Welcoming New DMCI Staff, Wafa Saeed and Spencer Childress
Denver Metro Community Impact is pleased to announce that our staff is growing! Program manager Wafa Saeed and program evaluator Spencer Childress are joining the team to administer the EPIC Grant and further DMCI’s critical work in the community.
Executive director Briana Roy explains the two new roles’ function on the individual and collective levels in this way: “The program manager is building the relationships and coalitions at the city and state levels, as well as with community organizations, partners, leaders, and members, making sure they all have a seat at the table. The program evaluator makes sure we are measuring what we’re doing, and that it is working to accurately tell stories from the lived experiences. They’re bringing numbers and voices together so we can see what is and is not effective, and how we can build and bring change.”
EPIC program manager Wafa Saeed was born in Sudan before immigrating to Colorado at age three. Her background spans medicine, philanthropy, and nonprofit program-building. While working at various foundations, she continually heard DMCI brought up in conversation. “I was always interested in their work,” she says, sharing her excitement for how this role will connect coalitions across DMCI’s service areas so communities can learn from and support each other. “I consider my role really as the bridge between the work and the community’s voices,” she says. “What’s important with this grant is that it highlights equity and not equality, making sure the people and youth affected by this issue are the ones whose voices we’re hearing and bringing to the front.”
Spencer Childress, EPIC program evaluator, grew up in Aurora and spent 12 years in public education as a teacher, guidance counselor, and social-emotional learning specialist before joining DMCI. He also worked with a community-based education journal and his own media company, translating community voices into stories that can influence policy. “The thing about my role that makes me really excited is I get an opportunity to listen and learn with the community,” he says, describing how he’ll turn real-life experiences into data that shapes change. “It’s a chance to be creative and to dream alongside people in communities. To hear their hopes and aspirations, think about my own alongside theirs, and imagine together what this kind of community could look like.”
Between both positions, the job openings drew over 180 applicants, illustrating a growing interest in the community impact work DMCI is facilitating across the city. While the hiring process took time and discernment, Roy felt an immediate confidence about Saeed’s and Childress’s expertise and passion for the work. Assembling the team provided another opportunity to illustrate what Roy says matters most at DMCI:
