For the past 16 years, Kristy has dedicated her career to fundraising and communication for nonprofit organizations.  Most recently, she has served as the vice president of communication for the Denver Public Schools Foundation and the senior director of philanthropy and communication for the national organization Book Trust.

Among other things, Kristy brings a wealth of experience in strategic communication, community outreach, media, special events, and advocacy.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature with a minor in writing and is working toward a master’s in communication.

Kristy is active in her community, serving as the board chair for Mile High Early Learning. She also works with UCHealth’s palliative care program.

For better or worse, merriam-webster.com is one of her favorite websites and she loves the AP Style blog. She also loves to travel at any opportunity, hike, read and spend time with family and friends. She has a golden retriever, Finney, who allows Kristy to live with her.

Qiana was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. She joined Project Angel Heart in 2022. Previously, she worked for a nuclear pharmacy for twelve years as a pharmacy technician. She has her associate’s degree in business and her bachelor’s degree in business marketing.

Qiana has three children, Danielle (21), James (16) and Julian (14). This means her house is very busy all the time, but she loves it! She wants to have a kitty join her household soon.

In her free time, she loves, loves, loves to travel. Visiting at least one new state every year until she hits them all is the goal. At home, she enjoys doing diamond puzzles (she’s done hundreds of them), binge-watching Netflix and Hulu series and cuddling up with a good book.

Brandy joined the Project Angel Heart team in December 2002. She has worked in every department at Project Angel Heart but made her final move to client services in 2007. Brandy studied at New Mexico Highlands University School of Social Work and Luna Vocational Technical Institute. She loves BJJ, hiking, painting, fishing, and watching her two sons compete in various sporting events.

Mitch joined Project Angel Heart in July of 2020. Spending the first 18 years of his life in the northern suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, Mitch spent most of his time playing drums, piano, or video games and discovered a passion for cooking. Starting his culinary career at the young age of 15, he attended a 2-year culinary program offered at the local community college. Mitch then proceeded to further his education at the Culinary Institute of Michigan (CIM) in Muskegon, Michigan.

At CIM, Mitch spent a lot of time honing his skills in the culinary arts, as a team member of the American Culinary Federation’s Hot Food Competition Team. He spent his off-hours volunteering at beer & wine expos and helped with many other local charities in Michigan. After completing his degree at CIM, Mitch was sick of the Midwestern winters and decided to move out west. Seven years later, he has been calling Colorado his home.

Those seven years have been a wild rollercoaster ride in the industry. Starting at the Hilton Inverness working banquet functions for over 5,000+ people, then working for Del Frisco’s Steakhouse where he was Sous Chef, soon after he began working for The Post Chicken & Beer as Sous Chef. Moving on to the Marriot Hotels as Sous Chef, Mitch was furloughed due to the pandemic. Through all of what seemed like fate, he was able to come work for the BEST organization, Project Angel Heart! Not only does he enjoy cooking, but in his spare time loves going to live shows and traveling as much as possible. He also touts having BUCKETS of useful, useless knowledge. ;)

After 10 years as a kitchen and events volunteer, Kyle joined the Project Angel Heart staff in 2016. As a native of Denver, Kyle enjoys the outdoors and most outdoor activities including hiking, biking, and occasionally running. His passions include sharing his enthusiasm for recycling and working in his garden.

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Jacqueline was born and raised in Colorado. She has nearly eight years of event planning experience and is thrilled to be back in the non-profit sector. She spent her undergrad years at the University of Colorado Boulder and received her master’s degree from Miami University.

You can most often find Jacqueline playing Lego and coloring with her son and daughter. When she gets time to herself, she enjoys yoga, crafting and exploring new restaurants with her husband.

Jessica came to Project Angel Heart in May 2019, first as a part-time assistant in the development office and eventually filling the role of database administrator. Jessica has spent her entire career in nonprofits and a variety of development roles, first at Denver Zoo, then at Dumb Friends League. She was born and raised in Fort Collins and lives there now in her ever-evolving fixer upper. She enjoys time with friends, movies, outdoor activities, HGTV-inspired projects, and learning new things.

Astrid grew up in Wisconsin and earned a B.S. in Conservation Biology and Environmental Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. For a couple of years after completing this degree, Astrid worked to support the development and operation of programs that promoted sustainability in food supply chains. Her background set her up to pursue a career in nutrition and she received a B.S. in Nutrition & Dietetics from UW-Madison. She moved to Colorado in January of 2020 to complete her dietetic internship at the Tri-County Health Department and in July of 2021, Astrid became certified as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN). She is thrilled to be joining the amazing team at Project Angel Heart as Nutrition Services Manager.

Astrid is passionate about serving vulnerable and underrepresented communities by advocating for nutrition education and accessibility to nourishing food. It is her belief that nutritious food is a human right and a powerful tool to prevent and manage chronic disease, while improving quality of life. Her long-term goal is to help build resilient, healthy, and self-sustaining communities by empowering others to live meaningful and wholesome lives, no matter their medical, cultural, or economic background. Her greatest desire is to instill in others a sense of joy and curiosity when it comes to food. Besides cooking and gardening, Astrid also loves reading, painting, hiking, practicing yoga, and playing board games with family and friends

Alexandra began her Project Angel Heart journey as a volunteer in the kitchen and joined the team full time in 2020.  She has a passion for volunteering with a background in mentoring students, fostering animals, and dedicating her time to issues that are meaningful to her and her community. She lives a green and humane lifestyle, promoting animal rights and environmental sustainability.

Originally from Florida, she traded the beaches for the mountains and has not looked back since. Alexandra graduated from the University of Florida and has a career background in both education and healthcare. Her time away from the office ranges from concerts, biking, pilates, eating, relaxing with her pups and a competitive game of ping pong with her husband!

Madison had been volunteering with Project Angel Heart for a few years and was persistent enough to get a job here. She is passionate about helping others in any capacity. She believes that Project Angel Heart gives her the best ability to do so.

She graduated from Indiana University in December of 2019. She drove cross-country the next day, home to the great state of Colorado. She is a nature enthusiast who would rather spend her days in the mountains/trees and climbing the faces of rocks than inside behind a screen. She loves all indoor plants and every dog that has ever existed. She also enjoys live music in all capacities and doesn’t mind one bit breaking it down on the dance floor.

Madison couldn’t be happier with her team at Project Angel Heart and for all the beautiful opportunities coming her way!

Ashley joined the team at Project Angel Heart in January 2020. Prior to joining Project Angel Heart, Ashley spent 10 years working in fund development and communications at SafeHouse Denver and, most recently, worked as an independent contractor with a variety of local organizations. She has a master’s degree in nonprofit management from Regis University and a B.A. in English from the University of New Hampshire. Outside of work, Ashley enjoys jogging, cooking tasty vegetarian food, seeing live music, and exploring Colorado with her husband and two young daughters.

Zachary grew up in Colorado and spent his school breaks on his grandparent’s poultry farm in North Georgia. He developed a passion for food and nutrition while studying at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI, where he earned an A.S. in Culinary Arts and a B.S. in Culinary Nutrition.

After college, Zachary worked for the United States Antarctic Program. He was deployed to McMurdo Station and worked in various roles, including food service.

When he returned to Colorado, Zachary pursued and earned an M.S. in Human Nutrition & Dietetics from MSU Denver. In 2022, he completed a dietetic internship with Sodexo and became a certified Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN).

Currently, Zachary is continuing his education with Boston University to earn an MLA in Gastronomy/Food Studies and is working towards becoming an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). He is excited to be with Project Angel Heart, where he can combine his passion for food and nutrition to give back to the community and further the mission that “Food Is Medicine.”

Carrie Ann joined Project Angel Heart in February 2021. Originally from Mississippi, Carrie Ann moved to Colorado in 2016 to get a taste of big city life and enjoy the mountains. Carrie Ann began working in non-profits in 2018, and found her passion lies in advocating for those in under-served communities. Off the clock, Carrie Ann can usually be found hanging out with her two cats, puppy, and guinea pig; practicing yoga, reading a juicy historical fiction novel, and of course watching her beloved San Antonio Spurs.

Kate Johnston fell in love with public health while doing HIV prevention and sexual health education with adolescents, both internationally and in the United States. After moving to Denver, she spent 10 years in health care, building and leading community-based efforts to support children and families in keeping children healthy. This, along with previous roles focused on health inequities, solidified her passion for addressing the social determinants of health so everyone in our community can thrive. She joined Project Angel Heart in 2022 and is excited to move her work upstream.

She is originally from North Carolina and, after stops in the mid-Atlantic and Midwest, landed in Denver with no plans to leave. She has a BA in psychology and an MPH in health behavior, both from the University of North Carolina (go Heels!)

When she’s not at work, she enjoys cooking, reading, hiking, and traveling with her husband, two young children, and their dog.

Kamisha was born in Aurora, Colorado, but most of her younger years were lived out in California. She enjoys swimming, math, sign language, volunteering, and reading, and wanted to make a career out of those hobbies. She came to Project Angel Heart as a volunteer in 2018, not knowing she would be staying.

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Bridget joined Project Angel Heart’s client services team in 2014. In her free time, Bridget can be found on her bicycle looking for used book stores and awesome food. She loves science fiction, pinball, gardening, and horror movies.

Elyse joined the Project Angel Heart team in October 2022 as the Director of Development and is over-the-moon to be a part of this passionate team.

She was born and raised in Akron, Ohio, and made the big move to Colorado in 2017 to continue growing her nonprofit career…and be closer to the mountains! Elyse is happiest outdoors – hiking with her dog, Indy, camping, skiing, and rock climbing. She has become a bit of a green thumb with 30 indoor plants and counting. She is also an avid thrifter and second-hand shopper, and truly enjoys searching for vintage treasures.

Elyse thrives on connecting with her community and being on the front lines of a mission she believes in. She holds nearly a decade of fundraising experience with a focus on individual giving, donor stewardship, event planning, and program management.  She absolutely fell in love with Project Angel Heart’s mission and is continually blown away by the donors, staff, and volunteers who make this lifechanging work possible.

Patti joined Project Angel Heart as the executive assistant in September 2019. She is a Colorado native and has lived in the Denver metro area most of her life. After attaining a bachelor’s degree in communication disorders (hearing and speech therapy) at Colorado State University, she worked at hospitals while determining whether to become a speech pathologist or audiologist, pursue something in the medical field, or work in a business-related environment. Eventually, she attained a master’s degree in management and human resources.

She worked at a national membership association for certified financial planners where she worked in administration, human resources, and chapter relations. She then worked at a community college, managing the tutoring function and student labs. Her experience and skills are varied so one could say she is a “jack of all trades, master of none, pretty good at some.”  She calls her post-early-retirement work at Project Angel Heart her Act III Purpose. She feels lucky to work at such an amazing organization with caring and committed staff, volunteers, and board members.

Patti is married and has four sons, the youngest being 23. In her free time, she reads, watches too much Netflix and Hulu, and works on genealogy and documenting her life and her ancestors’ lives through pictures. She aspires to take more (and better) pictures and to travel more.

Brett was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He started working in restaurants at 16-years-old, washing dishes, picking parsley and doing anything prep and utility related. Later, Brett moved to Columbia, Missouri, for college to study psychology. He had no idea what he wanted to do, or what he was good at.

While attending school, Brett worked as a server, bartender, and prep cook. He loved the hospitality industry and it was clear to him where his focus should be. Brett left college to attend culinary school in St Louis, Missouri, at L’Ecole Culinarie. Meanwhile, he worked in several restaurants and country clubs throughout St. Louis.

In 2014, Brett was hired by Bon Appetit Management at Washington University as a sous chef. Later that year, he was invited to The Chef’s Garden in Ohio where he worked a week-long event alongside accomplished chefs from all over the world. One being his idol, Jose Andres!

In 2015, Brett helped open accounts in Kansas City, Missouri, and Houston, Texas, and later in 2020 at University of Chicago. In 2016, Brett had his first executive chef opportunity with Bon Appetit at Washington University School of Medicine.

In Brett’s free time, he loves doing outdoor stuff: hiking, biking, exploring, and open-fire cooking. He is also really into music and movies, collects records, and culinary books. Brett is also kind of obsessed with pickling or fermentation. His favorite sport is basketball and he is a stats nerd!

Matt joined the Project Angel Heart team in 2016 after three years with Food Bank of the Rockies in the roles of warehouse lead and program representative. Matt is a Colorado native, but grew up in Massachusetts and received his degree in communications and history from the University of Massachusetts Amherst before returning to Colorado in 2012. In his free time, Matt enjoys painting, reading, hiking, and rooting for the Broncos and Avs.

Summer graduated from Johnson & Wales University in South Carolina with honors in culinary arts and food service management. She moved to Colorado Springs, where she worked at a small restaurant and later at the Denver Country Club before joining the Project Angel Heart team.

Chris graduated from the Le Cordon Blue College of Culinary Arts in Las Vegas and worked as a line cook and sous chef for 12 years prior to joining Project Angel Heart in 2019. In his free time, Chris and his wife, Hannah, enjoy hiking, camping, and taking advantage of all of Colorado’s microbrews.

Owen’s passion for public health was sparked during his time as a Peace Corps volunteer in Malawi. In the nearly two decades since, he has worked for a variety of health organizations, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. Most recently, he served as the Executive Director of the International AIDS Society (IAS) in Geneva, Switzerland. Owen earned his Master of Public Health degree from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health as well as a Master of International Affairs degree from Columbia University’s School for International and Public Affairs.

Nic Soucy (she/her/hers) works in the Client Services department at Project Angel Heart and loves the opportunity to connect with our wonderful clients, volunteers, and referrers. A native New Englander, Nic moved to Denver from Boston, Massachusetts, to pursue her Master’s in Social Work and Master’s in Public Health after spending years working in various positions at a 58-family shelter for individuals experiencing homelessness, and seeing every day the importance of food, health, and well-being. Outside of Project Angel Heart, Nic works part-time on a research team for the Center for Housing and Homelessness Research, trains puppies with Guide Dogs for the Blind, and is otherwise becoming accustomed to the Denver culture of hiking and beer!

Kathy joined Project Angel Heart in May of 2019 after a decade working with Denver Public Schools in the Department of Arts & Physical Education as the budget specialist and office manager. Kathy was born and raised in Denver, which is also where she met her husband and raised her two children. Any conversations with Kathy will likely involve her dog May, adventures with antiques, miniseries on Netflix, or her latest attempt at home improvements.

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Michelle joined the Client Services team of Project Angel Heart in March 2021, to follow her passion for helping provide valuable community services to those in need. Originally from New York, Michelle moved to Denver in 1996 and immediately fell in love with the mountains as well as the Colorado lifestyle.

After many years of working in the jewelry industry as a designer and a crafter, Michelle was excited to start a new journey into non-profit administrative support. She began as an office volunteer for the National MS Society and soon thereafter was welcomed as full-time staff member to assist with service delivery, while also participating in the Hike MS fundraising event four years in a row.

These experiences solidified her enthusiasm for the non-profit world and she’s never looked back. Outside of work, Michelle enjoys cooking, making jewelry, hiking, reading, watching movies, and spending time with her husband and daughter.

Mike held a variety of jobs before joining Project Angel Heart, including radio technician in the Air Force and a writer and distribution manager for Out Front Colorado. He received a bachelor’s degree in English and a Master of Arts in humanities from CU Denver. Mike’s passions are photography and writing, and he’s frequently seen roaming the streets of Denver with his Nikon camera.