Our Community

Jesse King brings decades of experience in working with non-profit and for-profit corporations. In the non-profit sector, Jesse served as the Vice President and Chief Operations Officer for the Daniels Fund; he developed and managed The Philanthropy Workshop and the Next Generation Leadership Program at the Rockefeller Foundation; he has worked as a consultant assisting California Endowment, Ford Foundation, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation to develop philanthropic strategies for community investment. As a professional development consultant, Jesse designed and facilitated leadership development courses for Texas Instruments, Arthur Young, United Gas & Pipe Line, The Association of Black Foundation Executives, The Denver Community Leadership Forum, U.S. Office of Personnel Management and the Kellogg National Leadership Program. Annually, Jesse works as the senior facilitator for a bipartisan private think thank which examines political, economic, and social issues facing the United States.

Kenneth H. Stern is a Partner in the Denver, Colorado law firm of Stern Elkind & Curray, which practices immigration law with a primary focus on business immigration matters. Ken is past Chair Person of the Colorado Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and has chaired many national committees for that organization. He has been cited for many years in the publication Best Lawyers in America, and has been repeatedly selected as a Colorado Super Lawyer by 5280 Magazine. In 1993, he received the Jack Wasserman Memorial Award for excellence in immigration litigation, and in 2002 he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Colorado Chapter of AILA. In 2005 he was named Best of the Bar in the field of Immigration Law by the Denver Business Journal. Ken has lectured extensively at seminars throughout the United States.

Sam Sharp leads the Special District Group of D.A. Davidson & Co., working primarily as an underwriter of Colorado Special District bonds. Sam also works with Special Districts in Florida, New Mexico and Arizona. Prior to joining the firm in June 1999, Sam attended Columbia University in New York City, where he graduated with a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree, concentrating in Public Finance. While in New York, Sam also worked as a public sector management consultant. Performing mostly quantitative analyses, his clients have included the United Nations, the City of New York, AmericaWorks and the Rockefeller Foundation. Before moving to New York, Sam worked at Jewish Family and Children's Services, a non-profit social service agency in San Francisco. Sam also holds a B.A. from Occidental College in California.

Malaika Pettigrew is an activist committed to the work of social change. She is a counselor, teacher, mediator, non-profit leader and consultant. For the past 8 years she has served as a faculty member at Naropa University, teaching in the Contemplative Psychology Department. Twelve years ago, Malaika founded the Institute for African American Leadership, a community program which provides mentoring and leadership skills development for black youth in Boulder Valley. Malaika also conducts diversity training for businesses and non-profit organizations. She also serves on the Boards of the Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Non-Violence, Boulder County Community Action Program and United Black Women for Boulder Valley.

David was raised as a Quaker and a pacifist. His concern for people in need brought him to Denver to complete a Masters in Social Work. In the mid-1980's, he was a founder and first Vice President of the Colorado Coalition for the Prevention of Nuclear War. In 1989, he helped to found CHARG Resource Center, a nonprofit service and advocacy organization for adults who suffer from severe and persistent mental illnesses. He has served as CHARG's Executive Director since then, and is accountable to an elected board of mental health consumers, who govern the program in partnership with a community-based board. David also sits on the board of Community Shares of Colorado and teaches part-time at the University of Denver and Regis University. He relaxes by playing the piano and enjoying the company of his grandson Deven.

Karen currently works for the State and looks forward to retiring within the year. Additionally, she volunteers with the National Sports Center for the Disabled in Winter Park, Colorado and has served on the Chinook Grant-making Committee for the past five years, approximately. She sings in the choir and serves as a Deacon at Peoples Presbyterian Church.  Through the last 10 years, Karen's activism has been focused on HIV Prevention and testing in the African-American Community, serving as Board Co-Chair of Out4Life Colorado, and Board membership on Equality Colorado, Mayor Webb's Lesbian and Gay Advisory Committee, the Lesbian and Gay Advisory Council to the DPS School Board and the Black Lesbian and Gay Leadership Forum, Colorado Chapter.  Karen appreciates the opportunity to become more involved in Chinook at the board level.

Yvette was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. She has spent the majority of her career working in some capacity to empower individuals and organizations. As former operations manager of the 16th St. Mall, Yvette successfully collaborated with numerous agencies that advocated on behalf of Denver's youth and homeless populations. Yvette also participated in the Lundy Leadership Initiative, a 3-year community building experience for LGBT community leaders. In 2000, Yvette established her own company which facilitates processes designed to eradicate racism, sexism, homophobia and HIV/AIDS. Yvette holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Colorado State University. While she now lives in Washington, DC, she remains a very active member of the Chinook Executive Committee.

Jordan T. Garcia is an Immigrant Rights Organizer with Coloradans For Immigrant Rights, a project of the American Friends Service Committee. He serves as the chair of the board of directors for the Colorado Anti-Violence Program, which works to end violence within and against the LGBTQ community, and volunteers for their 24-hour crisis hotline. He also sits on the board of the Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training and is a member of the Denver Mayor's LGBTQ Commission. Jordan recently started working with Q~POC Lounge, Denver's premier queer youth-of-color space focusing on creative self expression and cultural awareness. He obtained his Bachelors degree in International Political Economy from Colorado College in 2002. A gender queer, sex positive Latina/o young person, he enjoys eating and cooking with friends, riding his bike and planning for the revolution and post industrial collapse.

DeQuan is the former Executive Director of One Nation Enlightened, one of Denver's first youth organizing groups. Prior to working with O.N.E., DeQuan worked for Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training (GIFT) as their director of training. DeQuan has also worked for the Chinook Fund. He has an extensive background in community organizing, anti-oppression training and grassroots fundraising that includes staff positions with progressive organizations Action for a Better Community (Denver) and Californians for Justice.  His community work has been focused on youth, anti-oppression issues, and eliminating racism.

Carlos Valverde is a Senior Education Policy Specialist for the National Conference of State Legislatures.  In this position he works to raise awareness among a legislative audience about policy issues regarding college readiness, access, and success for low-income and students of color.  Previously, Carlos worked as a Program Manager for the Daniels Fund and as a Project Supervisor for Servicios de La Raza.  He currently serves on the board of directors for the Chinook Fund and the Valverde Family Fund, and on the advisory boards for Educo Outdoor Education School, the Expanding Nonprofit Inclusiveness Initiative, and the Colorado Statewide Pre-Collegiate Conference.   Carlos is also a volunteer for the La Raza Youth Leadership Conference, the Aztlanecos Boxing Club, and the Coca-Cola Scholarship Foundation.  Carlos received his Master of Nonprofit Management at Regis University and Bachelor or Arts in English at Colorado College.