Meet Our Board of Directors
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Tonya Bradshaw
Board member since: 2016
Area of expertise: Finance
Tonya’s Gift story: My favorite Christmas gift when I was a kid was my first Cabbage Patch Doll. It was the preemie doll and I loved it! I bought real baby clothes and constantly played with it. Over the years, I got other Cabbage Patch Dolls but my first was always my favorite and brought me so much joy.
Tonya’s Professional Background: Tonya is a Senior Financial Analyst for a large IT company. She’s always been a numbers person and has an eye for details. In her role, she has the opportunity to understand the numbers, improve processes and is counted on as a valuable team member.
Tonya attended the University of Wyoming where she graduated with a degree in Business Administration and Minor in Management. She has been a member of the Dolls for Daughters® board since 2016; however, she has been volunteering with the organization since 2010.
Learn more about Tonya on her LinkedIn page.
Kristin Battenfield
Director
Board member since: 2017
Area of Expertise: Marketing/Advertising
Kristin’s toy story:
My entire childhood, I remember going to my grandparent’s house in Arizona once or twice a year and a colorful jester pull toy would be peeking around a corner waiting for my sister and I to play with it. We would fight over who got to pull it around the house first to make the loud “musical” noise on the hand-made xylophone. This toy was handmade by our mom’s cousin who is like an uncle to us…he is an accomplished artist in California now but some 40+ years ago he made this toy so that there was always something fun to play with that “lived” at our grandparent’s house.
Fast forward to 2007 when my amazing 98 year old Grandfather was a few months from passing away: I went to Phoenix to visit him and one afternoon, when the great-grandchildren, five other cousins, and too many relatives to count had somehow disappeared from Grandpa’s assisted living apartment he looked at me and said “I want you to have The Toy”. Yes, he still had it. There at the assisted living complex, so when kids came to visit, the musical jester sat peeking around a potted plant on the floor. He said that the jester belonged in my 130 year old house in Denver and he told me to put it in my bag before anyone else noticed. It was my favorite toy then and it is, by far, one of my prized possessions now.
Kristin’s Professional Background:
Kristin grew up in Nebraska and graduated with honors from Missouri State University. She moved to Denver in 1997 and has been in media and advertising for twenty years. After selling newspaper, outdoor advertising, TV and digital medias – Kristin opened her own marketing consulting firm in 2016. KBat Communications specializes in media placement, digital strategies and non-profit consulting. Kristin has been involved in the Denver non-profit community for 12+ years. She was a big sister at Big Brothers/Big Sisters, she volunteered for Komen Colorado for 3 years and she then served on the Komen Colorado Board of Directors for 5 years – along with 1 year as Board President. Kristin has been a member of the Dolls for Daughters® board since early 2017 and is thrilled to be helping kids in the Colorado community.
Learn more about Kristin on her business website: www.KbatCommunications.com
Mirella Chavez
Secretary and Director
Board member since: 2017
Area of expertise: Volunteerism
Mirella’s Gift story: Chewbacca is my favorite stuffed wookie. I have always had this fascination with Star Wars. I preferred collecting posters and pogs because they were affordable and easy to trade. To this day I am a fan and love to reference some oh so wise words from some of the episodes but one I hold near and dear is one from Yoda, “Always pass on what you have learned.” Quotes like such and being a mom have inspired me want to give back to the community and help families to do the same. After all, it is not our jobs to toughen our kids but love our kids. Kind hearts make for big dreams.
Mirella’s Professional Background: Mirella has always been involved in community outreach work. She currently works at Delta Dental of Colorado as the Community Benefit Coordinator but is most famous for her role as the Tooth Fairy. As a bilingual speaker, she is invaluable to getting important messages out to the general public.
Mirella currently attends the Metropolitan State University of Denver where she is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Health Care Administration with two Minors; one in Sociology and one in Political Science. She has been a member of the Dolls for Daughters® board since 2017; however, she has been volunteering at our toy shop since 2013.
Learn more about Mirella on her LinkedIn page.
Carly Lambert
Director
Board member since: 2018
Area of expertise: Marketing
Carly Lambert is a graphic designer and marketing consultant in Denver, CO working both for 5280 Magazine and as a freelance consultant. Carly began her career early with the magazine as an intern while she was in school completing her undergraduate in Design Management. Over the years, Carly has grown along with the magazine through many roles and now serves as the Assistant Creative Director to the advertising and marketing arm of the company. A three-time Folio Design Award finalist, Carly has an extensive background and true passion for advertising design, event planning, and digital strategy.
Carly is a member of the Art Director’s Club Denver, Denver Ad Club, and AIGA. She is also actively involved in the youth design community as a lecture speaker and advisory committee member to the Colorado High School Press Association and Journalism Education Association. She is a sitting judge to Denver’s Paper Fashion Show supporting DAVA and actively volunteers as a reviewer for the One Club’s Annual Review.
Carly was first introduced to Dolls for Daughters® as a volunteer at the 2016 toy shop and immediately fell in love with the organization and its mission after meeting so many wonderful families and hearing their stories. Carly is very excited to join the board and is eager to help the organization in any way possible.
A Colorado native, Lambert lives in Denver with her husband. She loves anything outdoors, travel-related, or covered in cheese.
Erik Carruth
Director
Board Member Since: 2018
Area of Expertise: Sales/Operations/Logistics
Erik’s Toy Story:
When I was growing up…as a normal little boy…toys did not last long as either they became buried/lost/destroyed…and not necessarily in that order. But…you were not a true kid in South Texas without your trustee Transformer action figure at your side. I remember fondly of staging wars with Optimus Prime and Bumble Bee against Luke Skywalker and Han Solo (Yes, it was not a fair fight)…but those toys and imagination helped make the great times even greater…and the not-so-great times pass by even faster. As I continued to get older, while the toys certainly changed from action figures…to bikes…etc., I never have forgotten those times when it was just me…a mound of dirt…and my toys.
Erik’s Background:
Coming from my hometown of Rockport, Texas….and learning early on that I had a small gift of being able to push people backwards in a little sport called Football, I attended college at Texas Tech University where along with playing football, I earned an undergraduate in Political Science. Upon continuing my post-graduate education in Business Administration/Marketing…I found my career home in the year 2000 with Safelite AutoGlass.
I began my career as an Account Manager building relationships with our clients in West Texas. After a few years, I moved with Safelite to Dallas-Fort Worth with a new leadership role as the Regional Sales Manager. Leading a team from 16 to 32 individuals across multiple states…I was offered an opportunity to re-locate with my family to the Great State of Colorado. Currently, I have the pleasure an honor working with outstanding/inspirational leaders and associates as the District Manager for Safelite AutoGlass in Denver.
Our purpose at Safelite is – “To Make a Difference, and Bring Unexpected Happiness to People’s Everyday Lives.” Being elected to the board for Dolls for Daughters® gives me and our organization the opportunity to really expand our purpose and work towards making a greater difference in our community.
Della Evans
Director
Board Member since: 2017
Della’s story: When I was in 2nd grade, I entered a Thanksgiving themed coloring contest. To my surprise, I won! The grand prize was $100 gift card to Toys-R-Us. When my mom took me to pick out my toys, I was overwhelmed. I had never been in Toys-R-Us and each toy seemed so expensive! My family usually exchanged Christmas presents with the kids that lived at the end of my street. I decided to use my winnings to buy my neighbor kids their Christmas presents. It was that year that I no longer asked my parents for gifts but focused on serving others. I felt compelled to live out the saying “give and you will receive” and I still live by those words to this day.
Della’s professional background: After completing my undergraduate degree, I started my career at a small healthcare medical billing company doing anything the CIO needed me to. I was eager to learn and the CIO was willing to teach me. After sometime, I pursued an opportunity to work for General Electric in May, 2007. Since joining GE, I have held various roles across most of the GE Industrial businesses in IT, Compliance, Services and Commercial. I am a graduate of GE’s executive leadership program, Corporate Audit Staff. Currently, I am a Business Development Leader supporting the growth of GE’s shared service business, GE Global Operations.
Della moved to Colorado in 2006 after completing her Master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma. She was born and raised in Springfield, MO. Della has been a member of the Dolls for Daughters® board since January of 2017.
Learn more about Della on her LinkedIn page
Youth Advisory Board Members
Jack
Jack is currently in 11th Grade at Fort Collins High School. Jack was born in Jacksonville Flordia and grew up in Colorado. He enjoys hunting and playing basketball.
Bailey
I have always loved American Girl dolls whether they were a lookalike or the “doll of the year” I had endless dress up clothes and my grandma even built a house set for them. When I was ten I was particularly obsessed with American Girl dolls and all I really wanted for Christmas that year was a curly haired, freckle faced, blue eyed lookalike doll. I hoped and hoped and hoped to walk down the stairs and see her waiting for me in her perfectly pristine outfit and there she was! I had the ability to create any scene with my dolls and give them a script to follow. I loved making little iMovies that showcased their “day to day lives” now that I think about it, maybe that’s what sparked my love for acting….
Bailey goes to school at Stanley BPS and enjoys participating in Language Arts and Social Studies, plays basketball on the school team and loves to act in the different school plays.
Vivek
When I was just learning to talk (around 16 months), I told my parents that I wanted a stuffed animal as big as I was. After seeing my parents take care of me, I too wanted something to take care of. So when they came home one day with a big, brown stuffed dog, I was ecstatic. I shrieked in joy as I ran over to hug my friend. The dog who I eventually named Ralphy became my playmate. At night, when the sound of the AC frightened me out of my pants, I would hug and cuddle with him. To this day, he still sits on the edge of my bed and protects me. He still reminds me of how he was the first thing to give me the gift of friendship.
I am an 8th grader at Kend Denver School. I enjoy painting, skiing, laughing, and participate in Speech and Debate at school. Most of all, I love spending time with my family.
Julia
I’m Julia and as I wind myself through middle school and soon high school, I realized that one of my passions is helping others. I also enjoy spending time with people who are kind, clever and energetic. I hope to meet many of you soon. My favorite Christmas gift was a Vera Bradley backpack. My favorite toy is my American Girl Doll.
Kaylie
The best gift I have ever gotten was a bright blue soccer ball. I can remember the day I got it. I believe I was 5 years old when my mom surprised me with the new ball. I had been using an old used one before. There is nothing like getting a new soccer ball. As I was growing up I tried a lot of different sports, but soccer is the one sport I never got tired of. Soccer made me less shy and competitive. Without soccer, I would have been a completely different person.
I go to Castle View High School. At school, I am in the Interact Club and I play Jv soccer.
Raj
I am Raj, a fifth grader at Good Shepherd Catholic School. My favorite Christmas gift was probably my iPad. My favorite toys are my 5 Rubik’s Cubes. As I grow up so fast, I still can remember the time where I collected 716 pounds of food in school. I went to every classroom and told them about my drive. I was about 5 (a little younger) and in Kindergarten. I am new to the board, as of November 2017. I hope to continue to work with Dolls for Daughters® and Kenzi’s Kids for the rest of my life. I play football, tennis, a tiny bit of soccer every month (no league), and running. I adore Dolls for Daughters® and I am really excited for this year!
Caroline
For Christmas one year, I received a ukulele from my grandparents. I was ecstatic to get it because I had always wanted one. Whenever I play it, it gives me so much joy and my passion for music grows more and more. This has been one of my favorite gifts I have ever gotten.
I am a sophomore at Valor Christian High school. There I participate in the acapella group as well as the lacrosse and swim team. I enjoy spending time with my friends and family too.
Kayla
Kayla is a 10th grader at Columbine High School. When she is not on the dance floor she likes to spend time with family and friends. Community is a big thing in Kayla’s life and is one of the reason she wanted to join the YAB because she volunteered for DfD for a few years and saw the impact it made in the community around her and she wanted to be involved first hand in touching so many people. Kayla is on the Varsity Poms Team at Columbine and the best gift she got was a pair of pointe shoes for her to continue dancing and expressing herself.
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