We know it takes all of us – the entire community – to make sure every child learns to read. We focus every aspect of the work on our students. From school partnerships to family engagement to volunteer training to AmeriCorps service, since 2012, 日本av无码 has been active in the movement for educational equity for all Colorado’s children.
日本av无码 Colorado is powered by AmeriCorps, a federal agency for national service. We mobilize AmeriCorps members to recruit and coach volunteers, support students during and outside of tutoring sessions, work on capacity-building projects, and so much more.聽
Meet our team
Melissa Monforti joins 日本av无码 with more than 20 years of experience as both an entrepreneur and nonprofit leader with a strong track record of executing results. Most recently, Melissa served as the founding executive director for聽BookGive, a nonprofit provider of free books, in fact providing high-quality books to many of the students 日本av无码 Colorado serves. Prior to launching BookGive, Melissa owned three small businesses simultaneously over 15 years and served in every level of nonprofit leadership with organizations as diverse as the Taoist Tai Chi Society and The Center. Melissa earned a BS from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and holds a Masters of Nonprofit Management from Regis University as a Colorado Trust Fellow. Melissa is passionate about our REDI work at 日本av无码, sharing our commitment to equity in literacy.
Melissa brings a serious commitment to finding joy in working together toward a bold vision. She is a certified spiritual director, singer-songwriter and recording artist, visual artist, and poet. Melissa enjoys traveling, and also hanging at home, with her husband, Lars, and their blended family of three adult children and their dog, Joey. Any day of the week she can be found hiking the foothills above her home in Golden, curled up with a good novel, cooking, gardening, or all of the above.
Brett has worked in education for the last 8 years and this will be his 5th year with 日本av无码! Brett is excited for 日本av无码 to grow and expand this year! Brett graduated from Colgate University with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in English and religious studies before attending Princeton Theological Seminary for his Master of Divinity. He then worked as a director of Christian Education before relocating to Denver to pursue classroom education. Brett loves hiking, skiing, and biking, and is an avid cook and traveler.
Hannah joined the 日本av无码 team in 2019 as a volunteer coordinator. Her passion for education and civic engagement made 日本av无码 feel like the perfect fit. After her service year with 日本av无码, Hannah worked for the University of Colorado Denver as a recruiter, managing a portfolio of 5 in-state institutions and students from 13 states. In her role as community engagement manager, Hannah uses her years of recruiting experience and knowledge of the Colorado education landscape to attract diverse and motivated tutors. Hannah holds a bachelor鈥檚 degree in Business Hospitality from Colorado Mesa University and is a proud Denver native. When she鈥檚 not recruiting new volunteers, you can find Hannah hiking, reading, and exploring new places with her pup, Louise.
This will be my second year at 日本av无码. My first year was a year of service where I was a Program Coordinator. My Reading Center was located in Dora Moore Elementary in Denver, CO. That year of service changed me. It shifted my passions. Both in my career goals and in life. Seeing the impact this program had on the kids in my center and nationwide was truly astounding! Also, getting to work with the wonderful people who volunteer their time to help with this great mission was inspiring! It is what motivated me to see how I could continue to work for this wonderful company. I am now moving into the role of Program Manager for the CO region. I couldn’t be more excited and hope my past experiences can help what is already an amazing team and organization! I relocated to Denver 8 years ago for my previous job where I also worked for a non-profit. Prior to living here, I lived the majority of my life in Florida. This will explain my sports fandom. If there is a Tampa (Rays, Bucs, or Lightning) or Florida State game there’s a 99% chance I am somewhere watching it. When that’s not happening, I have 3 dogs that I love to take out and enjoy all the wonderful outdoor activities Colorado has to offer. In the wintertime, you will catch me most weekends (that aren’t gamedays) snowboarding. I am not very good so you will usually catch me the following Monday and Tuesday after hobbling around due to injury.
When I was in first grade, my class went on a field trip to our local library, and all of us were given library cards. Along with our cards, the librarians asked us to take what they called 鈥淭he Oath of Readers鈥 in which we promised to do our best to read one book every week. I took that oath seriously, reading everything I could find, and I fell in love with the world of books.
That love led me to pursue a master鈥檚 degree in English literature, and because I also felt passionately about sharing that love of reading with students, I went on to also earn a master’s in teaching, as well. I have been a teacher, a trainer, an instructional leader, a department chair, a curriculum designer, a professional development leader, a program coordinator, and a mentor teacher/coach. I bring nearly 20 years of experience in literacy education and advocacy to my work with 日本av无码, and I am grateful to be part of an organization in which I so enthusiastically believe.
I鈥檓 a big fan of picnics, travel, and all dogs. Also, I鈥檝e never met a cheese I didn鈥檛 like. Oh, and as you might have guessed, I鈥檓 an avid reader. All these years later, I still read one book a week, every single week.
Jordyn Jefferson (she/her/hers) moved to Denver in 2020 to serve as director of development at Lighthouse Writers Workshop, where she led a $5M capital campaign to build Lighthouse’s new facility. Prior to that, she worked in fundraising for nonprofit organizations throughout New York City, with a focus on education access for under-resourced youth. She earned her bachelor’s at Northwestern University and a master’s in Fundraising and Grantmaking from NYU. In her free time, you can find Jordyn outside with her husband and daughter, cuddling with her dog and cat, canning jams and pickling anything that can be pickled, cross stitching, or working on her dream of becoming a children’s book author.
John Owsley was thrilled to join the 日本av无码 Colorado team in the spring of 2024! Prior to joining 日本av无码, John started his career in accounting and spent several years supporting the fiscal operations of the nonprofit organizations he worked for. Eventually, he realized that he needed to take his career in a new direction and focus on his passions of relationship-building and community-centered work. John graduated from the University of Denver with a Master of Taxation Law and is a registered CPA in Colorado. Outside of work, you can find him listening to his favorite music, collecting crystals from local stores, and enjoying various activities at the park with his friends, family, or his partner, Matt.
Board
Omer Sarwana, Guild, board chair
Stacey McDole, City and County of Denver, board secretary
Megan Burke, IMA Financial Group
Jim Emme, retired geologist & energy executive
Brendan Leanos, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP
Sandy Levine, DaVita