Who We Are
Community Investment Alliance is a 501c3 organization based out of Aurora, Colorado.
The Community Investment Alliance partners with local communities to develop housing solutions across the continuum, create culturally appropriate services programming, and increase food access through strategic, community-led initiatives.
As we work across the state of Colorado, we acknowledge that we are on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Southern Ute, Ute Mountain Ute, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Apache, Comanche, and Shoshone People.
Dr. Kathleen Van Voorhis
-
Kathleen holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration from Walden University and a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Colorado Denver. She has held a variety of leadership roles in emergency sheltering, service design, delivery coordination, and coalition building. A born-and-raised Coloradan, Kathleen is passionate about working throughout the state to bring about sustainable change.
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Joel Berdie, LSW
-
Joel constantly finds the middle ground between direct services and program leadership and strategy. As a Spanish-speaking bilingual social worker, Joel is boots-on-the-ground offering street outreach, crisis support, case management, and counseling to community members where it’s easiest for them– on the streets, in their homes, at resource centers, and in the office.
In his work as a post traumatic growth therapist, Joel uses a polyvagal theory and somatic lens to help folks realize their resilience and heal their nervous system. Simultaneously, Joel integrates the values of harm reduction, housing first and assertive accompaniment into community outreach, supportive housing, advocacy, and collaboration with community partners.
Joel’s approach to community-based care has been second-nature since serving as a Permanent Supportive Housing case manager at Colorado Coalition for the Homeless in Denver, CO as well as through microfinance work in Zapotec communities in Oaxaca, Mexico and in-patient hospital social work in Durango, CO. Joel balances it out by playing in the mountains, desert and on the dance floor.
Bilingual Licensed Social Worker
Stephanos Calligas
-
Stephanos brings a wealth of experience to his work, having immersed himself in various realms such as wilderness therapy, disability services, and emergency response. His diverse background equips him with a unique perspective and a deep understanding of human dynamics in different environments. What truly ignites his spirit is his unwavering passion for fostering genuine connections and sharing a profound sense of soulful humanity with others.
Director of La Plata County Services
Julia Conley
-
Julia has always had a propensity for quickly building connections with others. Through supporting high school students with developmental disabilities, teaching English as a second language in rural Nepal, canvassing unmotivated voters, and wilderness therapy guiding adolescents, she has built both a strong belief in everyone’s innate goodness and capacity to thrive given the proper support and resources.
With the Alliance, Julia has the opportunity to draw upon her myriad of experiences to connect with folks that existing networks in Durango are not serving. She's hard to pin down roaming the river trail, visiting camps, and chatting with folks waiving signs around town. Starting fall 2024 she will be pursuing a Masters in Social work from Denver University and is excited to apply a stronger social justice and trauma informed lens to her work.
Julia enriches her sense of belonging to Durango through sharing bespoke vegan baking creations with her friends, running in the surrounding mountains, and attending meditation groups.
Outreach Case Manager
Berenice Lozano
-
Being raised in Bayfield, Berenice has worked in Durango for most of her life and loves to serve in this area. She is passionate about serving her clients with the highest level of customer service and finding creative financing solutions, no matter how complex. She truly values the trust the community places in her, which drives her to work hard in exceeding their expectations. Buying a house should be an exciting experience. Watching her clients reach their goals and cutting out the headache of buying their next home is the most fulfilling part of her job!
Prior to working as a Loan Officer, Berenice was in the Insurance industry. Her previous role helped her gain years of experience in financial consulting and providing high levels of customer service. Her enthusiasm for helping others and her strong work ethic helps her connect with clients and provide them with the best service possible.
When she is not assisting clients, she loves spending time with her family which includes her two fur babies Rocky and Remi. She enjoys traveling, and spending time out in nature.
Fellow
Lauren Haggerty
-
After earning a bachelor’s degree in Social Work in New York, Lauren set out to Arizona to serve two terms as an AmeriCorps VISTA. She is most inspired to support movements that decolonize democracy and strengthen the Solidarity Economy, and has spent the majority of her career in the nonprofit sector helping to educate about Community Wealth Building, strengthen local collective power, and advocate for justice-driven policy. Lauren found her way to Durango in 2020 and joined the Community Investment Alliance team in 2023 to support the internal operations of the growing organization. When she is not blissfully buried in spreadsheets, Lauren can be found at her sewing machine, singing off-key to her favorite songs, or trying not to get sunburnt on a nearby mountain.
Finance Manager & Policy Analyst
Kate Beveridge
-
With nearly a decade of experience in community service and program administration, Kate’s work began in Michigan where she coordinated service delivery at a local mental-health provider, and held a Marketing Chair position at a women-led, grassroots organization that partnered with communities across the Detroit Metro to meet unprecedented public needs in one of the most diverse and vibrant communities in the country.
In 2020, Kate moved to Denver after accepting a role in emergency sheltering at Denver’s COVID-19 quarantine shelter and has since immersed herself in all things Coloradan – including hiking, sour beers and working for sustainable change and affordability.
Fellow
Board of Directors
-
Peter LiFari
Executive Director at Maiker Housing Partners
-
Rebecca Miller Updike
Executive Director at Colorado Association of Family & Children’s Agencies (CAFCA)
-
Rev. Benjamin A. David Hensley
Lead Pastor at Lakewood United Methodist Church
-
Jaimin Williams Harris
Entrepreneur & Housing Advocate
-
Cec Ortiz
Community Activist & Project Management Consultant
-
Christina Garcia
Head of Programs at Community Economic Defense Project
Advisory Board
-
Advisory Board Member
Brianna Adams serves as the Corporate Responsibility Officer for Colorado and Utah at KeyBank. In this role, she manages the financial resources designated for philanthropic endeavors and crafts investment strategies to address the requirements of the local community. She also plays a crucial role in cultivating and sustaining relationships with community-centric, charitable, and non-profit organizations. Furthermore, she is responsible for overseeing KeyBank’s adherence to the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) compliance goals across the entire region.
Previously, she served as Associate Vice President, Community Development Officer for the state of Colorado at Independent Financial. There, she identified, developed, and maintained partnerships throughout Colorado to meet community need and fulfill CRA service, lending and investment objectives.
Adams is a recipient of a U.S. Fulbright grant and graduated with honors from the University of Alabama. Her Bachelor of Arts degree is in English Literature, with a specialized focus on African American women’s literature.
-
Advisory Board Member
Naomi Amaha is an award-winning public affairs leader. She is the inaugural Director of Policy and Government Affairs for The Denver Foundation, the largest community foundation in the Rocky Mountain West. She previously worked for The American Heart Association, where she built strong stakeholder relationships and advanced policy change at local and state levels in multiple states.
Naomi holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Communication from the University of California Davis, a certification in Corporate Social Responsibility from the University of Colorado Boulder Leeds School of Business, and a Certified Nonprofit Professional certificate from the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance. She co-chairs the City and County of Denver’s Sustainable Transportation Committee of the Sustainability Advisory Council, is a Board Member of the Alliance for Collective Action and Colorado Women’s Chamber Foundation, a steering committee member of the Downtown Denver Partnership’s Urban Exploration, and member of the Colorado Black Women for Political Action.
-
Advisory Board Member
Melissa Mejía currently serves as the Director of State and Local Policy at the Community Economic Defense Project (CEDP), where she plays a pivotal role in spearheading and championing policy reforms aimed at advancing housing and economic justice across the entire state. Drawing upon her upbringing in Denver’s Northside, Melissa leverages her personal experiences and her unique ability to navigate a wide array of environments to shed light on systemic biases and give voice to the underrepresented.
Previously, Melissa served as an aide in the District 3 Council office, focusing on the diverse, historically Latino/Chicano, and rapidly evolving Westside of Denver. Her primary mission revolves around fostering equity in practical terms, ensuring that everyone has a seat at the table, regardless of their current access to necessary resources. Melissa holds a Bachelor’s degree in psychology and a Master’s degree in public administration, both earned at the University of Colorado Denver.