Board and Staff

Denver Native, Manager of Supplier Diversity at Qwest Communications, Angela believes that she has a 'job with a purpose' and is dedicated to the economic development of minority/women businesses, as well as fulfilling the educational needs of students through support of their goals. Angela is an active community volunteer:

2007 AALI Sistah Pride/ETV Planning Committee

2007/08 District 11 Unity Event Planning Committee

2008 Juneteenth Celebration Planning Committee

2008 Alliance of Black Telecommunications Professionals member

2008 DPS Mile High Parent Ambassador

Rocky Mtn Minority Supplier Development Council Certification committee member

Collaborative School Committee (CSC) member -Park Hill Elem

PTA member - Park Hill Elem/ Maxwell Elem

Autism Society of Colorado member

Angela is a small business owner which also keeps her busy and she enjoys spending time with her 2 sons.

Sara Fuentes has been involved in various facets of private and public business administration for over 24 years. Ms. Fuentes ran the Denver Minority Business Development Center for the U.S. Department of Commerce, for 14 years. She served on the Board of Directors of Minority Enterprise and Educational Development until her selection as Executive Director of the organization; served on the board of the Small and Disadvantaged Business Opportunities Council (SADBOC), Partners For Colorado Small Business, member of the Denver Public Schools Business Diversity Outreach Program Council (BDOP), Past-Chair- Asian Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and past board member on the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. As part of MEED’s HOPE Scholarship Program, she has helped set up and given out over $400,000 in scholarship awards to deserving minority youth. Sara has received numerous awards for her efforts in the community.

RC has a degree in Technical Communications and Marketing from Metropolitan State College of Denver. In addition to the MEED Board of Directors, he is a member and Vice President of the Metropolitan State College of Denver Alumni Association Board of Directors.

RC is Vice President of Cable Operations for PlastiComm Industries, a telecommunication products company. He is also owner of Bighorn Multimedia, an audio/video production, internet marketing and publishing company. RC is also a public speaker who speaks to the college and corporate markets.

Shenia is an accomplished professional trainer and public speaker with a strong drive to coach and influence others in a number of ways. Strongly committed to helping others in personal and professional development with more than twenty- four years of experience in human resources and leadership roles. Believes each and every one of us should be life-long learners. Thrives in atmospheres where individual thoughts and contributions are welcomed and encouraged to become collaborative forms to launching success.

Shenia has been actively involved in the community participating and volunteering with Junior Achievement, Komen Race for the Cure, making Strides Against Breast Cancer, The HOPE scholarship committee, City of Aurora volleyball coach, Aurora Girl’s Softball Association board member, Dakota valley PTCO member, Sky Vista PTO member, Sharing Tree coordinator, and a Ronald McDonald House meal provider for more than four years. Shenia is a native of Denver CO who graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in 1985 and earned her MBA from Regis University in 2005 and was named in Manchester’s Who’s Who 2007. Shenia also teaches part-time at Regis University and Community College of Denver when she is not spending time with her husband and three children.

Nancy Gardner is the Small Business Partnerships Manager for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and dedicated employee since 1981. She is a strong advocate in NREL’s commitment for seeking partnership opportunities with small and minority business entities for not only in providing essential products and services needed at the Laboratory but also finding unique partnerships in areas of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. Her main and constant focus is to make sure all Department of Energy (DOE)/(NREL) socioeconomic requirements are met which ultimately compliments her passion for helping small businesses obtain viable working opportunities with NREL and other large and/or federal agencies.

Nancy’s twenty plus years of experience in the DOE/NREL Small Business Program has garnered her a large presence within the small business community, various chambers, councils and other diverse organizations. She currently serves on the board of directors for; 1) Small and Disadvantaged Business Opportunity Council (SADBOC), and is current Board Chair, 2) Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce (CWCC) and 3) Rocky Mountain Minority Supplier Development Council (RMMSDC), and is current Board Secretary and was the 2009 recipient of the prestigious RMMSDC Nelson Ball Advocate of the Year Award.

Nancy is an active committee member for MED Week Partners and attends numerous meetings, luncheons and other consequential events that ultimately helps small businesses connect with large corporations and other small business companies.

The following quote exemplifies Nancy’s belief system, both personally and professionally.

Keep your thoughts positive, because your thoughts become your words.

Keep your words positive, because your words become your behavior.

Keep your behavior positive, because your behavior become your habits.

Keep your habits positive, because you habits become your values.

Keep your values positive, because your values become your destiny.

Tony has over 17 years of experience in the banking industry here in Colorado. Tony is focused on developing “relationships” with his clients. He uses a consultative approach to determine which banking products and services are best suited for his clients needs after looking at their whole picture first.

Tony focuses on helping his clients with their depository accounts and also provides financing for their businesses through lines of credit, equipment financing, the purchase or refinance of commercial real estate, and SBA financing.

Tony enjoys gardening, landscaping and working at the farmer’s markets during the summer. He also enjoys spending “quality” time with his wife and 3 children.