Meet Your Leaders – The Officers of Greater Park Hill Community, Inc.
Editor’s Note: GPHC Board members are elected during the October annual meeting of the Greater Park Hill Community. This year, members elected three new at-large members, and representatives for Districts 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9. Newly appointed executive officers include Board Chair Dave Felice, and Chair-Elect Tracey MacDermott. Next month we will feature profiles of additional GPHC, Inc. board members, including committee chairs and church representatives.
Board Chair Dave Felice
Occupation: I am a computer hardware technician at CenturyLink. This is my 36th year at “the phone company.”
Description of what you do in your position: I am responsible for guiding and overseeing the operations of the organization, and for looking at ways to improve the neighborhood association. I am fortunate to follow the strong and effective leadership of LeAnn Anderson, and to have Tracey MacDermott as an excellent and dedicated chair-elect.
What drew you in to the Greater Park Hill Community, Inc.? I believe everyone has an obligation to be involved at whatever level she or he is comfortable. The Registered Neighborhood Organization is an opportunity to represent all the members of the community, similar to the “town hall” meetings of New England. In collaboration with other RNOs in the Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation consortium, Greater Park Hill can effectively represent the interests of Denver citizens. GPHC is an organization that truly serves the neighborhood needs.
What do you hope to accomplish as a board member? Aside from taking care of the daily business, I will let the organization determine the objectives and goals. GPHC has many responsibilities, most of which are ably handled by Rebecca Born, one of the best and most dedicated executive directors I’ve seen. Our hard working volunteers provide a tremendous community service resource. I would like to encourage greater involvement by more members of the community.
What you love about Park Hill? The community is very much like a small town, with a variety of ethnicities, of social interests, of commerce, and of strong residential character. In another context, Park Hill is as diversified and as large as many small municipalities. But, as I’ve said before and even with great restaurants, I think the community ought to have a true “short order” diner.
Treasurer
and Chair-Elect
Tracey MacDermott
Occupation: Clinical Trials Manager, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado
Description of what you do in your position: I manage the financials for the organization.
What drew you in to the GPHC? I first became involved with GPHC during a zoning issue in our part of the neighborhood. GPHC provided guidance and resources throughout the process. At that time it also made me aware of the many wonderful services that GPHC provides to this neighborhood.
What do you hope to accomplish as a board member? I hope to continue to build our financial situation so that we can continue to build a stronger and cohesive neighborhood.
What you love about Park Hill? I love the passion that the residences bring forth surrounding this neighborhood. The people who live here truly love Park Hill!
Secretary and Zoning/Property Use Chair Bernadette Kelly
Occupation: Project Manager for Jeffco Public Schools Facilities Design & Construction.
Description of what you do in your position: As Secretary, I take and maintain minutes for the Board and Executive Committee meetings. As Zoning/Property Use Chair, provide the dissemination of information on liquor and marijuana licenses, zoning variances and changes in Park Hill to the GPHC Board and greater community; facilitate discussions between GPHC and neighbors, property owners and developers requesting GPHC assistance with zoning issues.
What drew you in to the GPHC? In January 2008, I requested GPHC support for a zoning variance for alterations to my alley house – an existing non-conforming structure. GPHC needed a representative for my district of the neighborhood and a delegate to attend the monthly Denver Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation Zoning and Planning Meetings. I volunteered on the spot and have been actively involved ever since.
What do you hope to accomplish as a board member? Continuing the legacy of the Park Hill residents who started the Park Hill Action Committee, which became Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. so that GPHC remains the neighborhood organization that takes on difficult issues and sees them through to the end via the hard work of volunteers to maintain and improve the quality of life in our neighborhood and surrounding areas.
What you love about Park Hill? Unique homes with history and character, big and small; the pockets of local businesses within walking distance; the generations of families that have made it their home; the goldmine of talent and resources and … dogs!
District Board Members
District 1 Representative Roger Kilgore (Newly-Elected)
Occupation: I am a water resources engineer with an independent consulting practice. I work out of my home.
Description of what you do in your position: Time will tell.
What drew you in to the GPHC? GPHC is a vibrant organization disseminating information relevant to the neighborhood as well as being a focal point for discussion on issues affecting the neighborhood. It is also a vehicle for connecting people and communities within the neighborhood. I was drawn to it so that I can do my part in continuing the tradition.
What do you hope to accomplish as a board member? I hope to be a source of information to my neighbors in the district I represent and an advocate for improving our community life. Whether that is crime, parks, utilities, street maintenance or social activities, I hope to add a thoughtful voice to the discussions. And I hope to leave the organization stronger than I found it.
What you love about Park Hill? I love the diversity of many kinds in our neighborhood and I appreciate the efforts of so many to maintain a welcoming environment of all types of people. I especially like our neighbors!
District 2 Representative
Ryan T. Hunter
Occupation: Chief Operating Officer – Mocavo Inc.
Description of what you do: Try to represent the points of view of as many Park Hill neighbors as possible and do my best as a steward of our neighborhood.
What drew you in to GPHC? After helping Justin Bresler launch the inaugural 4th of July parade, I was asked to join the board by then-Executive Director, Greg Rasheed.It has been a great experience and I enjoy giving back to our amazing community
What do you hope to accomplish? Help ensure that GPHC is a voice for all of our neighborhood, and not just for a vocal minority.
What do you love about Park Hill? I love it all. We live in a diverse, vibrant, noisy and active urban community. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
District 3 Representative Heather Shockey (Re-Elected)
Occupation: Director, Outsourced Consulting Services at Mountain States Employers Council.
Description of what you do in your position: Help neighbors become active in their community and provide resources for various engagement.
What drew you in to the GPHC? Initially zoning issues, and then the opportunity to volunteer with a larger group of people for a great neighborhood.
What do you hope to accomplish as a board member? Continue to develop relationships with neighbors and business owners so that Park Hill is a vibrant community.
What you love about Park Hill? The people, the architecture, the history, and the proximity to downtown and the mountains.
District 5 Representative Bob Homiak (Newly-Elected, Again)
Occupation: I retired from the U.S. Department of Justice in 2010.As a DOJ attorney, I represented EPA and federal land management agencies (U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, etc.) in civil actions involving violations of federal environmental laws.
Description of what you do in your position: While I have held a variety of different positions on the Board, including Property Use Chair, Secretary, and Chair, I have never been a District Rep. I view my responsibilities as acting as a liaison between the residents in my District and GPHC.
What drew you in to the GPHC? We moved to Park Hill in 1999 and I became active in GPHC sometime in the 2001 timeframe. I was impressed by the energy and commitment to the Park Hill neighborhood that was present by the Board back then and wanted to become a part of it. I stayed very active on the Board for about 10 years, before deciding to step down. In the past couple of years, I came to realize how much I missed GPHC and decided to get re-engaged.
What do you hope to accomplish as a board member? As a District Rep. I hope to be involved in zoning and property use issues that affect my District. I also hope to become more involved in Board matters in general and to help keep GPHC an influential “player” with the city in the many challenges that face this neighborhood and others throughout the city.
What you love about Park Hill? I love Park Hill for its history and diversity. I also love the distinctive architecture that one finds in the various blocks. It has been a great neighborhood in which to live for the past 15 years, a great place to watch our son grow up and move off to college and, hopefully, a great place to continue to live going forward.
District 7 Representative Brian Rodeno (Newly-Elected)
Occupation: Business Owner/Sales
Description of what you do in your position: Time will tell.
What drew you in to the GPHC? The opportunity to help.
What do you hope to accomplish as a board member? My hope is to help create greater and more effective outreach and communication with the neighborhood.
What you love about Park Hill? I love the trees and architecture. I love what the future holds for our community.
District 9 Representative Veronica D’Annibale (Newly-Elected)
Occupation: I retired from a corporate paralegal position in 2010; in the same year, I earned a law degree. Since then I have volunteered for the Legal Aid Society of San Diego and the San Diego Superior Court/ Family Division. Currently, I volunteer for the Women’s Bean Project in Denver, and added one day each week at the Greater Park Hill Community office.
Description of what you do in your position: The district seat to which I was elected (The district is bordered by 29th, 19th, Magnolia & Quebec.) has not been filled since I moved here in December 2013. After meeting many neighbors, I look forward to meeting many more and representing their interests.
What drew you in to the GPHC? I lived in Park Hill, near 25th on Fairfax, from 1992 until 2000, when I moved to California to be with my grandchildren. Always planning to return to Denver’s Park Hill, I found a home in the neighborhood just east of Monaco, near 25th on Niagara. I am very happy to be back!
What do you hope to accomplish as a board member? Our neighborhood has some challenges with power outages, as admitted by Xcel Energy. And, due to age and weather, we have crumbling sidewalks on many blocks. I plan to address these issues and any others raised by my District 9 neighbors.
What do you love about Park Hill? The well-cared-for older homes and the feeling of community in Park Hill are the things I noticed immediately. And the diversity (family/single, age, ethnicity) adds to a unique neighborhood. I stayed in touch with former neighbors here; they are terrific people. Fortunately, I found another Park Hill neighborhood with wonderful neighbors. So, I must say I love Park Hill because of the people!
At-Large Board Members
Lisa Clark (Newly-Elected)
Occupation: I’m a stay at home mom of two beautiful boys. I also keep busy as an assistant to a national best selling author in our neighborhood; a bookkeeper for an architect; and a consultant for an amazing skin care line.
Description of what you do in your position: I will support the District board members and also voice and address any concerns of our neighbors.
What drew you in to the GPHC?
Proximity to City Park and downtown, beautiful and diverse homes, but most of all … the cozy neighborhood feel.
What do you hope to accomplish as a board member? I hope to make our neighborhood a more energized community, get more people involved and excited about what we are capable of accomplishing.
What you love about Park Hill? The diversity of our community and the potential that presents is what I love about Park Hill. Meeting the challenges of developing that potential, and a vibrant communityin which to raise a family, is what I love about being a GPHC board member.
Pat Quinn (Newly-Elected)
Occupation: I have been retired for some time, about as long as my wife and I have lived in Park Hill. We moved here in 2000 from what is now called Centennial. Prior to retiring, I held quite a variety of positions in finance and sales, and started my own company in the floral industry.
Position description: As an at large member of the GPHC board I expect to volunteer for Park Hill events, listen constructively to the concerns and opinions of the other board members at each monthly meeting; add my own voice and opinions to the discussions.
What drew you into GPHC? My wife has been involved with the Park Hill Garden Walk for many years. It was really through her interest and efforts that I became involved.
Early on, I was fortunate to meet Ann Long, and got into assisting in a minor way with some of the minor tasks related to the Garden Walk. Ann is very persuasive – she suggested that my block needed someone to deliver the papers. That led to bundling the papers each month, and that got me to this point.
What do you hope to accomplish as a board member? I want to hear from and represent those residents who may not have the time to become involved in the community but want their position on ideas to come before the board. As a board member at large I can provide board access to the entire community.
What do you love about Park Hill? Park Hill is a unique community, and its citizens make it so. I have met and worked with many different people in my years here. They are positive, progressive and happy to lend their effort and support to any Park Hill project. It is very rare to find that in any community. We all are fortunate to live here.
Getabecha “Gete” Mekonnen
Occupation: Executive Director, Northeast Denver Housing Center.
What drew you to the GPHC? I have lived in Park Hill and known about GPHC for the past 30 years. I have had opportunities to attend meetings in the 80’s and 90’s, have had some working relationships and have appreciated the rich history of diversity and positive stand residents took to make the community a better place to live in for all. This knowledge, first-hand experience and personal knowledge of those individuals that contributed to this effort (Marjorie Gilbert and Karen Salomon, to name two) drew me at this time to contribute by participating in GPHC.
What do you hope to accomplish as a board member? To the extent I can bring personal and professional experience addressing community need, I hope to contribute and help make our community a choice neighborhood for all.
What you love about Park Hill? Park Hill has stood apart from other neighborhoods in Denver because of its people, mature neighborhood, beautiful architecture and housing stock, and its proximity to many amenities within the urban core.
Louis Plachowski
Occupation: I am the Owner/Managing Broker of the local real estate company, DenverWelcomeHome.com LLC.
GPHC board position: I am an at-large representative and Chairman of the Building Committee.
Position description: Whenever something goes wrong with the building or grounds, like a roof leak, flooding, etc., I get a call from Rebecca at GPHC and rush over to assess the problem and fix it.
What drew you into GPHC? Park Hill has been very good to me both in a personal and professional way. Being involved in GPHC was one way to give thanks to the community that has been so good to me.
What do you hope to accomplish as a board member? As board member, I hope to continue to serve and perhaps inspire others to do likewise.
What do you love about Park Hill? I love Park Hill’s beautiful streets and charming homes. I enjoy my friendly neighbors who are from all different backgrounds and I like to shop at the lovely, quaint shops that are not part of corporate chains. I especially enjoy the close proximity to City Park as I also serve as President of the Registered Neighborhood Organization, City Park Friends and Neighbors (CPFAN.org).
Withstanding the Test of Great Leaders
By LeAnn Anderson
Outgoing Chair, GPHC, Inc.
It’s been a pleasure, and sometimes a challenge, to serve as your Chair over the past two years. Together we’ve accomplished so much. Membership is up! The coffers are up, the newspaper is self-sustaining for the 3rd year in a row and community participation is up!
Look around at our packed house! I’m excited that GPHC is posed to start giving back to the community through the new community grant program that was launched this year. Although the program is in its infancy it has the potential to create a lasting impact in our community.
I think the founders of GPHC would be proud of where we as an organization stand today. We stand here today because of these founders and the strong example they set for us over the years.
In a leadership class I attended several years ago, I learned that a test of a good leader is the ability to engage others to the point where they take on the cause or project, as if it were their own. Based on this test, I would say that GPHC has been graced with good leaders over the past 54 years. 54 years! That is truly remarkable, especially considering all served as volunteers, without pay. As other Registered Neighborhood Organizations have struggled, GPHC has continued to be a stalwart in the Denver community.
In closing I’d like to share a favorite quote of one of GPHC’s formidable leaders, Marge Gilbert, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it’s the only thing that ever does . . .” by Margaret Mead
Editor’s Note: For the past two years, LeAnn Anderson has served as the chair of the executive committee for Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. Anderson delivered these remarks during the October annual meeting of GPHC, Inc.
The Park Hill Promise
Denver author, historian, and Park Hill native Phil Goodstein delivered the keynote speech at the annual meeting of Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. at the Park Hill Golf Course on Oct. 2. Goodstein provided a lively history of the early days of Park Hill. He followed with an explanation of the origin and early marketing of the neighborhood to prospective residents – one which remains true today: Park Hillians wake up in the morning. They are invigorated driving to work downtown and beyond, through a neighborhood of architectural beauty, with mature trees, and beautiful flowers, and landscaping. They arrive in a daily hectic world of hurly-burly. At the end of the stressful day, they head home, back into a sparkling neighborhood filled with parks and exquisite landscaping and flowers. They are reenergized … that is what guarantees the Park Hill Promise.