Board of Directors
Youth Celebrate Diversity is guided and supported by an exceptional group of individuals committed to advancing student leadership and equity for everyone.
YCD programs are led 100% by students within each program. Our Board of Directors is responsible for fundraising and financial oversight, as well as building connections with the many communities in which we operate. The Board of Directors does not make programmatic or content decisions, which are owned by student leaders.
Reflecting the many constituencies we serve, YCD’s Board members include high school teachers, college professors, non-profit professionals, business owners, parents, and alumni of our programs.
See below for biographies of YCD’s Board of Directors.
Andrea Cristina Rigo (she/her) is a founding partner at the law firm Rathod | Mohamedbhai LLC. Her practice is exclusively in the areas of plaintiff’s employment discrimination and constitutional civil rights litigation. She advocates for the rights of employees in the workplace, and for the civil rights of all individuals against governmental and institutional abuses of power.
As a first generation Brazilian-American, Andrea’s unique voice makes her an effective advocate for her clients and adds perspective to an increasingly diverse legal landscape. Andrea volunteers much of her time to advocating for social justice in schools, including co-founding Diversity & Inclusion committees at her children’s schools. She also provides pro bono representation to underrepresented persons with immigration and other legal issues.
Andrea consistently uses her foreign language skills, working with Portuguese and Spanish-speaking victims of abuse and discrimination. Andrea’s ability to represent litigants from multiple cultures, in multiple languages, across a broad array of practice areas make her a powerful advocate for the community.
In her free time, Andrea enjoys distance running, international travel, hiking, and dancing. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law and her BA from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Andrea serves as the Chair of the YCD Board of Directors.
Andrea Cristina Rigo
Denver, Colorado
Benita Creacy (she/her) is the President and Owner of DC & Associates, a financial planning and private wealth management company. She holds the series 7 registration with LPL Financial, the series 66 registration with Western Wealth Management, LLC, as well as licenses in Life and Variable insurance. In addition, Benita serves as an adjunct professor at the College for Financial Planning. Before working in the financial services industry she was a college financial aid director and a financial aid consultant for colleges and universities across the United States working with families and their college finances for over 20 years.
Benita has a degree from the Robinson School of Business at Georgia State University and an Art degree from the Art Institute of Atlanta. Her free time is spent with her three children and volunteering in the community. Benita serves as Youth Celebrate Diversity’s Treasurer.
Benita Creacy
Denver, Colorado
Eve Gracie (she/her) is a television personality and women’s self-defense instructor. She is the head instructor of the Gracie Women Empowered self-defense program, and teaches sexual assault awareness and risk-reduction to women from all walks of life, including college women and airmen in the US Air Force. Eve did her undergraduate studies in Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Southern California.
Eve Gracie
Las Angeles, California
Ishmeet Kalra (she/her) was born and raised in New Delhi, India. She immigrated to the United States as a child and settled in Silicon Valley. In college, she pursued her passion for science, earning a Master’s degree in Molecular Biology & Microbiology with a minor in Humanities from San José State University. She worked as a researcher developing and testing molecular diagnostics in public health. After graduate school, she focused her research in protein engineering and high-throughput assay development for household applications and renewable biofuels.
Since 2008, Colorado has been her home and she loves the stunning natural beauty and the majestic mountains. She is a public education advocate and has a deep understanding of the needs of students, families, educators, and administrators. She is a passionate advocate for educational equity, equitable school funding, STEM education/enrichment, and evidence-based education policies. Her passion for educational equity and STEM education extends beyond her own community, as she volunteers to bring STEM enrichment activities to underserved schools, nurturing students’ curiosity and exploration of STEM concepts.
Ishmeet is driven by a deep commitment to academic excellence, ensuring equal access to opportunities for each and every student, and fostering safe and inclusive school environments. Ishmeet serves as the YCD Board’s Secretary.
Ishmeet Kalra
Denver, Colorado
Janet Sammons (she/her), now retired, has taught social studies for over 40 years in high schools in Colorado and Kansas, while also working on diversity-related issues both in and out of the classroom for many years. In 1994 she founded the statewide Cherry Creek Diversity Conference (now Colorado Youth Diversity Conference) for high school students and their faculty advisers, and in 2014 worked with YCD’s Executive Director, Caleb Munro, to found Youth Celebrate Diversity.
Her recognitions include the Colorado Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education, the Colorado ADL Community Builder Award, the GLSEN National Educator of the Year Respect Award, and the 9 Teachers Who Care Award from Channel 9, Denver. Janet received her teaching degree from Kansas Wesleyan and her MA in Education from Emporia State University.
Janet Sammons
Denver, Colorado
Jeff grew up in the Washington DC area, got a BS degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan, and worked for NASA in Houston on the Space Shuttle program before returning to the DC area to work for a government contractor. He moved to Colorado in 2017. He is married with two kids in college. Jeff has spent most of his professional career working in business development in the government contracting community.
Jeff has been politically aware and interested in social justice issues for many decades. He has been involved in various diversity and equity initiatives, mostly related to the K-12 community. He has also worked in the non-profit animal protection field, leading campaigns and doing issue-based lobbying. He has been a volunteer for various YCD events for the past few years.
Jeff Leitner
Denver, Colorado
Jon Schmugge (he/him) is both an attorney and Realtor(R), and is the managing broker at Alaris Properties, LLC. He also teaches real estate courses for various Realtor(R) Associations. However, Jon will tell you he is most proud to be the father of two amazing kiddos. Jon was formerly a member of the executive team of LHD Enterprises where he oversaw several departmental functions, including management of the Colorado region and head of the entrepreneurial group, while handling all legal affairs for the company’s Colorado, New England and upstate New York offices.
Jon studied at Phillips University where he graduated Summa Cum Laude (Valedictorian) with a quadruple major in English, History, Political Science and Psychology. He minored in German. He then earned his juris doctorate from Lewis & Clark Law School.
Jon became a partner in a law firm emphasizing business law, business litigation, domestic relations and employment law. He has a keen ability to analyze complex situations and come up with creative solutions. Building on his talent, Jon became a licensed real estate broker and assists clients using his core values of integrity, honesty, forthrightness, trustworthiness, loyalty and valor. Jon has become a professional problem solver, and believes that service through humility produces mutual reward.
Jon Schmugge
Denver, Colorado
Micah Porter (he/him) is the Principal at Arvada West High School in Jeffco Public Schools. He has worked in public education for nearly three decades in the Denver metro area as a teacher, coach, athletic director, advocate, and administrator and has a deep philosophical belief in creating greater educational access for our most under-resourced populations.
Micah also has been a long-time leader and advocate in the LGBTQ+ community, focusing his efforts on building greater inclusion for LGBTQ+ teen and youth athletes. Having worked with a number of national advocacy groups such as You Can Play and the Sports Leadership Diversity Council, Micah has been a committed spokesperson in the LGBTQ+ sports movement. In his spare time, Micah serves as the Education Coordinator for Sports Equality Foundation working to develop inclusive coaching curriculum for athletic programs at the K-12, collegiate, and professional levels.
Micah Porter
Denver, Colorado
Dr. Rana Razzaque (she/her) was born in Bangladesh, immigrated to Maryland at a young age, and spent her adolescence in Texas before moving to Arizona for a couple of years, then finally making her way to Denver over a decade ago. Her commitment to improving conditions for every child has driven her educational and professional journey, and this commitment has deepened over time due to her own lived experiences and the continuous learning she seeks out on a variety of topics related to belonging and social justice.
Dr. Razzaque received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in English Literature from the University of Texas at Austin and Arizona State University, respectively, and focused her thesis research on the impact of literary influence on colonizing South Asia in the 17th century. She earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Denver and focused her dissertation research on how mindfulness influences the culturally responsive practices of educators. Dr. Razzaque serves as the Director of Opportunity, Access, and Inclusion at Englewood Schools in Colorado, where she focuses on policy, strategy, culture, and relationships to achieve educational equity and a sense of belonging for every student. She has facilitated workshops for organizations and conferences across the United States. Dr. Razzaque’s mission is to transform our systems to heal individual and structural oppression and establish communities of radical care and belonging.
Rana Razzaque
Denver, Colorado
Reem Saeed (she/her) was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, and alumnus of Overland High School in Aurora, Colorado. The daughter of Sudanese immigrants, social justice and advocacy have been integral parts of her life for as long as she can remember. She has been involved with YCD since her freshman year of high school and became a YCD Colorado Student Board member and co-chair in her junior and senior years of high school, respectively. Throughout high school, Reem was involved in various activities to promote equity in her school and beyond.
Reem is currently a rising junior studying philosophy with a minor in religion at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. There, she has involvement with Princeton’s undergraduate student government DEI Board and the school’s activism and advocacy student board. During her undergraduate experience, she has worked with a variety of grassroots organizations and nonprofits with the goal of promoting civic engagement and human rights. She is interested in finding ways to work towards alleviating socioeconomic inequalities and raising conversations about race and identity in more spaces.
Reem Saeed
Princeton, New Jersey
Dr. Reema Wahdan (she/her) is a faculty member in the department of pathology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. She is currently working on innovative strategies to combat breast cancer. She has obtained a number of prestigious awards, including the “Leaders of Tomorrow, Top 50 innovators,” MedImmune/Astra Zenca (2015); “Best of Basic Research,” Endocrine Society (2013); and the “Women in Cancer Research Scholar Award” (2010). Dr. Wahdan’s work has been funded by the Colorado Cancer League, American Cancer Society, the Susan G Komen, and Ruth L. Kirchstein National Research Service Award Individual Fellowship.
Outside of her career, Dr. Wahdan has been passionately centered on enhancing our appreciation to promoting respect for cultural diversity in classrooms across the nation. As a Muslim-American, Dr. Wahdan has lectured around the nation and locally regarding Islamophobia and the repercussions of xenophobia and intolerance in our communities. She is active with a number of community organizations that work to unite our local Denver community, such as the Colorado Campaign for Middle East Peace, Muslims Intent for Learning and Activism, and a number of interfaith and local organizations based in Denver. Additionally, she serves on the board of national cultural organizations such as Al Bireh Society and the Colorado Palestine Club. Last, she is involved in a humanitarian organization known as the Palestinian Children Relief Foundation that provides medical and humanitarian relief to Arab children throughout the Middle East regardless of their nationality, politics, or religion.
Dr. Wahdan received her post graduate degrees from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland Ohio. She also received her masters and undergraduate degree from University of Denver in Denver, Colorado. She serves as the Vice Chair for Youth Celebrate Diversity’s Board of Directors.
Reema Wahdan
Denver, Colorado
Rohan Guddanti (he/him) was born and raised in Aurora, Colorado, and is an alumni of Smoky Hill High School. Throughout his time in high school, Rohan was thoroughly involved in social justice efforts to honor the diversity of his community. In addition to serving as the co-chair of the YCD Colorado Student Board in 2021-22, he helped plan programming to inspire diversity efforts among youth across Colorado. As a part of Young Aspiring Americans for Socio-Political Activism, Rohan also helped plan events such as school board candidate workshops to ask school board members tough questions.
Rohan is now an incoming junior at Duke University, where he continues to take a social justice mindset in the work that he does, such as working at the Community Empowerment Fund, an organization dedicated to helping residents of Durham, NC navigate barriers set up by white supremacy, such as lack of access to housing. Rohan is also a Chemistry major currently on the pre-med track! In his free time, he loves spending time with his friends, singing at the top of his lungs, and listening to indie music!
Rohan Guddanti
College Park, Maryland
Sean Rhodes (he/him) is a PhD candidate at the University of Maryland, where he researches reactionary rhetoric and conservative political culture. He continues his activism alongside his research, and is currently working to embolden the University of Maryland’s commitment to DEI initiatives.
Sean received his BA in Communication at Metropolitan State University of Denver, where he hosted racial literacy workshops. He then earned his MA in Communication at the University of Colorado Denver, where he also taught three years, including teaching Communication and Diversity, and studying abroad in Beijing, China, where he presented a guest lecture on Diversity and Representation in media. Sean has also engaged in several forms of activism, including marching for LGBTQ+ rights, and fighting for racial justice. In 2020 he served on a panel addressing how we talk about race for Metropolitan State University of Denver, and participated in a guest lecture on Black Liberation at the University of Colorado Denver.
Sean is a former member of the Student Board for the Cherry Creek Diversity Conference (now YCD’s Colorado Youth Diversity Conference) from 2004-2005, and volunteered with YCD after his graduation. He cites his work with YCD as influencing him to pursue his degrees and career in topics related to diversity and inclusion.
Sean Rhodes
College Park, Maryland
Simone Montoya (she/her) Simone Montoya is 20-year attorney and partner at Messner Reeves LLP, in Denver, Colorado. Simone currently practices in the areas of criminal defense and professional liability defense. As a high school senior in 1998, Simone proudly helped organize the first National Diversity Conference at Cherry Creek High School.
Simone received her B.A. from the University of Colorado, Boulder where she majored in Psychology and minored in Ethnic Studies. She went on to receive her Juris Doctorate from the University of Denver. Simone obtained her law degree with the goal of advocating for people whose voices are often unheard. She continues to promote equality, inclusivity, and belonging, not only within legal spaces, but the greater community as a whole.
Simone is passionate about social justice issues and the importance of equality; values she learned through her parents' example. In addition to her board duties with YCD, Simone regularly serves the greater community through her work with the Colorado Lawyers Committee Hate Violence Task Force, and the Pro-Bono Immigration Clinic. She also serves as a commissioner on the 2nd Judicial District, Judicial Performance Commission in Denver, Colorado.
Simone Montoya
Denver, Colorado