Team

As Voqal’s education program director, Vinny is responsible for building the strategies, processes, systems and relationships that will build the Education Venture Fund’s investor community, deal flow and successful investments. Prior to joining Voqal, Vinny worked over 10 years for nonprofit and educational organizations. Most recently, he worked as the Merage Foundations’ Strategic Partnerships Director where he identified, cultivated and executed development and partnership opportunities for the foundations to maximize social impact in the areas of early childhood development. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY — and a product of NYC public schools — Vinny earned a bachelor’s in history at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and a master’s in education foundations, policy and practice at the University of Colorado-Boulder. An accomplished speaker and author, he has published numerous research reports, articles and book chapters. Vinny joined Voqal in 2016.

Cassie is the chief business development executive of Voqal’s Mobile Citizen initiative, which aims to bridge the digital divide with affordable technology. Cassie has over 15 years of experience in nonprofit and start-up organizations. Most recently, Cassie served as the vice president of marketing and strategic partnerships at Mobile Accord, a private sector company, where she implemented national and international business strategy in the text for social good industry. She holds a Master of Arts from the University of Colorado at Boulder in integrated marketing communications and a Bachelor of Science from Appalachian State University in applied communications. Cassie currently resides in Longmont with her husband, daughter and wonder mutt. Cassie joined Voqal in 2014.

Kim is the Executive Assistant to the CEO, providing both compliance and administrative support to the leadership team. She organizes processes and manages programs for EBS Support Services as well as 5 nonprofit boards of directors. She has a strong background in administration for C-Suite executives in a diverse variety of fields. She brings strong communication skills, which she honed running her own coffee/wine bar and live theatre. She loves the nonprofit world and Voqal’s focus on mission-based work.

She puts her BA in Theater Arts from UCLA to good use in her position on the board of directors for Moon Theatre Company. In her free time, Kim likes to play fantasy football and basketball and spend time with her family, most importantly her amazing children Ben and Sammi.

Reginald (Reggie) Bouzy is a Partnership Account Manager for Mobile Citizen focused on creating solutions to end the digital divide through affordable Internet access. In this role, Reggie works with schools, libraries, nonprofits, and social welfare agencies to support their mission of serving communities in need. His fifteen years of experience in the telecom industry helps Mobile Citizen’s customers prepare for both current and future needs. Reggie has a degree in Legal Studies, speaks multiple languages, and brings a unique perspective to the world of digital inclusion. In his free time, Reggie enjoys playing soccer, traveling the world, volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, and spending time with friends and family.

Michele is program officer for Voqal and is responsible for strategy development, implementation, management and evaluation of the grantmaking program. Prior to joining Voqal, as operations manager for the Colorado Health Institute, she was responsible for building and overseeing the fiscal management and overall operations from the startup phase through their growth into an organization with a $2 million budget and over 20 employees. Michele graduated from the University of Minnesota with a B.S. in marketing and international business. When not working, Michele is the ringmaster of a three-ring circus that features her three sons. She loves live music and spending time outdoors with family and friends. Michele joined Voqal in 2012.

As manager of the grant and fellowship programs at Voqal, Mary oversees the workflow, ensuring equitable practices at each stage, and evaluates the programs to inform strategy shifts and pivots. Mary comes to Voqal with 10 years of experience working with nonprofits and communities around the world to design and implement strategic programs. She brings a passion for serving community and reimagining systems that center justice, not unfairness. Mary most recently worked as program manager for Susan G. Komen Colorado. She graduated from the University of Denver with a Master of Arts in International Administration and from Ohio University with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism. Mary is an avid reader of science fiction (Octavia Butler is a new favorite), nonfiction and news. She also enjoys traveling, hiking and hanging with her family. Mary joined Voqal in 2018.

Molly is the policy program manager for Voqal’s Independent Spectrum project. Molly has worked in educational advocacy and outreach for her entire career. She has worked with underserved students in Austin and Central America, consulted for edtech startups in Boston and addressed the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. She is a proud Texan but is happy to call Colorado her new home. She holds her bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Texas at Austin and loves traveling, live music and finding the perfect taco. Molly joined Voqal in 2016.

John joined Voqal’s Mobile Citizen initiative in 2011. He is primarily responsible for developing Mobile Citizen’s nonprofit partners efforts. John joined Voqal from the private sector and has a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of San Francisco. In his spare time he reads and suffers many tennis defeats.

As Voqal’s Senior Advisor, Adam brings his expertise and institutional knowledge to a wide range of operational and policy issues. In his twenty-year tenure with the organization, Adam has worn multiple hats, rising up the ranks from National Director to COO, and finally to CEO. He is now proud to serve as a resource to the CEO and excited to watch Voqal grow and ultimately increase its impact in the world. Adam holds a bachelor’s degree from Sewanee, a liberal arts university located in Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau. Adam is a husband, a proud father of two children, and an avid mountain biker. On early weekend mornings, he can be found watching Manchester United come in second place.

Lisa is responsible for financial management of both Voqal and Mobile Citizen. Prior to joining Voqal, Lisa was the controller for a manufacturing firm and a process engineering firm. She started her public accounting career with Grant Thornton immediately upon graduating with a master’s and bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of South Florida. Lisa is a registered CPA. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring her new home state of Colorado with her husband, maintaining her foodie status, taking in the arts, and traveling. Lisa joined Voqal in 2016.

As chief human resources officer, Julie is responsible for leading Voqal’s overall human resource strategy and people operations. Julie has over 20 years of experience working with, for-profit and non-profit, social impact organizations. Prior to joining Voqal, Julie worked at a large nationally-recognized community health clinic dedicated to providing healthcare to underserved populations. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin. Julie loves the outdoors, traveling to exotic countries, and yoga. Julie joined Voqal in 2014.

Brenda is the CEO for Voqal and is responsible for overseeing the principal operations and business activities administered at Voqal ensuring they are consistent with Voqal’s strategy and mission. She also provides strategic leadership to all areas of the organization by working with the senior leadership to establish and achieve short and long-range business goals, strategies, plans, and policies. Previously, Brenda served as the director of grantmaking and fellowship programs for Voqal. Prior to joining Voqal, Brenda worked with a global network of 1,700 Kellogg Fellows to promote social, economic, and environmental justice. As a program officer at the Colorado Health Foundation, she envisioned, developed, and managed several multi-million-dollar funding opportunities, including one to advance equity through advocacy and community organizing. Brenda is originally from Chicago and has degrees from Dartmouth College and Yale University. In her free time, she loves reading, writing, and taking random classes. Brenda joined Voqal in 2018.

Annie is the Programs Associate for the grantmaking team, providing both programmatic and administrative support to the team, where she puts her organizational skills to work creating processes and managing programs. She has a strong background in innovation, administration, and customer service. She moved into the nonprofit world to focus on mission-based work after completing her bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences.

Her previous position was with Girl Scouts of Colorado, where she was responsible for the administration of the Outdoor Program department. In her free time, Annie likes to spend time with her family, and play board games as often as possible.