Abbe Holle
Site Specialist
Side Creek & Murphy Creek
Abbe is excited to start her 1st year as a Site Specialist for Playworks. She thrives on incorporating positivity, humor and athleticism into her play. She also loves to be outdoors. Her favorite activities are mountain biking, and dancing. A fun fact about her is that she’s hiked all of Colorado’s 14,000’ peaks, her first at age 13! Her favorite food is pizza and she adores her 3 dogs, Charlie, Winston and Mable.
Alonzo Mayhan
AmeriCorps
McMeen
Alonzo is a big family man. He was born and raised in Monroe Louisiana and moved out to Colorado with his mom. He has 2 furry cats and a lovely dog. For 8 years, he has been working with special needs children and with Playworks, takes on another role to help other kids in need. This is his 3rd year returning to the Playworks team and Alonzo is excited to see how the year goes.
Arielle Swallow
AmeriCorps
Knapp
This school year, Arielle is thrilled to assume the role of a Playworks Coach. Her background includes extensive experience working with children in classroom settings; having dedicated the past 8 years to teaching music to students of all ages. Now, she’s eager to return to the rewarding work of working with kids. During her free time, you’ll find Arielle crafting, writing music, and spending quality time with her pets.
Berto Dryden
Site Specialist
Park Lane & Del Mar
Berto is a Site Specialist for Playworks Colorado. Originally from New York, Berto grew up and attended college in Georgia. While in school, he came to Colorado during the summers to work at a summer camp called Dream Big Day Camp. He officially moved to colorful Colorado in 2019 working in Aurora Public Schools. Outside of work, Berto coaches basketball, enjoys road trips, and loves live music. Berto is excited to be joining the Playworks team and is ready to get to know everyone in the community!
Brandon Lucero
Site Specialist
Monaco & Dupont
Brandon is joining Playworks as an on-site coach and is super excited to get back to working with students. He has worked a variety of different programs such as the City of Commerce City’s Youth and Teen Services as a Youth/Teen Specialist and a Program Lead with Discovery Link at DPS. Whether working with younger students or older, he always enjoyed the “keep you on your toes” nature of working with them. He has a variety of interests that keep him busy. He loves to collect and read comic books as well as play video games with friends. To keep active he loves to swim, sometimes too much, as well as play basketball and softball with his friends.
Chloe Herman
Site Specialist
Crawford & Highline
Chloe Herman just graduated from Midland University. She is very excited to be a part of Playworks. This year she is looking forward to working with children and gaining experience. Her hobbies include sports and being active (bowled in college), playing card games, and arts and crafts.
Davis Leibee
Site Specialist
Yale & Iowa
Davis recently graduated from Texas State University with a Bachelor’s degree in General Studies. He moved to Colorado to pursue his passion of helping kids. He is most excited about teaching the kids sports and making a positive impact!
Dominique Hubert
AmeriCorps Member
Rose Hill
Dominique Hubert is excited to join the Playworks Team year. He’s a former Professional Track Athlete, and has spent the last 5 years coaching youth sports. When he’s not working, you can find him in the gym or spending time with family. His favorite meal is Chicken and Waffles!
Donovan Thomalla
AmeriCorps Member
Kemp
Donovan is excited for his first year working with Playworks, starting in August of 2023. Donovan has had previous experience working with youth within their communities, as he had worked at a youth crisis center for a couple of years while living in Wyoming. Donovan has always felt a calling to help his community in some way and tries to make a positive contribution to his community through work and direct action. Donovan is excited to work with Playworks and some of the youth in Denver because he feels like it is a great contribution that he can make to his community. When Donovan is not at work you can generally find him trying to find some outreach work he can participate in as well as cuddling on the couch with his two very sweet cats and his wife.
Grace Howell
Site Specialist
Boston & William Roberts
Grace is a Site Specialist and is pumped to create an environment where kids can play, grow, and connect with one another. In her free time you can find her rock climbing, losing in fantasy football, or cooking up some yummy food (roommate approved).
Jack Mervin
Site Specialist
Clyde Miller & Lansing
Jack has been a personal trainer and weightlifting coach for 5 years and coached a youth weightlifting program. He has worked with a youth weightlifting camp over the summer and loves skateboarding, snowboarding, climbing and anything outdoors! He is also a musician in his free time!
Jadyn Michael
Site Specialist
Montview & Tollgate
Jadyn is a Site Specialist this school year and is from Denver, Colorado. He played basketball at Colorado State University and Colorado Christian University. He recently worked at the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Denver for about 2 years. He loves movies, music, art, and obviously basketball!
Jake Seymour
Site Specialist
Lasley & Arkansas
Jake has been a lifelong advocate for self-driven growth. His passions and hobbies have taught him much about himself over the years. Now, Jake is thrilled to be making his work about play!
Jaylynn Johnson
Site Specialist
Aurora Highlands & Harmony Ridge
Jaylynn Johnson is a Site Specialist for the 2022/2023 school year. She coaches Varsity Volleyball for Vista Peak Preparatory, has worked with children at the YMCA as an assistant director, and has experience with children in childcare services. Her favorite hobbies include cooking, reading, and watching football or true crime. Jaylynn is an upbeat, optimistic individual ready for anything that comes her way.
Jeremiah Michael
Site Specialist
Altura & Virginia Court
Kara D’Alessandro
AmeriCorps
Alsup
Kara went to the University of Colorado earning a dual degree in acting – magna cum laude and creative writing with a minor in education. After graduation, she worked as a K-8 special education para before transitioning to teach 8th grade ELA to earn her teaching license. She has always loved reading, writing, and creative play. Kara had let her experience working with students and her creativity guide her to Playworks where she is excited to help the kids learn and have fun.
Kenny Kriegel
Site Specialist
Elkhart & Laredo
Kenny is a Playworks Coach. He recently graduated from UNI with a degree in Public Health: Wellness and Fitness. He has a passion for mental and physical health. He is excited to see the growth of the kids he works with and positively influence their development.
Kylie Gregg
Program Specialist
Colfax & Soar
Kylie is a 2nd year Program Specialist & on her 3rd year working for Playworks Colorado. Originally from Kansas, Kylie earned her bachelor’s degree in strategic communication from Wichita State University in 2020. Throughout her collegiate experience and beyond, she had the opportunity to work/volunteer for several nonprofit organizations, including The Pando Initiative, Envision, Inc., Girl Scouts, and Downtown Wichita. These opportunities sparked her passion for student-focused nonprofit work. Kylie made the move to Colorado in the fall of 2021 to pursue a career in student development. With over 9 years of experience working with students, Kylie has a passion for empowering youth to grow in their leadership skills & to find the joy in play. In her free time, Kylie loves to travel, visit the mountains to ski or go camping, spend time with friends and family, and attend live music shows.
Leo Pravin
Site Specialist
Dartmouth & Jewell
Leo is excited to start his journey at Playworks because he is passionate about bringing a positive outreach to the youth!
Mackenzie Austin
AmeriCorps
IAD
Mackenzie joins the Playworks team after being an Adventure Sports Camp Instructor and Preschool Teacher. She’s passionate about teaching through connection and play. Finding great joy influencing creativity and optimism in the youth. She hopes to inspire and empower others throughout her education journey. Mackenzie enjoys kickboxing and staying active, spending time with her puppy in nature, and expressing herself through art.
Megan Dorheim
Site Specialist
CBEA & Charles Burrell
Megan is excited to join Playworks for her first year as a Site Specialist. She takes on this new role after spending the last few months as Program Intern. Born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, Megan recently moved to Colorado from Oklahoma City where she was receiving her Master of Public Health from the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Healthy Lifestyle Management from Creighton University in 2021. As a former collegiate athlete, Megan looks forward to encouraging kids to stay active and social! When she is not at work, you can find her spending time outside, with friends, and trying new restaurants!
Nate Hesser
Site Specialist
Quest & Mosley
Nate Hesser is a native of Colorado. He has a little family of 3 with his wife Sarah and 1 year old baby boy Spencer. Nate loves to coach, teach, and grow the minds of the students he works with. He is so happy to be a part of the Playworks team and to show the Playworks way to schools and students in Colorado.
Sarah Sommers
Site Specialist
Vassar & Dalton
Sarah started with Playworks Colorado as a Site Specialist in November 2021. She is originally from Illinois where she was born and raised. Sarah received her Bachelor’s in Social Psychology from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign and is currently working towards her Masters in Public Administration at the University of Colorado Denver. In her free time, Sarah enjoys being active, spending time outdoors, connecting with family and friends, and playing with her cat, Leroy.
Sydney Naughton
Site Specialist
Kenton & Vaughn
Sydney is a Playworks Coach for the upcoming school year. Previously, she had the opportunity to be an environmental educator at Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary for students from elementary to high school! In her free time, she enjoys paddle boarding and hiking with her dog.
Tyler Lenox
Site Coordinator
Aurora Academy, Bishop, Sedalia & Village East
Tyler graduated from Illinois State University with a Bachelors in Physical Education in 2015. He then started coaching local high school and elementary teams while substitute teaching. After moving to Colorado in 2017, Tyler soon found Playworks and began the first of his two years as a Program Coordinator in the fall of 2018. He is now starting his fifth year with Playworks in the role of Site Coordinator. Tyler’s favorite part of working with Playworks is the optimistic and playful culture that permeates through to every level of the company, and especially to the students!
Wyatt Forkner
AmeriCorps Member
Central
Wyatt is an AmeriCorps Coach serving his first year and loves to talk about books (Brandon Sanderson) and music (Pinegrove, Phoebe Bridgers). This is also his first year living in Colorado and hails from Texas with a dream of tiny home communities.
Yoselyne Adame
AmeriCorps Member
Munroe
Yoselyne is excited for new experiences, new people, new environment and new ways of learning. She is also excited for the many opportunities and ideas that will come along the way when working with Playworks.