Kaycee Gerhart, Board Member
Kaycee is Executive Director at CCS Fundraising and a Nonprofit Management Consultant. She was the Finance Director for Mike Johnston For Colorado (Gubernatorial campaign) and the Policy Director at the Office of Senator Mike Johnston.
Prior to that, she worked at Teach For America – Colorado, where she developed financial strategy for the region. Her work informed the team’s expansion efforts, resource allocation decisions, and fundraising operations across three sub-regions and six school districts. Prior to that role, Kaycee taught math at a Denver Public Schools high school as a Teach For America corps member. During her time in the classroom, she executed the school’s first full-spectrum intervention program and earned Stand For Children’s Award for Outstanding Teachers. Kaycee currently serves on the education advisory of In This Together Media and as the Finance chair on the board at Wyatt Academy. Originally from San Diego, she graduated with honors from San Diego State University in 2009 with a B.S. in Finance.
Molly Weiner, Board Member
Molly Weiner currently serves as the Director of Nonprofit Engagement at the United Ways of Texas, where she leads policy/advocacy and programmatic work that strengthens and supports the work and impact of a diverse network of local United Ways across the state, with a focus on amplifying the voice impact of the nonprofit sector statewide. She has spent the last eight years in and around policy and advocacy work in Texas and Tennessee, most notably as the former Director of Policy and Advocacy at a statewide education group, where she led legislative policy and advocacy efforts to improve the educational outcomes for Texas students. She is an alumna of the Urban Leaders Fellowship (Denver 2015) and served as the ULF Nashville Regional Director in 2016, 2018, and 2019. Molly began her career teaching high school math for several years, serving as a PLC and grade-level leader and mentor teacher. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Texas Alliance of Information and Referral Systems, a statewide association that strengthens and advances information and referral services in Texas. A long-time Texan, Molly currently resides in Austin.
Molly is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, with degrees in Psychology (BA) and Business Administration (BBA), and of Peabody College at Vanderbilt University, with a Master's in Public Policy.
Krystal Allen, Board Member
A native of Selma, Alabama, Krystal Allen is the Founder & CEO of K. Allen Consulting™ , an education advocate, and a philanthropist . A well-respected former school principal and teacher, Krystal began her career teaching elementary school, serving as an instructional coach, then asst. principal, and finally leading as a school principal. She went on to found K. Allen Consulting in 2017, and over time, it has grown significantly to become an international education & management consulting firm that provides impactful, customized workshops, strategic planning, and coaching for brands like Amazon and Google Most recently featured within Time Magazine, she is a 2019 Gambit 40 Under 40 recipient, a 2019 Aspen Institute Ideas Festival Scholar, the 2016 Urban League of Louisiana Activist Award recipient, and serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Kid Smart; Success at Thurgood Marshall; and the Selma Center for Nonviolence. A first-generation college graduate, Krystal earned her B.A. from the University of Notre Dame, M.Ed. from NLU-Chicago, and is currently completing her Ed.D in K-12 Urban Educational Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University. Krystal's work and passion for DEI, social justice, adult learning, and organizational development are the driving forces of her work and commitment to equity.
Alexandra Gomez-Schwoegler, Board Member
Alexandra is the Manager at Vantage Evaluation, a company of Prosono, and a career coach. Previously, she served as Director of Denver Metro Outreach for United States Senator Michael Bennet and as the Executive Director for the Colorado Latino Leadership, Advocacy & Research Organization (CLLARO). Alexandra graduated with a degree in Spanish Language & Literature and a minor in Leadership Studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Alexandra was born in Florida and grew up in Colorado, but always felt the strong influence of her Cuban and Colombian family. She is passionate about eliminating the stigma around mental health, working towards equity and justice, and supporting emerging leadership development. Alexandra lives in Denver with her high school bestie-turned-hubby and her pup, Sugar. She also believes strongly in building community on the dance floor.
Jabari Shumate, Board Member
Jabar Shumate serves as the Vice President for Community Convening and Social Justice at the Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City. Jabar has been affiliated with the Urban League for more than 20 years and he has served on the National Urban League Board of Directors in New York. Jabar has a career that has spanned for more than 22 years in non-profit development, public policy, higher education, and common education. As a former member of the Oklahoma legislature serving in both the state house and senate for more than 11 years, he worked extensively on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. As a diversity practitioner, Jabar founded the University of Oklahoma’s office of University Community and served as the University’s first chief diversity officer. He also developed the University’s first diversity course for incoming students.
THE HISTORY OF THE URBAN LEADERS FELLOWSHIP
In 2011, newly elected Colorado State Senator Mike Johnston, his then-Chief of Staff Damion LeeNatali, and Meg Lafave developed a bold vision for enacting progressive policies for all Coloradans, but they knew that most local elected officials, school board member, and legislators didn’t have the staff support that they needed to impact change. They knew Denver was a community full of talented young leaders looking to make an impact but lacking a clear path for involvement. Through their work on the front lines of progressive policies in Colorado, they also knew Denver’s robust network of nonprofit and government organizations needed a talent infusion of energetic, determined young leaders.
From this challenge and optimism grew the Urban Leaders Fellowship (ULF), connecting high-achieving, passionate leaders with the opportunity to make a real impact in the community. Partnering with like-minded elected officials and companies set on improving their cities and towns, ULF grew with each passing year, and is now working with twelve elected and appointed officials and over 130 partner organizations across ten US cities.
Thanks to the hard work of over 600 fellows across the country, ULF has influenced over 150 pieces of policy, including immigration reform, criminal justice reform, and early childhood education and school finance reform.