Carina Bañuelos-Harrison
Carina Bañuelos-Harrison was born and raised in Colorado. She is Founder, Curator and Photographer for Art and Color. An advocate for artists and art organizations that are part of historically marginalized communities; helping artists exhibit their work in art spaces and other locations is a personal passion and commitment. She brings the lens of intersectionality and equity, because her own experience and involvement in the art world has observed that this component is/has been missing. Carina brings her knowledge as an artist, art administrator and social justice fighter. Bañuelos-Harrison is also a wife, mother of two, and is currently the Program Coordinator for Girl Scout DreamLab.
donnie l. betts
donnie l. betts (lowercase is intentional) is a founding member of two theatre companies in Denver, Colorado, City Stage Ensemble and Denver Black Arts Company. He attended Yale School of Drama. His theatre performance credits include “The Gospel at Colonus” on Broadway, “The Warrior Ant” at Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) as well as many regional performances. Theatre directing credits include, “House With No Walls” , “Citizen” and “Black With A Capital B for Curious, “Proof” ,“Slut Energy Theory”, Denver and Dallas and at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York, “Crumbs From The Table of Joy, Color Purple, Who Killed Jigaboo Jones, Black Elk Speaks , Porgy and Bess and The Mountain Top for which he received a Henry Award for Best Director. His film performance credits include “Switchback” and “Honeydripper” both directed by John Sayles. His production company, No Credits Productions,LLC produces the award-winning radio drama series/podcast “Destination Freedom, Black Radio Days”, and documentary films including “Music is My Life, Politics My Mistress: The Story of Oscar Brown Jr.” screened at over 25 film festivals worldwide, won eleven “Best Documentary”, and the Emmy Award winning film “My Voice”. He also produces “The Why” Women of Power series.
Chrissy Deal
Chrissy Deal joined Bonfils-Stanton Foundation in October 2020 as Director of the Livingston Fellowship Program, Arts & Social Change Grantmaking where she provides leadership for the program and oversees the Foundation’s growing arts and social change grantmaking. Previously, Chrissy served as Director of Social Responsibility & Inclusion at the Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF) where she developed a range of equity-centered learning experiences and programs that connect and inspire leaders and communities to build a more inclusive arts and culture sector.
With over 20 years of nonprofit and philanthropic experience, Chrissy is a trustee at the Denver Foundation, a founding member of the LatinasGive! giving circle, and serves in an advisory role for the Community ACTS Fund and Diversity in the Arts Internship—programs designed to amplify the voices of historically marginalized communities in the Denver area. Chrissy has deep Colorado roots and resides in North Denver with her husband and two young sons.
Brooke Dilling
Brooke Dilling is the Manager of Cultural Programs for Denver Arts & Venues, the arts and culture agency of the City and County of Denver. Brooke grew up in Wisconsin where she received her BA in Communications from the University of WI – Stevens Point. She received her MA in Higher Education – Student Development from the University of Denver. Brooke has over 25 years’ experience in community engagement and special events work and has worked in cultural events and grants funding for the past nine years at Denver Arts and Venues.
In her free time Brooke is a creative writer. She lives in SE Denver with her two sons and their crazy dog.
Rachel Garcia
Having grown up in Denver, Rachel has deep roots and connections in her hometown. She has a great dedication to the arts and creative communities. Her love of the creative community grew from a desire to connect with like-minded people and to give back. She found her tribe through the arts, social justice pursuits and through community advocacy particularly for immigrant and refugee communities. Rachel has gained a sense of belonging within the arts and creative communities and they have endowed upon her the beauty of cultural traditions she is proud to pass along to her daughter, Annalisia. Rachel attended the University of Colorado at Denver and holds a Certificate in Executive Leadership from the Latino Leadership Institute at the University of Denver. Her professional background includes 25 years as an executive level operations manager in the design/build industry however her passion is in the arts and in the field of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion.
Ericka Hernandez
Ericka Hernandez, Finance Manager of the Mexican Cultural Center was born in El Paso TX, and raised in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua until she was 10 years old. At that age, she came to the United States with her mother and made Colorado her forever home. Being born in a border gave her the opportunity to experience the cultures from Mexico and the United States. Having come to this country without speaking the language pushed her to rely heavily on something she could understand, culture.
Ericka attended Denver Metropolitan State University and received a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting. Her professional career started at Latina SafeHouse where her love for the nonprofit sector grew. She decided to shift her focus from numbers to the wellbeing of the community. When she got invited to help the Mexican Cultural Center with their first annual fundraising event in 2019, she had no doubt about it as the culture and the arts had been a passion for her since childhood.
Ericka is also part of the SCFD Adams County Cultural Council where she helps by contributing her experience from a bicultural/bilingual background to help build a stronger bridge between the arts and culture and our community. Being part of this Cultural Council has also helped her learn new ways to better serve our community as a whole including other minorities with diverse ethnic backgrounds. To continue to grow on her professional career and passion, she has recently obtained a Nonprofit Pathway Certificate from Red Rocks Community College.
Alexandria Jimenez
Alexandria Jimenez is an artist, entrepreneur and lifelong Colorado resident. She has an expansive background collaborating with youth, artists and community in Denver and beyond. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Metropolitan State University Denver. Her passion for working with youth, artists and programming comes from her experiences in libraries, museums, classrooms and nonprofit spaces. Her current role is with VELA a National nonprofit fund in support of innovative out-of-system learning spaces and ecosystems.
In addition to supporting the arts and education Alexandria runs an online, secondhand shop called, Runner Up. She currently resides in Wheat Ridge, with her husband, two dogs and brood of chickens.
Sara Moore
Sara Moore is the Executive Director for Colorado Dragon Boat, the umbrella organization that encompasses the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival, the Colorado Dragon Boat Film Festival, and the Emerging Leaders Program. The Colorado Dragon Boat Festival is the largest AANHPI (Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander) celebration in the Rocky Mountain Region, and the largest Dragon Boat Festival in the USA. Sara brings over ten years of non-profit executive management experience. Sara has managed large scale events, significant fundraising efforts, and is a key leader in the AANHPI community.
Sara’s passions include rock climbing, hiking, and learning about her Japanese heritage. Sara can talk on end about her grandfather, Masamichi (Mac) Suzuki. Mac was interned during WWII as a nisei at Tule Lake, California. He later served on the ABCC (Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission) in Hiroshima, Japan, as a OBGYN studying fertility in the victims of the atomic bombs where he met Sara’s grandmother, a nurse from Wyoming who was also a part of the commission.
Sara is proud to be a part of this amazing organization that helps promote and celebrate the diversity we have in the Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander community.
Keith Peterson
Keith Peterson is a graduate of both East High School and Metropolitan State University. Born and raised in Cheeseman Park, Keith’s vibrant surroundings instilled a passion for the creative arts, which ultimately led to a career in arts administration in New Orleans, LA. Now back in Denver, Keith balances a career with the Denver Elections Division with his own artistic endeavors. Keith is a strong vocal advocate for equity in access to financial resources in the art world and is thrilled to be working with the Community Acts Fund.