Kent MacLennan (He/Him/His) is the Executive Director for Rise Above Colorado

I’ve always been passionate about education and giving youth the tools to be contributing members of society who seek to fill the world with good. From my days teaching high school social studies to now engaging with members of our Teen Action Council, I firmly believe in the power of youth to make the world a better place.

Kent MacLennan is the founding executive director of Rise Above Colorado, a statewide drug prevention nonprofit that empowers teens to make healthy connections, decisions, and change. Rise Above Colorado was launched by the founders of the Colorado Meth Project in 2014 with a focus on preventing drug misuse and addiction by giving youth the knowledge and skills to realize their full potential.

Kent has more than 25 years of progressive leadership experience in the nonprofit sector, including Young Americans Center for Financial Education, the University of Denver, Wilfrid Laurier University and Up With People. He also has direct experience working with the teenage demographic, having taught social studies for two years at Pomona High School in Arvada, Colorado.

Kent holds a Bachelor of Science in foreign service from Georgetown University and a Master of Education from the University of Denver. He and his spouse live in Broomfield, Colorado and their three teenage and young adult children provide a built-in learning lab.

Paul is Director of Development and Operations
"I’ve always been amazed by the ability of people, especially youth, to do incredible things when given the right tools, vision and hope. I’m passionate about this work because we don’t just tell youth what to avoid, but help them see where they can go and give them the tools to get there."

Paul has a wide breadth of experience in the non-profit and for-profit sector, having spent time with the international student leadership organization, Up with People, small group wildlife travel, outdoor access organizations, and even pandemic relief response. No matter where he has been, his focus has been on developing collaborative relationships with community members as well as optimizing systems to create transformative organizations. He is excited to be working now with Colorado youth in substance abuse prevention and behavioral health.

Born in South Dakota, Paul is a father and husband, fitness enthusiast, and outdoorsman. He enjoys everything from rock climbing and hunting, to reading and meditation, but you can usually find him spending time with his daughter, wife and labrador retriever.

Jenna Garrow (She/Her/Hers) is our Director of Prevention Education
Jenna’s role is to create and disseminate substance use prevention strategies and resources for youth across CO, while guiding the evolution of our community partnerships and collaborative learning communities. Rise Above Colorado’s mission of empowering teens to make healthy connections, decisions and change is important to Jenna because she’s worked with youth in and outside of the public school system for 20 years and recognizes that ALL teens benefit from experiencing an authentic sense of belonging and feeling supported to be a positive change agent in the communities in which they identify with. She believes that the opposite of addiction is connection, and that our power is rooted in healthy connections.

Jenna is honored to be a part of Rise Above CO team because we are innovative, collaborative, reflective and responsive. It brings her tremendous joy to be able to work directly with youth, as well as the adults supporting them, to address the dynamic nature of this work. The team is skilled at elevating youth perspective to create and sustain effective prevention strategies across CO and is committed to growing and getting better together every day!

Jenna holds a Bachelor of Science in education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and loves finding adventure with her two children, her partner, and his kiddos. She loves seeing live music, running (on the trails and on the track), skiing, soaking, and supporting moms and babies in her work as a certified birth doula.

Angelica Ochoa (She/Her/Hers) is our Youth Engagement Coordinator
Angelica leads a youth civic engagement initiative to empower Denver youth to address pressing behavioral health issues in their communities. As a Denver Public Schools alumna, she builds relationships with students and staff across DPS and other youth prevention initiatives in the city to help recruit, select and facilitate this group of Denver youth. Angelica graduated in 2022 with a degree in psychology at MSU Denver. Angelica grew up in South Denver, Colorado where she still lives.

The mission of Rise Above Colorado is important to me because I believe youth empowerment is the best path to supporting young people. Building strong connections and sharing accurate comprehensive information regarding substances are my favorite parts of our work. Engaging with youth around these important topics continues to broaden my way of thinking and understand of how youth today are coping with their realities. I feel lucky to be able to a part of the work of Rise Above Colorado and working alongside Colorado youth to move forward substance misuse prevention efforts.

Jonathan Judge (He/Him/His) is our Director of Media and Campaigns
Rise Above Colorado sees the best in Colorado’s youth and matches that vision with action, creating and delivering resources to help teens to realize their full potential. I’m proud of our work, proud of the team assembled to do it, and wake up excited each day knowing that new opportunities for growth are there for the taking.

He brings significant curriculum design and program management experience to his role leading the outreach efforts for the organization. As director for the International Towne program at Young Americans Center for Financial Education from 2003-2008, Jonathan led curriculum creation as well as overall program management of a middle-school, hands-on education program in global economics. Moving on to become the program manager for the Colorado Meth Project, Jonathan developed and led the organization’s volunteer network, oversaw statewide outreach to schools and youth serving agencies, and led an initiative to design and pilot a nationally utilized Meth prevention curriculum. Jonathan designs, implements, and monitors the organization’s social media activity and leads large-scale community art projects across Colorado. Jonathan is an alumnus of the Peace Corps and holds a bachelor’s degree from University of Nebraska-Wesleyan, a master’s in international studies from University of Denver, and he always returns his grocery carts.

Kavitha Kailasam is the Director of Community Partnership & Capacity Building for Rise Above Colorado.
Kavi’s role is to develop the partnerships and systems that will support capacity building and quality improvement in Rise Above’s internal and external efforts.

Kavi has worked in various aspects of prevention and community development in Colorado, including as the director of the Tony Grampsas Youth Services Program, funding community-based organizations working in positive youth development across the state and working closely with various statewide youth initiatives in Colorado, like Colorado 9to25. She has also managed the community initiatives programs for a Colorado-based community bank, finding shared vision and creating partnerships with community organizations around the issues of education, wellness, and environment. Prior to that, Kavi spent time in direct prevention services with adolescent girls through a locally based organization in rural India.

Kavi enjoys finding and creating opportunities for all youth to thrive. She holds a master of arts in International Administration focusing on global health and humanitarianism, and a bachelor of arts in International Studies and Spanish from the University of Denver.

Kaole is Youth Engagement Coordinator for Rise Above Colorado
Kaole is passionate about ensuring youth have a space to be empowered to contribute their voices to prevention efforts and shaping strategies that reflect their strengths and positive choices. She supports youth civic engagement, positive community change efforts, and prevention initiatives to amplify youth voice and agency across the state.

Kaole has always worked closely with youth. Through her previous role at the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Denver, she has worked extensively in the Denver community, teaching youth about healthy lifestyle choices. She also spent time in Denver Public Schools with their Extended Learning and Community Schools as a program leader for elementary-aged youth.

Kaole is a Colorado native who graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology from Metropolitan State University of Denver. She enjoys spending time with her dog, being a plant mom, and weightlifting.

Sara Jean Cardona is the Community Partnership Coordinator for Rise Above Colorado.
Sara Jean’s role is to implement a comprehensive, statewide outreach strategy through Rise Above’s Constellation partner community and statewide Teen Action Council.

Sara Jean brings with her over 15 years in positive youth development and prevention services. Sara Jean worked with Girls Inc. of Metro Denver from 2006-2017. She served mainly as a community educator, and spent her last three years as a program manager. For six years, she also worked at Denver Health as a Health Educator at Lake Middle and North High School-Based Clinics. In this role, she provided sexual health counseling to prevent teenage pregnancy and risky behavior.

Sara Jean’s passion is to work with youth and the community to collaborate on providing a positive learning experience. She loves to empower youth to make better, healthier choices. She holds a bachelor of arts in Behavioral Science, with an emphasis in Psychology, and a minor in Business Management.

Ben Edwards (He/Him/His) is our Manager of Communications & Community Partnerships
His passion for RAC’s work stems from his belief that youth have a unique ability to inspire positive change in the world. His role is to lead internal and external communications for the organization and manage the Colorado Constellation Project, connecting communities across the state in their shared objectives to empower and engage youth. Ben brings several years of non-profit experience to his role from a variety of contexts. He earned his bachelor's degree from Sterling College, thinks of himself as somewhat of a musician, and enjoys his eventful life with his 2 kids and their canine companion, Pistol.

MavaMarie Cooper is the Community Partnership Coordinator for Rise Above Colorado.

Mava’s role is to support Rise Above Colorado’s statewide partner network through local outreach, resource sharing, technical assistance and training.

Mava has worked on a variety of public health and prevention topics in Colorado, nationally and internationally. This includes coordinating health promotion and communication efforts at El Paso County Public Health in Colorado Springs and building international partnerships through the University of Michigan’s Office of Global Public Health. She also coordinated a youth mentoring program in Northern Michigan through AmeriCorps and continues to mentor and volunteer with organizations that work with young people.

Mava holds two degrees from the University of Michigan, a bachelor’s degree in Global Health and the Environment and a master’s degree in Health Behavior and Education. When she is not at Rise Above Colorado, Mava can be found learning to bake or with her nose in a crossword puzzle.

Kelsey Burton is on the Board of Directors.

I am directly affected by substance misuse as many of my close friends and family members lost their lives to addiction. Now that my nieces are in middle school I fear for what they'll be exposed to. But knowledge is power and educating our youth enables them to make informed decisions. They are our future so it is critical that we equip them with the tools and skills to make healthy choices for their lives.

Kelsey Burton serves as the Chief of Staff for Evermore Partners where she supports the founders, manages key corporate initiatives, assists in business development, and maintains investor relations.

Previously, Kelsey was VIP Sales Manager for a music festival held annually in San Diego, where she managed the ultra-VIP program as well as investor relations. Kelsey has a passion for client service and project management.

Kelsey earned a Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality + Tourism Management from Metropolitan State University of Denver. She loves traveling, reading, and spending time with her family.

Dave Sjerven is on the Board of Directors.

Dave Sjerven is the Chief Financial Office of Transwest Inc. Dave brings 30 years of finance and accounting experience along with nearly 20 years of not-for-profit experience to help serve the mission of Rise Above. Dave has a passion for serving the community in which he lives and works. He has spent his entire professional career in Colorado and is committed to addressing issues facing our youth on a daily basis.

Geoff Blue is on the Board of Directors.

Geoff Blue is an attorney with Klenda Gessler and Blue, LLP.

Recently Geoff has served as an attorney with Greenberg Traurig and as the executive director of state government relations for JPMorgan Chase. From 2008-2011 Geoff served as deputy attorney general for legal policy in the Colorado Attorney General’s Office. Previously, Geoff practiced law with Fairfield and Woods, P.C., as a general commercial litigator.

Geoff received his bachelor of arts degree in politics from Princeton University. From there, he matriculated to Victoria University of Manchester, England, where he earned a master of arts in health care ethics. Finally, Geoff was granted a JD from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1998. During law school, he served as president of the Society of Law, Health and Bioethics.

Amy Graham is on the Board of Directors.

I have spent the last 15 years serving the local youth in the community in different board member roles and various capacities related to youth sports. I've grown up in CO and I have a personal connection to Rise Above Colorado’s mission. Rise Above is highly aligned with passions of mine, therefore, I'm thrilled to continue to serve and contribute to the betterment of youth in our local communities through the organization.

Amy is a certified instructor at Pragmatic Institute where she provides expert training and coaching to corporations all over the world who are seeking to learn how to build and sustain best in class product management and product marketing teams to build market driven products.

Amy is a proud “boy mom” of two amazing young men. Her and her husband enjoy their mini Bernedoodle Winston, traveling and attending their children’s HS and college sporting events.

Amy brings a wealth of business experience with her, including Human Resources, Operations, Project Management, Product Management, and years of managing and building technology products and services.

Dana Duran is on the Board of Directors.

Dana Duran is Chief Executive Officer of Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest Colorado, serving Craig and Steamboat Springs. The Boys & Girls Club is a youth development organization working to enable and inspire youth to reach their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. She has a passion for helping youth reach beyond their circumstances to achieve their personal best. Dana’s background includes working with underrepresented populations, decreasing barriers to access in afterschool and summer programming and previously in college admissions. Dana sits on the Northwest Regional Council for the El Pomar Foundation and the State Alliance for Boys & Girls Clubs and previously served as on the State Judicial Nomination Commission.

She earned her undergraduate and master’s degrees from Regis University, and is a graduate of the advanced leadership program through Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Patrick Gaines is on the Board of Directors.

Patrick Gaines is Chief Development Officer of Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver.

Prior to joining Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver, Patrick served as the Executive Director for the Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Senior Director of Development at the University of Colorado Foundation, Director of Major Gifts at the American Cancer Society and Director of Corporate Development and Sponsorship Marketing at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. Patrick has lived in Colorado since 2000 and is an avid outdoor enthusiast, having competed on three continents as an ultramarathon runner and mountaineer. Patrick also enjoyed a 15 year career as a classical musician, having held positions with the Mannheim Steamroller, Omaha Symphony and Colorado Symphony.

Apoorva Gundu serves on the Board of Directors.
As a previous member of the Rise Above Teen Council, she developed a passionate commitment to advocating for substance-free lifestyles among Colorado teenagers.

At the Downtown Denver Partnership's External Affairs and Communications team, Apoorva leverages her expertise in strategic communications to strengthen community connections. Her multidisciplinary academic background, including a B.A. in Neuroscience and Psychology with minors in Business and Communications from the University of Colorado Boulder, reflects her holistic approach to understanding human behavior and organizational dynamics. Her unique combination of scientific knowledge, business acumen, and communication skills enables her to contribute unique perspectives to the organization's mission of empowering Colorado's youth.

Vy Nguyen is the Chair of the Board.

Substance misuse and abuse is an issue that directly and indirectly affects everyone in our community. As a parent and community member, I believe it is important to guide, encourage, and support our youths towards a healthy, productive, and fulfilling life.

Vy is the Managing Member of TLN Disputes & Advisory, LLC. Her business experience includes over 15 years of consulting services to government agencies, legal counsel, and business entities.

Vy earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Denver in 2005 and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2010.

Stazi Snelling is on the Board of Directors.

Rise Above’s mission is important to me because positive messaging has been shown to be more effective in preventing substances than scare tactics and other common ways of talking about substance use prevention. Also, supporting youth as whole people leads to better life outcomes and the ability to thrive and Rise Above supports this effort.

Stazi has been a board member since July 2022. She has always had a passion for helping people and has felt the call to helping youth through structured programs that utilize Positive Youth Development and mentoring roles. She strives to advocate for authentic youth voice in all spaces and is continually learning how to hold better and better equity lenses in her work and life. Currently, Stazi works for TEENS, Inc., which is an organization designed to help youth and their families make healthy choices and thrive. She is the Teen Center Program Manager which provides a safe, fun space for youth to hang out.

Previously, Stazi was a Youth Partner with Rise Above Colorado for 4.5 years where she worked closely with Rise Above’s community partners to support efforts across the state at engaging youth in their prevention work. Stazi’s role was to provide youth voice and input through the cultivation of youth-adult partnerships. Before that, Stazi worked as a Peer Supervisor at TEENS, Inc. for two years in high school where she supported building maintenance and activity planning. Stazi received her Associates of Science from Front Range Community College and Bachelor's in Zoology from Colorado State University.

Gina Tincher is the Chair of the Board.

Gina Tincher is an attorney with Brownstein, Hyatt, Farber, Schreck, LLP.

Her practice involves general commercial litigation as well as environmental cleanup disputes. Before law school, Gina was a narcotics detective in Gainesville, Florida for nearly 14 years. Gina’s previous experience equips her to understand the enormous effects drug use has on young adults and our communities.

Gina earned her bachelor of arts degree from the University of Florida in 2000, her master of science degree from Florida State University in 2006, and her JD from the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law in 2015.

Mae Thompson is on the Board of Directors.

For the past five years, Mae has been an advocate for youth voice, in various capacities, at both local and state levels. Most recently she served two years as the Youth Partner for Rise Above Colorado where she focused on youth engagement across the state. She is passionate about creating environments where young people feel comfortable to speak up and share their opinions in order to create a more informed community. Mae currently works at HDR Inc., a civil engineering firm as a Project Support Assistant.

José Esquibel is on the Board of Directors.

Director, Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention
University of Colorado, Anschutz Campus

Along with Dr. Rob Valuck of the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Colorado, and Kelly Perez, a former Senior Policy Analyst with the Office of Governor John Hickenlooper, José is one of the architects of the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention, which utilizes a collective impact approach for reducing the impact of the opioid crisis in Colorado.

Initially trained as a clinician with mentors from the fields of child and family psychiatry and psychology at the University of New Mexico, José worked as a certified addictions counselor and family therapist in outpatient and inpatient treatment settings for over a decade before entering state government service.

From 2005 through 2011, he served as a co-director of two substance abuse prevention grants awarded to the Colorado Office of the Governor, one related to implementing screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment in medical settings.

Since 2013, he has served by appointment of the President of the Colorado Senate as the vice chair of prevention for the Colorado Statewide Substance Abuse Trend and Response Task Force, a legislatively mandated task force chaired by the Colorado Attorney General The task force uses a cross-discipline approach for determining strategic responses in assisting local communities in addressing the impacts of drug abuse.

José also recently served as the director of the Office of Community Engagement in the Colorado Office of the Attorney General.