The YESS Team
We are a Family of Care, Communication, Connection, Empowerment, and Transparency
Meet The Team
Carlo Kriekels
Co-Founder & CEO | He/him/his
Carlo was born in Belgium and is a first-generation American Citizen. He taught leadership and emotional intelligence skills in Europe from 1995-2000. Kriekels holds law degrees from Belgium and Germany and is proficient in 5 languages. In 2001, he co-founded YESS Institute in order to bring the benefits of emotional intelligence skills to youth and role models. Today, YESS has served 10,000 students. As YESS co-founder, he trained over 5,000 youth and role models, including at MENTOR’s National DC Mentoring Symposium. He was one of the co-founders of the statewide agency Mentor Colorado. Carlo was a lead curriculum developer of the “Youth Outreach Project – Bridging the Gap: Cops and Kids Forums” to improve interactions between youth and police. He is also the author of the audio course and e-book: “The 9 Key Components of Peer Mentoring.”
Carlo received the 2011 “Heavy Lifting Award” from the Denver Mayor’s Office for Education and Children. Kriekels accepted the 2016 My Brother’s Keeper Award from Denver Mayor Michael Hancock for work with young men of color. In 2021, he was recognized by Titan100 as one of Colorado’s top 100 CEOs for exceptional leadership, vision, and passion. The Belgian Ambassador to the United States nominated Kriekels in 2022 for the prestigious Christoffel Plantin award highlighting Belgians which elevate the prestige of Belgium abroad. Carlo lives in Denver with his wife and their Wheaten Terrier with two sons off to college. In his free-time he enjoys cycling over and across the Colorado Rockies.
Vince Trujillo
Director of Programs | he/him/his
Vince is a Colorado native and grew up in North Denver. Before joining YESS in 2017, Vince spent over 9 years teaching and mentoring youth from DPS in topics such as character, life skills, and leadership at Colorado UpLift. Prior to that, he worked as a special education paraprofessional in DPS. Overall, he has over 25 years of experience working with youth in various capacities. Vince has been married to his wife Veronica for 20 years. They have two kids, Aviana who is 10 and Deigo who is 2. Vince likes to spend his free time reading, attending his kids’ events, gardening, playing sports, attending concerts and traveling.
Having experienced his own struggles in middle and high school, Vince is passionate about creating spaces for youth where they feel connected and seen. After high school, Vince did not go the traditional college route, but had the pleasure to be part of a program called ‘Issachar,’ which was transformational for him. When Vince joined YESS, he made it a goal to attend college. He is currently a junior at Metro State University working on a degree in the Human Service field.
Lex Rodriguez
Director of training and curriculum developement
Alexandra Rodriguez brings a rich tapestry of experience and knowledge to her role in education, seamlessly weaving her dedication to social-emotional learning, community engagement, and cultural awareness. As a proud first-generation college student of Puerto Rican-Italian descent, her path has been paved with both challenges and milestones. Armed with a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Denver, Alexandra champions the power of education to catalyze transformative change. Her tenure as a Training Director and Curriculum Writer at The YESS Institute since 2018 has seen her spearhead initiatives like an opioid prevention program for teens in partnership with the City of Denver. Earlier roles, such as a Cultural Arts Specialist at Boys and Girls Club and a YMCA Site Supervisor, have further solidified her dedication to the holistic development of young individuals, especially those who have been intentionally underserved.
Her commitment to decolonizing education is not just professional but deeply personal. Alexandra seeks to merge her past achievements with future aspirations, currently working on a Ph.D. in Education and Human Development, Critical Studies in Education. At the heart of Lex’s work is a desire to foster unity, empathy, and a recognition of the beautiful tapestry of cultures that make up our world. Her ambitious vision encompasses a holistic approach to education, integrating the principles of decolonization, critical hope, and social-emotional learning. Her mission is clear: to forge an educational landscape where marginalized communities reclaim their histories, identities, and futures and work toward collective healing.
Jenny Washabaugh
Director of Marketing & Expansion | She/Her/Hers
Jenny received her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Michigan (2011-2015) before moving to Colorado to attend Graduate School at CU Boulder where she received her MA and PhD in Anthropology. Her dissertation research focused on understanding health outcomes for children facing environmental and social disparities.
With a background in graphic design, visual arts, community outreach, and volunteer work with students with learning differences, she hopes to make important contributions to the Denver-area communities YESS serves. As the Director of Marketing & Expansion, her mission is to expand YESS’ reach into as many communities as possible and showcase the lifelong, positive impacts of YESS’ SEL curricula, peer leadership training, and family/community engagement projects.
Outside of her role at YESS, Jenny enjoys creating art, DIY home improvement projects, and playing with her dog, Bear.
Christina Simonetti
Director of Development | she/her/hers
Christina has dedicated the past 15 years of her career to working within non-profit organizations focused on improving the lives of marginalized and under-resourced communities. Her unwavering commitment to community support is deeply rooted in her own lived experiences, providing her with invaluable insight into the individuals she serves and enabling her to be a strong advocate for their needs.
Coming from a background as a first-generation college student raised in a low-income, single-family household, Christina intimately understands the systemic challenges that many YESS students encounter. She also recognizes her privilege as a white individual and acknowledges the ways in which she has benefited from systemic structures. This awareness fuels her commitment to using her platform to amplify the voices of her colleagues, young people, and the communities she interacts with, all while remaining deeply dedicated to advancing equity in education, well-being, and opportunities for youth, families, and communities.
Christina’s academic and professional journey has been closely aligned with advocacy and resource allocation, always with a keen awareness of the intersectionality that profoundly impacts individuals and communities. Her educational background includes a Bachelor’s degree in Women’s Studies from the University of South Florida, and she later earned a Master’s in Public Administration with a concentration in Gender-Based Violence from the University of Colorado, Denver.
Christina participated in the 2023 Cohort of the Collective Leadership Initiative. In her leisure time, she enjoys hiking, cross-stitching, refinishing furniture, and, most importantly, spending quality time snuggling with her cat.
Dino Abeyta
Family Advocate | he/him/his
As YESS Institute’s Family Advocate, Dino has the opportunity to help local communities resolve challenges and problem-solve life situations for YESS students and their families.
Dino serves the communities of John F. Kennedy High School and Denver North High School. Dino is a Colorado native, born and raised in East Denver. He has over 25 years of counseling and coaching experience. He has worked on behalf of at-risk and adjudicated youth and families that come from very complex, diverse, cultural, socioeconomic, and ethnic backgrounds. He has worked for Denver Health, Colorado Department of Youth Corrections, and Jefferson County School District. Dino has been married to his wife Sonya for 32 years. They have 3 daughters and have 6 grandchildren. Dino coached baseball at the high school and collegiate level for 35 years.
Seantay Patterson
Operations & Office Manager | she/her/hers
Seantay Patterson graduated from Adams State University with a Bachelors degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology. Seantay also earned an Associates Degree in Applied Science from Aurora Community College. After graduating from Adams State University, Seantay started off her professional career at the University of Colorado (Anschutz Medical Campus).
She works for YESS because the curriculum is great, and the students relate to it. She is passionate about YESS because it allows students to reflect and learn more about their community and themselves.
Seantay understands what it is like to struggle in school and comes from a single parent home.
Seantay describes herself as a big kid. She loves spending time with her dad, going hiking, and taking afternoon naps on the weekend.
Dan Medina
Lincoln High School Program Director | He/Him/His
Daniel dropped out of Lincoln High School as a freshman, became gang-involved and ran away from home. He was married by age 18 and by 30 he had six children. He eventually turned his life around, completed his GED, started his own construction company and volunteered as a sports coach. In 1999, Lincoln High School, struggling to reduce gang activity, asked him become the school’s community / attendance liaison and a coach. Daniel searched the streets to bring the non-attending kids back to school, placed negative peer leaders in small alternative schools and increased parent involvement.
His hands-on model combined with the street-credibility earned as a result of his background has helped him connect with and help turn around many “lost kids”. In 2006, the YESS Institute piloted its peer-mentoring model at Lincoln HS with Dan Medina serving as the School Liaison for the program.
Desiree Medina
Lincoln High School Program Coordinator | She/Her
Desiree, a former YESS student, has been devoted to the YESS mission for over 10 years. She holds the unique distinction of being the only YESS team member to have progressed through every stage of the YESS program—beginning as a mentee in 9th grade, then becoming a mentor, advancing to mentor leader, and now serving as YESS’ Program Coordinator at Lincoln High School. Desiree is deeply committed to her role, working with youth from Lincoln High School and their families, and making a significant impact across numerous Denver communities. She has led several successful YESS initiatives, including coordinating vital resources for families in need. Working alongside her father, Dan Medina, who is the Lincoln High School Program Director, Desiree continues to support her community from within, all while being a dedicated mother of two.
James Victor Silva
Program Manager | he/hiim/el
James Victor Silva was born and raised in Denver, Colorado with deep cultural and historical roots within the mestizo Hispano people of Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico. He is a graduate of Adams City High School and the University of Colorado Boulder. He holds dual undergraduate degrees in Political Science and English Literature-Creative Writing, as well as a Minor in The Study and Practice of Leadership as a scholar of the President’s Leadership Class of CU Boulder.
He has worked in politics, publishing, and education through roles within the 2008 Obama for America presidential campaign, The HealthCare Chaplaincy Network of New York City, The Ricardo Flores Magón Academy and The Pre-Collegiate Development Program at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Through his professional experience, James has served in various leadership roles in schools, on scholarship boards, and social justice organizations; all with a primary focus on advocating for underrepresented communities and our diverse Latinx cultures. He views himself as a lifelong educator/advocate for underrepresented students and their families. He enjoys rock climbing, public storytelling, creative writing, and traveling to better understand human history and the human story.
Ximena Quintana
Post-Secondary Success Navigator | she/her/ella
Ximena was born in Santiago, Chile, but raised in Denver Colorado. She is a mother to 2 amazing boys Juanito (14) and Mateo (12). She has 3 crazy (but lovable!) dogs. She loves being outdoors, especially in the summer! Hiking is her favorite outdoor activity. Ximena has worked in education for over 20 years. Her experience working with students was inspired by the lack of support she experienced herself in high school. She has worked with students through numerous pathways, including: teaching, admissions, and mentoring students with career and college planning. Her aim is to positively impact youth and help them see their post-secondary opportunities as they continue to grow and learn after high school. Ximena is committed to YESS’ mission because of the impact and connections she makes with students.
Krystyna Cisneros
Program Manager | She/her
Krystyna is passionate about her role as a YESS Program Manager at Shaw Heights Middle School; she has a desire to take all of the lessons she learned through the trials and tribulations she has faced in life and use those experiences to help youth grow and succeed through their own challenges.
Krystyna grew up in Denver with her sister and single mother – a high school teacher – which instilled a strong value for education in her. Diagnosed with ADHD at 15, she navigated significant challenges that are a part of her motivation to support youth today. A central part of her identity is a deep connection to her Chicano heritage.
After over a decade in business administration, Krystyna embraced community work during the 2020 social justice uprising, leading to her role as the Administrator in the Student Success Services Department at the American Indian College Fund. Previously, Krystyna was the Athletic Secretary at JF Kennedy High School, where she combined her administrative experience with her passion for student advocacy. Krystyna also volunteers with Coloradans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, reflecting her commitment to social justice.
Krystyna has multiple professional certifications, including business administration, paralegal, esthetician, and is a certified college advisor. Her hobbies include riding her e-bike, and she enjoys spending quality time with her friends and family (especially with her 11 year old daughter!).
Cheyenne Bueno
Program Manager | she/her/hers
As a Graduate of Denver North High School, Cheyenne has found her home with YESS Institute; it has given her the opportunity to support youth in North Denver and make a difference to students who truly need someone to support them far beyond their academics. As a North High graduate, she has had the opportunity to come back and support her alma mater community. Thinking back, she can identify one adult who truly helped her get through some of her hardest days as a youth; Vince Trujillo, her former teacher – and current co-worker – at YESS. Cheyenne’s hope is to truly impact the youth in her classroom the same way Vince impacted her. In her classroom, students have the opportunity to feel safe, loved, and seen; while also learning and implementing Healthy Relationships, Responsible Decision Making, Social Awareness, Self Awareness, and Self-Management skills.
Gabriella Lopez (Gabby)
Program Manager | she/her/ella
Gabriella is passionate about working with youth and making positive impacts on their lives; she finds it incredibly rewarding to see students grow and succeed, knowing that she played a part in their journey.
Her extensive experience working with at-risk youth in the DYS juvenile system has given her insight into the real-life challenges youth face in Colorado, as well as the impacts of those challenges. Gabriella was inspired to pursue this career field because of a supportive teacher who made her feel safe and valued when she was younger. That relationship drives her commitment to creating similar environments for YESS students today.
Gabriella is currently attending school to become a social worker, with plans to begin the Social Work program at Metro State. Her favorite extracurriculars include hiking and playing softball. She also coaches middle school athletics whenever she has the chance.
Ayari M Aguayo
Program Manager
Ayari was born and raised in Chula Vista, CA where US/Mexico bordertown politics laid the foundation for her consciousness, artistic expression, and community organizing. In high school, Ayari received a scholarship to attend Camp Anytown: a social justice youth camp. It was there where Ayari began to name her experiences and became an active member in youth leadership programs as an agent of change.
Youth empowerment and radical community healing is Ayari’s life’s work.
For over a decade, Ayari led bilingual capacity-building projects in urban communities mainly focused on supporting resilient youth from at-risk social locations. Ayari’s journey with youth-based enrichment programs began with the Chicana/o Youth Leadership Camp in San Diego where she managed and facilitated engaging activities and identity-based dialogues for high schoolers that promoted social, emotional, and mental growth.
Most recently in Miami’s YES Institute, Ayari provided an inclusive space for young people to express their authentic selves and develop their leadership skills while providing resources and referrals to families of diverse gender and orientation experiences. At the Overtown Youth Center, Ayari managed the Honey Shine mentorship programs for over 100 girls of color to thrive by creating workshops for youth to safely express themselves with social-emotional learning at the foundation. While at the Young Women’s Project in Washington, DC, Ayari partnered with local high schools to recruit over 300 students, leading over 80 youth in daily reproductive justice training, workforce development, and facilitated civic engagement activities. With the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts, Ayari oversaw seven after-school troops, created council wide programs, streamlined lesson plans and organized curricula for over 75 after-school programs in low-income communities to build girls of courage, confidence, and character.
Ayari is openly Queer, Mexican and Puerto Rican of Afro-Indigenous descendancy. Ayari has a Master’s in Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University and Bachelor of Arts in Women’s Studies from San Diego State University.
Ayari has supported gender-based human rights efforts with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico and as part of a delegation: Solidarity with Women in Honduras. Ayari has been named one the top “15 under 30” at the Gay and Lesbian Times of San Diego and received the Spirit of Justice Award from the Metropolitan Community Church of San Diego. Ayari’s poetry has been published in Sojourners Magazine and Black Activism Production Group focusing on spirituality, social justice, and joy!
Julian Banks
Program Manager | He/Him/His
Julian’s motivation for joining the YESS program stems from a deep desire to make a positive impact on the lives of young individuals. His goal is to empower these youths to believe in their potential and achieve what they might have considered unattainable, ultimately nurturing them into the future leaders of tomorrow.
With over a decade of experience in various educational roles within multiple school districts, Julian brings a wealth of expertise to his work. He has served as a restorative justice coordinator and held the position of Lead Campus monitor, demonstrating his commitment to fostering a safe and supportive environment for students.
Throughout his career, Julian has dedicated himself to working with young people, and his passion for this mission continues to drive his efforts in the YESS program.
Heather Coulter
Data & evaluation manager
Meet The Board
Brian Russel
Board Chair
Brian, a Colorado Native, works as a Commercial Banker for BOK Financial. He enjoys building personal relationships, and helping companies achieve their goals by providing unique solutions to complex problems. He attended Baylor University where he studied Finance and Economics. His wife Megan, also a Colorado Native, is a First Grade Teacher in Aurora. He and his wife are active in giving back to the community. They enjoy the great outdoor activities Colorado has to offer, including skiing and hiking, as well as spending time with family and friends
Michael Behrendsen
Mike Behrendsen is Vice President with FirstBank’s Treasury Management Department. His career started in 2013 in Arizona’s East Valley market where he focused largely on commercial lending and business development. Looking for an opportunity to expand his commercial knowledge, he moved to Colorado in 2016 to the Business Banking division where he specializes in business development through treasury management offerings. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business, with concentrations in Communications and International Business, from Arizona State University, he also earned his Certified Treasury Professional designation in 2017.
Donna Cash
Secretary
Donna Cash has more than 20 years management experience in education, non-profit, and corporate settings. With master’s degrees in both Management and Counseling, Donna’s extensive work in the public and private sectors has endowed her with a comprehensive perspective on achieving program fidelity while delivering excellent support and guidance and service. Donna currently is a Global Professional Instructor with Crisis Prevention Institute supporting human service organizations with de-escalation and safety intervention skills for supporting relationships and behavior management of people we serve. Donna’s pledge to educational equity is rooted in the belief that students deserve the necessary care, nurturing, and support required to foster success. Donna is excited to join YESS Institute’ Board of Directors to continue to make change happen.
Teresa Klava
Teresa Sena Klava retired in 2020 as Principal of West Leadership Academy, she was responsible for establishing the school and creating the environment that promoted academic excellence leading directly to college and career readiness. Teresa served as an educator and leader in the Denver Public Schools since 1988, holding a variety of positions including Principal, Assistant Principal, mathematics instructional specialist, and teacher. In addition, she taught courses at the university level at the University of Colorado Denver. Teresa earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education with a minor in Bilingual Education at Metropolitan State College, a Master of Arts degree in Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of Denver. She completed her coursework towards an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership at the University of Denver. Teresa and her husband, Greg, reside in Golden, CO. Together they have raised 4 children and currently enjoy spoiling 8 grandchildren. As a mother and longtime educator, she strongly believes that parents and community are essential partners to ensure student success. Her parents, both retired DPS principals, have inspired her to continually seek opportunities for access and excellence for each and every student.
Courtney Mathis
Isaac Solano
Rob Gillespie
Treasurer
