About Us

Jamie Villarreal-Bassett is an experienced leader with fifteen (15) years of leadership
experience, including more than six (6) years leading equity, diversity, and inclusion work. As a Mexican American woman, Jamie has a proven track record of impactful contributions, driven leadership, and passion for ensuring team members feel included, honored, and uplifted
regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, sex, sexual orientation, or other social identity markers. Her formal education in Sociology at Colorado College and a Masters of Science in Organizational Leadership at Colorado State University provide foundation to her life’s work to
drive the advancement of a more just, more inclusive, more diverse, and more equitable
experience for all.

Throughout her career, she has set visions for, led and empowered teams to provide a high standard of equity, inclusion, and diversity. Her personal and professional lived experiences have prepared her to excel in her 10+ year tenure in Denver Public Schools, most recently as the Director of Culturally Responsive Education and in her current role as Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Pinnacol Assurance, the largest workers compensation company in Colorado. Jamie partners with multiple stakeholders to guarantee every single team member and community member, especially those who are Black, Indigenous, People of Color and other marginalized identities thrives, not by accident, but by design.

Alexandra Liscia Lansing was born and raised in the historic Park Hill neighborhood in Denver, Colorado. She continued her studies at the University of Colorado in Boulder where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Architecture and Design and certificates in Community Leadership and Conflict Resolution. She has an eclectic career background in Architecture, Interior Design, Marketing, Graphic Design, Industrial Design, and Education. She currently runs her own business doing Architecture and Interior Design and is involved in numerous passion projects to combine arts and social justice and equity. She will also be teaching at Metropolitan State University of Denver this coming Fall 2022, in which she is creating a curriculum based on Upcycling materials into furniture and home goods, and how designers can make an impact on the world through product design. She is delighted to be a part of the Scholars Unlimited program as it influenced who she is today and will continue to have an impact on her role in the world.

Ramiro Jimenez, is a Senior Vice President with FirstBank’s TreasuryManagement Department. His career started in 2013 in theCalifornia Market where he focused largely on Mortgage lending and business development. Looking for an opportunity to expand his commercial knowledge, he moved to Colorado in 2021 to join the Treasury Management department where he specializes in business development, commercial banking, treasury management product development, and project management. Ramiro was raised in the Coachella Valley of Southern California and earned his Bachelor’s degree in Management from the University of California, Merced. Ramiro spent the last 3 years serving on the board of the Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Consortium for Early Learning Services and Martha’s Village.

Will brings a wealth of experience in the public sector as a champion of historically marginalized and diverse populations. Currently, Will Chan is serving as the Director of External Affairs and Strategy in the City and County of Denver through executive leadership roles with the Denver Public Library, Mayor’s Office of the North Denver Cornerstone Collaborative, Denver Economic Development & Opportunity, and a former candidate for Denver City Council At-Large. Will brings a unique perspective to addressing needs for underresourced communities across a number of areas including grassroots community organizing, nonprofit capacity building, cultural equity and community engagement, fundraising, grants management, to legislative and government affairs. Will’s service continues in his work with the community, having served as a member of the Denver Asian American and Pacific Islander Commission, Denver Public School’s Mill Oversight Committee, and the Denver County Cultural Council under SCFD. He has also served as a regional ambassador for the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Currently he serves on the executive team for PlatteForum and the Colorado Nonprofit Development Center. Among his honors, Will has been awarded Denver Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 award, ColoradoBiz Magazine’s GenXYZ Award, Library Journal’s Mover and Shaker award, the EY Next Generation Leadership award with the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts, and a Denver Changemaker for the Denver Post’s 80/95 Award.

Tina Martinez has dedicated her career to collaborative efforts that foster a future in which all children and families thrive. In her role as Vice President of Learning and Community Engagement at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, she brings together diverse stakeholders to create meaningful experiences that connect people across Colorado with the wonders of nature and science.

Tina takes pride in serving on the boards of Scholars Unlimited and Clayton Early Learning, actively supporting their impactful initiatives for children and families in the metro Denver area.

Together with her husband, Jason, and their daughters, Santiana and J Senia, Tina shares a deep commitment to out-of-school programs, having experienced their transformative power as participants, staff, and volunteers.

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Sal is VP, Client Account Manager, Jacobs Engineering and an accomplished professional with more than 18 years of experience in the transportation and infrastructure industry. His expertise encompasses client account management, program and project management, bridge design, and construction quality assurance.

Currently serving as Vice President and Client Account Manager for Utah Transportation at Jacobs, Sal excels in cultivating strategic business relationships and positioning Jacobs as a trusted and preferred partner. Beyond his professional duties, Sal is actively involved in leading STEM activities as a volunteer, demonstrating his passion for inspiring and empowering others. He has participated several years in the Scholars Unlimited/Jacobs Next Generation City Builders summer volunteer day. In his leisure time, he finds joy in being active and participating in outdoor activities including mountain biking and snowboarding. Sal has been married for 21 years and is a proud parent to three teenagers.

Born and raised in Denver, Esmeralda (Esme) attended Montbello High School before continuing her education at Colorado State University where she majored in social work along with an interdisciplinary leadership studies minor. She was the first in her family to attend college and believes there is something powerful in giving back to the community. Over the past 10 years, Esmeralda’s work has focused on nonprofit organizations and higher education. As a proud Denver Public Schools (DPS) alumna, Esme feels a wonderful sort of deja vu, being able to work at a DPS school and with remarkable students and families who carry the dream she once carried. Esme serves as the co-chair of DSF’s Alumni Advisory Committee and is inspired by DSF’s culture and dedication to the values of equity, relationship building, and leadership. In her free time, Esme likes to travel, go to the mountains, explore new restaurants, and spend

As the first generation in her family to attend and complete college, Melissa understands the importance that education has and its path to lead to successful outcomes.  She earned her bachelor’s in civil engineering from Marquette University and has worked as a transportation engineer for a private consultant working on public sector projects for over 20 years.  She thrives being part of community-based organizations and has had experiences as a board and committee member for numerous local organizations and is passionate about the work that Scholars Unlimited is doing to foster growth of our future and therefore leading them down the path towards successful outcomes. She has proven to be an incredible leader and represents Scholars Unlimited as a Board Member with the awareness of how important it is to provide opportunities and to foster thriving communities.  She resides in North Denver with her husband and two sons.

Stephen lives in Parker, Colorado and enjoys all the outdoor activities this great state offers. A favorite family activity of Steve’s is to cheer on Colorado sports teams. He has been in the software development industry for 20 years managing teams building web and mobile applications. Stephen’s interest in Scholars Unlimited comes from his belief in the value of STEM based learning in a safe, diverse, and inclusive environment. He is married to his wife Ashley, a 2nd grade teacher in the Parker area. He has two children, Ellie, an active competitive dancer and Easton, an avid football and basketball player. As a family they enjoy the outdoors, traveling and experiencing new places.

Franita is the CEO of Franita Ware PhD Consulting LLC and committed to improving the experiences of students in American Education. Serving on the board of Scholars Unlimited would allow Franita to remain aligned with an organization that she has a prior working relationship and viewed as a trusted collaborator.

Franita served as a principal of Denver Public Schools and Scholars Unlimited was an organization that supported her students. She knew when the leadership, Site Coordinators and others were in the building, they were all committed to the needs of the students.

Later, Franita was invited to be the Keynote Speaker at the luncheon which allowed her to encourage members of the community to support the organization. Scholars Unlimited has also collaborated with Franita when she  provided Professional Development to the Site Coordinators in 2017 and it was the first time she presented Radical Self-Care, which has proven to be her most impactful work.