About Us

Board of Directors

Our amazing board members are (left to right) Kayvan Khalatbari, Michael Miera,
Asia Dorsey, and Jeff Shanahan.

Meet the Team

Yessica X. Holguin, Executive Director

Yessica was CCWB's first hire. She is responsible for leading the organization and carrying out the vision of a people-owned, inclusive, and sustainable metro Denver economy that catalyzes prosperous and resilient communities free from racism and injustice.

Yessica grew up in the Swansea neighborhood in Denver and has done grassroots community organizing with immigrant groups and low-income communities across the Denver Metro area since 2000. She has dedicated her life to empowering disenfranchised communities to break the cycle of poverty through education and entrepreneurship. She enjoys running, reading, and spending time with friends and family while drinking coffee.

Michelle Sturm, Anchor Strategy Director

Michelle leads the anchor engagement strategy. She works with individuals at place-based institutions to help craft a local procurement, local hiring, and local investment strategy. Her engagement with Community Wealth Building dates from 2014, when she planned a Community Wealth Building conference that led to the creation of the CWB Network. From 2016-2018, she chaired the CWB Design Team that ultimately developed the Center for Community Wealth Building.

Michelle comes to this work from a 30+ year career in the nonprofit sector, post completing a year and a half of law school. Her experience spans frontline staff positions to executive director, and a ten year stint with the Anschutz Family Foundation.

C. Paul Bindel, Cooperative Development Director

Paul leads our Democratizing Ownership strategy, reaching traditionally underserved communities and supporting the creation of worker-owned and resident-owned enterprises.

Originally from New Mexico, Paul first witnessed the power of cooperatives first hand during graduate school at the University of Oregon when he lived in and served as President of the Student Cooperative Association. Paul has extensive experience in cooperative development and support, including co-founding Queen City Cooperative, a limited-equity housing cooperative, and the Colorado Solidarity Fund, a grassroots investment club focused on locally-owned cooperative businesses.

Paul’s business background includes copywriting, video storytelling, and digital marketing strategy. He has helped place-based organizations, city agencies, nonprofits and small businesses achieve their business goals through strategically executed content. He brings careful thinking, a vision for social equity, and inspired energy to each project.

Salvador Gonzalez, Cooperative Development Specialist

Salvador works on our Democratizing Ownership strategy, reaching traditionally underserved communities and supporting the creation of worker-owned and resident-owned enterprises.

He grew up in the West Colfax neighborhood and has been involved in social justice campaigns organizing for food justice, food access, and food sovereignty. He is student of the theory, history, and modern applications of the cooperative movement. He sees the co-op model as a means of building an equitable economy that encompasses workers, community, and environment.

Salvador spends time in the community learning about the issues members face and how to best support them in the process of becoming worker-owners of businesses. In his downtime, Salvador enjoys listening to music, health training, and spending time with friends and family.

Sid Farber, Cooperative Development Associate

Sid works on our Democratizing Ownership strategy, reaching traditionally underserved communities and supporting the creation of worker-owned and resident-owned enterprises.

Kevin Hernandez, Small Business Outreach Manager

Kevin leads our Small Business Outreach Strategy. He works with local business owners throughout the city of Denver. He provides them with the resources and support that they need to maintain a sustainable level of growth for their enterprises.

Kevin is a Mestiço who was born in the Montbello neighborhood of Denver and grew up in the city of Aurora. He is the son of Mexican immigrants who established roots in Denver in the early 1990’s. He is fluent in English and Spanish, and is passionate about visual storytelling and supporting local BIPOC communities throughout the Denver region.

He served in the US Army Reserves as a Strategic Intelligence Analyst (35F) and studied Business Management at the University of Phoenix.

Patrick Horvath, Administrative Officer

Patrick manages CCWB's internal operations, and also co-directs CCWB's community owned and benefitting real estate project, which helps cultural legacy small businesses avoid gentrification-driven displacement by owning and controlling their real estate.

Patrick joined CCWB in June 2022 after nearly 21 years at The Denver Foundation, where he directed the Foundation's Strengthening Neighborhoods and Economic Opportunity grantmaking programs. A passionate advocate for equitable economic systems change, Patrick was a member of the community network that laid the groundwork for CCWB's founding in 2017.

An attorney by training, Patrick worked for many years representing adults experiencing homelessness in New York City before coming to Colorado in 2000. He is thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the committed staff and inspiring community partners who are building a more equitable Metro Denver economy with CCWB.

Karen Bartlett, Small Business Director

Karen leads our Small Business strategy, working with local business owners to provide the resources and support they need to maintain a sustainable level of growth for their enterprises.

Karen first got involved with community organizing and social justice work while studying at the University of Colorado. Karen brings 25+ years of experience as an educator, entrepreneur, facilitator, coach, and consultant. For the past five years, Karen has worked with leaders in the nonprofit and education sectors, supporting them with bringing a more human-centric and values-driven approach to their leadership. She has been working with women, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and neurodivergent business owners, helping them to grow and scale their businesses to create more impact, equity, and freedom using an inclusive, justice-based framework. Karen has owned and operated four businesses, been an educator for people ages one through adults, and has worked both in and with nonprofits.