Board

Cindy Abramson has an accomplished record of fundraising and executive leadership for nonprofits for 25+ years.

Most recently she led the Denver Scholarship Foundation (DSF) as its Executive Director for six years (2006-2013).  During that time it grew from a start up organization to one with an $8.0 million annual budget, and is now providing more than 2,000 Denver Public School graduates with college scholarships annually.

Susan D. Daggett is a land use and environmental attorney and is currently the Executive Director of the Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute at the Sturm College of Law at the University of Denver.  

As the Executive Director of the Broadway division for the Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA), John oversees all Broadway and theatrical touring operations for the organization. He assumed the position in 2014 after holding the roles of Business Manager, General Manager and Director of Programming. He also oversees all Cabaret programming in the Garner Galleria Theatre. John sits on the Board of the Broadway League and is past Board Chair for Paragon Theatre Company. A native of Madison, Wisconsin, John graduated with a BA in philosophy and psychology from Luther College. He is married to Jen Schwem.

Tam developed, directed, taught, and managed education programs for 23 years at The Denver Center for the Performing Arts, and held the position of Director of Education. During her tenure, she chaired or served on boards and committees for Bringing Back the Arts, Alliance for Colorado Theatre, Colorado Alliance for Arts Education, Denver Public Schools Arts Resource Council, and the Education Committee of the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District. She currently teaches at the University of Denver and has taught theatre at the University of Oklahoma, University of Arts and Science of Oklahoma, University of Wyoming, and New York University. She holds a Masters in Arts Management and Program Development from the University of Denver and a BFA in Drama from New York University. She is married to Richard Frye, and has two adult children who benefitted greatly from having a strong arts education.

Tracy Holt is the Arts Coordinator at Denver School of the Arts. She is a Denver native and a product of the Denver Public School system. She has earned her BA in Business Administration from The University of Denver.

Mike Johnson is a partner in the law firm Kutak Rock LLP, specializing in public finance.

Laurence Kaptain, Dean of the College of Arts and Media at the University of Colorado Denver, brings 14 years of higher education leadership experience at leading public and private universities to his new assignment.  He recently served as President of the Association for General and Liberal Studies, and is currently the Treasurer of the College Music Society. In 2014 he was named a Fellow in the Royal Society of the Arts.

William Kohut was appointed was appointed Principal of the Denver School of the Arts in May of 2009.

In 1991 Enrique Lasansky received a Doctor of Musical Arts in orchestral conducting from the University of Arizona. That same year he founded the Catalina Chamber Orchestra (CCO) in Tucson, where he served as Music Director from 1991- 2008.

Mark Mallaney studied Anthropology at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He had the opportunity to complete an undergraduate internship in Chilean Patagonia during his junior year, and fell in love with the language and culture of el mundo español. Upon graduation he consulted for the US Forrest Service in and around the Western USA. In 2005 Mark went back to CU for a Post BA teaching license in Secondary Social Studies. Upon completion of his license he moved to Oaxaca, México where he taught 6th grade ESL. Returning to Colorado in 2008, Mark took a job teaching Spanish in the Denver Public Schools. This is his fourth year at DSA.  Mark also play drums in several local bands and music is another of his passions.

Aaron Miripol has 25 years’ of real estate development experience. He has overseen more than $175M in affordable housing and nonprofit facility development. Aaron is the President & CEO of the Urban Land Conservancy (ULC).

David M. Posner founded EnVent Energy LLC in 2000.

EnVent’s primary business is negotiating gathering, processing, transportation and marketing arrangements for natural gas producers, and related strategic initiatives. EnVent is also involved the development of waste heat power projects on gas pipelines and at processing plants, and the interface between new energy technologies including renewable sources and natural gas.

Malik Robinson is the Executive Director of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance (CPRD), a not-for-profit cultural arts institution based in Denver, Colorado.  As an internationally recognized arts organization, CPRD has served as a leader in preserving the rich heritage of legendary American modern dance choreographers.  

Ken Weil is a co-founder and principal of Social Impact Solutions (SIS).  Building on the growing need for new strategies to finance and scale public programs, SIS helps clients position successful programs for innovative finance.  Previously he served as the regional Executive Director of College Summit, where he drove 250% growth over two years.  Prior to joining College Summit, Mr. Weil served as Governor Bill Ritter’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Initiatives where he was responsible for developing and implementing the Governor’s Colorado Promise agenda.  He also served as Chair of the Ritter for Governor Campaign.  Before serving the Governor, he was the founder and President of Rose Biomedical Research and Rose Biomedical Development Corporation.   Mr. Weil currently serves on the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education which governs 13 colleges.   He received a B.Ph. from Miami University and a MPA from George Washington University.

Chris is the parent of a Creative Writing major at DSA and has served on the DSAFF board since 2012. He is a principal at Semple Brown Design, a Denver architecture firm, and remembers fondly working on the design of DSA’s current facility.

Susan Knill has spent the past 17 years in the field of fundraising and development, leading successful events, campaigns, and initiatives in California and Colorado.