About Us

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.

Jeremy Fusilier is an Assistant Vice President and Senior Manager at U.S. Bank with more than a decade of leadership experience across financial services and the telecommunications industry. He currently oversees large-scale credit card operations in a highly regulated environment, bringing a disciplined approach to accountability,
compliance, and organizational performance. Prior to banking, he held leadership roles at Dish Network in fast-paced, metrics-driven operations.

Jeremy brings a systems-level perspective to leadership, shaped by experience developing teams, driving performance, and navigating complex regulatory and operational environments. He also serves as President and Geographic Lead of the Denver Black Heritage Business Resource Group, providing oversight, stakeholder coordination, and strategic leadership within the organization.

Jeremy’s journey from poverty to senior leadership—without a formal degree—reflects his commitment to self-education, resilience, and execution. His story underscores the belief that talent and determination can overcome systemic barriers. He is the author of Built From Struggle and is committed to expanding access, strengthening communities, and helping organizations steward resources responsibly in service of their mission.

Ramiro Jimenez, is a Senior Vice President with FirstBank’s TreasuryManagement Department. His career started in 2013 in the California 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.

Martha Bahamón is guided by the belief in making the world a better place by harnessing the power of philanthropy to drive social mobility for under-resourced communities. By leveraging social impact investments, government grants, corporate contributions, and employee engagement, she has been able to raise over $60M to catapult non-profits and higher education institutions to new heights. She specializes in discovering where philanthropic opportunities lie by positioning organizations to promote equitable access to social services, education, and healthcare.

Martha has held leadership development roles at Year Up United, National Skills Coalition (NSC), the University of Denver, Hispanic Federation, and Rutgers Biomedical Health Sciences. Martha launched her fundraising career at the United Way of Greater Newark, New Jersey. She holds a B.A. in political science from Rutgers University, an M.A. in Latin American and Caribbean Studies from NYU’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and an MPA from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. Martha has served on several non-profit boards and is an active volunteer supporting several organizations in Colorado and nationally.

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.

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.

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.

Daniel is passionate about cultivating self-reliance among learners and students from special populations by closing achievement gaps. His range of experience includes grant writing and administration, managing apprenticeship and credential attainment initiatives, and serving in leadership roles in postsecondary student services. Currently, Sandoval serves as the Director of Customized Training and Apprenticeships at Pickens Technical College. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English writing from Colorado Mesa University and a master’s degree in counseling psychology from the University of Colorado at Denver.

Robert Smariga is an accomplished nonprofit executive with a dedication to youth-serving missions.

He currently serves as Chief of Staff at Mile High Early Learning, an $18 million nonprofit providing early childhood education to families across Denver.

He previously served as the Director of Operations and Finance at Colorado Springs-based BSCS Science Learning, a $10 million nonprofit creating K-12 science education curriculum, and as Executive Director of the Association for Experiential Education, a Boulder-based membership organization supporting 1500 members globally.

Rob has a deep commitment to community service. He has served as a youth mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters for more than 20 years. He has held various board roles, including as board chair and treasurer at both the Gap Year Association and The Arc – Jefferson, Clear Creek, and Gilpin Counties.

He earned a master’s degree in Nonprofit Organizations from the University of Georgia and a bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences from Johns Hopkins University.

Rob lives in the Berkeley neighborhood of Denver with his partner and their labrador retriever. He is an avid tennis player and enjoys commuting by bike.