DENVER, CO – (Feb. 13, 2026) – Ushering in the new year, Rose Community Foundation announces both a new chair and new addition to its board of trustees.
Barry Curtiss-Lusher will serve as Rose Community Foundation’s Board Chair for the two-year 2026–2027 term. He continues to serve on the Foundation’s Investment Committee and Audit and Finance Committee, having previously chaired the Jewish Life and Philanthropic Services committees.
Curtiss-Lusher’s connection to Rose Community Foundation dates to its founding three decades ago. A member of the Rose Medical Center board in the mid-1990s, he championed the creation of Rose Community Foundation from the proceeds of the hospital’s sale in 1995. Barry has been actively engaged with the Foundation since that time as a donor, Legacy Circle member, donor-advised fundholder, committee member and trustee. On the professional front, Curtiss-Lusher is the co-founder, chair and former CEO of energy development company Nexus Energy Partners and an active private equity investor. Highly engaged in the community, he has held multiple leadership roles with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) since 1982, both locally in the ADL Mountain States Region and nationally, including service as ADL National Chair from 2012 to 2015 and currently serving as Treasurer and member of ADL’s National Board of Directors and Executive Committee. He previously served on the board of Denver’s Staenberg-Loup Jewish Community Center and as board chair of Colorado Public Radio and Rose Medical Center. Barry received his bachelor’s degree from Yale University and a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School.
Immediate past chair Marti Awad, senior vice president at Wealth Enhancement Group, will continue to serve on Rose Community Foundation’s board of trustees and was honored at the Foundation’s December 2025 board meeting along with outgoing trustee and former board chair Lisa Robinson, who concluded 10 years of board service with Rose Community Foundation.
David Asarch is the Foundation’s newest trustee and has served on its Jewish Life Committee since 2022. Both a donor and donor-advised fundholder, his connection to the Foundation is a family affair, including his mother Elaine Asarch’s service on the Jewish Life Committee 25 years ago and his son’s recent involvement in Rose Youth Foundation, a giving circle in which local Jewish high school students learn about and engage in collaborative grantmaking.
David serves as a principal of Steele Properties, and its sister company Monroe Group, Denver-based national real estate and property management firms specializing in affordable multi-family rental properties including affordable housing for older adults and people with disabilities. David currently serves on the Stanford Law School board of visitors and the Children’s Diabetes Foundation board of directors, which supports the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He previously served for 10 years on the Jewish Family Service of Colorado board of directors, including roles on the executive committee and as treasurer. A Cherry Creek High School alum, David graduated magna cum laude from Middlebury College and earned his law degree from Stanford Law School.
“During my eight years leading Rose Community Foundation, I have been fortunate to work with a series of incredible board chairs, and Barry Curtiss-Lusher will continue that tradition of strong leadership and deep respect for the Foundation’s history, values and community commitments,” said President and CEO Lindy Eichenbaum Lent. “Strong, values-driven leadership is essential to advancing our mission and responding to the evolving needs of our region. Barry Curtiss-Lusher and David Asarch each bring deep and unique experiences, long-standing dedication to the Foundation and philanthropy, and a shared belief in the power of community investment. We are grateful for their service and partnership.”
The full list of Rose Community Foundation trustees and committee members is available at www.rcfdenver.org.