Team Dream

Dr. Perla Delgado

CEO/ Executive Director

perla.delgado@ihaveadreamboulder.org

Dr. Perla Delgado comes to “I Have A Dream” with decades of leadership experience advocating for education equity and social justice. A Boulder native, she began working in the local community in high school and then later was employed by Emergency Family Assistance and Community Action Programs in Boulder. Perla will be joining the IHDF team by way of St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, where she served as the Director and Principal Investigator of the College Assistance Migrant Program. She holds a Ph.D. in Education from Texas State University.

Sandy Goldberg

Director of Finance

sandy.goldberg@ihaveadreamboulder.org

Sandy Goldberg comes to “I Have A Dream” with over 25 years of financial leadership experience in a variety of industries. Most recently, Sandy served as the CFO for 12 years at Watermill Express, a company in the water and ice vending industry. Sandy started his career in public accounting and received his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Colorado – Denver.

William Clift

Development Manager

303-444-3636 ext.115 | william.clift@ihaveadreamboulder.org

William “Bill” joined the “I Have A Dream” Foundation of Boulder County in 2022. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and his Master’s and Ph.D. in History from Florida State University. After leaving academia, Bill was looking for a fresh start. He took his love of writing and grant management experience into the non-profit world and quickly fell in love with the work.

Omar Correa

Development & Communications Coordinator

303-444-3636 ext.140 | omar.correa@ihaveadreamboulder.org

Omar joined the “I Have A Dream” Foundation of Boulder County in 2022. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and a Master of Accountancy from Colorado State University (CSU). Omar has had a dynamic career since graduating from CSU. He has worked as an Auditor in the public accounting industry and then left to follow his passion to drive positive change in the Latino community by becoming a Bilingual Admissions Representative at Front Range Community College. Omar’s commitment to creating and supporting positive change in the lives of youth in the community drew him to the “I Have A Dream” Foundation. In his free time, Omar loves to spend time with his wife and their miniature dachshund, Lulu.

Shana Gerson

Human Resources Manager

shana.gerson@ihaveadreamboulder.org

Shana Gerson has over 10 years’ experience in Human Resources, Recruiting, Organizational Development and Coaching.  She has worked with small start up organizations to large international fortune 500 companies. Shana has a passion for bringing sophisticated HR, OD and leadership development programs to small, mid size and large businesses. Shana believes that every company and everyone can reach their full potential. She has worked with CEO’s and middle management on HR needs and solutions and has coached leaders on how to lead people and organizations for positive outcomes. Shana has both tactical and strategic HR knowledge and has the ability to align HR programs and business goals by building partnerships with management. She has created an HR department for start up companies and has experience running day to day operations. Shana has experience with human resources consulting, employee relations, hiring, training, performance management, organizational development, executive coaching and mergers and acquisitions. 

Shana received her degree in Psychology from the University of Tennessee and she has her Professional Human Resources certification. 

When Shana is not helping people and companies be their best, she enjoys spending time with her husband, son, daughter and dog. She loves anything outdoors and adventure traveling. When she has a spare minute, Shana enjoys winding down with yoga and reading a good book.

Carla Maniscalco

Director of Volunteers

303-444-3636 ext.119 | carla.maniscalco@ihaveadreamboulder.org

As Director of Volunteers, Carla brings more than 20 years of working with volunteers in a variety of organizations, and of all ages and backgrounds.  She joined IHDF in 2018.  She has a Bachelor’s of Arts in Behavioral Science from Metropolitan State University and a Certificate in Volunteer Management from Metro Volunteers and the Points of Light Foundation.

Karina Carrillo

Mentor & Outreach Coordinator

303-444-3636 ext.119 | karina.carrillo@ihaveadreamboulder.org

Under Construction * Coming Soon

Beatrice Salazar

Director of College and Career

303-444-3636 ext.111 | beatrice.salazar@ihaveadreamboulder.org

Beatrice “Bea” brings a wealth of experience working with both high school and postsecondary students, and is a tremendous asset to the Griffin community (and our organization at large) in helping students think about their educational journeys, postsecondary options, and turning their dreams to realities. “Helping individuals achieve their academic goals!” has been Bea’s mantra for working with students.  She has aiding students and their families in the college going process, and retaining in college. Bea has worked at Metropolitan State, Community Colleges of Aurora and Denver and the Denver Scholarship Foundation ensuring students have resources and are supported to succeed in future goals.

Travis Herbert

Senior Director

303-444-3636 | travis.herbert@ihaveadreamboulder.org

Travis joined IHDF in 2018 and oversees our middle and early high school sites and prevention programs.  He has over 20 years experience working with youth.  Travis has a Master’s in Social Work from the University of New England and a Bachelor of Science in Recreation Management from Appalachian State University.  He is a registered psychotherapist in Colorado and working toward his LCSW licensure.

Stacey Acquavella

Senior Director

303-718-1742 | stacey.acquavella@ihaveadreamboulder.org

Stacey was born and raised in New York City housing.  She is the oldest child of  immigrant parents.  Throughout her schooling she experienced first-hand the “white space” of education and society.  These experiences have followed Stacey throughout life, encouraging her to continuously seek and create safe spaces while advocating for racial and social justice.  Toward this end, Stacey strives to foster relationships that preclude violence, tear down binaries and embrace the subtleties, complexities, and nuances of everyone’s humanity and capacity to cause harm.  She received a BA with Honors from New York University.  After attending Loyola University School of Law; Stacey worked in the social justice realm for over 20 years.  Her work has run the gamut from working with incarcerated death row inmates in Louisiana to starting a nonprofit in Chicago working with unhoused youth and gang members.  Stacey received her M.Ed from the University of Colorado and her Restorative Justice Facilitator training from International Institute of Restorative Practices.  Her practice as a community activist, attorney, educator has always been to promote a notion of praxis, a combination of reflection and action, creating a community, where each member stands aware of themselves as practitioners and as human beings.  The goal of praxis is one of self-actualization allowing communal interaction in a non-threatening, anti-discriminatory way.

Tracy Leffingwell

Senior Director

303-444-3636 | tracy.leffingwell@ihaveadreamboulder.org

Tracy joined IHDF in 2015. She has a bachelor’s degree in Spanish Language and Literature from the University of Colorado–Boulder and a master’s degree in Foreign Language with a Teaching Emphasis from the University of Northern Colorado. She worked in education and as a teacher before coming to IHDF.

Elyana Funk

Lead Senior Director

303-444-3636 ext.121 | elyana.funk@ihaveadreamboulder.org

Elyana Funk grew up on the East Coast and earned a B.A. from Duke University.  She has lived in Boulder County since 2000 and is proudly rooted in Lafayette.  She focuses on community & team building, education, social justice, and service through reciprocal partnerships and meaningful relationships.  Elyana started working at “I Have A Dream” Boulder in 2000, and in many areas from working with Dreamer Scholars and families to organizational culture and operations.  She first served as an AmeriCorps Member with the Casa class, then for 12 years as the Program Director of the Sanchez Class supporting the same group of Dreamer Scholars from 2nd through 12th grade and beyond, then for 10 years as the AmeriCorps Director with over 300 AmeriCorps Members, and since 2020 as a Senior Director.

Elyana and her husband have 3 children who are bilingual (English/Spanish), and simultaneously amazing and crazy making.  Check out her story on motherhood here.  Elyana serves on the Board of her Jewish community’s temple, Har HarShem. She is deeply honored to both be a part of Team Dream and to learn and grow with the Dreamer Scholar Community for the past 22+ years.

Tina Nguyen

Program Director: AmeriCorps

303-444-3636 ext.121 | tina.nguyen@ihaveadreamboulder.org

Tina joined IHDF as the AmeriCorps Program Director in the Summer of 2021.  Prior, Tina was a tutor with the Oak Class from 2015-2019 and then became an AmeriCorps member.  She served two service terms with the Oak Class from 2019-2021.  Tina has a Bachelor’s Degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with minors in Sociology and Women and Gender Studies from the University of Colorado-Boulder.  Tina is also a sibling to a Dreamer Scholar Alumni so her roots with IHDF run deep.

Brian Rocha

Post-Secondary Coach

303-444-3636 ext.111 | brian.rocha@ihaveadreamboulder.org

After earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Colorado State University in 2019, Brian served two terms as an AmeriCorps member with “I Have A Dream”.  His first term was with the Diagonal Court Class and his second with the College and Career Department.  Brian is now part of the College and Career Team as the Post Secondary Coach.  Born and raised in Boulder, he is also a Dreamer Scholar Alumni with the Iris Class.  Brian is using his experience as a Dreamer and AC to better serve the “I Have A Dream” community.

Johana Campos

Post-Secondary Coach

303-444-3636 ext.111 | johana.campos@ihaveadreamboulder.org 

Johana joined the “I Have A Dream” Foundation of Boulder County in 2021 as a Post-Secondary Coach in the College and Career Department.  She was born in Zacatecas, Mexico and was raised in Boulder, Colorado.  Johana obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Colorado Boulder.  Having been a first generation Latina college student herself, she understands the obstacles students have to overcome in order to pursue a higher education.  She is eager to help and guide the Dreamer Scholars achieve their post secondary goals.

Yesenia Ortiz

Career Coach

720-445-5864 | yesenia.ortiz@ihaveadreamboulder.org 

Yesenia is the Career Coach for the College and Career Department at IHDF.   Yesenia, born and raised in Denver, Colorado, earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Colorado State University in Human Development and Family Studies.  She has previous experience supporting first-generation students of color and is passionate about giving back to her community.   Yesenia also supports and mentors at-risk youth through an adventure therapy program as a youth mentor and educational specialist.

She is committed to supporting, empowering, and creating opportunities for underserved communities.

Karla Alvarado

Program Director: Elk Class @Kalmia Housing Site

karla.alvarado@ihaveadreamboulder.org

Karla joined “I Have A Dream” in 2020 as the Program Director for the Elk Class! She was born in San Salvador, El Salvador. She is also a DACA recipient and comes from an immigrant family, which has driven her to advocate for mental health awareness in Latinx communities. She is eager to use her privileges to help address barriers within marginalized communities. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies at Colorado State University. Prior to IHDF, she worked with at-risk youth and families with significant trauma. Karla is passionate about creating healthy and secure communities for students, providing them with academic, social, and emotional support.

Natalia Luna

Program Director: Diagonal Class @ Diagonal Court Housing Site

natalia.luna@ihaveadreamboulder.org

Natalia joined “I Have A Dream”  in 2020, graduated with her Master’s of Arts in Higher Education and Student Affairs Leadership and has a Bachelor’s of Arts in Communications at the University of Northern Colorado. She is a daughter of immigrants from Zacatecas and her educational journey has helped her establish a passion to advocate for students and family needs from diverse underrepresented identities. Natalia plans on committing to work on her passion by empowering the youth, advocating education equity, and developing brave spaces for support.

Francisco Medina

Program Director: North Boulder @ Broadway East Housing Site

303-323-5422 | francisco.medina@ihaveadreamboulder.org

Francisco is Program Director the Dreamer Scholars at the Diagonal Court housing site in Boulder. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a minor in Women’s Studies from University of Colorado-Boulder. He worked locally with juvenile offenders before joining IHDF in 2018. 

Rebecca Shanfield

Program Director: Alicia Class @ Angevine Middle School

rebecca.shanfield@ihaveadreamboulder.org

Rebecca serves as Program Director for the Alicia Dreamer Scholars at Alicia Sanchez Elementary. She is a California native and graduated from the University of San Francisco with her degrees in Education and Environmental Studies. She has her Masters in the Art of Teaching. Before joining “I Have A Dream”, she was a bilingual educator in Nicaragua and Watsonville for 7 years. She joined “I Have A Dream” in 2021. Rebecca is passionate about working with youth and providing them with ample opportunities to shine!

Francisco Mejias

Program Director: Broadway East @ Boulder High School

720-564-0819 | francisco.mejias@ihaveadreamboulder.org

Francisco “Cisco” has a bachelor’s degree in Education and Bilingual Education from Metro State University. After working as a teacher, he joined IHDF in 1999 as Program Director for the Broadway Class until 2009 and served as Iris Class Program Director from 2008-2018. He is now the Phoenix Class Program Director.

Lupita Crespo

Program Director: La Vista Class @ Angevine Middle School

720-491-2181 | lupita.crespo@ihaveadreamboulder.org

Lupita serves as Program Director for the La Vista Dreamer Scholars at Angevine Middle School.  She is a Longmont, CO native and graduated from the University of Colorado-Boulder with a bachelor’s degree in Communications and Business. She has been working directly with local youth for over 5 years and joined IHDF in 2018.

Dr. Juan Jimenez Diaz

Program Director: Oak Class @ Boulder High School

juan.jimenez.diaz@ihaveadreamboulder.org

Juan is a trilingual educator (Spanish, French, and English) with more than 20 years of teaching experience mostly at the college level. He is originally from Colombia. He holds a Ph.D in French from CU Boulder. Juan has in-depth experience with coaching and intercultural communication. He is committed to equity, inclusion, and strategic change that elevates people’s potential. Juan has received several teaching and leadership honors and awards throughout his career.

Matthew Liggins

Program Specialist: Oak Class @ Boulder High School

matthew.liggins@ihaveadreamboulder.org

Born in West Covina, California. Matthew is a young and ambitious community resource professional. He grew up admiring Civil Rights Activists and politicians who were amazing social justice advocates. He attended UCLA to study political science. During his time in college, he took on many volunteer roles with school- aged youth. This is where he cradled his passion for social equity in public K- 12 education. After college, he was employed as an Instructional Aide and eventually a substitute teacher. Matthew is driven by his desire to discover access to new resources for underserved students and create opportunities for positive change in disadvantaged communities.

Olimpia Mejia

Program Director: Rocky Mountain Class @ Skyline High School

720-369-3442 | olimpia.mejia@ihaveadreamboulder.org

Olimpia “Oli” joined IHDF in 2014 as Program Director for the Rocky Mountain Class in Longmont. She graduated from the Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosi, Mexico. She spent several years in bilingual education and programming before coming to IHDF.

Matt Gleason

Program Specialist: Rocky Mountain Class @ Skyline High School

303-444-3636 | matthew.gleason@ihaveadreamboulder.org

Matt came to IHDF in January 2017. A half year of service lead to a full one, and then some more serving three terms with the Rocky Mountain Dreamer class. He has now found myself as the Program Coordinator with the class, something that he says continues to keep him grounded in his everyday life. Matt graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder in May of 2016 with a degree in Communication. His path has been one of service, experimenting with City Year in New Orleans, riding/leading two cross country cycling trips across the country to raise money and awareness for affordable housing, along with a few other regular volunteer opportunities throughout the Boulder Denver area.

Seth Hays

Program Director: Aspen Class @ Skyline High School

720-480-4499 | seth.hayes@ihaveadreamboulder.org

Seth joined IHDF in 2013 as Program Director for Longmont’s Aspen Dreamer Scholar Class. He has a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Colorado Christian University and a master’s degree in Earth Sciences from the University of Northern Colorado.

Aurora Santos

Program Director: Carbon Valley Class @ Frederick High School

720-494-3895 | aurora.santos@ihaveadreamboulder.org

Aurora grew up on a small Pacific island called Saipan, then earned a bachelor’s degree in Biology and played volleyball at West Virginia University. Before joining IHDF in 2016 as Program Director for the Carbon Valley Class, she worked in education and education support roles for a variety of organizations.

Mireidy Estrada

Program Specialist: Carbon Valley Class @ Frederick High School

mireidy.estrada@ihaveadreamboulder.org

Mireidy joined “I Have a Dream” in 2022. She graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science with a minor in Philosophy from the University of Colorado-Boulder. She served a service term as an AmeriCorps for “I Have a Dream” Foundation with the Carbon Valley site and then became the Program Specialist for the Carbon Valley class. She is a Colorado native and enjoys the great outdoors, attending music shows with friends, and spending time with family.

Estefania Corral

Community Center Manager

estefania.corral@ihaveadreamboulder.org

Estefania is a first generation Mexican-American. She grew up in an agricultural community in central California where her family worked as migrant field workers. Supported by her family and their passion for the “American Dream” she went to her local community college, graduating with an Associates of Arts in English, then transferred to a four year college. She moved to Boulder in 2016. During her time here in Colorado Estefania’s focus has been working with unmet communities and disability equality/equity supports. Her experience with monolingual communities, student struggles and inequity in community has given her knowledge and fuels her passion in providing opportunities for all.