Carmen
Rhodes was a member of the team of individuals and organizations that founded
FRESC in 2002. She provided in-kind volunteer staff support for many of
FRESC’s endeavors, including serving as a leader in the Campaign for
Responsible Development from 2003-2006. In January of 2007 Carmen was
hired as FRESC Executive Director.
In
addition to executive oversight of all aspects of the organization, Carmen coordinates FRESC's civic engagement program and the Campaign to Rebuild the American Dream. She convenes the Colorado Apollo Alliance and also serves
on the Board of the national Partnership for Working Families, the Colorado
Community Organizing Collaborative, and an Advisory Task Force on Diversity
in Employment and Contracting for the Denver Urban Renewal Authority
(DURA).
Prior
to becoming FRESC’s Executive Director, Carmen served as the Political Director
of the 55,000 member, Denver Area Labor Federation. She developed and
honed a winning political campaign model that has been replicated throughout
North America, training and developing rank and file union members to run and
lead campaigns. During her nine year tenure as Political Director, more
than 100 candidates endorsed by labor and working families were elected to
state or local office. Carmen also oversaw the coordination of
non-partisan grassroots efforts to get out the vote in support of the
successful 2006 ballot initiative to increase Colorado’s Minimum Wage.
Carmen
has a strong background in the women’s movement and is an experienced public
speaker. She grew up in Loveland, Colorado.
A
fourth-generation Coloradoan who grew up in northwest Denver, Aurita is
new to the FRESC staff in January 2010. Areas of responsibility
include coalition and individual outreach and leadership development in
West Denver, in support of FasTracks and other FRESC campaigns.
Aurita’s involvement in grassroots campaigns extends as far back as
1984, with a recent emphasis on healthcare reform. Her civic
background includes a pair of campaigns as a candidate for public
office and four others in which she served on other candidates’
steering committees. As a member of the Westminster Human Services
Board, Aurita helps to allocate funds to deserving non-profits in
Westminster. Prior to FRESC, Aurita served eight years in the U.S.
Army where she earned her status as an LPN, followed by several years
of nursing in the private sector. She has also worked in the Denver
Public School system.
Michelle joined the staff in April. She handles all bookkeeping, payroll, accounts payable and receivable, and office management. She served as a linguist in the US Army from 1998-2000, is a certified yoga instructor, and was the campaign manager for a city council seat in Broomfield in 2009. Michelle spends her free time training for triathlons and volunteering with various community agencies. She received a Bachelors degree in Counseling from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2008 and is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Counseling from Regis University.
Mary Broderick is our newest team member and she serves as FRESC's Green Careers for Coloradans Grant Outreach Coordinator, a $3.6 million renewable energy and energy efficiency training grant from the Department of Labor that includes Joint Electrical Apprenticeship training programs, community training providers, and workforce development partners. Mary is a 28 year union electrician with extensive experience in the Electrical Renewable Energy Industry. She is a NABCEP Certified Photovoltaic Installer, a Master Electrician, and has a BS in Electrical Engineering from Metro State College. She has been a renewable energy volunteer, activist, and most recently the IBEW Local 68 Renewable Energy/Marketing Agent. She is a 56 year resident of Colorado and is passionate about introducing women to building trades apprenticeships, living sustainably and riding her 53 Harley.
Allison
joined the FRESC staff in 2010 and serves as the Civic Engagement
Director. At FRESC, she will oversee the civic engagement program,
including ballot issue strategies and non-partisan voter education.
Allison’s diverse experiences as a labor and community organizer have
included research, advocacy, and new member organizing and leadership
development. Previously, she worked with the Communications Workers of
America in Colorado coordinating the involvement of union members on
The Employee Free Choice Act and Health Care reform. In 2008, she was
a part of the Protect Colorado’s Future team that worked to defeat
Amendments 47, 49 and 54. Additionally, she has worked in voter
registration and education programs and has volunteered on candidate
and issue electoral campaigns at the local, state and federal levels.
Allison holds a bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University, and a
master's degree from the School of International Service at American
University, where her work focused on democracy, civil society and
Latin America. Allison grew up in Pueblo and Beulah, CO.
Rev. Daniel Klawitter serves as FRESC's
Religious Outreach Organizer and joined the FRESC staff in 2007. Daniel coordinates clergy and religious
support for various FRESC, community and Labor Union campaigns that touch on
worker's rights issues and economic development. In addition to being an ordained Deacon in
the Rocky Mountain Conference of the United Methodist Church, Daniel has 5
years of previous experience as a Union Representative in the Health Care
Division of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 105 in
Denver. In 2002, he received a Master
of Divinity degree with a concentration in Justice and Peace Studies from Iliff
School of Theology. Before coming to
Colorado, Daniel worked as an intern with a migrant workers’ rights organization
in the Philippines and as a community organizer in Jacksonville, Florida.
Robin serves as FRESC Program Director and Staff Attorney, and has been with FRESC since 2004. She oversees the development and implementation of FRESC’s public policy work, with a current focus on achieving equitable transit and transit oriented development in the Denver Metro Region. Other areas of expertise include forging partnerships between labor unions and community organizations; linking transparency, job quality and affordable housing standards to economic development subsidies; and best practices for connecting community residents to construction careers. She is a Mayoral appointee to the Denver Union Station Project Authority, the body which governs the $1 billion transit oriented development and multi-modal hub of FasTracks. Robin holds a Colorado law license and is a graduate of Northeastern School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts, where she represented low-income and immigrant workers and worked extensively on public policies that impact low-income working families. Prior to FRESC, Robin’s career included state government, public policy and direct services with survivors of domestic violence, and political advocacy.
Steven began working with FRESC as a strategic
planner and consultant in 2004 and joined the staff in 2005. He received his
master’s degree from the University of Denver. Steven has over 25 years as a
community and labor organizer, and non-profit executive director of three
Colorado-based community organizations (United Seniors of Colorado,
Neighborhood Housing Services of Denver, and Thistle Community Housing). For
twelve years before coming to FRESC, Steven worked in the nonprofit and public
sectors as a local and national fundraiser, trainer, facilitator and
consultant. As the Administrative
Director of FRESC, Steven oversees finances, fundraising, and administration
while providing organizing support and coordinating the Colorado Community
Organizing Collaborative (with eight organizing partners in the state).
Blake
joined FRESC in June 2006 with a background in labor and community
organizing. Before FRESC, he spent three years organizing farm workers in
North Carolina with the Farm Labor Organizing Committee. By way of a
national boycott, community, and labor organizing, the union won the largest
collective bargaining agreement in the state's history and the first one
covering H2A "guest" workers in the United States. At FRESC,
Blake is involved in campaigns to win Community Benefits at the future
redevelopment of Denver’s Union Station and other transit-oriented developments
in West Denver.
Rachael joined FRESC in 2006 with a background in research, community and labor organizing as well as nonprofit office administration work. She supports many of FRESC's campaigns through research, data analysis and writing. She also does publication layout and maintains FRESC’s website. Rachael holds a master’s degree in Labor Studies from the University of Massachusetts where she focused on strategic research including researching economic development projects and community reaction to US day labor populations. Her bachelor’s degree is in Women’s Studies from Mount Holyoke College.
FRESC Staff, from left: Blake Pendergrass, Rachael Running, Robin Kniech, Nora Bashir, Steven Moss, Aurita Apodaca, Carmen Rhodes, Allison Halprin Lovejoy, Daniel Klawitter
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