Project Worthmore’s staff comes from a diverse array of backgrounds, cultures and experiences. Our team speaks 26 languages and come from a dozen countries!
Frank Anello
Co-Founder and Executive Director
Simret Kahsai
Director of Programs
English, Tigrinya, Arabic, Amharic
Ashley Johnson
Director of Development
James Alexander Sanders
Director of Community Engagement
English, Spanish, Japanese, Swahili
Aly Spiess
Director of HR & Finance
Sitina Bunti
Community Navigation Manager
English, Swahili, Afaan Oromo, Somali, and Amharic
April Paw
Office Manager
English, Burmese, Karenni
Livia Anello
Communications Coordinator
Nesar Sakhi
Community Navigator
English, Dari, Pashto, Urdu
Susan Wachira
Community Navigator
Swahili, English, Kikuyu
Kira Boucher
Food Systems Manager
Mirza Rodriguez Calzada
Food Systems Coordinator
English, Spanish
Nourou Tall
Food Systems Assistant
English, Pular, French, Wolof, Arabic, Hassaniya
Erik is a longtime Colorado resident and has been a supporter of Project Worthmore for many years. As an engineering Director in the energy industry he has experience with team leadership, economic evaluation, operational analysis and general problem solving. Erik has a Bachelor’s of Geology from Colorado University, Boulder and a Masters in Petroleum Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines. He lives in Denver with his wife and two daughters and is passionate about the history, community and culture of the city.
Gem Swartz
Board Vice Chair
Gem is co-founder and CEO of Catalyst Marketing Agency, a full-service marketing firm based in Denver, Colorado. As a marketing strategist with 20 years of experience, she is passionate about driving performance, uncovering the most effective ways to go to market, and delivering business outcomes. She was born in the Philippines and immigrated to Chicago at the age of 7, both bewildered and excited by her new home. Gem lives in Morrison with her husband and two kids. She’s a graduate of UC Berkeley and enjoys playing golf, riding her Peloton, and watching sitcoms to unwind.
Lisa Mougin
Board Treasurer
Lisa became passionate about helping refugee families while living abroad in Spain with her family, which led her to creating the Furnish a Future project while there. She built her career in the Investment Management Industry, where she was an executive at both ALPS and TIFIN across a span of 25 years. She, her husband and two children are passionate world travelers and outdoor enthusiasts, who can often be found cycling or skiing in the beautiful mountains of Colorado.
Louis Levine
Board Secretary
Louis is an accomplished product leader who’s successfully built several early-stage health technology startups and currently serves as VP of Product at Orderly Health. Louis has applied his talents to various non-profits, where he’s led a global relief organization at his alma mater, Northwestern University, created an outcomes management program for a Boys and Girls Club chapter, and acted as a strategy consultant for the Taproot Foundation. Louis joined Project Worthmore as an English and citizenship prep volunteer, and is excited to find new ways to expand Project Worthmore’s reach. Louis can also be found practicing yoga, developing new recipes, and seeking adventures both in Denver and abroad.
Nazrawit (Naz) Medhanie
Board Member
Naz joined Africa Development Promise (ADP) as the Director of Regional Programs in 2022 and leads programs in Rwanda and Uganda. She serves as a key member of the organization’s leadership team and plays an active role with country level leadership. With more than a dozen years of international development experience, including working in Washington DC, Kenya, and Ghana, Naz has extensive experiences in knowledge management and analysis of Sub-Saharan Africa enterprise development and trade programs, training-of-trainers, and holistic child/sports for development implementation. She also has seven years of human resources and people operations leadership experiences from both the private and non-profit sectors in Denver. Originally from Eritrea, Naz was raised in Sweden, where she was resettled as a political asylee in the early 1980s. She moved to the U.S. to attend college in the mid-90s.
Jenn Peppers
Board Member
Jenn Peppers, MBA is a leadership coach with a niche in career transitions and executive development. She has a background in HR management and is a Certified Professional Coach and Dare to Lead™ Facilitator (Brené Brown, PhD). She has served on the Board of Directors of several non-profits and is an advocate for equity and belonging. Jenn and her family live in Denver, CO and have supported Project Worthmore for over a decade. She loves a good adventure – hiking, skiing, cycling, traveling, trying something new – but is equally content reading a good book or watching the sunset at her family’s lake house.
Tyler Carner
Board Member
Tyler is an Executive Vice President at CBRE and focuses on industrial real estate for his day job. As a 21 year old Tyler had a powerful experience to help a large amount of Tibetan Refugees on their journey to the safety of the UNHCR that has forever shaped his compassion and desire to aid the refugee community. Tyler graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder and lives in Denver with his wife and two young children.
Scott Schmid
Board Member
Scott is a seasoned executive with experience in consumer products (Procter & Gamble), strategy consulting (BCG), technology (Rhythms Netconnections and Inflow), and manufacturing (TruStile Doors). Most recently, Scott was the Chief Executive Officer of TruStile Doors headquartered in Denver. Scott has a strong affinity for the refugee and immigrant community formed through his experience interacting with TruStile employees who are members of the community. His involvement with Project Worthmore began through his wife Tricia who was a Project Worthmore volunteer for a number of years. Scott is a graduate of Northwestern University and also holds an MBA from Northwestern. He and his wife live in Denver and have three children. Scott is under the delusion that he is an athlete and is an avid skier and cyclist.
Erin Drabicki
Board Member
Erin is a Client Success Manager at Benevity, the global leader in employee engagement and community investment software, where she gets to support the world’s biggest brands in giving back to people and communities in need. Her passion for supporting refugee and migrant communities has been demonstrated through her experiences volunteering with this population in Paris and at the US-Mexico border, and she is thrilled to be able to deepen her impact with Project Worthmore. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Erin now resides in Denver and in her free time she likes to travel internationally, be active outdoors, and read.
Greg Corbin
Board Member
Greg is a small business attorney and owner at Signal Law. Greg graduated from Kansas State University with a BA in Philosophy and Political Science and earned his JD from Boston University School of law. In his free time, Greg runs, bikes, hikes, and camps with his wife Meryl and their energy-filled pup Luna.
Jennifer Wood
Board Member
Jen has a Master’s degree in speech-language pathology and is certified in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the workplace. She has worked as a pediatric speech-language pathologist for over 18 years, serving children in medical, private clinics, and school settings. She initially engaged with Project Worthmore as their first volunteer teaching English to refugee families. She later served on the Board of Directors as secretary and president, and is resuming her board participation with enthusiasm for supporting PWM in this critical season. Jen resides in Denver, CO with her husband, Stephen, and their pets, Scout and Puma. Jen is a Wendell Berry enthusiast, and enjoys spending time in nature, gardening, and adventuring with friends and family.
Peter Druck
Board Member
Pete brings many years of experience serving on nonprofit and church boards, along with a deep commitment to supporting refugees and marginalized communities. His passion is rooted in both faith and hands-on service, including work with homeless organizations and community initiatives such as the Cabrini Green projects during college. He is eager to share Project Worthmore’s mission within his personal and church networks and to support the organization in meaningful, long-term ways. With a flexible schedule and strong commitment to service, he is fully invested in helping Project Worthmore thrive.
Michael J. Schwab DMD
Board Member
Dr. Schwab graduated from Tuft College ofDental Medicine in 1980. During his 35 years of private practice in Denver Colorado, he spent 5 years as a Dental Director for two major insurance companies advocating for both dentists’ and patient’s rights. He has been a clinical instructor at CU School of Dental Medicine using the Worthmore Clinic as a teaching and research facility. His area of expertise for the JCNDE is Dental Ethics and Practice Management.