Board of Directors
Groundwork Denver’s Board of Directors provides vision, guidance, and support to ensure our mission thrives. With diverse expertise and deep community connections, our board members help steer our work toward building a healthier, more equitable, and sustainable Denver.
Silvia Fuentes (she/her/ella)
Board Chair
Pinnacol Assurance | Event Education and Outreach Manager
Born in Los Angeles with roots in El Salvador, Silvia Fuentes is a helper. She is an uplifting force in the lives of everyone she meets and works to create equity through action. As the Event Education and Outreach Manager at Pinnacol Assurance, Silvia implements strategies to keep Colorado’s Spanish-preferred workers safe on the job. Using her own special blend of outreach, collaboration and event planning magic, she ensures Pinnacol’s robust policyholder resources, services and safety trainings are accessible and equitable for customers and employees who prefer speaking in Spanish. She is also a founding member of Pinnacol’s diversity, equity and inclusion employee advisory council and a leader of LEGADO, the Latinx-focused employee resource group, helping the 100-year-old organization develop an award-winning culture of belonging.
Silvia earned her associate’s degree from the Community College of Aurora and is a graduate of the Latino Leadership Institute’s Ignite program. She also sits on the board of the Latino Chamber of Commerce Boulder County where she champions resources, services and policies that impact Latinx businesses in Colorado. The only thing she finds more fulfilling than serving on distinguished boards is rolling up her sleeves to plant trees in underserved communities negatively impacted by environmental injustice. Silvia is a volunteer at heart.
Her favorite trees are olive, aspen and weeping willow.
Avalon Fajardo-Anstine
Community Leader
Avalon is a Denver native and environmental communicator with nearly a decade of experience in communications, media, public relations, and marketing. She holds a master’s degree in Environment and Natural Resources and International Studies from the University of Wyoming. Her thesis research explored water conflict in Northern New Mexico, focusing on the dynamics between Indigenous and Hispano communities.
A lifelong Mexica dancer, Avalon has been dancing since the age of five. She is also a dedicated advocate for water equity and natural resource stewardship, engaging in grassroots campaigns to empower marginalized communities and promote sustainable community driven solutions.
Alex Gunning
Stinson LLP | Attorney
Alex Gunning is an attorney with nearly a decade of experience as a litigator in both criminal and civil law. He earned his J.D. from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in 2016, where he was recognized for his academic excellence, and his B.A. in English with a minor in Philosophy from the University of Denver in 2012.
Deeply committed to service, Alex devotes more than 100 hours annually to pro bono legal work. He began his career as a public defender in Durango, advocating for indigent clients, and during law school, he helped lead the University of Denver’s Tribal Wills Project, which provided free estate planning services to Native American communities in the Four Corners region.
Raised in the Denver metro area and a graduate of Regis Jesuit High School, Alex is passionate about fostering a vibrant, healthy, and sustainable community. Beyond his professional life, he is a dedicated father of two daughters, an avid Colorado sports fan, and enjoys spending his free time on daily walks, playing tennis, and joining friends for ultimate frisbee.
Caitlin Henkel (she/her/hers)
Delta Dental | Sustainability and Community Impact Program Manager
Caitlin is the Sustainability and Community Impact Program Manager at Delta Dental of Colorado, where she has been a driving force since April 2023. With a robust background in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives, Caitlin excels in fostering community engagement and sustainability. She holds a certificate in Corporate Social Responsibility from the University of Colorado and is a LEED Green Associate.
Before moving to Colorado 10 years ago, Caitlin grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and received her Bachelor's degree from Georgia State University. She is dedicated to creating meaningful connections and addressing community needs through impactful programs. She also serves on the B:CIVIC Programs and Content Committee, planning events and building relationships with other CSR leaders. Outside of her professional role, Caitlin enjoys being outdoors and staying active, such as discovering new trails in Colorado. Her interests include anything sustainable – finding ways to reduce waste at home, buying more sustainable items, and seeking educational opportunities.
Mikayla Kolb (she/her/hers)
Events & Adventures | Events Manager
Mikayla graduated from Arizona State University with Bachelors degrees in Business Sustainability and Business Communication, which ignited her passion for social impact and environmental stewardship. During her time at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, she provided transitional support to student veterans and helped organize impactful community events. Upon relocating to Colorado, she assumed the role of Banking Officer, overseeing strategic initiatives and risk management for centralized departments within the banking sector. In her free time, she enjoys attending concerts, traveling, and connecting with nature.
Daniel Stange de Acatl
Advocates for Recovery Colorado | Cultural Program Coordinator
Danny is a Denver Native born of a Chicana Mother and an Irish Father from Baltimore, MD. He became involved with Traditional Native Aztec Dance in 1994 and currently performs with Grupo Huitzilopochtli. His Mother's family has roots in Denver since the 1920s and he currently lives in Sheridan, CO, where he owns the home that his Grandfather built in 1959. He serves on the Sheridan School Board, and his wife is a member of Sheridan City Council.
Danny has been in non-profit and community development work since 2007 and has more than 20 years of active and sustained recovery. He became a certified Peer Specialist in 2015 and now works for the company that provided that training - AFRC. He manages the Denver office in Westwood and runs Spanish language support groups. He also provides support to other local community organizations like Lupitas Mano de Esperanza, Kaizen Food Rescue and WILD-I (Wilderness Indigenous Leadership Development Institute). Danny conducts ceremonial events like Temazcal and Danza and teaches Aztec philosophy/calendar wisdom to MSU Denver students though Chicano Studies Department. He has publications on Academia.edu and writes for The Weekly Issue of El Semanario. Danny loves history and is a member of Colorado Hispanic Genealogy Society as well as SPMDTU (Sociedad Protector Mutual De Trabajadores Unidos), which was established in 1900 in the San Luis Valley of southern Colorado.