 Most Influential Veterans; University of South Carolina Distinguished Alumna; Secretary of the Navy Medal for Distinguished Public Service; Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service; Girl Scouts of Colorado 2018 Woman of Distinction; the Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce 2019 Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Business; a 2021 Denver Business Journal Most Admired CEO; and a 2022 9NEWS Leader of the Year finalist.
At the national level, Davidson serves on the Department of Defense Policy Board, as a National Association of Public Administrators fellow and a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She served as a presidentially appointed commissioner for the National Commission on Military, National and Public Service and for the Commission on the Structure of the Air Force. Locally, she is a director of UMB Financial Corps and serves on the boards of the Colorado Concern, Downtown Denver Partnership, the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation and the Rose Community Foundation.
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate Regional Director, Anti - Defamation League Mountain States Region
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Feed Media Public Relations
Job Titles:
- Executive Director Emeritus, Colorado Legal Services
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Bernstein Global Wealth Management
Job Titles:
- Owner, Pearl Publishing Media Group River and Woods Restaurant, Boulder T / ACO Restaurant, Boulder the Conscious Cleanse
Job Titles:
- Director of Donor Funds and Legacy Giving
Job Titles:
- Attorney, Colorado Medical - Legal Partnership, Children 's Hospital Colorado
Job Titles:
- Founding Partner, Dimension Strategies.
Job Titles:
- Freelance Producer, ABC News
Job Titles:
- Director of Communications and Outreach
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Operations
Job Titles:
- Director of Grants Management
Kelly Costello is the director of grants management at Rose Community Foundation, overseeing grant operations strategy, processes, compliance and reporting for all grants made by the Foundation, including those initiated by the Foundation's fiscally sponsored projects, funding collaboratives, and initiatives.
Costello brings over 10 years of experience in grants management. Before joining Rose Community Foundation in February 2020, Costello was the first Grants Manager at the Buell Foundation and also served as the Program/Communications Coordinator. In that role, he established and streamlined processes for grantmaking in the areas of early childhood development and teen pregnancy prevention. Before that, he was the Grants and Data Manager at the Gill Foundation, which focuses on LGBTQ advocacy and public education. Prior to entering the world of grants management, he held jobs in a variety of fields, ranging from education to anti-violence to event planning.
Originally from Philadelphia, Costello holds a bachelor's degree in elementary education with a minor in mathematics from American University in Washington, DC. He moved to Denver in 2003 and is proud to call Colorado his home. Costello is the chair of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of PEAK Grantmaking and has served on the leadership team since 2017. In his free time, he enjoys babysitting his friends' kids, going to see (or just listening to) musicals and spending time with his partner, Jake.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder and Principal, Social Impact Solutions
Job Titles:
- Chief Investment Officer, Global Asset Capital
Job Titles:
- Board Member, Prizmah Center for Jewish Day Schools
Lindy Eichenbaum Lent joined Rose Community Foundation as President and CEO in November 2017, leading the Foundation's efforts to advance inclusive, engaged and equitable Greater Denver communities through values-driven philanthropy. Through leadership and advocacy, grantmaking, donor engagement and stewardship of philanthropic resources, the Foundation supports strategic and innovative solutions to enduring challenges and emerging issues in seven-county Metro Denver across a wide range of issue areas while also stewarding donor-advised funds for individuals, families and businesses and endowments for nonprofit organizations seeking to sustain their vital work into the future.
Lent previously served as executive director of the Civic Center Conservancy, leading the urban place-making organization's nationally-recognized public-private-nonprofit partnerships to revitalize downtown Denver's Civic Center Park - elevating and sustaining the National Historic Landmark as a vibrant and iconic cultural and community hub through programming, capital improvements, advocacy and fundraising. In recognition of her work, she received an Impact Award from the Downtown Denver Partnership in 2017.
Shortly after moving to Denver two decades ago, Lent served as then-Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper's communications director - both for his first mayoral campaign in 2003 and his first term in office. In 2007, she was named senior advisor to the mayor and subsequently served as the City and County of Denver's director of communications for the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
Named one of Girls Scouts of Colorado's 2022 "Women of Distinction," a 2017 Denver Business Journal "Thought Leader" and one of the Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce's "Top 25 Most Powerful Women" of 2016, and a 2012 Denver Business Journal "Forty Under 40" honoree, Lent currently serves on the Lowry Redevelopment Authority Board of Directors, the Prosper Colorado Leadership Council and the City and County of Denver's Stimulus Investment Advisory Committee. A member of the International Women's Forum's Colorado chapter, Lent previously served on the 2020 Leadership Committee for the Governor's statewide COVID Relief Fund, the Colorado Media Project executive committee, the City and County of Denver's 2011-12 Structural Financial Task Force, the Denver Preschool Program Board of Advisors, and the boards of the CU Cancer Center Fund, Golden Triangle Creative District and American Jewish Committee/Colorado Chapter.
Lent received her bachelor's degree in political science with honors from Stanford University and her master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University. She and her husband Jason have two children.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, Lifespan Local
Job Titles:
- Information Systems Manager
Marit Evans joined Rose Community Foundation in July 2021. In her role as information systems manager, Evans supports the Foundation's broad systems needs, from developing and implementing best practices around technology and data to serving as the administrator for the Foundation's various technology tools.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Evans was the development associate and grants manager at Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village. In this role, she managed annual fundraising initiatives, executed successful grant proposals from federal, state, local and private funders, and served as the in-house expert and administrator of Raiser's Edge.
Originally from Florida, Evans holds a master's degree in arts administration and a bachelor's degree in fine and studio arts from Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. Outside the office, Evans enjoys exploring Denver's vibrant arts and culture community, seeing live music and spending powder days on the mountain.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board
- Member of the Denver
Awad is a dedicated member of the Denver civic and nonprofit community and has served on numerous boards and committees. At present, she is a member of the Boards and Directors for the following organizations: Metro State University of Denver Foundation (Treasurer) and WorldDenver (Treasurer). In addition, she serves on the Investment Committee for the Rose Community Foundation. Awad was appointed by Colorado Governors John Hickenlooper and Jared Polis to the Colorado State 529 Plan Advisory Board and currently serves as Chair. In 2015, Awad was one of 10 people worldwide to receive the Merrill Lynch David Brady Award for exceptional service to clients, collaboration with colleagues and contributions to the community. She was recognized by the Denver Business Journal as a 2019 Outstanding Woman in Business in the category of Small Business Leader and by the Girl Scouts of Colorado as a 2019 Woman of Distinction. She has been quoted in The Denver Post, the Denver Business Journal, Financial Advisor IQ, Financial Planning magazine, US News & World Report, and she was featured in The Wall Street Journal.
Mary Chavez-Rey joined Rose Community Foundation in July 2021. In her role as Office Manager, Chavez-Rey supports office operations and administrative services, such as hosting visitors and managing other special projects. Her passion is to deliver excellent customer service and support a wide range of responsibilities at the foundation.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Chavez-Rey worked as the Operations & Facilities Manager at the Daniels Fund for 21 years. She was responsible for maintaining all aspects of the building, grounds, security and administrative services. Before joining the Daniels Fund, she worked for T & R Graphic Imaging as the Accounting Receivables Manager.
Originally from Texas but a long-time Colorado resident, Chavez-Rey holds a degree from Barns Business College in Business Administration. In her free time, she enjoys crafting, sewing, gardening, camping, traveling, and spending time with her husband, children, and grandchildren.
Job Titles:
- Director of Talent and Administration
Job Titles:
- Philanthropic Services Associate
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President, UBS Financial Services
Job Titles:
- Managing Director, Blue Meridian Partners
Job Titles:
- Nonprofit Endowments Advisor
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, David & Laura Merage Foundation
Job Titles:
- Senior Educational Consultant, Learning Together Company
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, WeeCycle
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Grants, the Colorado Trust
Job Titles:
- Professor Emerita, University of Denver
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Lokal Homes
Job Titles:
- Dean, CU Denver School of Public Affairs
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President, IMA Financial Group
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, Denver Agency for Human Rights & Community Partnerships
Job Titles:
- Policy and Advocacy Manager
Ray Barrie-Kivel joined Rose Community Foundation in September 2019. In his role as policy and advocacy manager, Barrie-Kivel advances the Foundation's advocacy objectives and related grantmaking portfolio aimed at improving the regional policy landscape on behalf of the Foundation's mission, vision and strategic priorities.
Barrie-Kivel has prior experience working on state and local political campaigns in Colorado. He is from the Bay Area and graduated from Colorado College. In his free time, he enjoys watching movies, listening to podcasts and winning fantasy football championships.
Job Titles:
- Founding Trustee
- Co - Founder, Robinson Dairy
Job Titles:
- President, Emily Griffith Foundation
Job Titles:
- Business Development and Mortgage Advisor, Finance of America
Job Titles:
- Executive Director Emeritus, Colorado Municipal League
Job Titles:
- Chief Philanthropy Officer
Job Titles:
- Associate Partner, Bellwether
Job Titles:
- Director of JEDI Education and Community Engagement, the Jewish Federations of North America
Job Titles:
- Director of Innovation and Incubation, Youth on Record
Job Titles:
- Co - President and Co - Chief Operating Officer, the Anschutz Corporation
Job Titles:
- Attorney, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
Job Titles:
- Principal, Conundrum Capital LLC
Job Titles:
- Director of Philanthropic Partnerships
Job Titles:
- Donor and Fund Services Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Social Impact & Wealth Equity, Elevation Community Land Trust
Job Titles:
- Director of the REDI Lab, Colorado Academy
VJ Brown joined Rose Community Foundation in July 2023 as a community impact officer. VJ has spent his career as a leadership development practitioner and coach supporting a diverse array of leaders looking build their capacity to impact their communities. He previously worked as a program manager and alumni and partnerships manager for Moonshot edVentures, an organization that works to cultivate a community of BIPOC and historically marginalized leaders to launch, improve and sustain schools and programs designed to center and meet the needs of students on the margins. Prior to Moonshot, he served as a program manager at the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation focused on the Impact Denver civic leadership development program, diversity and inclusion initiatives, a scholarship program and evaluation metrics for foundation programming. He began his career as an El Pomar Foundation fellow focused on supporting the foundation's community outreach programs. VJ holds a BA from Davidson College in Africana Studies with a minor in Anthropology. VJ is a graduate of several leadership programs, including the Urban Leadership Foundation of Colorado Connect Fellowship and Colorado Civic DNA Fellows program. He currently serves on the boards of Colorado Academy and Civic Canopy and has served on grantmaking committees for Colorado Department of Education, AJL Foundation and the Chinook Fund.