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If you have ideas, feedback, or questions about environmental justice, please email us at cdphe_ej@state.co.us.
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Meet the team
Meghan Guevara (she/hers)
Director
Meghan brings over 25 years of experience in environmental justice, public health, and policy change. She has led efforts across government, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors to center community voices and drive systemic improvements. Throughout her career, she has partnered with grassroots groups, local officials, and national coalitions to tackle public health challenges and advance equity.
Meghan began her career as a community health educator, working with families and young adults on environmental and adolescent health initiatives. Since then, she has held various roles, including serving as a nationally recognized technical consultant, policy analyst, and nonprofit executive. Most recently, she helped design a $48 million grantmaking program to support environmental justice efforts across EPA Region 8.
Meghan received her Master of Public Health Degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences from Boston University and a Graduate Certificate in Environmental Justice at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
In her free time, Meghan enjoys traveling with her family, especially camping across the mountain West.
Lubna Ahmed (she/hers)
Acting Deputy Director, Environmental Justice Boards Manager
Lubna Ahmed brings over 12 years of experience in environmental justice, public health, and sustainability. She has worked across governmental and nonprofit sectors to advance equitable policies and impactful community initiatives. She is passionate about building capacity at the community level and improving the well-being of under-resourced and disproportionately impacted populations.
Born and raised in Ohio, Lubna holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Miami University and a Master of Public Health from George Washington University. She began her career in environmental conservation nonprofits in Washington, D.C., before serving as an Environmental Educator with the Peace Corps in Nicaragua. Her work has taken her from directing environmental health programs at WE ACT for Environmental Justice in Harlem to leading water quality initiatives as Director of Water Programs at Groundwork Denver.
At CDPHE, Lubna has been a driving force behind key environmental justice efforts. As the Environmental Justice Board Manager, she led the Environmental Justice Action Task Force in developing Colorado’s first EJ Report of Recommendations and managed the EJ Advisory Board. Now, as Interim Manager of the Office of Environmental Justice, she is focused on guiding the team through a period of growth and restructuring while continuing to champion the principles of equity and sustainability.
Lubna loves all things food, from cooking and baking to exploring new cuisines. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, dancing, gardening, playing the ukulele, and immersing herself in sci-fi books and films.
Diana Flores (she/hers)
Project Manager
Diana is a first-generation Guatemalan American. She grew up in Colorado and loves all there is to do and see here. Diana enjoys hiking, traveling, and being in nature.
She holds a bachelor's degree in Public Health from the University of Colorado Denver. During her time at UCD, she participated in community service trips to the Navajo Nation and Guatemala. Diana earned her Master's degree in Public Health Administration from Fort Hays State University. She is passionate about health equity, social justice, and community empowerment.
Previously she worked in clinical research on a variety of clinical, public health, and mHealth studies.
Tonya Johnson (she/hers)
Interpretations Specialist
Tonya is a Nationally Certified Medical Interpreter with more than 20 years of experience. She has experience interpreting a diverse range of events from board meetings to city government, community meetings, and medical appointments.
Tonya received her undergraduate degree from The University of Colorado. She lived in Mexico City where she attended university and worked as an interpreter and consultant for several Mexican companies and non-profit agencies.
After leaving Mexico, she was a field consultant and interpreter for the University of Miami Field Epidemiology Survey Team and the Panamanian Ministry of Health working on health programs, rural medical treatment, scientific studies, and clinical trials in the San Blas Islands.
Most recently, Tonya has interpreted a wide variety of community events for the Boulder Valley School District, the City of Boulder, the City of Louisville, and the City of Lafayette.
Tonya loves to travel and enjoys cycling and hiking along the Front Range.
Gabriella Boehm (she/hers)
Grants Specialist
Gabriella (Gabi) Boehm is a Cleveland, Ohio native who holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Health and a Master's in Public Health, Social and Behavioral Sciences, from Kent State University. While in school she had the opportunity to participate in multiple immersion trips to Colombia, Panama, and Ecuador, where she learned about local public health efforts and challenges. Gabi's passion stems from her desire to reduce health inequities and improve quality of life.
In her previous roles, Gabi worked as an Account Manager for Be Well Solutions, a COVID-19 contact tracer for Franklin County Public Health, and as an Adjunct Professor for Kent State's College of Public Health where she assisted MPH students with their Applied Practice Experience projects. Gabi loves food (cooking + eating), walks/hikes with her dog, live music, and stand-up paddle boarding.
Morgan Cameron (she/hers)
Program Assistant
Morgan Cameron joined the Environmental Justice Unit in March 2022, with a passion for utilizing her organizational skills to help CDPHE further support disproportionately impacted communities. She previously worked as a Program Manager for the West Colfax Community Association in Lakewood, working to foster and sustain an engaged community and the economic vitality of the West Colfax corridor. Prior to the nonprofit world, she worked for the National Park Service supporting the Geographic Information Systems Council (GISC) and National Geospatial Program in their resource development efforts.
Morgan earned her Masters of Applied Geography and Geospatial Science from the University of Colorado, Denver, following a Bachelors of Earth Science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, CA. Morgan grew up in southern California, but has enjoyed living in Denver for 5 years. She loves K-pop, gardening, the fiber arts, and playing Dungeons and Dragons with her friends.
Christina Parodi (She/hers)
Environmental Justice Grants Assistant
Christina has 5 years of experience in Grant Management and Oversight with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance.
Christina started in the field of Humanitarian Assistance in October 2020 as a Program Assistant and, most recently, worked as a Program Officer, managing several USAID grants in Mozambique. While at the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, Christina supported Mozambique, Angola, Lesotho, Madagascar, Afghanistan, and Yemen portfolios, and has lived in Mozambique, Africa, Bangkok, Thailand, and Amman, Jordan.
Before starting her career, Christina graduated from Johns Hopkins School of International Studies in May 2020, concentrating on American Foreign Policy and International Economics. Christina speaks Italian and Spanish fluently.
In her free time, Christina is an avid rock climber. Since being first introduced to the sport in 2015, she has climbed outdoors in over 11 countries. She is keen on introducing people to the sport!
Alex Scherer (He/him)
Supplemental Environmental Projects Coordinator
Alexander (Alex) Scherer has joined the Environmental Justice Program as the Supplemental Environmental Projects Coordinator at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Alex has over 13 years of regulatory experience working with the Indoor Environment Program, Oil and Gas Program, and Health Facilities and Emergency Medical Services Division at CDPHE. Alex has diverse enforcement knowledge, overseeing compliance actions for three state regulatory programs. Alex has extensive environmental protection experience regulating hazardous air pollutants, criteria pollutants, asbestos, lead, greenhouse gases, and chlorofluorocarbons.
In his free time, Alex is on a bike, climbing a rock, skiing down a mountain, traveling, giving his dogs belly pets, or honing is Jiu-Jitsu skills.
Rani Kumar (she/hers)
Senior Geospatial Analyst
Rani has spent her career combining her passion for environmental justice with the illustrative power of spatial data analytics. Prior to joining CDPHE, she worked as a GIS analyst with the Environmental Integrity Project working on air and water quality research related to oil and gas development.
She holds a Master of Environmental Management as well as certificates in geospatial analysis and community-based environmental management from Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment. Before her graduate studies, she worked as an elementary school science and Spanish teacher, including serving as an Environmental Educator at Peace Corps Nicaragua.
She holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Spanish from the University of San Diego. Born and raised in Boulder, Colorado, Rani loves biking, hiking, and traveling, having spent four years living in Central and South America.
Sambridhi Pandey (she/hers)
Communications Specialist
Sambridhi moved from Nepal to pursue her Master of Science in Marketing at the University of Colorado Denver in 2018 where she specialized in branding. Sambridhi spent more than 4 years working in marketing and communication roles for several organizations.
In her last role, she worked as a Digital Content Coordinator for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado. During her time at NREL, her projects involved working for the Department of Energy, specifically for the Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs. Additionally, she also contributed to Energy Justice-related communication projects at the lab.
Sambridhi loves hiking, traveling, adventures in the wilderness, and learning new languages.
Yessenia Scholtz (She/hers)
Mobile Home Community Engagement Specialist
In her role, Yessenia will work directly with people who live in mobile home parks to assess water quality in their communities. She will plan, organize, and conduct interviews with residents to understand their experiences and help improve relationships. Her work will inform the Environmental Justice Program in helping to improve water quality for all Coloradans.
Yessenia earned her Master’s in Arts in International Intercultural Communications with a focus on Global Health from the University of Denver. After graduation, Yessenia worked at Denver's Early Childhood Council as a Bilingual Quality Navigator. In this role, she collaborated with childcare providers in disproportionately impacted communities. Her role was to help increase awareness of available resources and enhance childcare quality in Denver County.
Following her time at the council, Yessenia joined Assuring Better Child Health and Development as a Program Administrator. She connected with hospitals, clinics, and private practices across Colorado to standardize the use of early development screening tools. Additionally, she conducted outreach throughout the state to educate families about the importance of early development screenings for their children.
Outside of work, Yessenia loves to travel. She studied in Austria for a year during high school, followed by a year-long internship in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Yessenia spent months in Thailand and lived in Western Australia in 2022. Yessenia is from Colorado's Roaring Fork Valley and is a first-generation Coloradan. She also enjoys learning new languages, reading, exploring nature with her husband and dogs, and cooking with friends and family.
Maria Chavez (She/hers)
Mobile Home Water Quality Communications Specialist
Maria is a Colorado native who was raised in the Cole neighborhood. There, she experienced firsthand environmental justice issues such as pollution, lack of access to safe drinking water, and exposure to harmful chemicals. Maria earned a Master of Science in Legal Administration from the University of Denver and a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from the Metropolitan State University of Denver.
During college, Maria volunteered at many nonprofits, including a law firm that represented workers in litigation.
Maria has spent over seven years in various communications roles. She was a Communications Specialist for the Colorado Department of Early Childhood in her last role. As the Mobile Home Water Quality Communications Specialist at CDPHE, she will lead communications efforts to help the Environmental Justice Program address water quality issues in mobile home parks, as directed in a 2023 law.
During her free time, Maria enjoys exploring Colorado with her husband, twin boys, and dog, Zoey.
Daniel Dean (He/him)
Environmental Epidemiologist
Daniel Dean is joining the Office of Environmental Justice as an environmental epidemiologist. He will work on Colorado EnviroScreen and other environmental health data projects on the team.
Daniel’s research career has focused on environmental exposures from an interdisciplinary perspective. He has a PhD in Epidemiology from Colorado State University, covering a range of environmental exposures and Geographic Information System techniques. He conducted postdoctoral research focusing on the health dimensions of air quality. Daniel also completed a Master of Science in Agricultural Biology at the University, studying the soil microbiome under heat and drought stress, and has undergraduate degrees in Biology and Environmental Science.
Outside of work, Daniel enjoys time outdoors, including hiking and biking, watching wildlife, making art (painting and sculpture), and volunteering. Daniel is from Fort Collins, Colorado.