Piton Fellows: Mid-Career Cohort

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 November 1st through December 13th. Nominations are always open.

Applications for 2025 Mid-Career Cohort will close on December 13th, 2024. Applicants and nominators will be notified of next steps no later than December 20th.

● Application Window: 11/01/2024 through 12/13/2024
● Applicant Interviews through 01/10/2025
● Applicants Notified: Week of 01/13/2025

Join us to learn more about the Piton Fellowship, the application process, hear from alumni of the mid-career cohort, and ask questions before submitting your application to join the Piton Fellowship.

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.

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