MEMBERS:

Sandi Armstrong, (District 7)
Muriel Arvay
Cecil Bethea, Jr. (District 9)

 Sandi Armstrong (representing District 7)

Sandi, LCSW, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has a psychotherapy practice in Denver and also serves as a traumatologist who responds to critical incidents for businesses and organizations.  Sandi has volunteered for many years and chaired the steering committee for Gay and Gray in the West.  She is currently involved in working with the GLBT Center of Colorado to expand programming for GLBT Seniors. Sandi is part of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's Aging Roundtable.

Cecil Bethea, Jr. (representing District 9)

 Dre Dufford (representing District 5)

Dre’ Dufford has served on the Commission of Aging since 2006. She has a MA in Gerontology and has been dedicated to working with seniors for the past 15 years, working as the Director of Bereavement Program at the Hospice of Northern Colorado and  currently working as a Care Coordinator for the Allied Jewish Apartments which is a community for low income seniors. Dre’ has also worked in child protection and mental health. Dre’ is excited about participation in the Commission on Aging and believes that seniors are this country’s greatest underutilized resource

 Joe Halpern

Joe has spent the majority of his working life as an IT Executive for Fortune 500 companies. In the past several years, he has been active in the early stage development of several companies as an investor and executive.  He was on the Executive Board of CTEK Angels, and has been active in the development of other angel investor groups.  He is also a board member of several non-profit organizations (e.g. President of The Association of US West Retirees for CO/WY), and is a Commissioner on The Mayor’s Commission on Aging. 

He serves on the Advisory Board of Volunteers of America and has been nominated to serve on an Advisory Board of the Denver Regional Council of Governments. Since mid 2003, Joe has directed most of his efforts toward volunteer work in the non-profit arena.  He founded BoomersInAction, a  Colorado 501(c)(3).   The organization is focused on providing pre- and post-retirement education and services as well as research.  He is also an Executive Consultant for Right Management, a senior executive outplacement services organization that is a subsidiary of Manpower.

Mr. Halpern holds a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology (emphasis on Applied Statistics and Research Methods) from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.  He taught applied statistics at the graduate level at the University of Denver for 7 years.

 Phyllis Hirschfeld 

Phyllis Hirschfeld is the current chair of the Denver Commission on Aging. She has been a member of the Commission for over six years. She has worked in the field of aging for 18 years and is the program administrator for the geriatric program at Denver Health. She received her B.A. in history from Colorado College, her J.D. degree from the University of Colorado and her M.B.A. from the University of Denver. She alsocompleted a Certificate in Gerontology from the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Denver. Prior to entering the field of geriatrics, Phyllis practiced civil law for 14 years, including several years as a hearing officer for the City and County of Denver. Her interest in geriatrics was spurred by her family's experiences in caring for her grandparents

 Erin Kruse

Erin Kruse has worked with and for older adults since 2005. Erin serves as the Director of Volunteer Services at Volunteers of America. Through two volunteer programs for seniors – RSVP and the Foster Grandparent Program – Erin became involved in promoting and supporting the important contributions that seniors make each day to our community.  Through other programs administered by Volunteers of America, such as Meals on Wheels and the Handyman Program, Erin also became aware of the different needs of our elder population. She has been involved with the Denver Commission on Aging since 2006 and is active with the Advocacy Committee.

Erin Kruse is a graduate of the University of Arizona with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis on Political Economy and Latin American Studies. Before joining Volunteers of America, Erin worked for Caterpillar, Inc. in marketing.

  Mary Madrid

Mary has worked for Denver Parks & Recreation for over 33 years.  She has a Bachelor of Science in Community Recreation with a minor in Spanish and Psychology and a Master of Arts in Recreation Administration with an emphasis in Gerontology from the University of Northern Colorado.  She has worked in all four corners of Denver at Senior Centers, Youth Centers or combination Senior/Youth Centers.  She loves her job and is on the board to represent Denver Parks & Recreation.

 Jamie Malone (representing District 8)

Jamie has lived in Denver District 8 for the past 11 years.  She has been employed with the State of Colorado, in the Aging and Adult Services Division since September of 2000 and is attending the University of Colorado - Colorado Springs pursing a degree in Gerontology.  She is the staff administration for the Colorado Commission on Aging, was instrumental in planning the regional and the Colorado Governor’s White House Conference on Aging events.  She participated in the 2005 White House Conference on Aging in Washington, DC as a volunteer, and continues to attend strategic planning meetings with the Colorado delegation.  Jamie is very active working with and assisting the aging networks throughout the state.  She is a Recognition of Excellence award winner for Customer Service and the 2007 Young Professional in Aging award winner presented by the Colorado Gerontological Society.

 Morris Price, Sr. (representing District 11)

Morris is a retired U. S. Air Force Veteran with over 22 years of service and a U.S. Department of Labor employee with over 15 years of service.  He has been a Denver residence for 30 years and resides in Northeast Denver.  Married (Joyce) with three grown children; daughter and attorney residing in Austin, Texas; daughter and Materiel Engineer residing in Seattle, Washington; son Morris Jr, residing in Denver and currently employed with the Gill Foundation. Morris is a native of Plaquemine, Louisiana where he received his early education; a BA Degree from Columbia College and MA from Webster University. Currently holds membership with the Disabled American Veterans, The Retired Enlisted Association, The NAACP, The National Black Veterans Association; The American Legion, AARP (Driver Instructor for Safe Driving Classes), a prior member of Mayor African-American Advisory Committee; Far Northeast Neighbors Association. 

  Zane Robertson

Zane is the President and Co-Founder of Active Minds, a Denver based
provider of educational seminars for seniors.  He is a frequent speaker on
lifelong learning and senior education and is on the board of several
organizations, including the Denver Coalition for Seniors. Over the past 20
years, Mr. Robertson has founded four companies and led two others as
President or Chairman. Mr. Robertson holds a BA from Carleton College and
an MBA from Stanford University.  He can be reached by visiting
www.ActiveMindsForLife.com

 Juanita Rios-Johnston

Juanita is the Division Director for the Family and Adult Division at Denver Human Services.  Juanita’s background is long term care nursing and was a nursing director prior to coming to Denver Human Services 20 years ago.  The Family and Adult Division provides families and adults with protective, medical, financial and nutritional supportive services

  Michelle Williams (representing District 6)