Mary Berg, Chair
Mary Berg is the Executive Director of Jefferson County Department of Human Services where she has served the community for 25 years. She is passionate about ensuring equitable access for all to the community influences of health (safety, food, stable housing, education, employment, transportation, behavioral/physical health care) for families and communities to thrive. She has led child welfare reform efforts such as Differential Response and Workforce Initiatives to enable Jefferson County to serve more children, families, and adults in their communities. She has been active at the local, state and national levels providing leadership to strengthen families through partnerships to end conditions leading to poverty. She currently serves on the State of Colorado Human Trafficking Council.
Jenn Payne, Vice Chair
Jenn Payne is President of Loan Operations for FirstBank, a regional bank with over $18 Billion in assets based in Lakewood, Colorado. Since joining the bank in 2001, she has held a variety of leadership positions within the organization, previously serving as President of Compliance before embarking on her new role as President of Loan Operations in April of 2019. Jenn, along with her team, oversees internal loan origination and loan servicing functions, supporting an average of $3.9 Billion in loan originations each year. Jenn also supports various charitable organization and is currently serving as a Board Member of the Hyland Hills Foundation.
Cheryle Powell, Secretary
Cheryle Powell is the President of a locally owned commercial real estate firm, Rocky Mountain Commercial Associates. She is a Managing Broker and joined the Sperry CGA platform in 2018 to offer clients national and international opportunities. Cheryle has a strong commitment to her community and is headquartered in Jefferson County Colorado. Her clients are commercial real estate investors and developers, and she specializes in investment sales, buying and 1031 exchange services. Prior to commercial real estate, Cheryle was a sales and market vice president in medical equipment and services. She helped launch PorchLight, FJC as a member of Governance and Facilities as well as finding the location to serve the community. She now serves as the co-chair of the Governance Committee.
Lisa Isom
Lisa Isom is the founder and CEO of The Minerva Group, a remote accounting firm with national clients and employees in six states. The Minerva Group specializes in non-profit and construction accounting with a goal to assist our communities in impactful ways through the clients we serve and how we show up as an employer, employees, and as individuals. Our non-profit clients are involved with fiscal sponsorship, mental health, racial justice, education, and the arts. Lisa has been the interim executive director for two Denver nonprofits during times of transition with a strong track record of getting fiscal, board, and staffing issues turned around in preparation for a new executive team. Lisa has served the local community on prior boards with a focus on animal welfare, mental health, and children. “People are my passion, and while numbers tell the story of a company’s financial health, it is really the people behind the business that inspire the growth.”
Kiara Kuenzler
Kiara is President and CEO of Jefferson Center for Mental Health, a non-profit, community focused provider of mental health and substance use disorder services in Jefferson, Clear Creek and Gilpin Counties. Jefferson Center serves more than 30,000 children, individuals and families each year through prevention, early intervention, treatment and recovery services. In addition to her more than 10 years of experience in health care administration, quality, and program evaluation, Kiara spent years providing direct clinical services and teaching in the Psychology Department at the University of Colorado, Denver. In her current role, she brings a fierce passion and vision for a healthy community, where mental health and substance use matters and care is accessible to all.
Alexis King
Alexis King was born and raised on the west side of Colorado Springs. Alexis earned her B.A. at Hollins University in Virginia and returned home to Colorado to work on behalf of survivors of intimate partner violence at a community non-profit. Her experience drove her to attend law school and in 2006, she graduated from the Sturm College of Law at the University of Denver, and then clerked for the Honorable William Robbins in Denver District Court. In 2007 she joined this office as a Deputy District Attorney where she served for ten years, spending the half of her career focused on how we serve children in the community, whether they be survivors of violence or charged with offenses. Ultimately, she led this Office's Human Trafficking Unit and was appointed by Governor John Hickenlooper to Colorado’s Human Trafficking Council, shaping policy for the community and Colorado.
Katie Groke
Katie Groke, CPRP, MPA is currently the Director of Community Services at the Apex Park and Recreation District. Previously, she was a Senior Associate at SE2 and Director of Communications and Marketing for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado. She is the former National Program Manager at The White House Project and has a background in recruiting and training women to run for office, managing comprehensive communications campaigns and organizing the community to take action. A graduate of the University of Wyoming where she played on a soccer scholarship, Katie has worked with the NCAA, Choice USA, Springboard Enterprises and Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains. Katie has a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the University of Colorado at Denver and recently completed NRPA Directors School and is a Certified Park and Recreation Professional. Katie sits on the Board of Directors for the Arvada Vitality Alliance, Arvada Chamber of Commerce and Porchlight, a Family Justice Center.
Scott Shields
Scott Shields is the Chief Executive Officer of Family Tree, an organization dedicated to addressing the inter-related issues of child neglect and abuse, domestic violence and homelessness. Scott has more than 20 years of not-for-profit leadership and management experience, and prior to being hired as the CEO he served as the Chief Financial Officer at Family Tree for nearly nine years. Currently he is a member of the Jeffco Connections Commission and Chair of the Board of Directors for the Colorado Association of Family and Children's Agencies (CAFCA).
Monica Duran
Monica Duran is House Majority Leader, serves on the Executive Committee and Legislative Council, is a member of the Democratic Women's Caucus, the Children’s Caucus, and CLAW Caucus.
Majority Leader Duran currently serves House District 23, which includes Wheat Ridge, Mountain View, Applewood, and parts of Lakewood. She has long been invested in helping vulnerable members of her community and improving the quality of life for all Coloradans including those who have been victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and all crime victims and their families.
Prior to her election in 2018, she served on Wheat Ridge City Council, Board of Directors for the Wheat Ridge Fire Protection Board, and the Jefferson Center for Mental Health Board. Majority Leader Duran knows that we must ensure that our most vulnerable do not slip through the cracks. In 2024 she looks forward to continuing to serve at the Capitol with a focus on supporting families below the poverty level, increasing funding for crime victim services, child welfare, supporting victims of domestic violence, and assuring veterans have the resources they need, so all Coloradans can thrive.
Janeece Hoppe
Janeece Hoppe is serving her second term as City Councilwoman, District One in the City of Wheat Ridge.
Janeece is a Director of the Jefferson County Economic Development Corporation and Porchlight Family Justice Center.
Janeece has served on a variety of community boards and committees over the last 20 years including, Wheat Ridge Business District, Localworks, The Family Tree, Jefferson County Coalition for Suicide Prevention and Awareness, and Jefferson County Communities that Care Key Leaders. Janeece & her husband own and operate 2 small businesses in the trade industry for the last 18 years, prior to that she was an Outreach Case Manager for At-Risk Youth.
Vista Exline
Vista is the previous Executive Director of Victim Outreach, Incorporated (VOI). This organization partners with law enforcement to provide comprehensive services to victims of crime in Jefferson County, Colorado. For 33 years Vista has advocated for services that foster recovery and healing for victims of crime and trauma. She has trained community, police, prosecutors and human services organizations. Her expertise informs multi-disciplinary policy and protocols that impact victims’ needs and rights. VOI has been recognized locally and nationally for accomplishments on behalf of victims of crime.