Artwork by Carmen Melton
Project Worthmore’s staff comes from a diverse array of backgrounds, cultures and experiences. Our team of 25 speaks 19 languages and come from a dozen countries.
Managing Director
erika@projectworthmore.org
English, French, Hungarian
Volunteer Coordinator
anne@projectworthmore.org
Office Manager
april@projectworthmore.org
English, Burmese, Karenni
Manager of Finance
aly@projectworthmore.org
English Language Instructor
liz@projectworthmore.org
English Language Instructor
katie@projectworthmore.org
English, Burmese
Community Navigator Program Director
walid@projectworthmore.org
English, Arabic
Food Share Director & Communications Coordinator
lindsey@projectworthmore.org
Health Screener
English, Kachin, Burmese
Health Screener
English, Arabic
Dental Director, DDS
dr.makhija@projectworthmore.org
English, Hindi, Sindhi, Marathi, Punjabi
Doctor of Dental Surgery
Extended Duties Dental Assistant
English, Arabic
Extended Duties Dental Assistant
English, Farsi
Extended Duties Dental Assistant
English, Karen, Burmese
Registered Dental Hygienist
English, Vietnamese
Front Desk
English, Spanish
Lead Farmer
English, Arabic, Italian, Somali, Maay Maay, Swahili
Lead Farmer
English, Kinyarwanda, Swahili
Lead Farmer
English, Somali, Maay Maay, Italian, Swahili, Arabic
Farmer
English, French, Kinyarwanda
Farmer
English, Karenni
Board President
Noelle became involved with Project Worthmore upon moving to Denver in 2016. Her passion is to see unity developed by people learning from each other in authentic relationships. She has served in pastoral ministry and the arts in Columbus, Ohio for many years, and in Denver since 2016. Noelle holds a B.A from The Ohio State University and an M.A. from Ashland Theological Seminary. She resides in Denver with her husband and three teenagers.
Board Vice Chair
Eric is the Deputy State Treasurer for Colorado and has worked in public service for the vast majority of his career. He also serves as the Chair for the City of Denver’s pension plan. Eric also spent several years in the nonprofit arena as the Director of Operations for the Denver Biennial of the Americas, an organization focused on building international relationships across the Western Hemisphere through arts and culture. Eric is a Colorado native who lives in Denver.
Board Treasurer
Tamara is the Owner and Chief Financial Officer of Gibson Athletic, a manufacturer of fitness and therapy equipment. Tamara has been involved with Project Worthmore as a Family Partner and English language volunteer for several years. She resides in Denver with her husband and three boys.
Board Secretary
Mia Ariela Allen is focused on improving programmatic structures and creating equitable learning opportunities for English Language Learners. Mia is a consultant, coach, teacher, and provides professional learning in-service opportunities throughout the United States, Canada and Central America. Mia is currently working in both the traditional and digital publishing industries reviewing and creating student-centric English Language Development literacy-based resources.
Board Member
Camille is a nonprofit consultant and former development director who brings fundraising and community relations expertise to the board. She has a heart for the marginalized and has worked on community development and educational equity issues over the course of her career. She resides in Wheat Ridge with her family.
Board Member
Daphna is a Co-Founder and Co-Owner of Little Kickers Swim School, which promotes water safety and a lifelong love of swimming for children of all ages. Prior to starting Little Kickers in 2014, Daphna worked both in Denver and Washington, D.C. on various international leadership and women’s empowerment programs.
Board Member
Dr. Schwab graduated from Tuft College of Dental 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.
Board Member
Susie served as Project Worthmore’s Director of Marketing & Events for three years before joining the Board in summer 2019. Her experience also includes working on issues of social and environmental justice within the food system, designing and leading experiential learning programs for executives around the globe, and overseeing software teams in her current role as Product Owner at CKD Technology Partners. She is fluent in Spanish, an aspiring potter, and happiest taking walks in the woods. Susie has a BS in Advertising from the U of Florida, and an MBA from the U of Colorado, Boulder.
Board Member
Melissa is an entrepreneurial professional with leadership experience across four continents. As Executive Director, she led the ECDC African Community Center of Denver and Children’s Future International toward new and sustainable revenue streams and partnerships. Melissa has built successful enterprises, fostered innovation in refugee resettlement, sustained international nonprofits during natural disasters, and consulted with the United Nations. Currently, Melissa is the Owner and COO of Apollo Energy, a solar company pioneering affordable solar ownership along the front range of Colorado and Wyoming.
Board Member
Maytham is Congressional District Director, a Transplant Medicine RN, a Healthcare Researcher, and a Community Advocate. A native of Iraq, he moved to the U.S. in 2008 after serving as a Combat Interpreter with the U.S. Army. Maytham founded DRIVE Project, a nonprofit that focused on refugee and immigrant empowerment. Through DRIVE Project, Maytham was able to advocate for a law that enabled refugees and immigrants to qualify for in-state tuition upon resettlement. For his advocacy, Maytham was presented with an Immigrant Liberty Award by RMIAN, named a rising political star by Denverite, presented at TEDxMileHigh, and featured on the cover of 5280 magazine as one of 15 “Disrupters” who are changing Denver.
Board Member
Naz is Director of Talent and Culture at Rose Community Foundation, where she provides human resources and people operations leadership. She has more than a dozen years of international development experiences, including knowledge management and analysis of Sub-Saharan African enterprise development and trade programs, delivering trainings in Kenya, and implementing holistic child development programs in Ghana.
Originally from Eritrea, Naz was raised in Sweden, where she was resettled as a political asylee in the early 1980s, and moved to the U.S. to attend college in the mid-90s.