The Playworks Colorado Fundraising Board is a group of change-makers who believe in the power of play and are active ambassadors for Playworks. These playful professionals contribute their personal time to share the mission of Playworks: to improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play. Are you interested in joining the Playworks Colorado Fundraising Board? Check out this packet with information about board membership.
Trever Ackerman
Chief Marketing Officer
Fitness Connection USA
Currently the Chief Marketing Officer of Fitness Connection USA, Trever is a veteran of the Fitness, Health & Wellness industries bringing more than 20 years of experience to Playworks. He has been involved with the non-profit organization in a variety of capacities since 2007. His proven methodology of identifying opportunities for scalable and predictable revenue growth and differentiating brands through consumer and market insights have helped create category-leading brands throughout his career.
He is passionate about building high-performing teams, helping people move more on their terms, and providing opportunities to give back to our communities. Trever holds an MBA from Georgia State University and a BSBA from the University of Denver.
Tom Brinegar
Vice President & CFO
Peak Resources
Tom Brinegar is the Chief Financial Officer for PEAK Resources, Inc. and is responsible for management of all financial, administrative and operational functions at PEAK. PEAK is an elite systems integrator and technology solutions provider focused on the modern Enterprise Data Center and contemporary technology consumption models. Mr. Brinegar has been employed and a part-owner of PEAK since January 1, 1994. Prior to that time, he was employed at Capital Associates International in Boulder and Lakewood, CO holding a variety of positions including public and private equity syndications, fund management and contracts.
Mr. Brinegar is an alumnus of the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation programs including Leadership Denver, Colorado Experience and Access Denver. He is the Board Chair for B:CIVIC (https://www.bcivic.org/) . Additionally, Mr. Brinegar serves on the Board of Directors of Colorado Succeeds, serves as a Board Emeritus of PEBC (Public Education Business Coalition), serves on the Denver Metro Leadership Foundation board and is a member of the Playworks Colorado Board.
Mr. Brinegar attended the University of Colorado, Boulder where he received a Bachelor in Science in Finance. He is a native of Colorado and graduated high school from Grand Junction High School.
Dorian Brugger
Senior Vice President, Branch Banking Market Leader
U.S. Bank
Dorian is the Branch Banking Market Leader and Senior Vice President for Colorado & New Mexico at U.S. Bank. Dorian began her career with U.S. Bank 15 years ago as a teller in the downtown Denver Market and has held multiple roles within the branches, digital engagement team and now oversees 129 branches across two states, focusing on powering the potential of each customer that chooses U.S. Bank to join them on their financial journey.
Dorian graduated from the University of Colorado at Denver with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. Unlike many that graduate with a degree in this field, Dorian wanted to follow her passion in Human Rights and be involved with an NGO on social issues. U.S. Bank has allowed Dorian to remain involved in many nonprofits and community organizations that help to improve the community that she lives in. Dorian enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending time with her family in her free time.
Heidi Cooley
Chief Marketing Officer
Crocs
As Vice President of Global Marketing at Crocs, Heidi oversees brand, marketing, and communications worldwide. Prior to joining Crocs, Cooley was Vice President of Marketing at Sports Authority where she was first introduced to Playworks and the Power of Play.
She is a marketing executive with a proven track record in developing and delivering customer-centric integrated marketing strategies that enhance brand perception and relevance, improve customer conversion and loyalty, and drive ROI for billion-dollar brands. Heidi has a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from Colorado State University Global and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, Los Angeles. Heidi lives in Denver, Colorado, with her husband and two daughters.
Liz Jeralds
Director of Community Develpment
Denver Broncos Football Club
As Director of Community Development, Liz works with community organizations and nonprofits to maximize the team’s impact through strategic programming and events, contributing to a philanthropic platform that earned the Denver Broncos national recognition as the 2022 ESPN Humanitarian Team of the Year. In her role, she leads and manages the strategic outreach of all Denver Broncos player engagement in the community and contributes to strategic planning, implementation and communication of the organization’s mission in the community.
In addition to her work with Playworks Colorado, Liz serves as an advisory member for Denver Broncos Charities, a member of the Denver Broncos Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, and regularly volunteers with the Denver Broncos Boys & Girls Club of Metro Denver. She graduated from Cornell University in 2010 with a B.S. in Policy Analysis & Management and earned her M.Ed. in Sport Management in 2013 from the University of Texas-Austin. She grew up in New York and has lived in Denver since 2013, and enjoys exploring Denver with her husband, Blair, and golden retriever, Winston.
Nicole Jura
Senior Manager
Moss Adams
Nicole is a Certified Public Accountant and Senior Manager of Assurance at Moss Adams, LLP. Nicole has over 10 years of public accounting experience at Moss Adams, providing audit services to a wide variety of companies mostly within the manufacturing, technology, and service industries. Prior to Moss Adams, Nicole worked at JDS Professional Group, focusing on the nonprofit sector. Nicole holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Metro State University.
Nicole grew up in the Denver suburbs and now lives and her husband John and their two young children in a historic neighborhood in central Denver. They spend much of their free time visiting neighborhood parks and local restaurants. Being a parent has made Nicole realize the need for an organization such as Playworks, and she is proud to be working with this organization.
Tiffany Koptish
Reality Labs Manager
Meta
Tiffany is a digital marketing expert with a broad skill set in performance marketing, influencer outreach and program development. Equipped with a strong background in technology, SaaS, digital media and consumer packaged goods. Tiffany works on the Facebook Reality Labs business driving growth for their Portal and Oculus products.
Tiffany has been with Playworks since 2016 helping grow the impact of healthy play in her community. She lives in Denver with her husband, two kids and three dogs. She is passionate about the interweb, international travel [28 countries & counting] and puppies.
Joe Magner
Owner
Cake Crumbs Bakery & Cafe
Joe Magner is currently a General Manager and leads overall business development efforts for Darcy Partners. Joe spent the majority of his career before joining Darcy providing investment advice to institutional investors and conducting equity research on the U.S. oil and gas industry for several prominent energy-focused investment banks including Petrie Parkman, Tristone Capital, and Macquarie Capital.
Joe and his wife Katie are proud parents of two kids, Sadie and Reid. In addition to his role on the Playworks Colorado fundraising board, Joe is a volunteer with the Winter Park Ski Patrol and sits on the finance committee at Stanley British Primary School. Joe enjoys spending time in the outdoors with his family, skiing, flyfishing, cycling, and playing golf. Joe earned his B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Colorado at Boulder and his M.S. in Finance from the University of Denver and is a Chartered Financial Analyst charterholder.
Mark Peterson
Market Manager
Silicon Valley Bank
Mark is a Managing Director in Silicon Valley Bank’s Colorado office. He serves as a banking partner for technology, life science, and clean technology companies of all stages in the Bank’s Pacific Northwest and Southwest regions. Mark is part of the Bank’s Structured Finance team that specializes in providing creative debt and banking solutions for some of the world’s most innovative companies.
Mark is a native of Colorado having grown up in Aurora. He is a graduate of the University of Denver where he obtained his Bachelor of Science and Business Administration with a focus in Economics. Mark enjoys time with his family and friends, participating in community and outdoor events, and local sports teams.
Jesús Rodríguez
Deputy Chief Academic Officer
Dallas Independent School District
Dr. Jesús G. Rodríguez is the Deputy Chief Academic Officer at the Dallas Independent School District. He was born in Denver, Colorado and before his recent move to Dallas, Texas, Dr. Rodríguez served as a Teacher, Principal, and Instructional Superintendent in the Denver Public Schools and most recently as Executive Director of The BUENO Center for Multicultural Education in the School of Education at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He earned a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education at the University of Northern Colorado, a Master’s in Educational Equity & Cultural Diversity at the University of Colorado Boulder, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies at the University of Denver. Dr. Rodríguez’s mission in life is to positively impact the lives of young people through education at scale. Additionally, for six years as a school leader, he had the opportunity to see the positive impact that a partnership with Playworks can have on students at Lena Lovato Archuleta Elementary School (2010-11) and Trevista at Horace Mann (2013-2018).
Stephanie Syner
Project Manager II and Community Relations Coordinator
Ambulatory Care Operations
Denver Health
Stephanie Syner has worked in the community and government sector for over 20 years. Stephanie currently works for Denver Health in Ambulatory Care Services and Community Relations. She works to ensure our community has access to healthcare as we address the many health disparities within our
communities of color. She served as the Senior Outreach Director for Congresswoman Diana DeGette for 6 years. In this role, Stephanie worked with constituents, organizations, and community leaders from every sector to build more connected, informed, and stronger communities.
Outside of the public sector, her professional career has included consulting and campaigning in diverse communities that are most vulnerable to political or legislative change. Other areas of expertise include legislative relations, public policy, and policy analysis.
Stephanie earned her bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of South Florida and Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Denver. She has completed Latino Leadership Institute and Downtown Denver Leadership Academy. Stephanie proudly sits on the board of Stout Street Foundation, Playworks Colorado, and Denver County Cultural Council. She is a proud mom of two boys.
Erin Tatar
Senior Vice President
Fidelity Investments
Erin is a Senior Vice President within Fidelity’s Workplace Consulting business, serving on the Health & Welfare benefits consulting leadership team. With over 25 years of benefits consulting experience, she is focused on expanding Fidelity’s capabilities around the evaluation and improvement of workforce health and well-being, and the delivery of high-value health care plan benefits. She also provides strategic guidance for health & welfare consulting client relationships.
A native of New Mexico, Erin earned a B.A. in economics and managerial studies from Rice University in Houston, Texas. She moved to Denver with her family in 2005 in order to get back to lifestyle and culture of the mountain West, and currently enjoys hiking, camping and traveling the world with her husband and two teen daughters.
If you are interested in learning more about the board, please contact Andrea Woolley at andrea.woolley@playworks.org or 720.259.1029.