Executive Directors
of Color Institute
The Executive Directors of Color Institute (EDCI) is a two-year leadership development and organizational capacity-building program for BIPOC nonprofit leaders.
This report encapsulates the heart it takes to be a leader of color to carry out a vision meant to transform one's community. Learn how, why, and what opportunities exist for EDCI to continue and enhance the program to meet the needs of leaders of color on the front lines - serving their communities and dismantling the systems perpetuating inequality and inequity.
EDCI is a personal and professional development opportunity for leaders of color in the Colorado nonprofit community. The institute seeks participants looking to grow and expand their skill sets; contribute to a dynamic network of peers; and work to inform, shape, and maximize the opportunities in today's nonprofit sector while making the sector more inclusive, and equitable. Monthly peer-led learning sessions strengthen the individual leadership, capacity, and collective impact of BIPOC-led nonprofit organizations.
2024 EDCI Cohort Class
Natalie Baddour, Fully Liberated Youth
Joy Delizo-Osborne, Student Achievement Partners
Yazan Fattaleh, Kapadia Education Foundation
Marius Finch, The Ambassador Foundation
Ez Gadson, Park Hill Pirates
Dr. Shakari Hood, Colorado Black Health Collaborative
Dr. Kimberle Jackson-Butler, LAW SCHOOL...Yes We Can
Mayra Juarez-Denis, Centro de los Trabajadores
Joanne Liu, Asian Girls Ignite
Isahar Mendez, Colorado Youth Mariachi Program
Cory Montalvo, Youth Empowerment Broadcasting Organization (YEBO)
John Narine, Recovery Friendly Leader
Jessica Newton, Vibe Tribe Adventures
Jeanette Patterson, Lincoln Hills Cares
Simone Renee, Metro DEEP
Nadine Roberts Cornish, The Caregivers Guardian Education & Advocacy
Jason Shankle, The Black Mental Health and Wellness Coalition
Shana R. Shaw, Compound Of Compassion
Sheila Van de Graaph, YouthRoots
Jackie Wesley , Fighting Together to Save Lives
Maya Wheeler, Wezesha Dada Center
My class was unique in that we went through the EDCI program during the pandemic's peak and the height of the racial distress in our country. EDCI provided a space for like-minded individuals facing the same challenges to come together to talk, heal and share everything we were experiencing as executives of color in our community. It allowed me to bring my whole self as a woman of color to my work and the communities we serve.
