Rose Community Foundation begins 2024 by welcoming a new board chair, three new trustees and 11 new committee members.
Serving as 2024-25 board chair is Marti Awad, who serves on the Foundation’s Investment and Philanthropic Services committees. A former tax attorney turned longtime private wealth advisor with deep investment expertise, Marti is currently senior vice president and financial advisor at Wealth Enhancement Group where she advises clients on complex wealth management issues. She is active in the Denver civic and nonprofit community and has served on numerous boards, including Metropolitan State University of Denver Foundation, CollegeInvest, and WorldDenver.
Immediate Past Chair Lisa Robinson will continue to serve on the board.
“Lisa Robinson has been a longtime member of the Rose Community Foundation family, as one of the original staff members, as a trustee and as a valued philanthropic partner,” says Foundation President and CEO Lindy Eichenbaum Lent. “We are beyond thankful for her continued leadership on the board and jointly extend a warm welcome to Marti as she becomes our next board chair. The torch passes with shared gratitude for the past and excitement for the future as we continue to advance inclusive, engaged and equitable Greater Denver communities through values-driven philanthropy.”
The Foundation also welcomes three new members to the Board of Trustees: Elise Barish, Krishna Kantheti and Matthew Rich.
Elise A. Barish is an experienced community leader with over 15 years of nonprofit board and committee work. She currently serves on the boards of Jewish Family Service of Colorado, ADL’s Mountain States Region, and the Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF), in addition to the Philanthropic Services Committee at Rose Community Foundation and the Finance Committee at The Efshar Project. She is an alum of the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) Society Fellowship and currently serves on the JDC Welcome Committee. Elise initiated and chaired the MRF’s inaugural Denver Wings of Hope for Melanoma Gala in 2012 and was honored for her leadership in 2021. Elise and her husband Brian have four children. Before leaving the workforce to raise them, Elise worked as an equity analyst in Denver and New York. She earned her bachelor’s degree from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and her MBA from Columbia University.
Krishna Kantheti serves as Chief Investment Officer of Global Asset Capital, an investment firm spanning venture capital, growth equity and real estate. With previous roles at GIC, William Morris Endeavor, Silver Lake Partners and Evercore Partners, he has extensive expertise in technology, capital markets, venture capital and private equity. Krishna holds a bachelor’s degree from The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He currently serves on the Investment Committee at Rose Community Foundation and is also a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Krishna and his wife Kaliki, a member of the current Rose Women’s Circle cohort, are parents to two boys.
Matthew Rich has built a career spanning over 30 years in the financial services industry. As senior vice president for wealth management at UBS Financial Services in Boulder, Matthew brings to his clients extensive expertise in portfolio management, retirement and estate planning as well as administering equity compensation plans and employee stock purchase plans for publicly traded companies. He served for 12 years on the board of the Boulder Jewish Community Center, is currently serving on the Board of Directors of LiFT Academy as Treasurer and serves on the Jewish Life Committee at Rose Community Foundation. Matt received his bachelor’s degree in business from Widener University. He and his wife Julie have two daughters.
“We are thrilled to have Elise, Krishna, and Matthew’s expertise and enthusiasm on the Board of Trustees,” says Foundation Board Chair Marti Awad. “Their exceptional business and investment knowledge, coupled with their deep community connections, make them invaluable partners in advancing the mission of the Rose Community Foundation.”
The Foundation also welcomes new committee members. Committees help Foundation staff advance opportunities for thought partnership, learning, and community voice and engagement around key aspects of the Foundation’s grantmaking and donor services work.
Community Grantmaking Committee
- Jon Asher, Executive Director Emeritus, Colorado Legal Services
- Lydia Prado, Executive Director, Lifespan Local
Jewish Life Committee
- Steve Abelman, Shareholder, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
- Scott Wasserman, President, The Bell Policy Center
Philanthropic Services Committee
- Robin Chalecki, President, Emily Griffith Foundation
- Sade’ Cooper, Co-Founder and CEO, Collaborative Healing Initiative within Communities (CHIC)
- Nathan Levy, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Lokal Homes
- Morgan Seibel, Executive Director, WeeCycle
Policy and Advocacy Committee
- Helayne Jones, Ed.D., Educational Consultant and 2005-14 Rose Community Foundation trustee
- Sam Mamet, Executive Director Emeritus, Colorado Municipal League
- Michael Niyompong, Executive Director, David & Laura Merage Foundation
The full list of Rose Community Foundation trustees and committee members is available at www.rcfdenver.org.