Board of Directors
Lorena Garcia-Chair: Lorena Garcia serves as the Policy Director for the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and reproductive Rights. She comes to COLOR from serving as the Colorado Director for 9to5, National Association of Working Women where she successfully positioned 9to5 Colorado as being one of the lead civic engagement and field groups in Colorado. She has worked with youth who are on the school to jail track in helping them make better choices and has worked with teachers and security staff in training them in better ways of interacting with these youth. She has a background in organizing for social justice in the areas of education, LGBTIQ rights, and workers rights, as well as curriculum development. Lorena has a passion for film and believes that it is the best medium to reach the masses for social justice. She is the owner and founder of Orange Circle Films, a not-for-profit business that works to create visual tools for communities and individuals who are facing injustice as a medium to expose the injustice. She serves on the National Advisory Council for the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Rights and serves as Board Chair of the Women's Lobby of Colorado.
Chaer Roberts: Chaer Robert has been director of the Denver Women's Commission since 1985. She has served on the Women's Lobby of Colorado board for 14 years, serving as board president from 1998-2000. She chairs the EITC Coalition, which is advocating to restore funding for the Colorado Earned Income Tax Credit for the working poor. She served as a Co-chair of the Annual Legislative Breakfast on Women's Issues from 1995-2006,and still serves on the planning committee. She serves on the executive committee of the All Families Deserve a Chance (AFDC) Coalition which advocates on welfare and poverty issues. From 2002 -2005, she has served as President of the Colorado Social Legislation Committee, a coalition interested in legislation related to human needs and human services. She was a founding board member of the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative. Chaer is a Denver native.
Emily Arell-Treasurer: A Colorado native, Emily is a graduate of Colby College (Waterville, ME). She got her political start in Green Corps, where she learned the basics of grassroots organizing. She has worked from Maine to Oregon on a number of environmental campaigns. She returned to Denver in 2005 to work with the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, fighting for barrier-free access to quality, affordable health care. She is currently involved in Democratic politics and is passionate about women's health.
Jacy Montoya: Jacinta 'Jacy' Montoya works as the executive director of Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR). Jacy was born and raised in the Denver area to a Chicano father and a mother of Irish-German descent, whose families have lived in Colorado for more than 7 generations. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in the Growth & Structure of Cities program at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. Upon graduation Jacy returned to Denver to work in the community in which she was raised. Jacy's goal is to contribute to healthy communities, healthy Latinas, and healthy families by working to turn policy into action.
Joy Athanasiou: Joy Athanasiou has served on the Board of the Women’s Lobby of Colorado since 1999. She owns Athanasiou Law Firm, LLC and practices law in the field of immigration and nationality law. Prior to her immigration practice, Joy worked in the field of family law. Joy attended the University of Denver where she obtained a Juris Doctor and a Masters in International Studies in 1998.
Susan Roll-Vice-Chair: Susan Roll is a doctoral candidate in the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Denver. Having received her MSW in 1998, Susan had been in non-profit administration for ten years prior to returning to school for her PhD. Most recently Susan was the Associate Executive Director of the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition, focused on environmental links to health. Susan’s research interests are in community organizing, neighborhood poverty and public policy. She teaches masters level classes in family policy and community practice and is currently working on a study of welfare policy on low-income women in Colorado.
Karen Arnold-Secretary: Karen Arnold is a retired educator from Jefferson County Schools and a firm advocate for choice in the public school system. During her teaching career, Karen found her passion in helping students learn the importance of respecting the ideas, values, and opinions of others. She worked within the school system to develop programs that could provide students with a variety of learning styles and increase their sucess. Karen has continued her commitment to education by volunteering at a local elementary school. In 2008, Karen volunteered as a neigborhood leader and field office manager for the Obama Campaign. As a Fellow of the Center for Progressive Leadership in 2009, she was challenged to develop leadership skills to enhance collaboration with progressive organizations and effectively work within her community at a grassroots level to encourage community members to participate in the political process.
Catherine Strode: Catherine Strode is a Legislative Aide in the Colorado State House of Representatives and a Master's degree candidate in the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado at Denver. She has a special interest in health policy and has worked with a wide range of organizations in the health care industry. Most recently, she organized a series of educational legislative forums throughout the state for a collaborative of health care nonprofits representing those living with a chronic disease. A writer and communications professional, Catherine is an award-winning journalist and a former television news reporter and producer. One of her programs, entitled "The Healing Touch," was a finalist at the New York Film Festival. Her passion is to use her knowledge and skills to be a voice for those who need to be heard.
Sara Lu-Hanley:
Roweena Naidoo: Roweena Naidoo is the Program Manager at The Women’s Foundation of Colorado. She is responsible for coordinating the disbursement of funding to Colorado-based organizations that focus on improving the economic self-sufficiency of women and girls. In addition, she assists with the planning, organization and convening of a strong collaboration of Colorado-based nonprofits working toward economic policy reform. Roweena leads The Foundation’s initiatives on programs for girls, including most recently addressing the high drop out rate for girls in Colorado. Roweena is originally from KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree. She holds a Master of Public Administration Degree from Baruch College (CUNY) in New York, and a Master of Global Studies Degree from the University of Denver.
Anne Pogoriler: Pogo is the Online Communications Coordinator for the Colorado Environmental Coalition. She brings a passion for advocacy and a wealth of technology know-how to the Women's Lobby board. Pogo has a Masters degree in philosophy and environmental policy from the University of Colorado, and an undergraduate degree in graphic design. She spends most of her free time throwing Frisbees, hiking trails, coaching, reading books, and playing outside whenever possible.
Atim Otii: Atim Otii is a native of Denver, Colorado and is currently the owner of the Otii Law Firm, L.L.C.. While in Denver, Atim has worked on several community issues, such as voter registration and youth development. As a product of a refugee family from Uganda, Atim also works with refugees in Denver. Atim remains active in athletics and serves as the lead facilitator for a girls basketball camp, GuluGO, in Gulu, Uganda, bringing together Americans and Africans through sports. Atim was awarded her B.A. at San Diego State University in 2002. She received her Juris Doctor degree at Washburn University, School of Law in Topeka, Kansas and was admitted to the Colorado Bar in 2007.