About Us

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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Nikki is a Colorado native who is currently the Business Manager for Jefferson County Open Space in Golden, Colorado. She has been a proud public servant for more than twelve years and is dedicated to the betterment of our state by helping citizens succeed on all levels. Nikki works with regional leaders and partners, community members, and several non-profit organizations to ensure that she is doing all she can to expand the range of what’s possible in Denver’s most vulnerable neighborhoods. She has a truly keen ability to listen to others and to connect with a diversity of groups and individuals by meeting them where they are and she does so to make a difference and, ultimately, motivate future generations.

Nikki graduated Magna Cum Laude from CU Denver with a BFA in wood sculpture and a focus on business management. She has worked in operations and finance for over 20 years and brings a unique perspective to the world of numbers. She loves volunteering, gardening, and spending time with her wife and daughter, and would rather ride her bike more than any other mode of transportation on the planet!

Kristin currently serves as the Secretary for the Scholars Unlimited Board. She has loved serving on the Board since 2018 and is continually impressed by the Scholars and the Scholars Unlimited leadership.
Kristin is the Division Director for the Board of Assessment Appeals in the Department of Local Affairs. Prior to this position she has served the state as an Assistant Attorney General, Administrative Law Judge and Chief Operating Officer. In her free time she loves traveling, visiting friends, reading and knitting. She is married to Allen, an estate planning attorney, and the proud parent of two grown children both of whom are teachers! Kristin has read all 100 of Penguin’s top 100 classics.

Olga has served people across the Denver Metro Area in various capacities throughout her professional career. Currently she is with Denver Human Rights and Community Partnerships Office of Aging. She manages the Denver Connect mobile unit that provides resources and information to assist older adults – regardless of ability, health or income – to age in place.
Prior experience includes Denver Health Medical Center Government and Community Affairs. She was honored in September 2017 with the Denver Latino Library Lena Archuleta Community Service Award. Other notable honors include the Athena Award from the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce, Businesswoman of the Year and Corporate Advocate of the Year from the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Denver, Latin American Educational Foundation Corporate Advocate of the Year and the Latina Leadership Foundation’s Unsung Heroine award.
She resides in Denver with her husband and son.

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.

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.

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.

Kathleen is the President of Western Energy Alliance, which engages in public affairs, federal legislative, public lands, environmental, and regulatory issues on behalf of oil and natural gas exploration and production companies in the West. Kathleen has testified before several Congressional Committees on energy and environment topics, and is regularly quoted on western issues in national and international media including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, BBC, Fox News, NPR, Washington Post, and National Journal. Prior to joining the Alliance in 2006, she spent eleven years in the Information Technology sector, including establishing the European consulting practice and a German subsidiary for a software company; and three years as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Army.
She holds a BS in Political Science/Defense and Arms Control Studies from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an MS in Information Technology from Virginia Tech. Prior to serving on the Scholars Unlimited Board, she served on the Denver Asset Building Coalition and Advocates for School Trust Lands board

As a corporate attorney, Ken brings insights regarding fund raising and business strategy to the Board of Directors at Scholars Unlimited. His professional background, prior to practicing law, involved positions as an educator abroad (Costa Rica), as well as in the Denver area (Metropolitan State University). Being a Denver native, Ken is deeply concerned about providing educational and future vocational opportunities to the underprivileged to the communities in which he was raised and educated. Both his mother and grandmother were also educators for Denver Public Schools and Ken considers their legacy living on through his work at Scholars.