Meet Our Team

Kristen Blessman
Executive Vice President of the Denver Metro Chamber and President of Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation
kristen.blessman@denverleadership.org
303-620-8038

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Kristen Blessman has over 20 years of leadership experience, including strategic marketing, business development and executive management; working with in non-profit as well as for-profit businesses. Blessman is also an entrepreneur, having started multiple ventures. She is a change-agent leader with a focus on revenue development through the areas of innovation, strategic planning, start-up social enterprise, rebranding, and award-winning marketing and advertising campaigns. 
 
Blessman is currently the President of the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation and EVP of the Denver Metro Chamber. Blessman also served as the President and General Manager of PBS12, Impact Media for Colorado. As CEO of PBS12, Blessman re-invented the hyper local media landscape for Colorado by telling local stories that inspire. Blessman was brought on as president of the organization to do what she does best; bring innovation, advocacy and change to the nonprofit media organization. Under her tenure, the organization launched entirely new local programming, spearheaded several local content partnerships and won an Emmy and Telly award and best new program from the Colorado Broadcaster’s Association. 

Kristen currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Western Colorado University and has served on the boards of The International Women’s Forum of Colorado, The American Marketing Association, and The Denver Press Club, She also serves as an advisory board member and guest faculty for the Jake Jabs School for Entrepreneurship at CU Denver and is on the Advisory Board for Civico.

Our Staff — Operations

Nikki Barta
Executive Assistant
nikki.barta@denverleadership.org
303-620-8024

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Born and raised in Denver, Nikki Barta is the executive assistant of the Leadership Foundation.  She takes on her ever-changing role with a smile and a double-jointed thumbs-up.  When she’s not taking care of our team or our board up here on the 5th Floor, you can find her enjoying Colorado’s great outdoors with her (adorable) kiddos or sitting on a patio enjoying a glass of pinot. She also likes to get her Pinterest-inspired crafting on and cooking vegan-ish meals for her family.

Our Staff — Programs

Jenna Diaz-Gonzalez
Program Director
 Jenna.Diaz-Gonzalez@denverleadership.org
303-620-8073

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Jenna Diaz-Gonzalez is a social impact leader dedicated to ensuring all communities thrive through leadership development, philanthropy and nonprofit capacity building. As Program Director at the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation, Jenna oversees the suite of leadership programming, including Impact Denver and the Leadership Exchange. She’s passionate about creating spaces where leaders feel that they belong, are supported, and are equipped with the resources they need to be social change agents.

Over the past 11 years, Jenna has held positions in grants management, programs and communications across grantmaking foundations in New York, Arizona and California. Prior to joining the Leadership Foundation, she worked for the Annenberg Foundation, Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, Getty Foundation and Southern California Grantmakers. During her volunteer tenure as Co-Chair of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy Los Angeles (EPIP LA), Jenna oversaw the development and engagement of purposeful leaders in philanthropy to drive organizational and community change, chaired its Mentorship Program and co-designed the People of Color Los Angeles Network to strengthen solidarity within communities of color and deepen practices of liberation.

Jenna received her Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Arizona State University Barrett Honors College and her Master’s in Public Administration from University of Southern California. When she’s not working you can find her traveling the globe, hiking, or attending a local arts & culture event.

Kate Greeley
Program Director
kate.greeley@denverleadership.org
303-620-8055

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Kate brings over 20 years of experience in the education and leadership development spheres. Spending the last few years in various roles in K-12 education, she is looking forward to transitioning into this new adventure here at the Leadership Foundation. As Program Director, Kate is excited to lead our region’s premier leadership program, Leadership Denver – in which she is a proud 2015 graduate! Kate has lived in Denver for almost 30 years and loves spending time outdoors with her husband and two sons.

Jess Welser
Director of B:CIVIC and CSR
jessica.welser@bcivic.org
303-620-8085

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Jess serves as the Director of B:CIVIC and CSR for the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation. B:CIVIC elevates business for good by empowering organizations and their people to do more for their communities.

As part of B:CIVIC, she helps companies move the needle and increase capacity for their corporate social responsibility strategies. In this role, she engages more than 140 organizations in sharing expertise, corporate strategy and collaborative initiatives. Two notable initiatives include a Colorado CEO pledge against racism and the first statewide version of the Civic 50 Colorado.

Additionally, she manages stakeholder engagement, resource curation, marketing and event execution, including an annual conference. Through her leadership, the B:CIVIC Summit has become the largest full-day CSR conference in the Rocky Mountain Region. She also gives her time back to the community through service on the resource toolkit committee for Colorado Inclusive Economy and advisory board for Impact100 Metro Denver, among various other volunteer initiatives.

Before joining B:CIVIC, Jess served in a variety of community building roles in her home state of Iowa. She supported the revitalization of the city of Maquoketa through development and execution of community initiatives and communication strategies. Jess also managed marketing and communications for Active Endeavors, a family-owned outdoor apparel shop. Here she transformed the brand image to a community-focused organization and managed sponsorships.

Jess obtained a certificate in corporate social responsibility from the University of Colorado – Boulder, Leeds School of Business and a certificate in sustainable business strategy from Harvard Business School. She holds a BBA from the University of Iowa, with a focus on marketing and a sustainability certificate.

In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, camping, snowboarding, cooking, and exploring Colorado.

Matt Tebo
Manager, Alumni & Logistics, Leadership Foundation
Matt.Tebo@denverleadership.org
303.620.8078

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Coming soon.

Ana Ibañez
Program Support Specialist
ana.ibanez@denverleadership.org
303-620-8066

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Ana serves as the Program Support Specialist for the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation, focusing on fostering community engagement, leadership development and program execution.

Ana’s international experience includes an internship in Seville, Spain, where she served refugees, gaining invaluable insights into global community engagement and support for vulnerable populations.

Ana received her Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Relations from the University of Colorado Denver. She furthered her education with a Graduate Certificate in Global Community Engagement from the University of Denver and a Certificate in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Strategy from the University of Colorado Boulder. She also completed the Women’s Leadership Lab Program at the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce.

Fluent in Spanish and English, Ana leverages her bi-cultural background to connect with diverse communities.

Outside of her professional endeavors, Ana is passionate about mentoring high school students and actively participates in community events. Her dedication to making a positive impact is evident in both her professional and personal life.

In her spare time, Ana enjoys singing, painting, visiting art galleries, traveling the globe, reading and grabbing brunch with friends.

Olivia Barrows
B:CIVIC Impact & Operations Senior Specialist
olivia.barrows@bcivic.org
303-620-8109

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Olivia was born and raised in Western Colorado and is a recent graduate of the University of Denver with a Master’s in International Studies. She started traveling internationally at a young age and recognized the need for commitments to social responsibility. As an undergraduate at Pacific University, Olivia led several student organizations and further saw the importance of local solutions to big problems. Olivia most recently worked with the Denver Public Schools Foundation supporting corporate engagement. She is excited to continue using her background in diplomacy and project management to better the Denver community!