Denver County Cultural Council

Chair & DAV Appointee
Jose, ArtistiCO Co-Founder and Executive Director, is a trailblazing millennial community leader with a passion for the performing arts and cultural advocacy fueled by his entrepreneurial spirit. As a community collaborator he partners with Colorado’s most prominent cultural leaders and organizations to bring unique and multicultural programming to Denver’s diverse landscape. His professional expertise in the public and nonprofit sectors has transcended his many accomplishments as a business entrepreneur, dancer, dynamic project manager, nonprofit expert and producer. He is most proud of his dance career as one of the few American principal dancers in the world-renowned Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernandez where he toured North America, Latin America and Europe for five years. Jose was recently awarded the 2021 EY New Wave Leadership Award from Colorado Business Committee for the Arts. He was appointed to serve on the Executive Council of the Denver County Cultural Council of the SCFD. Jose earned his master’s degree in Development and Program Management from the University of Denver and his undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado-Boulder. 

Co-Chair
Suzi is an award-winning artist, organizer, and educator who lives in Denver, Colorado. She has created, curated, coached, and taught in Denver for over 20 years, managing the largest poetry festivals that Denver has seen to date. The author of poetry collections Poems for the End of the World, A Gospel of Bones, and Thirteen Descansos, Suzi is also a singer-songwriter, playwright, and multi-disciplinary creative. Her single 'Moments', in collaboration with Psy'Aviah, received International attention after being a finalist in the BBC's 'Next Big Thing' contest and she co-wrote and is featured on Flobots’ 2017 single, "Sleeping Giant". She was also a member of Lady Wu-Tang Clan, sharing stages with Raekwon and Ghostface Killah of the Wu-Tang Clan. Suzi co-wrote the plays How I Got Over: Journeys in Verse, and Where We Are From: Freedom is a Constant Struggle. As an organizer, Suzi has worked with arts and cultural organizations for over 20 years, in Denver and around the U.S. Her commitment to intersectional racial justice, creating safe(r) spaces for all marginalized peoples, and creating communities of care as well as policies and practices for transformative justice and equity are all key initiatives. As an educator, she has worked extensively with youth, serving as a Teaching Artist with Youth On Record, and as a coach of Denver Minor Disturbance Youth Poetry Slam, resulting in two international championships. Currently, she is Affiliate Faculty with Regis University’s Mile High MFA, Lighthouse Writers Workshop, and DU’s Prison Arts Initiative.

Secretary
Ana is working as a community interpreter, advocating for the creation of Spanish language materials as a Language Coordinator, and as the Outreach coordinator for Historic Elyria. Ana has had a long career in intercultural connection and community activism. She received her secondary education through an arts & music academy and later earned degrees in International Studies with Latin American and Caribbean emphasis and Chinese studies. While living in South Texas during the border crisis, she worked professionally as a paralegal for migrant minors seeking asylum and coordinated cultural festivals for the community. In 2019, Ana relocated to Denver - this dynamic, multifaceted city that she is honored to serve.

Executive Commitee Member

Neelima is an entrepreneur, community leader, curator, connector, and philanthropist. Neelima has worked in the finance sector for nearly 20 years, where she focused on mergers and acquisitions, capital raising (both private and public), and financial advisory services. Neelima is on the Board of Ideas Worth Sharing, which is the governing board for TedxChicago. She has participated in the curation and fundraising for TedxChicago events, and is passionate about sharing ideas and knowledge. She also seeks to raise dyslexia awareness, as well as other learning differences, to provide education access to all students. Neelima is a Colorado native, and loves spending time with her two children, husband, and dog. She is a graduate of Colorado College and The University of Chicago.

Adrienna is a Promotora and Executive Director of a holistic community based organization Sisters of Color United for Education (SOCUE). For over 20 years, she has been involved in community education, awareness and mobilization around culture, health disparities, human rights, food, media justice, HIV/AIDS and art as social justice. She has created multiple Art in Motion cultural wellness fairs that have provided healthcare, basic needs services, community education, on- site HIV and STI screenings, and cultural arts for over 10,000 participants. As the lead trainer for SOCUE, Adrienna has developed multiple holistic bilingual curriculums, being used by community health workers in Colorado, Kenya, Mexico and Guatemala. 

Bobby LeFebre is an award-winning writer, performer, and cultural worker fusing a non-traditional multi-hyphenated professional identity to imagine new realities, empower communities, advance arts and culture, and serve as an agent of provocation, transformation, equity and social change. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Huffington Post, The Guardian, American Theater Magazine, NPR, and Poets.Org. LeFebre co-founded a now transitioned award-winning nonprofit organization, Cafe Cultura, which was dedicated to utilizing poetry as a tool for youth literacy and educational and cultural development. Café Cultura used spoken poetry and community building to hold space for, center, and uplift marginalized voices—specifically Latinx and indigenous voices—across the Denver Metro area. In 2019, LeFebre was named Colorado’s 8th Poet Laureate, making him the youngest and first person of color to be appointed to the position in its 100 year history. Holding a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the Metropolitan University of Denver and a master’s degree in Art, Literature and Culture from the University of Denver, LeFebre is a Fellow of the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures Leadership Institute, the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures Advocacy Institute, and the Intercultural Leadership Institute.

Visit Denver Appointee
Earl is a tourism, marketing and events professional with a unique combination of agency and in-house experience. His background spans across live events and entertainment having worked for Live Nation, The Agency Group, San Diego-based KAABOO Del Mar and the Denver-based creative agency Motive. In his current role as Cultural Tourism Programs Manager with VISIT DENVER, he serves as one of the department’s liaisons to Denver’s rich and diverse cultural community and manages VISIT DENVER’s three annual local branding programs: Denver Restaurant Week, Denver Beer Week and Denver Arts Week. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication and Media Studies from Auburn University. A southeastern native who spent his earlier years living in Atlanta, Birmingham and Nashville, Earl has been in Denver since 2015 and enjoys all that the city and state of Colorado have to offer including hiking, camping, snowboarding, live music, performing arts, and Denver’s ever-growing food, beer and art scenes. 

Denver Public Schools Appointee
Eric is an education administration professional with a unique combination of business experience and community engagement. In his role as Community Partner Program Manager for Denver Public Schools, Eric works with passionate youth professionals to bring quality out of school time activities to young people. He received his Bachelor's in Finance from Metropolitan State University of Denver. Eric is a Denver native and enjoys arts and culture. 

Samantha Franklin (she/her) has over a decade of experience working at philanthropic and capacity building organizations. As Senior Program Officer at Ms. Foundation for Women, she moves funding and other supports to organizations led by women, girls, and gender expansive folks of color, advancing structural change and fighting for racial and gender justice. Prior to Ms., she served at L+M Development Partners as Director of Community Investment and at the Thomas Phillips and Jane Moore Johnson Foundation as a Program Officer. She currently serves on the board of Rainbow Heights Club, a support and advocacy program for LGBTQ+ consumers of mental health services. She also serves on the board of the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum Foundation, which supports the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum in its pursuit of a more just, loving, and inclusive world through music. Samantha is an enthusiastic singer who enjoys performing choral music. She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in social work. 

Stephanie has worked in the government sector for over 15 years. Stephanie currently works for Denver Health in Government and Community Relations. She works to ensure our community has access to healthcare as we address the many health disparities within our communities of color. She served as the Senior Outreach Director for Congresswoman Diana DeGette for 6 years. In this role, Stephanie worked with constituents, organizations, and community leaders from every sector to build more connected, informed, and stronger communities.

Outside of the public sector, her professional career has included consulting and campaigning in diverse communities that are most vulnerable to political or legislative change.  Other areas of expertise include legislative relations, public policy, and policy analysis. 

Stephanie earned her bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of South Florida and Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Denver. She has completed Latino Leadership Institute and Downtown Denver Leadership Academy. Stephanie proudly sits on the board of Stout Street Foundation. She is a proud mom of two boys. 

Stephen Brackett was born and raised in Denver, Colorado where he regularly interfaces between the music/arts, grassroots movements, and education sectors. As a member of Flobots, he is also a co-founder of the NOENEMIES project, which works within communities to explore the power of protest music, and Youth On Record, a Denver organization that today hosts a state-of-the-art Youth Media Studio and serves at-risk youths with music programs, for-credit classes, and more. Experienced Speech Language Specialist with a demonstrated history of working in the music industry. Skilled in Event Planning, Motivational Speaking, Teaching, Music Production, and Public Speaking. Strong education services professional with a Bachelor's degree focused in Philosophy and Religious Studies from Colorado State University. Stephen is currently the Executive Director of The 87 Foundation.