Board of Directors

Charlotte Brantley recently stepped away in July 2019 from her 13 years as President and CEO of Clayton Early Learning, a nationally recognized Colorado non-profit providing and supporting others to provide high quality early care and education through direct practice, research/evaluation and advocacy. She has held a variety of early childhood leadership appointments within government, higher education and non-profits including laboratory preschool teaching, professional educator preparation at the AA and BA levels, children’s media development, public policy and administration of complex programs at the local, state and national levels. She led the federal Child Care Bureau during the Clinton Administration and the office of Child Care for the State of Texas. Charlotte holds a BA in Anthropology and an MA in Child Development from the University of Texas

Reed has owned and managed his own business in the oil and natural gas industry since 2015. Previously, he had differing financial and business development roles in the manufacturing, tech, and energy sectors. He graduated from the University of Denver with a finance degree and business ethics/legal studies minor. He grew up in Portland, Oregon, and now lives in Denver with his wife and two daughters.

Pat has more than 20 years of management and executive leadership experience. Prior to assuming his current role as COO of RootED Denver pat was on the executive team at Revolution Foods for 8 years where he helped grow the company into a national organization serving 30 cities. In addition, Pat was a Vice President with Aon-Hewitt, the world’s largest human capital consulting firm, and Vice President at Vail Resorts, where he oversaw operations for guest services, finance, marketing, sales, retail, food and beverage, and human capital.

Ulysses is currently an MBA Candidate at Harvard Business School. Previously, he was a Senior Strategy Consultant for IBM’s Enterprise Strategy and Business Transformation Consultant for IBM Federal. During his time at IBM, Ulysses was selected as a Fulbright Binational Business Grantee and temporarily worked at Evercore Mexico as an Investment Banking Analyst. He has also been involved with the Middlesex Coalition for Children, Denver Mayor’s Youth Commission, and La Raza Youth Leadership Program. Ulysses graduated from Wesleyan University with a Bachelor of Arts in both Economics and Government and is also a member of STRIVE Prep’s founding class.

Marlon Marshall is a Partner with City Fund. Most recently, he was a founding partner at 270 Strategies. He served as Special Assistant to the President and Principal Deputy Director in the Obama White House Office of Public Engagement, Deputy National Field Director for President Obama’s re-election campaign, and States Director for Hillary for America. Marlon hails from St. Louis, Missouri and is a graduate of the University of Kansas. He is a die-hard fan of the Jayhawks and the St. Louis Cardinals, and now lives in Denver with his wife Stacy and their two daughters.

Josh Rael serves as the Executive Director for Alliance, Colorado’s Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD) case management and provider association. Alliance members serve over 20,000 individuals with IDD and employ over 10,000 direct support professionals and IDD case managers throughout Colorado. In 2022, Josh was elected to the ANCOR Board of Directors. ANCOR, is the nation’s largest IDD provider association representing 1,800+ organizations employing more than a half-million professionals who together serve more than a million individuals with IDD.

In 2020, Josh received the prestigious “40 Under 40” Award from the Denver Business Journal. In 2011, Josh was selected to attend President Obama’s White House Hispanic Policy Conference in Washington, D.C. Josh is a Colorado native and received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Colorado State University-Pueblo, a Juris Doctor from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, and a Master of Public Administration at the University of Colorado-Denver.

Jemal's diverse background includes public and nonprofit experience in social development, volunteer coordination, and operations. Former Regional Program Manager for the US Peace Corps in Ethiopia, focused on education and health. Holds degrees in Sociology and Business Administration from University of Gondar. Currently a board member for RMP, representing parents. Resides in Denver with family, passionate about traveling.

Kayla is a native of Colorado with experience in both political campaigns and state advocacy at the Capitol. Kayla holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Affairs and Russian from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Kayla, has lobbied for nearly a decade at the State capitol. As a Partner at Nexus Policy Group, Kayla uses her extensive experience in issues impacting education, healthcare policy, non-profits, and energy to benefit her clients. She has deep knowledge of the business issues and the business environment at the capitol and is well connected with legislators of both parties. Before joining Nexus Policy Group in 2012, she previously held the position as lead lobbyist for the education advocacy organization, Stand for Children Colorado. Notably, while at Nexus, during the 2014 legislative session, Kayla successfully lobbied on behalf of the Colorado League of Charter Schools for the largest increase in capital funding for public charter schools ever. Kayla has extensive experience with educating and empowering networks and memberships to take action at the state and local level.

Amber is a Colorado native and partner at Valdez Public Affairs, LLC, a governmental consulting firm. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Colorado State University and holds a Master of Public Administration from University of Colorado Denver. Amber is a voting member of the National Western Stock Show and was a finalist for the Hispanic Chamber of Metro Denver’s Young Professional of the Year award. She lives in Denver with her Yorkie Poo, Dexter.