DENVER, August 5, 2021 — The Boettcher Foundation is excited to announce the first cohort of Fellows to participate in its new Doers & Difference Makers Fellowship.
The Fellowship, a component of the Foundation’s COLead Initiative, aims to bring together community champions from across Colorado in order to elevate them and grow their potential as contributors to our state’s leadership landscape.
“Every one of these individuals has the ambition and drive to improve our state,” said Katie Kramer, president and CEO of the Boettcher Foundation. “They truly represent the promise of Colorado and potential of Coloradans. Our goal is to connect them with other Colorado leaders and ultimately augment their impact.”
The nine-month Fellowship experience will launch later this month in Denver. The 2021 Fellows come from a variety of backgrounds, sectors, and geographic regions; though they are all unique, they have in common a determination to influence their communities through their service and courageous leadership.
The Fellows are listed as follows:
Brisa Chavez
Lead Educator and Hispanic Engagement Coordinator, Garfield County Public Health
Rifle
Trisha Herman
Executive Director, Phillips County Economic Development
Holyoke
Sherrell Lang
Educator and Co-founder, Kwiyagat Community Academy (first charter school on Ute Mountain Reservation)
Towaoc
Azarel Madrigal
Program Director, Southwest Community Fund
Alamosa
Mathew Mendisco
Town Manager of Hayden
Hayden
Adrian Mendoza
Assistant Director of Advisement, Denver Scholarship Foundation
Denver
The COLead Initiative is the Boettcher Foundation’s effort to build a connected, inclusive, and accessible leadership ecosystem in Colorado. The Foundation has a long history of supporting human capital through its scholarship program and other grantmaking.
“This work is a continuation of our 84+ year history,” Kramer said. “COLead represents our strategic approach to elevate community champions, strengthen leadership networks, and convene stakeholders in a collaborative way.”
About the Boettcher Foundation:
At the Boettcher Foundation, we believe in the promise of Colorado and the potential of Coloradans. Every day we champion excellence across our state by investing in talented citizens and high-potential organizations, because supporting their hard work and leadership will enable them to give back for years to come.
First row: Brisa Chavez, Trisha Herman, Sherrell Lang
Second row: Azarel Madrigal-Chase, Mathew Mendisco, Adrian Mendoza
