Board Zoom Mtg

Community Board

Mission of the Community Board:  
The Community Board represents community perspectives in Center activities and serves as a network of advisors, ambassadors and advocates for the Center in the communities we serve. 

Profile of the Board:
Board members are recognized leaders and people of influence in their communities who understand the mission of the Center and are committed to helping the Center achieve its goals. 

Role of Board Members:
Board Members are individual volunteers who are committed to the CU Center for Bioethics and Humanities and support the organization either financially, as an ambassador to the non-university community, or through the use of their specific areas of expertise.

Bruce Blankenship   Bruce Blankenship
   Bruce Blankenship has been involved in bioethics and clinical ethics for over fifteen years. He currently serves
   on the clinical ethics committees of two area hospitals and is an experienced clinical ethics consultant. He has
   also served on the boards of various healthcare-related non-profits. He has a special interest in the ethical,
   legal and social issues surrounding advances in genomics.
Peter Fox   Peter Fox
   Peter Fox, PhD, now retired, was a health services researcher and consultant specializing in managed care and
   delivery system issues.  He spent 10 years with the federal government, including serving as the Director,
   Office of Policy Analysis, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, US Department of Health and Human
   Services.  He has authored two books and numerous journal articles.
Betty Hart   Betty Hart
   Betty Hart is a Senior Community Health Specialist with Kaiser Permanente Arts Integrated Resources Program
   in Denver and is a Master Facilitator for Experiential Learning Team (ELT).   She has over twenty years’
   experience in facilitating workshops, talkbacks, and group discussions for business, school, and artistic groups.
   Betty is heavily involved in local theatre productions as a professional actor and director.                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
Griselda Pena-Jackson   Griselda Peña-Jackson, Vice-Chair
   Griselda Peña-Jackson is the Executive Director of 2040 Partners for Health, a non-profit committed to
   improving the health of Denver/Aurora Metro communities.  Griselda has 15 years specializing in non-profit
   organizations focused on community engagement, health equity, and education.  
Mark Levine   Mark Levine, Chair
   Mark Levine, MD is a past member of the AMA’s Ethics Council.  After practicing internal medicine and serving
   in various administrative roles, he now is engaged in fostering the integration of clinical and social services to
   address health-related social needs and the study of medical history to improve today’s health care.
Evi Makvosky   Evi Makovsky
   Evi Makovsky has been involved with the Center for Bioethics and Humanities for the past 15 years as a
   member and past chair. She currently serves on Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation Board and on their
   Quality and Safety Committee.  As an attorney and social worker, Evi has been involved in formulating
   policies on various ethical issues.  She serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Denver Graduate
   School of Social Work.

Damon McLeese   Damon McLeese

   As a storyteller, activist, mentor, creative, and advocate for over 20 years, there isn’t much Damon McLeese
   hasn’t done in his career in the arts. Damon has a big-heart and passion for helping others, specifically people
   with disabilities. As the Executive Director of Access Gallery, Damon’s transformational leadership is dedicated
   to developing leading-edge programming and innovative social enterprise options, while changing the narrative
   and bias around disability.  

Helen R Murray   Helen R. Murray

   Helen R. Murray is the Executive Producer of the Aurora Fox in Aurora, Colorado and the former Artistic
   Director of The Hub Theatre in Fairfax, Virginia. A nationally recognized playwright, director and actor, Helen
   is a national Steinberg Playwriting Award and Helen Hayes Award nominee. She is the winner of the Jewish
   Playwriting Award, the recipient of the Puffin Foundation Award and the Washington Canadian Partnership
   Award for her work in arts leadership.

Nancy Sharp   Nancy Sharp
   Nancy Sharp is an award-winning writer with an MFA in Creative Nonfiction. She authored the memoir
   Both Sides Now: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Bold Living, the children's picture book Because the Sky
   is Everywhere, and a new program that builds connection and community called Tell Your Resilient Story.
   As a professional speaker and trainer, she frequently presents to healthcare and medical groups on resilience.
   See www.NancySharp.net for more information. 
Todd Siler   Todd Siler
   Todd Siler is a multimedia artist who received a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies in Psychology and Art, from
   the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  He was a Research Affiliate at MIT’s Center for Advanced Visual
   Studies, and a Forum Fellow of the World Economic Forum in Davos. The World Cultural Council awarded Siler
   the 2011 Leonardo DaVinci World Award of Arts.

Bruno Sobral   Bruno Sobral
   A systems thinker with scientific and executive experience designing, and managing research institutes,
   research strategy, and implementation and execution of such strategies. Over last 30 years has led interactions
   between wet-lab and computational scientists with the goals of scientific discovery and informatics infrastructure
   development, deployment and evolution.  Most recently focused on social infrastructure development and
   implementation in increasingly participatory action research models, from a salutogenic perspective.

Aron Wahkinney   Aron Wahkinney, Secretary
   Aron Wahkinney, an enrolled member of the Comanche Nation of Oklahoma, is the Contracts and Grants
   Program Manager at Denver Indian Health and Family Services, Inc. He holds a Bachelor of Science from
   Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Science from the University of Central Oklahoma. He has
   a special interest in working with tribal communities to build capacity and implement culturally specific
   programming to improve physical and mental health outcomes of indigenous populations.
 

For information about the Community Board, please contact:
Meleah Himber, M.Ed.
Community Outreach Liaison
meleah.himber@cuanschutz.edu
(303) 724-8332