Women's Commission

Mission

The Denver Women’s Commission is dedicated to the women of Denver and their families so that they have the opportunities to live full, productive, authentic lives. The Commission promotes the social and economic quality of life in Denver by assisting women in the attainment of equality and full opportunity by

  • Advocating for women, especially in spaces where women are overlooked and underappreciated
  • Empowering women through coalition building, sharing information, and distributing community resources
  • Monitoring and recommending legislation and proposed policy changes affecting women

All Commissioners are appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the City Council. They serve two-year terms for up to three terms. Commissioners are required to live or work in the City and County of Denver.


Core Values

The Denver Women’s Commission believes in empowering women and girl’s uniqueness by supporting them to achieve their dreams and full potential in becoming leaders allowing them to have a voice to perform and deliver. We are a diverse team that treats all walks of life with fairness and dignity. 

We hold each other responsible and accountable; we communicate and respect each other and live by the City and County of Denver Bylaws. Our core value is to serve the City and County of Denver Women and girl’s residents. We are good stewards of the Denver Women’s Commission; we focus and commit to honoring and strengthening women and girls. 


Join Our Meetings Via Zoom

Join Zoom Meeting
https://denvergov-org.zoom.us/j/85440576889

Meeting ID: 854 4057 6889

One tap mobile
+17209289299,,85440576889# US (Denver)

Dial by your location
• +1 720 928 9299 US (Denver)

Meeting ID: 854 4057 6889

Find your local number: https://denvergov-org.zoom.us/u/kb6vyUkIH


Commission Meetings

It is your right to access oral or written language assistance, sign language interpretation, real-time captioning via CART, or disability-related accommodations. To request any of these services at no cost to you, please contact Rowena Alegría at rowena.alegria@denvergov.org with three business days notice.


Commission Members

Kirsten C Decker, Chair

Headshot of Kirsten DeckerKirsten C. Decker is a local government leader with a keen ability to facilitate the connection between traditionally siloed areas of public policy and management, connect resources to organizational priorities and establish meaningful methods of measuring public services and community outcomes. Kirsten has led local government organizations in Maryland and Colorado to transform the way residents engage in financial decision-making, create space for innovation and empower front-line employees to problem-solve. She currently serves as the Manager of Strategy & Evaluation for the Denver Public Library System. Kirsten volunteers her time as President-Elect for the National League of Women in Government, the Co-Chair of the International City & County Management Association (ICMA), Performance Management Advisory Committee, and an advisor for the Colorado State University’s chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha.

Kirsten holds a B.A. in Political Science from Colorado State University and a Master of Public Administration from the Edwin O. Stene School of Public Affairs & Administration at the University of Kansas. She is recognized as an ICMA Woman to Know, an ELGL Trager Local Government Influencer, and a recognized leader in EDI efforts, and, in 2016 she received the Medallion for Meritorious Service Award from Baltimore’s Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

Flavia Zacula

Headshot of Flavia Zarcula

Flavia Zarcula is a senior fundraising professional with over 10 years of experience in corporate fundraising and grant writing, research and evaluation, as well as management for philanthropic, government, and private organizations. Flavia first joined the Denver Women's Commission in 2021. As a first-generation immigrant, Flavia is passionate about issues impacting migrant women and their families. In her free time, Flavia enjoys exploring Colorado's beautiful outdoors with her fluffy companion named Alfalfa.

Elena Mendoza

Headshot of Elena Mendoza

Elena is a seasoned leader with a heart for service. She is a proud first-generation Latina, her career has been in education or non-profits. Elena holds considerable leadership experience in the field of education, having served as a classroom teacher, assistant principal, and senior education director for a foundation. As a public school educator, she understands the power behind knowledge, which is why she has continued her own education. Elena has a Bachelor's degree in Interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis on Elementary Education and a Masters degree in Administration and Supervision. Aside from formal degrees, she is also an alumna of the Circle of Latina Leadership, EMERGE Colorado, CLLARO Latino Civic Leadership training, and most recently the Latino Leadership Institute. Elena has served on The Wayfaring Band and COLOR board of directors and currently is a board member of the Presidents Leadership Class at CU Boulder. When Elena is not working or volunteering, she enjoys spending time with her family.

Rena Dulberg

Headshot of Rena Dulberg

The Founder and Lead Consultant of BOOSH, an agency supporting nonprofit organizations as they revolutionize their mindsets, strategies, and programs through human-centered design. She spent nearly 10 years in higher education in both faculty and administrative leadership roles and later served as VP of Community Engagement at ThinkImpact and Innovation Lead of Entrepreneurs and Ventures at UpStart Labs. She has a BA in Psychology from Occidental College, and an MA in Conflict Resolution from the University of Denver. In 2017 she obtained her certification in Design Thinking Facilitation from Stanford D School and has since completed coursework through IDEO. She currently serves on a number of local nonprofit boards, and as the Denver Agency for Human Rights & Community Partnerships Representative for the Women's Commission. In her spare time, she wrangles two kids, ages 8 and 5.

Rachel Garcia

Headshot of Rachel Garcia

Rachel Garcia has deep roots and connections in her hometown of Denver, Colorado. She has a great dedication to the arts and creative communities in Denver. Her love of the creative community grew from a desire to connect with like-minded people and give back. She found her chosen family through the arts, social justice pursuits, and community advocacy, particularly for immigrant and refugee communities. Rachel has gained a sense of belonging within the arts and creative communities and they have endowed upon her the beauty of cultural traditions she is proud to pass along to her daughter, Annalisia. Rachel graduated from the University of Colorado at Denver with a Bachelors of Science in Business Management and earned a Certificate in Executive Leadership with an emphasis on the issues and challenges affecting the Latinx Community/Population and holds a Certificate in Inclusive Leadership/Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility. Both certificates were earned at the prestigious Latino Leadership Institute (LLI) at the University of Denver. Rachel is a current fellow of the Metro Denver Chamber Leadership Foundation’s Impact Denver Fellowship. Her professional background includes 25 years in the design/build industry as a Business Operations Executive, however, her passion has always been in the arts.

Rachel is a founding member and CEO of Colectiva, a collective of creatives that curate culturally inspired experiences that elevate and promote Latino Creatives via culture, art, and cuisine. Colectiva’s mission is to reclaim Latino culture from appropriation and to ensure creatives are compensated fairly. Rachel is also a founding member and curator of Calaveras en mi Ciudad, a mobile Calaveras exhibit celebrating the traditions of dia de Los Muertos, and is a co-founding member of La Feria del Tequila-the first and only tequila festival in Colorado founded by 3 women that identify as Latinas. In service to her community, Rachel currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of Artisti-co, Vice Chair of the Mexican Cultural Center, is a Member of the Board of Directors for Latinas First Foundation and the Coalition Against Global Genocide, is a member of several municipal LatinX Advisory Councils, are a Covid-19 Vaccine Ambassador and a Mental Health Anti-Stigma Ambassador in partnership with the Metro Denver Partnership for Health/Colorado Health Institute focusing on the Latinx community. She is a member of the Colorado Women’s Foundation Development Committee and Empowerment Council, and she is also a member of the Scientific and Cultural DistrictCommunity Acts Fund Advisory Council.

Rachel has provided consulting services for many organizations. Her consulting services range from Public Relations, Community Connections and Collaborations, Culturally Relevant Information Sessions, Communications, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility work, Anti-appropriation and Building respectful culture, Business Services, Non-profit Sector Specialization, Grant Writing/Development, Social Media and other Marketing, Covid-19 Resources and Relief, Logistics, Project Management, Event/Conference Planning, and Production. Most recently she has provided consulting services for 3 Margaritas Restaurant, Alta Onda, Artistico, Aurora Public Libraries, Breakthru Beverage, Breckcreate, Cerveceria Colorado, Chef or Death Podcast, Calaveras en mi Ciudad,The Center for the Arts Evergreen, The City and County of Broomfield, City and County of Denver Office on Aging, City and County of Denver Office of Storytelling, Colorado Business Committee for the Arts (CBCA),Colorado Day of the Dead Festival, Colorado Health Institute, Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Denver Film, Denver Health, The Denver Latino Commission, Denver Theatre District, Front Range Community College, The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, iZcalli, Jack Daniels, Juneteenth Music Festival, L’ATTITUDE Conference, La Feria del Tequila, Latin Fashion Week Colorado, Latinas First Foundation, Latinas Líderes y Emprendedoras, Meow Wolf, The Mexican Cultural Center, Museo de las américas, Newman Center for the Performing Arts, Origo Foods, Re:Vision, Studio Colombia, Strive Prep, Sunset Sundays, University of Colorado at Denver, Village Exchange Center, Xatrucho Concepts, Youth on Record and several Visual and Performing Artists.

Her other interests include strengthening her leadership skills, writing/wordsmithing, travel/adventure, great cuisine, and libations, supporting local businesses, meditating, experiencing the world through her daughter's eyes, connecting with friends old and new, and fine-tuning her abilities as an intuitive being. Things she is most known for: cheering her friends and family along from the sidelines, promoting their ventures with enthusiasm, and having a knack for knowing what the latest/hottest/coolest things are.

Cara Eng

Monica Padilla

Mehgan Yen

Steph Olivas

Diedra García

Rowena Alegría, HRCP Staff Liaison

Rowena Alegría is Denver’s Chief Storyteller and the HRCP Staff Liaison for the Denver Women's Commission, founder and director of the city’s first Office of Storytelling and the citywide storytelling and cultural preservation project #IAmDenver. She leads an award-winning team that has recorded nearly 400 video stories since 2019, including documentaries about Denver’s drag community; women of the Chicano Movement; the role Denver activists played in the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act; how the internment of Japanese Americans in Southeast Colorado resulted in a robust Denver community; and so much more.

Alegría is an award-winning writer, editor, filmmaker, career journalist and communications executive. She was born and raised in Denver and is a graduate of DPS’ Lincoln High School. She received her BA magna cum laude with Honors from MSU Denver and an MFA in Fiction from the Institute of American Indian Arts. She served as Mayor Michael B. Hancock’s Chief Communications Officer and was an editor at The Denver Post and publisher/editor of their Latino multimedia news outlet Viva Colorado. She is writing a novel that plays with form and the history of the Southwest. 

Adopted at birth, Alegría is fascinated by inheritance and identity. From her bio and adopted families, she inherited a love of learning and a passion for words and justice. She believes we live the dreams and sorrows of our ancestors, and her novel in progress takes a particular interest in these ideas coupled with the legacy of colonialism on the indigenous and mestizo peoples of what is now Mexico and the southwestern United States. Alegría was the Ricardo Salinas Scholar in Fiction at Aspen Words 2021 and has won numerous writing fellowships and residencies. Her work has appeared in publications including The Rumpus, the Mississippi Review, the Hennepin Review and others. She’s a member of Sandra Cisneros’ Macondo Writers Workshop. For more, please visit her website.


Committees

Executive

Elected leadership to guide the efforts of the DWC.