Our Staff
Jane Allen
Jane has always felt a deep connection to the natural world around her. This love of nature led her to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from University of Northern Colorado, followed by a master’s degree in the Climate Change and Society program at North Carolina State University. She has seen the impacts of a changing climate from coast to coast and has made it her mission to foster more sustainable and equitable communities through her work. After college, Jane moved to the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon to improve the resilience of local rural communities and to assist in developing a COVID-19 recovery plan for economic districts across the state. She is excited to return to Colorado to support the trailblazing effort of the Regenerative Recovery Coalition. In her free time you will most likely find her exploring the outdoors with her husky in tow, listening to live music or hanging out at a local brewery.
Madalyn Atlas-Smith
Madalyn has had a passion for the environment since early childhood, pushing her to participate in many environmental justice groups through school and initiating her drive for environmental activism. As a recent graduate of Northern Arizona University with a bachelor’s in Psychology and a minor in Sociology, Madalyn knew she wanted to be directly working to positively impact the climate crisis. Prioritizing healing, equity and regeneration, Madalyn is excited to work alongside colleagues who also care about serving their community. In her free time, you’ll find Madalyn camping or in a museum!
Jolie Brawner
Jolie joins the team as our first ever Regenerative Recovery Coalition Director, leading the day to day programmatic initiatives of the Coalition as well future expansion and strategic direction. Jolie brings with her a wealth of community building and advocacy leadership experience. Most recently, Jolie served as the Executive Director of the Washington Street Community Center. She worked to unite the neighbors and neighborhoods of South-Central Denver, cultivating an intergenerational gathering place for the community and providing services to meet the needs of families, seniors, children and adults.
Last year, Jolie served as Vice Chair for the Colorado Independent Congressional Redistricting Commission. While serving as a Commissioner, Jolie served on the Public Hearing Planning Committee and the Community of Interest and Public Comment Committee. Jolie made a commitment to attend every public hearing and read every public comment submitted, a feat she successfully accomplished. While accomplishing this feat, Jolie travelled all over the state, hearing from Coloradans and tirelessly working to amplify the voices of the marginalized. This commitment to elevating the voices and needs of her community is something Jolie is excited to continue in her role as Coalition Director.
When not working, Jolie can be found (or better not found) enjoying the unparalleled beauty of our natural world: hiking, backpacking and camping in those magical places that still exist outside the reach of cellular reception.
Valeria Cintora
Valeria is fascinated about the interconnectedness of environmental issues and considers herself a global citizen. She has seen firsthand the innovative sustainability solutions created through the power of resiliency over her time traveling to 20 different countries all over the world. Valeria graduated from Colorado State University with a bachelor’s degree in ecosystem science and sustainability. Although she enjoyed working in science, she found her love in nonprofit work, and her path led her to The Alliance Center. Outside of work you can find her reading, planning her next big trip or daydreaming on a hammock.
Elizabeth Fierro
An avid adventurer, Elizabeth is from Austin but has also called Indonesia, Morocco, the Philippines and Chicago home. She graduated with her bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago, where she majored in Environmental and Urban Studies and minored in Creative Writing. During college, Elizabeth spent a summer traveling all over the Rocky Mountains with a conservation corps, which cemented her desire to pursue a career in sustainability. In her free time, Elizabeth likes to try new vegan restaurants, study foreign languages, write poetry and plan her next adventure.
Gabrielle Fuerst
Throughout her life, Gabrielle has always been passionate about the intersection between people and the environment. After receiving a degree in Wildlife, Fish and Conservation biology from University of California, Davis, she served in Peace Corps Senegal as a Community Economic Development volunteer. This experience helped her see first-hand the interconnectedness between not just between people and the environment, but also private enterprise. Businesses, which she had always associated with environmental degradation, actually have huge opportunities to not only make a profit and thrive, but also improve the world’s natural resources. This knowledge led her to the Impact MBA program at Colorado State University, focusing on social enterprise and corporate responsibility. Gabrielle is excited to bring her creativity and passion for systems thinking to her role as Community Manager at The Alliance Center! When she isn’t working, you can find her crocheting, exploring Denver’s delicious restaurants and breweries or adventuring with her dog, Diego.
Mary Gloven
Mary is passionate about sustainable building solutions and uplifting the voices of the unheard. She returned to her hometown of Morrison, Colorado after spending nearly a decade in the PNW, where she earned her BA in Sustainability Studies from The Evergreen State College and AAS in hands-on Building Construction Technology from Portland Community College.
After jumping from a career in retail to a career in construction, she has had an insatiable appetite to learn everything about how buildings work and their impact on our daily lives. In addition to her formal education, she has completed numerous trainings related to PV solar, high performance building methods and leadership in the trades. She prides herself in taking a whole systems approach when it comes to building and seeks to share her skills with others. In her free time, Mary enjoys learning about local history, sewing quilts from textile scraps, building her backyard homestead, playing the banjo and going on outdoor adventures with her dogs.
Britney Orellana
After working as a project coordinator in the electrical construction industry for years, and after relocating to Denver from Argyle, Texas, Britney decided to take the plunge and found her passion for sustainability work. When she is not multitasking to hire the next amazing Alliance Center team member, you can find Britney rock climbing, crafting new vegetarian recipes, exploring breweries or hiking up a mountain with her dog, Clutch.
Gabriel Romero
Gabriel has worked tirelessly to help the underprivileged to give back to those who do not experience life as many of us do. For twenty years, Gabriel worked in the utility industry as a marketing and communications executive, with direct focus on sustainability and renewable energy projects.
Gabriel has a passion for people and a passion for the planet. His work in philanthropy has come full-circle. Through the pandemic and with uncertainty at an all time high, Gabriel navigated the philanthropic space with digital marketing precision and has had success. He brings this passion for fundraising to the Alliance Center.
In his free-time Gabriel is a professional CrossFit Athlete and coach. He has participated in the CrossFit Games several times and continues to maintain a passion for health, wellbeing and a little fire breathing.
Alyssa Shea
A storyteller at heart, Aly loves channeling her passion for equity and sustainability into creative, audience-centered marketing campaigns. Her love of all the ways people come together to make change led her to nonprofit work after starting her career in higher education communications. A transplant from the Midwest, Aly graduated from The University of Iowa with a degree in Communication Studies and Journalism. When she’s not working, you’ll find her secondhand shopping, in a barre or yoga studio or enjoying nature with her two dogs.
Keeley Stokes
Keeley’s academic and professional focus has been the alleviation of social and economic inequality. Stepping into this role at the Alliance Center feels like a natural extension of her social justice work as it intersects with environmental issues. Keeley did her undergraduate studies at Pomona College, earned an MA at the School of Social Justice, University College Dublin and a PhD in Political Science at CU Boulder. She’s worked in social good organizations for nearly 15 years writing grants and managing research and evaluation projects. In her free time, you’ll find Keeley skiing, hiking, camping and otherwise exploring Colorado and beyond with her family.
Mariah Shell
Mariah has called Colorado home for most of her life and loves working to protect this incredible state. She spends each day supporting the work of our talented tenants and making The Alliance Center THE place to be. She is a problem-solver who loves thinking about the most efficient ways to get things done. In her downtime, Mariah enjoys knitting, sampling craft breweries and running, as well as going to the park or to the mountains with her husband and rescue pup.
Brenna Simmons-St. Onge
Brenna works day in and day out to create an equitable, inclusive and sustainable future. With a background in corporate social responsibility, she spent over 10 years developing and implementing sustainability programs for some of the world’s leading hotel brands. Her endless passion to create a better future drove her to the nonprofit realm. She has served on Denver Mayor‘s Sustainability Advisory Council as well as the University of Colorado’s Managing for Sustainability Advisory Council since 2014. Brenna was named one of the top 25 Most Influential Young Professionals in 2015 and received the City of Denver’s Community Builder Sustainability Award in 2017. As a Colorado native, Brenna loves spending any free time she has in nature. From rock climbing to white water rafting, you name the outdoor activity and there is a good chance of finding it on Brenna’s roll call for adventure.
