Meet our Board

I’ve been with the Bagley Law Firm for eight years, and am currently a Managing Senior Associate Attorney handling state and federal civil rights litigation, as well as other complex civil matters, including various types of personal injury and commercial cases. From 2019 to 2021 I was the elected mayor pro tem of the City of Littleton, Colorado.  

I’m excited about the Ardent Grove Foundation because its staff and students are experienced and skillful clinicians with amazing dedication to their patients’ well being. The Foundation is also on the cutting edge of trauma-centered care, including EMDR, and is uniquely equipped to help so many of our neighbors who have experienced trauma.

Before my current job I earned a master’s degree in human rights with a concentration in women’s human rights from Columbia University. For two years before that I worked at an anti-domestic-violence shelter providing free attorney representation to victims and survivors of relationship violence, primarily in family law and protection order cases. My wife and I have two kids, ages four and seven.

I am in my fifth year lobbying the Colorado General Assembly with Mendez, Barkis & Associates. I represent clients engaging on policies affecting criminal justice reform, the environment, housing accessibility and affordability, services for people with disabilities and the homeless, and protections for employee and consumers. Unlike many in my line of work, I have the good fortune to tackle issues that align with my values, while establishing meaningful relationships with those elected to make decisions that impact us all. This proximity allows me to successfully advance policies that can improve the lives of my family, friends, and neighbors. It’s demanding, chaotic work and I enjoy it greatly.

In Ardent Grove, I see an opportunity to serve my community in a completely different capacity. It’s no secret that accessing quality mental health services is far too difficult for far too many, and we all know someone who would benefit from additional support. It’s an unfortunate reality that demands our attention. The chance to help grow an organization that seeks to meet that challenge head on in creative and effective ways is inspiring and appreciated. I’m humbled to be on the team.

Before joining Mendez, Barkis & Associates, I worked for the Democratic caucus at the Colorado State Senate – serving on the staff consecutive senate presidents. The experience affirmed in me the capacity for individuals to affect change on a broad scale and the importance for policymakers to hear from and be held accountable by their constituents. Prior to that, I was Program Director for the Ngaathaje Development Organization; a small nonprofit providing aid to refugees returning to South Sudan after it gained independence in the wake of the Sudanese Civil War. My time delivering supplies to primary school students there was as challenging as it was fulfilling, and a period of considerable personal growth.

Mark is a Principal at Tower Rock Investments, LLC, a family-owned investment fund focused on real estate, agriculture and private equity investments. Since 2018, he has been responsible for identifying and managing investment opportunities for the fund.

Why are you excited about Ardent Grove?

I am very excited about serving Ardent Grove and helping to grow access to affordable mental health while assisting in the development of trauma clinicians. I married a social worker 25 years ago and throughout my years of marriage and parenting, I have learned the importance of children, families and individuals being able to access mental health services in a safe, dignified environment that is affordable to all.

More about Mark...

Prior to Tower Rock, I served as President of AmFirst Bank, a community bank with locations in Colorado and Nebraska. After attending the University of Nebraska, I began my career in public accounting with Ernst & Young providing services to banking and mortgage banking clients. I have previously served on the Board of Sungate Kids and the Advisory Board of ACE Scholarships. My wife and I have 2 college aged kids.

Melissa Mejía is a leader in Colorado housing policy, advocating policy change to promote housing and economic justice statewide. Melissa formerly worked as an aide in the District 3 Council office, serving Denver’s diverse, historically Latino/Chicano, and rapidly changing Westside. As the inaugural Head of State and Local policy at Community Economic Defense Project, she led legislative campaigns passing tenant and consumer protection bills in Colorado and Denver, including advocacy and bill language development on state land use policy. Melissa’s goals are centered on promoting equity in practice ensuring that no one is left out of the conversation simply because they do not yet have the right tools. These goals have been central while serving on the Denver Mayor’s housing transition committee, Denver Planning Board, and working in various coalitions and advisory capacities for policy campaigns, housing policy implementation, civic and economic justice, and organizational equity practices. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Colorado Denver. 

Why are you excited about Ardent Grove?

More to come!

More about Melissa...

More to come!

Jason Anderson is currently a Victim Advocate at the Denver District Attorney’s Office.  He has been with the City and County of Denver since 2006.  He has extensive experience working with victims of crimes in cases at every state and local level of criminal prosecution. Jason has also served for over 20 years on non-profit and governmental Boards and Commissions for various organizations and committees throughout Denver and Colorado.  He hopes his experience working with victims and survivors of crimes helps give insight to the Board of The Ardent Grove Foundation around the absolute necessity of quality mental health care in our communities.

Why are you excited about Ardent Grove?

I am so honored to be on the Board of The Ardent Grove Foundation. I am excited by Ardent Grove’s commitment to innovative treatments and modalities.  Their devotion to training new therapists and increasing the accessibility to mental health care resonates greatly with me. Finally, as a member of the LGBTQ community, I am so thankful that Ardent Grove makes very clear their dedication to trauma informed care for all communities.

More about Jason...

Jason is a native of Colorado and while he has lived all over Colorado, he has called Denver his home for the vast majority of his life. He attended and graduated from Metropolitan State University of Denver.  He has previously been on the Board of Directors of Metro Denver Partners, The Blue Bench, and The Partners Mentoring Association. He has been on various other governmental commissions and committees including the Complete Count Campaign – 2020 Statewide Census Committee, the Executive Committee of GIVE5 Mile High – a Program of the Denver Mayor’s Office, the Community Corrections Board of Denver and the Denver County Court Judicial Disciplinary Commission, among others. In his free time Jason prioritizes his close friendships, travel and all things Star Trek.

Rachel Kelly is the Vice President of Aircraft and Chief Engineer at Radia, a Boulder-based energy and aerospace company.  Radia is delivering the world's most consistent, lowest-cost clean energy through a unique aerial transportation solution. 

Previously, Rachel served as the Executive Director of Air Vehicle for VC-25B, the new Air Force One, a multi-billion-dollar project.  She was a key part of the launch team overseeing proposals, contract award and preliminary design, as well as leading design reviews with the United States Air Force.  She grew her organization from 10 to more than 500 engineering employees.

Access to high-quality, trauma-informed mental healthcare can change the entire trajectory of someone's life.  I am thrilled to be a part of serving this critical need in the community through Ardent Grove.  And I am proud of the services that Ardent Grove provides including both incredible care and training for future psychologists.  I hope to bring my experience in scaling teams and organizations to continue to foster the growth of this incredible organization. 

Rachel earned an MBA from the Sloan School of Management and an MS in Engineering as a Fellow of MIT's Leaders for Global Operations program.  She received her Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Vanderbilt University.  Rachel enjoys CrossFit in her free time between chasing her two young children. 

I have been a Portfolio Manager for U.S. Bank for 2 years. As a Portfolio Manager I analyze, underwrite, document and manage a book of Commercial credit clients. I work with a vast array of industries including; commercial & industrial, non-profit, retail, and fast-casual. I decided to move to Colorado 2 years ago, because of my love of the outdoors and the opportunities that Denver has to offer. 

I am excited about the Mission of the Ardent Grove Foundation. Mental Health is becoming increasingly important, especially when there is a trauma aspect to one’s experience. To be able to provide access to low cost therapy and continued support to members of the community is a necessity, and I am proud to support this organization.

Prior to U.S. Bank I was a Portfolio Manager at a Associated Bank located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I started as an intern at the organization while attending Carroll College gaining a B.A.Sc. focused in Accounting. I also served on a few non-profit boards during my time in Milwaukee, that gave me a great desire to continue that service in the Denver Area. 

Laura joined Shopworks Architecture in 2019 after co-leading the development of Arroyo Village in Denver, which created a new homeless shelter for women and transgender individuals, 35 units of supportive housing, and 95 units of workforce housing using a trauma-informed lens. Laura brings to Shopworks her experiences as a non-profit leader and community organizer/community engagement specialist. She is using her expertise and knowledge in best practices in homelessness and supportive housing to inform building design at Shopworks and find solutions to barriers to affordable housing, with special attention to trauma, resiliency, and equity. 

As someone who has worked in homelessness, trauma is a critical factor that deeply influences whether entire populations of people can thrive. By working with those who are most vulnerable and giving them the space to heal, we will be impacting lives in ways we could never imagine. Additionally, providing low-cost, high-quality mental health care is absolutely critical in our society, and I’m excited to be a part of the solution!

I most recently was the Deputy Director and Interim Executive Director at The Delores Project, a shelter for women and transgender individuals experiencing homelessness. In that role I implemented Trauma Informed Care across the organization, which included a transgender inclusion and a racial equity project. I also co-led the organization through the process of building 130 units of affordable housing in partnership with another non-profit. 35 of those units are for those chronically homeless with a disability with a high level of services.