PITON FELLOWSHIP
Mid-Career Cohort
Calling all Metro Denver leaders with 10+ years of experience
Sections:
The Piton Fellowship is designed to help leaders in business, policy and philanthropy leverage dedicated support from Gary Community Ventures to expand their knowledge, network and potential to drive positive change for themselves and their communities. An emphasis is being placed on leaders of color as part of an ongoing effort to bridge the historic gap between diverse talent and access to leadership opportunities.
Mid-Career Cohort
Learn, connect & develop with a network of peers and experts
The Mid-Career Cohort is open to leaders with 10+ years of experience who are interested in joining a powerful network of community members as they learn and progress on their leadership journeys.
Fellows will deeply engage in individual and collective work that centers personal and professional development, human centered systems awareness, racial equity, expanded social capital, knowledge and understanding of key issues faced by communities throughout metro Denver.
Don’t have 10+ years of experience? The Piton Fellowship has two other cohorts that may be for you. The Early Career Cohort is comprised of Metro Denver leaders with similar aspirations and 2-5 years of experience.
Cohort Experiences & Dates
The Piton Fellowship is designed to fit into the busy lives of working professionals
With a strong focus on racial equity, diversity and inclusion, the Mid-Career Cohort is a free 8-month experience that focuses on supporting diverse business, policy and philanthropic professionals — predominately people of color — on their leadership journeys.
The 2025 cohort of the Piton Fellowship runs from February to September, and fellows can expect to:
- Participate in a 3-day kickoff, 6 full-day sessions at our Downtown Denver office and a 3-day, out-of-town venture experience to learn from local and national leaders who are implementing place-based, community-centric solutions to some of our biggest social and civic issues.
- Receive a $1,000 payment to use towards professional development and career-building upon successful completion of the program.
- Gain access to the Piton Network of fellows and alumni, which offers fellows personal, professional and social capital connections now and for years to come.
Specific dates for this cohort are as follows:
- Kick-Off: Wednesday, February 12-14th, 2025
- Session 1: Tuesday, March 11th
- Session 2: Tuesday, April 8th
- 3 Day Venture: May 7-9th
- Session 3: Tuesday, June 3rd
- Session 4: Tuesday, July 8th
- Session 5: Tuesday, August 5th
- Session 6: Tuesday, September 9th
Universal Piton Fellowship Applicant Requirements
We’re looking for leaders who are:
- Committed to leading changes that impact local Denver Metro area communities.
- Enthusiastic about expanding their knowledge and advocacy of justice, racial equity, diversity and inclusion.
- Recognizing how broader social, economic, and political systems impact their organizations, communities, and personal leadership styles.
- Innovators, creative thinkers and change agents who are constantly thinking about how to build breakthrough solutions that will support their communities.
- Empathetic leaders with a strong willingness to learn and collaborate with those who have diverse perspectives across industry sectors.
- Living/working in Metro Denver (specifically Adams, Arapahoe, Denver and Jefferson counties), as this is a place-based fellowship
Why Join the Mid-Career Cohort?
The Mid-Career Cohort is uniquely designed for emerging leaders with 10+ years of experience. Mid-Career Fellows will:
- Interrogate how the intersection of their identities — especially racial identities — impact their leadership journeys
- Develop a deeper understanding of systems applied to their leadership context
- Participate in individual coaching, where they will have the opportunity to explore their own problem of practice in an effort to advance their leadership skills
- Venture outside of their everyday roles to discover alternative methods of practice in policy, philanthropy and business
- Expand their social capital while leveraging the Piton Fellow and Gary Community Ventures networks
From the Fellow
Michelle Tijerina | Suicide Prevention Program Community Coordinator, WellPower
“The fellowship has cemented my own values and background as foundations for my leadership. The fellowship, and all the people in it, have helped to open my mind to think in new ways and see different paths to reaching my professional and personal goals. I now have new tools and ideas for problem solving, relationship building, and my own continued learning.
“When I think of the number of leaders in this program, and how many thousands of people will be impacted after the fellowship is done. I’m so grateful to have participated in such an important experience. It has made me a better leader, learner, and community builder and for that I am so very thankful.”
Apply & Nominate Fellows
The Mid-Career Cohort application window is now closed, However, nominations are always open for our next cohort.
Applications for 2025 Mid-Career Cohort closed on December 13th, 2024. Applicants and nominators will be notified of next steps no later than December 20th.
APPLICATION TIMELINE:
● Application Window: 11/01/2024 through 12/13/2024
● Applicant Interviews through 01/10/2025
● Applicants Notified: Week of 01/13/2025
Nominations remain open year-round. Click the button below to nominate a fellow for a future cohort.
Meet Previous Mid-Career Cohorts
Below are our previous cohorts
Previous Mid-Career Cohort members have included medical doctors, executive directors, founders, marketers, operations experts, principals and public servants. They’ve included representatives from transformative organizations like City & County of Denver, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Denver Public Schools,City Councilmembers, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, and Gusto. And they’ve included civic leaders focused on everything from LGBTQIA+ mental health, human trafficking, job training, access to family resources and environmental justice.
2024 Cohort
Alan Castillo Torres
Alejandra Dominguez
Alejandro Fuentes Mena
Angelina Callis
Anh Lai-O’Connell
Anistasia Bills
Bobbie Alexander
Brandon Brown
Brittany Winkfield
Brittnee Merritt
Dedra Prester
Denise Suarez
Fatimah Ben-Masaud
Felisa Gonzales
Gianina Horton
Graciela Gonzales
Holly Hyosaka
Ismael Ramos
Jazmin Muro
Jess Ervin-Adkins
JoJo Padilla
Justin Toomer
Lesley Del Rio
Lisa Feret
Mellina Stoney
Mike Ramsey
Nicole Smith
Paola Ramirez
Patrice Hawkins
Patrick Walton
Rene Gonzalez
Renee Martinez
Rynn Sango
Simone Williams
Stephanie Perez-Carrillo
Tatenda Muchiriri
Xochilt Alamillo
2023 Cohort
Dante Bills
Gabrielle Bryant
Allyson Drayton
Olga Gonzalez
Brian Hyosaka
Renee King
Marisol Lazo-Flores
Tony Lucero
Ashleigh Madonna
Diana Madriz
Aaron Massey
Maria Mazin
Stephen Padilla
Reina Ross
D.L. Pos Ryant
Annie Thebprasith
Michelle Tijerina
Maria Trujillo
Karolina Villagrana
Mirna Villa Linares
Renise Walker
Mandy Watrous-Gale
Symone Webley
Caleb Zúñiga
Learn More About the Piton Fellowship
Although our initiatives now live under the Gary Community Ventures name, we intentionally chose to honor our history as The Piton Foundation in selecting The Piton Fellowship as the title for this program. We did so because we believe this name tells a perfect story about the idea of ascendency in leadership that Piton has long represented.
There are three cohorts of the fellowship for Youth, Early Career and Mid-Career Professionals. Designed to accessibly fit into the busy lives of fellows, this free experience allows fellows to continue working and learning while building their leadership skills, networks and potential to create community impact. Upon completion of the program, Gary provides fellows a payment to use towards professional development and career-building opportunities.
Share Your Ideas
I would like to see business people try to solve social problems with the same imagination and energy they use to finance a factory or make a deal. Don’t call it philanthropy; call it corporate social investment. Make it integral to business.