Skip to content
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus CU Anschutz
  • Webmail
  • UCD Access
  • Canvas
  • Quick Links
 

Tools & Resources

  • Events Calendar
  • Newsroom
  • Strauss Health Sciences Library
  • Department A-Z Directory
  • Campus Directory
  • Leadership
  • Faculty & Staff Resources
  • Student Resources
  • Campus Map
  • University Policies

CU Campuses

  • CU Anschutz Medical Campus
  • CU Boulder
  • CU Colorado Springs
  • CU Denver
  • CU System
  • CU Online

CU Anschutz Medical Campus

  • School of Dental Medicine
  • Graduate School
  • School of Medicine
  • College of Nursing
  • Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
  • Colorado School of Public Health

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Community Engagement

  • Home
  • Programs and Initiatives
    • Community Engagement
      • Resident Leadership Council
      • Community and Campus Connections
      • Career Exploration and Science Exposure Opportunities
      • Community Advisory Board
    • Diversity and Health Equity
      • Strategic Direction
      • Campus Workplace Culture Survey
        • CWC Survey FAQs
      • Chancellor's DEI&CE Leadership Council
    • LGBTQ+ Hub
    • Inclusion and Outreach
    • Disability, Access and Inclusion
    • Good Trouble Award
  • News, Events and Learning Opportunities
    • Newsroom
    • Heritage, History and Awareness Months
      • Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month
    • HEAL Trainings and Workshops
      • Equity Certificate Program
  • Resources
    • Support Services and Opportunities
    • Glossary and Definitions
    • Policies
  • About Us
    • Mission and Vision
    • Meet the Team
      • Dr. Regina Richards
    • Connect with Us
University Quick Links

RESIDENT LEADERSHIP COUNCIL

 


 

  • Home
  • Programs and Initiatives
  • Community Engagement
  • Resident Leadership Council
The Resident Leadership Council (RLC) is a group of community leaders dedicated to improving the quality of life of residents in Aurora and the surrounding neighborhoods by promoting equitable access to education, health, and economic opportunities.  The RLC was established in 2014 as a grassroots volunteer organization associated with the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in order to represent and be a voice for residents who live in Aurora, especially those from immigrant, refugee, and under-served communities.




The strength of the RLC is that its membership reflects the broad cultural array of the surrounding community.  Another strength is that it is 100% leader led.  The Resident Leaders use a consensus decision-making model that focuses on gathering the perspectives of all members before taking any formal action.

The RLC believes in building personal one-on-one relationships with Aurora residents.  The RLC's first major responsibility was to conduct a Connection Campaign in the community.  In a Connection Campaign, RLC members meet with their respective networks to learn about their priorities, hopes, concerns and other issues of importance.  Between 2015 and 2017, RLC members conducted three major Connection Campaigns, meeting and listening with over 800 residents in Aurora.  These campaigns revealed issues related to education (chiefly quality schools and educational attainment) and economic development were in the top three of over 20 priority issues identified overall.  The priority of improving education and economic wellbeing led the RLC to develop two action-oriented initiatives to address the concerns expressed during the first two Connection Campaigns.

We build relationships by empowering local leaders, advocating to preserve the diversity of the community and using its values to improve the quality of life for our families and neighbors.

We envision an informed community through equitable access to quality schools, health resources and sustainable careers that will boost economic development.


RLC Initiatives
  • Education Work
  • El Alba Cooperative

Improving educational attainment was identified as a key community priority in the RLC's original Connection Campaign.  As a result, the RLC organized and facilitated more than 30 public community meetings from 2016 - 2018 to which they invited a variety of school and district leaders and candidates for the Aurora district of the State Board of education to engage with Aurora residents on a variety of school issues.  This effort drew significant interest from the North Aurora community, and in addition to the RLC members themselves, over 45 residents participated in one or more of these community learning sessions.

The RLC hosted a public forum for the State Board of Education candidates for the Aurora district which was attended by over 150 community members, providing interpretation services for five different languages.  The purpose of the candidate forum was to further the community members' knowledge and understanding of how the State Board of Education is related to education issues, actions, and policies at the local level.  The candidate forum was a great success and the RLC has since been able to build a strong relationship with the eventual winner, Rebecca McClellan.

Along with the candidates forum, the RLC trained and guided parents for public comment at monthly Aurora Public Schools board meetings.  The board meetings give parents the opportunity to publicly share what they have learned and demonstrate their support for establishing quality school options in North Aurora.  Through the efforts of the RLC, there are now a significant number of residents ready with the knowledge and capacity to collaborate with school leaders and other community organizations to build a broad, sustainable community organizing effort to improve academic achievement across North Aurora.

The RLC's education work has been supported by many important collaborators including:

  • Aurora Economic Opportunity Coalition
  • Colorado State Commissioner of Education
  • Colorado State Board of Education
  • Colorado's Sixth Congressional District
  • Aurora Public Schools
  • Community College of Aurora
  • Climb Higher Colorado
  • Rocky Mountain Prep
  • Academy of Advanced Learning
  • Vega Collegiate Academy
  • A+ Colorado
  • Young Aspiring Americans for Social and Political Activism
  • 2040 Partners for Health
  • Community Language Cooperative

This initiative began in 2017 when Aurora residents contacted Gabriela Jacobo, the Community Connector from the CU Anschutz Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement.  They wanted to start a catering business but did not have access to commercial kitchens or start-up financing.  Residents stressed the lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate business development services in the area.  To address this, Gabriela and other community leaders brought stakeholders, non-profit organizations, and entrepreneurs together to establish El Alba Cooperative.

El Alba's mission is to support, incubate, and nourish Aurora-based food entrepreneurs and small business owners.  It offers culturally appropriate business incubation, shared business services via a co-op model, and shared access to a commercial kitchen and food truck to economically disadvantaged business owners.  Co-op members are primarily immigrants and refugees living in Aurora with 90% identifying as people of color.

El Alba represents a powerful alternative to current norms of economic development and combats harmful gentrification of North Aurora.  Worker-owned cooperative businesses are widely recognized as a powerful model that supports community wealth building and economic stability.  By combating gentrification and creating economic opportunities for current residents, El Alba is preserving the rich diversity of Aurora and building wealth in immigrant and refugee communities.

Current Connection Campaign

The RLC is currently conducting a series of one-on-one meetings with neighbors to learn more about their experience living in the Denver metropolitan neighborhoods, including City of Aurora communities.  As community leaders the RLC cannot offer solutions to problems, but we can create unity and a space where we all have the opportunity to present our community's main issues to authorities and/or the appropriate representatives.  If you are interested in participating in a one-on-one meeting to discuss your answers to the questions below, please contact Nancy.M.Fitzgerald@cuanschutz.edu to schedule a meeting.

  • What are your aspirations for you and your family?
  • What are the main concerns for your family?  Or what are the main concerns for you?
  • How has COVID-19 impacted you or your family?
  • What changes would you like to see for you and/or your family?  Or what changes would you like to see in your community?
  • Are you interested in exploring solutions to the issues you have shared today?

 


Photo Gallery
RLC Members and Collaborators

Resident Leaders
Gabriela Alanis
Carmen Andrade
Anowara Begum
Nereyda Castaneda
Almer Combs
Patricia Gaucin
Alicia Guillen
Lourdes Lozano
Emily Lun
Rocky Martin
Brenda Mendoza
Brise Morales
Nadia Moreno
Nancy Moreno
Jemimah Ngatia
Khoa Nguyen
Leti Palomino
Natalia Paredes
Melissa Remolina
Maria Saldaña
Marichuy Sanchez
Nalleli Sanchez 
Andrew Thang 
Odalis Valdez
Angelica Vazquez
Lah Say Wah

 

The RLC is grateful to collaborate with these organizations and institutions
Aurora Economic Opportunity Coalition
Children's Hospital Colorado
City of Aurora Hoffman Building
City of Aurora Ward I Council Member
The Denver Foundation
The Foundation for Sustainable Urban Communities
Latino Research and Policy Center
Mosaic Unlimited
Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Community Engagement at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
The Walton Family Foundation

 

El Alba Cooperative is grateful to collaborate with these organizations and institutions
Aurora Economic Opportunity Coalition 
Center for Community Wealth Building
Chinook Fund
City of Aurora Small Business Development Center
City of Aurora Ward I Council Member 
The Denver Foundation
The Foundation for Sustainable Urban Communities
Gates Family Foundation 
Jason Wiener, P.C. 
La Victoria Incubator Kitchen 
Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Community Engagement at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus 
Tri County Health Department Food in Communities
Village Exchange Center

 

Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Community Engagement

CU Anschutz
Fitzsimons Building

13001 East 17th Place

Suite CG001

Aurora, CO 80045

odeice@cuanschutz.edu

  • Contact Us
  • Website Feedback
  • CU System
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Accessibility
  • Accreditation
  • Employment
  • Give Now
 

© 2022 The Regents of the University of Colorado, a body corporate. All rights reserved.

Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. All trademarks are registered property of the University. Used by permission only.

CMS Login

Webmail

UCD Access

Canvas

Opens in a new window Opens document in a new window