IGC Staff
Paul Alexander, Ph.D., Director
Paul Alexander is director of the Institute on the Common Good. He previously served as the degree chair for the Master of Nonprofit Management Program at Regis University, where he initiated the new leadership curriculum, with its enhanced focus on internal development and service. He also helped create the Colorado Trust Fellows Project.
He has more than 20 years experience in the nonprofit sector, previously serving as executive director of Denver Youth Employment Service and program director for the Cuernavaca Center for Intercultural Dialogue on Development. He has traveled extensively, and lived and worked in Spain and Latin America. An active member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), he has also worked closely with the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Episcopal Church.
He currently serves on the boards of the National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation, the Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning, the CommunityCash Flow Fund (Colorado Nonprofit Loan Fund), the International Multicultural Institute, the Rocky Mountain Regional Steering Committee of the PeaceJam Foundation, and the Interfaith Alliance of Colorado. He has a BA from Williams College, an MA in Economics from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a Ph.D. in Community Dialogue from the Union Institute and University.
palexand@regis.edu, 303-458-4336
Fredricka Brown, Operations Coordinator
Fredricka J. Brown is operations coordinator for the Institute on the Common Good, where her responsibilities include the direction, continuity and image of the office and program services. She also serves as liaison between the ICG and key University management, and community, business and religious organizations; coordinates budgetary and fiscal activities of the ICG and its network of supported programs; and coordinates ICG events. Previously, Fredricka was administrative coordinator for the Office of Public Affairs at Regis, where she assisted in orchestrating the visits of several Nobel Peace Prize Laureates and the president of Ireland, worked as the primary researcher of University statistical information for surveys and served as the University’s chair for its annual United Way Campaign, among other duties.
She is pursuing a degree in Communication from Regis University, when she’s not busy with her husband and their two daughters. She’s an active community volunteer, including currently serving on the board of the Pomona High School Band, and previously with the Wheat Ridge High School girls swim team and Saints Peter and Paul School.
fbrown@regis.edu, 303-458-4967
Malia Crouse, Project Coordinator
After developing the Democracy Lab online course during her AmeriCorps*VISTA year at the Institute on the Common Good, Malia took over as the program coordinator for the Democracy Lab. She focused her time and energy on continuing the success and growth of the program, which teaches young adults about dialogue and deliberation. As Democracy Lab is not currently running, Malia now splits her time supporting various Institute projects such as Colorado's Future and collaborating with Regis' Office of Diversity to facilitate and plan campus dialogues.
With a B.A. in Sociology and a background in youth education and childhood development, Malia is passionate about working with youth to empower themselves while improving their lives and their communities. She is enrolled in Regis University’s Masters in Education program and is working toward her special education teaching license.
When not working or studying, Malia can typically be found outdoors biking, running, hiking, camping and rock climbing.
mcrouse@regis.edu, 303-964-5717
ICG Facilitators:
Leilani Rashida Henry
Leilani Rashida Henry, founder of Being and Living Enterprises, is a pioneer in bringing innovative strategies to organization transformation. She has facilitated hundreds of workplace changes and implemented redesign efforts that have resulted in cost savings for organizations in the millions of dollars. Leilani is known for her use of inventive strategies such as multi-sensory dialogue.
Her clients include Rockefeller, CU Boulder, Denver Water, Kraft Foods and Regis University. She holds a master’s degree in Education from St. Thomas University and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Spelman College.
Her lifetime experience in the performing arts is integrated into her unique approach to innovation, leadership and performance.
Rebecca Lobel
As a Denver native, Rebecca Lobel is dedicated to improving relationships between the diverse religious communities that thrive in Colorado. Coming from a Jewish background, she believes that learning from others can help to understand your own place in the world, and partnerships with people from diverse backgrounds can be a strong force for increasing understanding and implementing change.
Rebecca has a bachelor’s degree in Comparative Religion from Hampshire College and a master’s in Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School.
Esther Ray Mills, Ph.D.
Esther Ray Mills has had a distinguished career in Catholic higher education at universities sponsored by the Society of Jesus and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. She has held positions as faculty member, undergraduate and doctoral advisor, program director, and dean and vice presidential-level administrator in both academic and student affairs. Her extensive consulting practice has included contracts with community colleges, nonprofit organizations, hospitals, banks, school districts and governmental agencies. Her expertise encompasses planning and implementation, program evaluation, communication strategies, organizational design, and marketing strategies. She holds a doctorate in communication from the University of Washington and a baccalaureate degree in communication from Whitworth College.
Susan D. Starkey
Susan D. Starkey is an organizational development consultant offering services to encourage and enable individuals, small groups and organizations to develop meaningful work environments and manage change creatively, through dialogue and deliberation. She specializes in the areas of organizational effectiveness, cultural change and leadership development. She also is manager of employee and organizational development at Gambro BCT in Lakewood, and serves as an affiliate faculty member at Regis University. She holds a master’s degree in Interpersonal and Organizational Communication from the University of Colorado and a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Michigan.
ICG Fellows:
Steve Burkholder
Steve Burkholder is the principal of the A & S Group, a consulting and marketing organization. He is a senior fellow of the Institute on the Common Good at Regis University. He is the former executive director of Colorado’s Future, a private non-profit, non-partisan group organized to “Build a Better Colorado”. He was the mayor of Lakewood, Colorado’s fourth largest city from 1999 to 2007. During those years, his city experienced sustainable growth of $1.6 billion with another $1.5 billion in process.
Burkholder has participated in or facilitated numerous local, national and international workshops on leadership development, economic development, urban design, tax policy, ethics, inclusiveness and community governance. In the business community, he spent over 30 years in the retail and wholesale sectors. He has served on boards of directors for both private and public institutions. He is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is also a graduate of the Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
He grew up in metro Denver and moved to Lakewood in 1963. Steve and his wife Anne have been married 45 years, have two grown children, and three grandchildren.
Burkholder has participated in or facilitated numerous local, national and international workshops on leadership development, economic development, urban design, tax policy, ethics, inclusiveness and community governance. In the business community, he spent over 30 years in the retail and wholesale sectors. He has served on boards of directors for both private and public institutions. He is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is also a graduate of the Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
He grew up in metro Denver and moved to Lakewood in 1963. Steve and his wife Anne have been married 45 years, have two grown children, and three grandchildren.
Leilani Rashida Henry
Leilani Rashida Henry, M.A. and Licensed Educational Kinesiologist, is a recognized thought-leader for workplace creativity, performance and organization development. She is Founder and Chief Excellence Officer of Being & Living Enterprises, LTD. www.beingandliving.com.
Leilani is cited in several national publications and organizations such as the Fetzer Institute and new visions in business. Fast Company identified Ms. Henry as one of their RealTime Models and Mentors. Leilani is Founder and Director of National Playback Theatre. Her lifetime experience in musical theater and professional dance is integrated into her unique approach to work-life balance, leadership and learning. Ms. Henry is also George Gibbs’s daughter, one of the first African Americans to sail and set foot on Antarctica with Admiral Richard E. Byrd. She is publishing her father’s journals and writing a book about his experiences.
She was a Fellow for her work in multidimensional dialogue. During her time with Regis, she finalized her product called Brain Jewels TM. It is a transformation dialogue tool that uses rich, visual images to help individuals and organizations access their intuition and stories for better choices and changes.
Leilani is cited in several national publications and organizations such as the Fetzer Institute and new visions in business. Fast Company identified Ms. Henry as one of their RealTime Models and Mentors. Leilani is Founder and Director of National Playback Theatre. Her lifetime experience in musical theater and professional dance is integrated into her unique approach to work-life balance, leadership and learning. Ms. Henry is also George Gibbs’s daughter, one of the first African Americans to sail and set foot on Antarctica with Admiral Richard E. Byrd. She is publishing her father’s journals and writing a book about his experiences.
She was a Fellow for her work in multidimensional dialogue. During her time with Regis, she finalized her product called Brain Jewels TM. It is a transformation dialogue tool that uses rich, visual images to help individuals and organizations access their intuition and stories for better choices and changes.