Meet the Team Behind the Athena Awesomeness

Anne counts herself as an ‘almost’ native to Colorado, having lived in Denver since she was six years old. She graduated from South High School where Joyce Hettler, the drama teacher there, ignited her passion for acting. With an eye toward the practical, Anne graduated from the University of Wyoming with a major in French and a minor in theatre. She obtained her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Denver and practiced law for many years with the firm of Nathan, Bremer, Dumm and Myers. She retired in order to pursue her interest in the arts. Since then, she has been active in the vibrant Denver theater scene, working as an actor. Anne is honored to serve as the President of Athena Project. Other hats she wears within the organization include Mentor Coordinator and Production Coordinator for Athena’s annual visual arts show.

Liz Black has served as the Executive Director for 40 West Arts District for over eight years. She is passionate about the arts, helping artists, arts advocacy, and the power of creativity to change societies. Liz is also a writer and managing editor for the publication West Colfax Lately magazine, and volunteers in multiple capacities throughout the City of Lakewood. In her free time, Liz enjoys yoga, learning Spanish, hanging out with her daughter, and spending time outdoors. Her current favorite form of art is immersive theater. Liz is honored and humbled to serve on the Board of Directors for Athena Project.

Non-profit Advancement, Leadership and Community Building

A visionary senior executive with proven ability to build organizational and individual capacity, maximize board development opportunities, develop high performance teams and foster collaborative partnerships. Kathy brings together strategic and tactical expertise in philanthropy, operations and fundraising with a focus on growing organizations. As a skilled communicator who works across organizational levels effectively managing relationships with donors, staff, board members, volunteers and community leaders at all levels of an organization. Strong experience in the arts and education.  Kathy currently serves as Director of Institutional & Capital Giving at the Arvada Center for the Arts & Humanities.

Fundraising/Revenue Development:  As Director of Development, Kathy led a team raising over $365 million dollars over five years while implemented a relationship model, authored the training plan and managed a department of 40 staff to improve operational efficiency and customer service.

Leadership/Change Management:  Leader of a $10 million capital campaign raising funds to build a new 22,000 square foot theater and community center.  Led board of directors, city officials and community members.

Advocate:  While Director of a nonprofit housing families experiencing homelessness, Kathy developed a program working with the clients to help them tell their personal story through writing and public speaking; educating the community members on myths and structural barriers to becoming housed.

EDUATION/TRAINING

• University of St. Catherine, Liberal Arts Degree – Interdisciplinary Studies/Feminist Theory
• Art of Hosting Facilitator Training, Racial Justice Facilitator
• Public Speaking Training Public Relations and Media Training
• Leadership St. Paul (LSP is a program of the Chamber of Commerce) Alumni – Past Chair of LSP Alumni Committee

Olivia is the Director of Marketing for Bonanno Concepts where she guides the strategic arm behind 7 restaurants, 2 bars, a bakery and a 16-concept food hall. She spearheads large scale community events, cultivates national partnerships, oversees 24 social media accounts and manages media for the group and its renowned chef/owners, Frank & Jacqueline Bonanno.

Her previous roles include Communications Manager for The Blue Bench, an organization dedicated to providing low to no-cost therapy for victims of sexual assault and prevention education to students, and Associate for Denver-based public affairs firm GBSM, specializing in crisis communication, stakeholder engagement and coalition building.

She is a graduate of the University of Miami.

Having worked in the banking industry, predominantly in Treasury Management for the last 19 years, Tracy Jakse, CTP,  brings with her a background in banking and finance. Raised in Sedona, Arizona by two artistic parents, she values the bridge between Arts and Business.  She values herself as a change maker and a relationship builder helping those she encounters along the way. Tracy received a Bachelor of Science in Justice Studies from Arizona State University. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, Yoga, the outdoors and spending time with her husband and their two dogs.  She is honored and grateful to sit on the Athena Board and support so many amazing artists.

Jasmine Schwarz is a multidisciplinary creative with a lifelong connection to the arts. She studied visual art for eight years—through high school and college—experimenting with a wide range of mediums including charcoal, oil, acrylic, watercolor, clay, photography, and sculpture. Her passion for visual expression began early, nurtured by sketchbooks, art sets, and quiet hours spent observing and creating. While she never pursued a formal art career, the creative process has remained a core part of how she sees and shapes the world.

Currently, Jasmine serves as the Social Media Lead and AI Coordinator at Fundraising.AI, where she manages digital communications, podcast production, and training initiatives. Her background in visual storytelling, systems thinking, and ethical strategy informs her work across platforms—blending creative intuition with practical design and impact-driven messaging.

Jasmine’s artistic lens continues to influence how she approaches innovation, empathy, and equity. Whether drafting digital content or reflecting on social narratives, she brings the heart of an artist and the eye of a builder—always exploring how creative expression can foster more human, thoughtful systems.

From beach baby to snow bunny, Kim spent most of her youth in Hawaii then moved to Colorado for College. After graduating from CSU with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, moved to San Francisco to start her career as a graphic designer at an advertising agency. After 15+ years in the advertising industry, she now is the VP/COO and Creative Director for Overstreet Associates. Kim and her husband Kyle, moved back to Colorado to raise their two children and to be near family and friends. Kim is honored to be on the board and is excited to help propel women and girls in the arts.

For over 20 years, Holly has worked in the nonprofit realm prioritizing the connecting of communities to artistic and educational events.

Dr. Rohini Gupta is a clinical psychologist and an adjunct faculty member at University of Denver. She consults with various non-profit and for profit orgranizations on staff welfare and decreasing compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma. She is on the Board of the Athena Project, a nonprofit organization focused on empowering women in the arts.

Prior to desciding to work full time in private practice, Dr. Gupta spent several years as a  core faculty member at the University of Denver Graduate School of Professional Psychology (GSPP), International Disaster Psychology Program (IDP).  During that time she directed  the Trauma & Disaster Recovery Clinic (TDRC), which is a training clinic that provides mental health services to those who have experienced stress, adversity, and trauma. She Co-Founded the Colorado Resilience Collaborative, a community based initiative aimed at addressing Identity based violence.

Dr. Gupta has taught courses in trauma interventions and professional seminars that focuses on professional development and the supervision of clinical cases for doctoral and master level students in psychology. She received her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and Masters in Social Work at University of Denver.