Our People | Rise Above Colorado

Our People

Our Staff

Our team at Rise Above Colorado is made up of a group of dedicated and passionate people who are committed to helping prevent teen substance misuse.

Backed by decades of experience with school and community health initiatives, positive youth development efforts and involvement in youth-serving organizations like the Colorado Meth Project, the Rise Above Colorado team has set its sights on helping empower teens to make healthy connections, decisions and change.

Kent Maclennan

Executive Director

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.

Jonathan Judge

Director of Media and Campaigns

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.

Jenna Garrow

Director of Prevention Education

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.

Paul Conzemius

Director of Development and Operations

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.

Angelica Ochoa

Manager of Youth Engagement

Angelica Ochoa (She/Her/Hers) is our Manager of Youth Engagement

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.

Ben Edwards

Manager of Communications & Community Partnerships

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.

Kaole Vang

Youth Engagement Coordinator

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.

Suyash Shrestha

Youth Partner

Suyash is a Youth Partner at Rise Above Colorado

Suyash is passionate about empowering young Coloradans by providing them with the knowledge and tools necessary to make healthy, informed decisions. As a former member of the Teen Action Council at Rise Above Colorado, he understands the importance of incorporating youth voices to strengthen communities and address barriers in health. One aspect of his work with Rise Above that he particularly values is the opportunity to collaborate with prevention education experts and synthesize new developments through community engagement and youth input.

As a health policy advocate, Suyash has helped draft a state bill to expand Narcan access, with a focus on supporting rural and marginalized communities. He has also worked to address regional youth health disparities through his involvement with Youth Healthcare Alliance and has supported the expansion of health science career and technical education across the state through Colorado HOSA.

He is pursuing a Bachelors of Science in Public Health at the University of Colorado Denver and aspires to become the first physician in his family. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, trying new cuisines, and spending time with friends and family.

Our Board Members

The Rise Above Colorado board is made up of a group of dedicated and passionate people who are committed to helping teens live a life free of drug abuse.

Each of our board members has been involved in the organization since the launch of the Colorado Meth Project in 2008. Our directors bring strong governance to the organization given their longtime support of youth-serving agencies and extensive backgrounds in substance abuse prevention, law enforcement, nonprofit management and legal expertise.

Vy Nguyen

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.

Kelsey Burton

Board of Directors

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.

Dana Duran

Board of Directors

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.

José Esquibel

Board of Directors

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.

Amy Graham

Board of Directors

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.

Apoorva Gundu

Board of Directors

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.

Stazi Snelling

Board of Directors

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.

Dave Sjerven

Board of Directors

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.

2025-26 Teen Action Council

Rise Above Colorado staff work closely with our statewide Teen Action Council to further empower youth in their passions to prevent drug misuse and addiction.

Representing the geographic and personal diversity of the state, the Teen Action Council works with staff to ensure Rise Above messages and resources are relevant, reliable and powerful to teens across Colorado.

Councilmembers are carefully selected through an application and interview process led by current members and staff. Each teen is responsible for leading outreach and educational activities within their community and for representing Rise Above at community, school and statewide events. Connect with Councilmembers through social media with #IRiseAbove.

Riko Burrows

Broomfield

Rises above by offering support to those who need it and being a good friend, teammate, and classmate

Jayde Forrest

Colorado Springs

Rises above by giving a different perspective and taking action.

Derek Garcia

Denver

Rises above by leading youth on a good path and inspiring other young people to do good.

Dahlia Stenglein Huseby

Fort Collins

Rises above by supporting those in need and always being a team player.

Ryan Lemley

Bayfield

Rises above by advocating for more activities for kids to do in my small town.

Aesha Masand

Thornton

Rises above by being an involved member in my community and in other people's lives.

Giada Moltrer

Trinidad

Rises above by educating my friends and family about how to live a drug free life.

Mark Albert Morua-lopez

Denver

Rises above by creating a safe environment, where the air is clean and violence and homelessness is a thing in the past.

Richie Nguyen

Aurora

Rises above by creating communities for those who feel like outsiders.

Avalon Parlin

Evans

Rises above by creating art

Gianna Pham

Denver

Rises above by living the way I should and encourage people to live their best life

Taylor Smith

Loma

Rises above by tackling community challenges head on, dedicating countless hours to serve the community.

Tyler Thiel

Grand Junction

Rises above by making sure everyone feels always feels safe and welcome.

Vidyaa Vaish

Aurora

Rises above through leadership and advocating for the needs of the youth.

Addie Baucke

Yuma

Davis Grauberger

Greeley

Eli Stice

Arvada

Rises above through community volunteering and leadership.

Fareeha Shaik

Broomfield

Jayla Grose

Greeley

I rise above by creating a comfortable environment for the people around me by making everyone feel included.

Manikya Vaish

Aurora

Rises above through volunteering and improving my community.

Mariah Montoya

Denver

I rise above because I help the communities become a welcoming place and don't judge people just try to help them.

Soleil Hodgson

Fort Collins

Rises above by advocating for positive social change in Colorado communities.

Aanya Sidhu

Aurora

I rise above by expanding my perspective to create a more comfortable environment for everyone around me.

Lexi Starks

Yuma

2025-26 Denver Organizing Committee

The Denver Organizing Committee consists of 2-4 youth from the Youth Pride Coalition, Providers and Teens Communicating for Health, Engaging Youth Expertise in Prevention, and Teen Action Council.

We aim to present knowledge and skills from our workshops that impact behavioral health outcomes among Denver youth, supportive adults, and families.

Leonardo Rodriguez-Del Rio

Denver

Gilbert Pizarro

Denver

Danielle Barton

Denver

Devin Rivas

Denver

Ella Dickard

Denver

Yma Munoz-Casillas

Denver

Gianna Pham

Denver

Mark Albert Morua-Lopez

Denver

Mariah Montoya

Denver

Emily Garcia-Munoz

Denver