While our programming is student-led, nothing could take place without these dedicated supporters of youth voice.
We operate on a lean staff and the help of volunteers to maximize our impact and keep costs low. Our program staff typically hold full-time jobs in the education system, and support YCD programs in a part-time capacity.
If you are interested in working with YCD programs and have a background in education or social work, please contact Caleb Munro, the Executive Director, to discuss potential openings or opportunities. We are especially interested in making new connections in Arizona, California, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming, as well as the Colorado Springs and Pueblo metros.
Nikki Archuleta
Organizer – YCD New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(505) 804-6790
narchuleta@ycdiversity.org
Nikki Archuleta (she/her) is an activist, humanitarian, educator scholar, poet, podcaster, community organizer and revolutionary! She is a firm believer in fighting to obliterate oppression across the board and fighting for the equality and equity of the historically disenfranchised. As a woman of African, Mexican, and Indigenous decent she has fallen in love with her people and though their stories are the most tragic it’s the beauty and resilience of those who came before her that have guided her footsteps towards liberation. Whether she is organizing a protest or march, or just in her community trying to build hope and change on a foundation that has denied her and so many others their humanity, she is a powerhouse and has no plans of slowing down.
She has worked with countless organizations such as Black Lives Matter, the Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP), The Red Nation, Power through Peace as well as creating The Albuquerque Arts Collective to create a platform for local artists to share their craft all while raising money for important causes.
Gina Cordova (she/her) is a high school health and English teacher at Highland High School, located in Albuquerque’s international district. She currently works at the school she graduated from, which makes her specially connected and adept to the community.
Gina graduated from the University of New Mexico with a degree in English and a minor in psychology. Gina’s passion for literature and the arts is tightly connected to her passion for social justice, which she embeds into her teaching style inside the classroom. Gina is also the head sponsor of Highland’s Genders & Sexualities Alliance (GSA) in which she aids in supporting her students in advocating for a school culture that is diverse, safe, and proud.
Mason Estes (he/him) is La Jolla Band-Luiseño (a federally recognized tribe of Southern California) born in Boulder, Colorado.
Mason graduated from Broomfield High School in 2018 and from the University of Denver in 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from the Daniels College of Business. Mason has served as DU Student Body Vice President, a member of DU’s Native Student Alliance, and served as a founding member of DU’s Native American Indigenous Advisory Council. Mason looks forward to a future in service to his family and his community and supporting youth in their journey as leaders!
Lameese Makkawi
Virtual Intern
Boulder, Colorado
Lameese Makkawi (she/her) is a community leader and activist from Aurora, Colorado, now studying psychology at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Lameese was a part of both her high school and district’s student advisory boards, as well as founder and president of her high school’s Racial Equity Club. She was also a member of the local Sudanese community’s youth organization, and served as co-chair for the 2022 YCD Colorado conference.
As Virtual Intern for YCD this year, Lameese is producing new episodes of the Teens Talk Podcast, focused on community building.
Alexis McClain
Organizer – Teens for Inclusive Athletics
Boulder, Colorado
(303) 349-7502
alexiseliz75@gmail.com
Born and raised in Denver, Colorado, Alexis McClain (she/her) went to CU Boulder, graduating with a BA in Psychology, and received her Masters in Sports Administration and Leadership from Seattle University where she was also a member of the crew team.
She has a passion for all things Diversity/Equity and Inclusion and volunteers in many Denver/Boulder area organizations including the Junior League of Denver, Creative Strategies for Change, The Five Points Rino Rotary club, Satya Yoga Cooperative and the Rocky Mountain RYLA program. She currently works in Residence life at the University of Colorado Boulder as well as co-owner of the Satya Yoga Cooperative in Denver.
She is excited to work/collaborate with the amazing students and mentors of YCD!
Caleb Munro (he/him) serves as YCD’s Executive Director and is responsible for marketing, fundraising, and program oversight.
In 2014 Caleb led the establishment of Youth Celebrate Diversity as a non-profit in order to continue the important work of the Cherry Creek Diversity Conference (now YCD Colorado), as well as to seek opportunities to expand on its model. He was passionate about continuing this vital program as an alumnus of the program himself, which provided him crucial support during his high school years while he struggled with his sexuality, religious identity, and the impacts of living in a large, single-parent, low-income family. Caleb shepherded YCD through its formation by drafting its Bylaws; recruiting its Board of Directors; and overseeing the organization’s approval for 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status with the IRS.
Since working full-time for YCD in 2017, Caleb has overseen the organization’s growth to reach over 3,000 teens annually across six programs, including expansion into New Mexico, as well as programs in Colorado’s Western Slope and in Fort Collins in collaboration with Colorado State University. He also forged a partnership with the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) to create the Teens for Inclusive Athletics podcast and program, where teen athletes can speak and explore how to make youth sports more inclusive for marginalized identities.
Caleb continues to build YCD’s partnerships with school districts, colleges and universities, and other non-profit organizations to provide more opportunities for young people to organize locally, educate themselves and their peers, and take action for inclusion and social justice. In 2021, he was named as one of ColoradoBiz Magazine’s Most Influential Young Professionals.
Caleb has a BSFS from Georgetown University and an MA in the Teaching of Social Studies from Teachers College, Columbia University, and lives in Denver, Colorado with his husband Danny and dog Acorn.
Jason Powell (he/him) is an educator, coach, and writer. One of his primary goals is to amplify student voice. As the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion specialist at Rocky Mountain High School in Fort Collins, he works to help the school system change to be able to support, encourage and educate all students. As a strong Black man and role model, he encourages students to not hide their identity to be successful.
Kinette Richards, PhD, NCC (she/her) is a Licensed School Psychologist, and Nationally Certified Counselor working in Aurora, Colorado. She received her Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Colorado Denver, and received her Doctorate in School Psychology from the University of Denver. She has over 25 years of mental health experience, working in a variety of settings, and she has worked with pre-school aged children through adults in her tenure in mental health.
As a school psychologist, she has worked with adolescents and children in elementary, middle, and high school, as well as alternative settings for high school students. She has a passion for equity work, and is an advocate for students and families of color in school settings. She leads the district’s Mental Health Equity Team, which is a group of Mental Health professionals focusing on social justice issues. During the past fifteen years she has taken a lead role in the discussion and training of staff members at the school and district level, on the issue of race and the achievement gap, and the over-representation of students of color in disciplinary actions. Her current focus in equity work is on the impact of implicit bias and the role it plays in service delivery.
She was a member of the Georgetown Day School Equity Collaborative Faculty, in Washington D.C., which for six years trained Public and Independent school personnel to address issues of equity and privilege in their settings. She was a 2016-2017 Ambassador Fellow for the Colorado Education Association, addressing the School to Prison Pipeline, and was a mentor supervising several Ambassador Fellows for the 2017-2018 school year. She has recently been appointed to the Advisory Board of Learning for Justice, a national organization that develops trainings and curriculum for school personnel and other professionals interested in doing and leading equity work in school districts. Additionally, she was recently appointed to an APA (American Psychological Association) task force, addressing issues of parenting and racial stress, and she is an Adjunct Professor for School Psychology at the University of Denver.
Jody Snow (she/her) has been an educator for more than 25 years. For the past several years she has been working with the diverse population at Fort Collins High School. She was instrumental in developing the Caminos partnership between Fort Collins High School and Colorado State University. Caminos was created to enhance educational opportunities while acknowledging the issues facing Latiné students. She encourages students find their voices and hopes to empower them to create a culture where all students feel valued. Jody is also the sponsor of FCHS’s Latin American Student Alliance, whose goal is to share the many aspects of Latin American culture with the school’s staff and student body.