Office of Social Equity & Innovation

Office of Neighborhood Safety Community Advisory Board (CAB) Interest Form
Interested in applying for the Office of Neighborhood Safety Community Advisory Board (CAB)? Use the form below to begin the process:
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Want to learn more about the Office of Neighborhood Safety? Read the press release below:
ONS Press Release

Equity for all banner
OSEI Celebrates International Day of Peace January 1, 2025, Wishing Peace for All
OSEI Celebrates World Braille Day January 4, and the transformative impact it has had on lives of people who are blind or visually impaired. Share your appreciation for this important invention and all it has made possible.
OSEI Celebrates World Religion Day January 19
The Mayor's OSEI Proudly Celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day

The Mayor’s Office of Social Equity and Innovation (OSEI) works with City agencies and departments to increase systems, policies, and practices that sustain Social Equity, Race, and Social Justice. The office oversees the citywide effort to eliminate social inequity, and race and social injustices by evaluating institutional and structural government systems, policies, and practices to dismantle racism.

Read Our Labor and Land Acknowledgments(PDF, 263KB)

We Lead With Equity

Denver believes that equity is when race and other social identities can no longer be used to predict life outcomes. Equity is achieved through the advancement of policies and practices that center those who are underrepresented and have been historically disadvantaged because of their neighborhood of residence, age, gender, disability, immigration status, primary language, education, income level or race. OSEI is the nucleus that guides and informs Denver's approach to equity by providing coaching, education, training, and resource support. Agencies are responsible for creating equity plans that align with the mayor’s citywide goals with ongoing guidance and coaching from the Mayor's OSEI staff. Our agency is a resource for collaborative, cross-agency coordination to support equity policies.

Latest News

screenshot of newsletter table of contents

Quarterly Newsletter December 2024 
It's been a year of transformative progress at the Mayor's Office of Social Equity and Innovation (OSEI). The Assessment Intake and Diversion Center's critical services were expanded. Justice-involved youth found new opportunities through the Helping Youth Pursue Excellence program. The Digital Equity Coalition has helped bridge the digital divide. In the new year, OSEI remains committed to a more inclusive Denver, ensuring every resident has the opportunity to have a vibrant future. Read more about all these advances in OSEI's latest quarterly newsletter.

Read the full newsletter here


Goals

visual diagram of three city goals overlapping equity

Citywide Equity Goals

Listen - Goal 1: The City and County of Denver will be an inclusive government that effectively engages with and listens to the community to create equitable outcomes. Denver will be an inclusive employer that listens to, values and supports city staff, providing them with the tools and skills to advance social equity.

Dare - Goal 2: Denver will be a city that boldly and creatively integrates social equity into policies, practices, programs, and budgetary decisions, driven by the urgency that the people of Denver deserve.

Deliver - Goal 3: Denver will deliver breakthrough solutions to drive equity in the city using nationally recognized research and data-driven practices.

 

Our Mission

To cultivate an equitable and inclusive Denver by dismantling systemic barriers and creating targeted solutions for historically marginalized populations.

Our Vision

To be a city where race and other social identities no longer predict life outcomes.

About OSEI

The four pillars of the office together create the foundation for EDI work in Denver.

Operations and Innovation

Digital Equity
Multi-Agency Equity Strategies
Special Projects
OSEI Operations and Policy
Racial Equity Indicator Reports & OSEI reports

Strategies and Learning

Race and Social Justice Academy (RSJ) and other EDI-related trainings
EDI Teams and Strategy Building
EDI Administrators
Racial Equity Action Plan (REAP)
Development & Implementation

Data and Evaluation

Equity data analysis and evaluation
Technical assistance
Citywide equity data training

Internal and External Councils

Racial Equity Council
Digital Equity Council
Equity Core Council

Meet the Team

Our team is committed to achieving equity through the advancement of policies and practices that center those who are underrepresented and have been historically disadvantaged.

Dr. Ben Sanders headshot

Dr. Ben Sanders
Chief Equity Officer

 Brian Firooz headshot Brian Firooz
Deputy Director
  Daelene Mix headshot in black and white   Daelene Mix
Deputy Director
 Jessica Calderon, a woman with straight dark hair Jessica Calderon, MSW
Director of Operations & Innovation

Quill Carter Phillips
Director of Strategies and Learning

Karen Davis, a black woman with a pink blazer and hoop earrings

Karen Davis
Public Information Officer

Zach McDade, a white man with a beard and short hair

Zach McDade
Director of Data & Evaluation

 Nicole Monroe headshot Dr. Nicole Monroe
Director of Community Violence Solutions
 Carlon Manuel Headshot Carlon Manuel
AID Center Director
Bobbie Alexander, a darker skinned woman with long black hair

Bobbie Alexander, MBA
Special Projects Manager

Aaron Conley, a light skinned man with glasses

Aaron Conley, Ph.D.
Trainer & Strategist

Mayra Smith Coronado
Senior Racial Equity Data Analyst

Anya Dickson-Arguello, a brown skinned woman with long textured hair

Anya Dickson-Arguello
Digital Equity Program Manager

Franchesca Luistro, a woman with long curly dark hair

Franchesca Luistro
Executive Assistant & Office Coordinator

Ariana Orozco, a woman with dark hair in a red top

Ariana Orozco, M.Ed
Trainer & Strategist

Ariana Tyler, a brown skinned woman with medium straight hair

Ariana Tyler
Trainer & Strategist

Jamila Bryant, a brown skinned person with short cropped hair in a plaid shirt and coat

Jamila Bryant
Department of Transportation and Infrastructure(DOTI)
EDI Administrator

Robin Jones, a light skinned woman with styled brown hair wearing a blue blouse and jacket

Robin Jones
Department of Safety EDI Administrator

Justin Toomer, a black man with short hair wearing a suit with no tie

Justin Toomer
City Attorney's Office EDI Administrator

OSEI is dedicated to including the voices of residents and individuals who have often been institutionally marginalized and historically disadvantaged. Our office develops and implements the city’s policies and regulations to ensure social equity is the primary focus, with diversity and inclusion as supportive facets.

Contact the Office of Social Equity & Innovation