Leadership
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Aubrey Holland |
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Elle Villalva Akers joined Junior League of Pueblo in February of 2021, and is currently serving as President Elect as well as the Fundraising Chair. Elle is married to Brandon Akers and together they have two children, an 8-year-old boy named Kierin, and a 5-year-old girl name Phoenix. Elle graduated from Pueblo West High School in 2007, and Colorado College in 2011 with a degree in Sociology. Always concerned with the women and children in her community, ELL has volunteered with PRCS, TESSA, RVA in Chicago, and the Boys and Girls Club. Elle now owns a real estate and property management company in Pueblo and Colorado Springs. She enjoys running, gardening and spending time with her family. |
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Alexandria Romero, CPA |
Alexandria Romero joined Junior League of Pueblo in January 2019. She is a Pueblo native and is married to her high school sweetheart, Patrick. Together they have a 9-year-old boy named Julius. Alex earned her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Colorado State University – Fort Collins and her Master’s degree in Professional Accounting from Colorado State University – Global Campus. Alexandria is a Certified Public Accountant and is the Director of Finance for the City of Pueblo.
Alexandria is a Director for the Board of Directors and Past Chair of the Young Professionals Council with the Colorado Society of CPA’s (COCPA) and the Chair of the Young Member’s Leadership Committee with the American Institute of CPA’s (AICPA). Alex previously was on the Board of Directors for the Pueblo Downtown Association, and served as Treasurer from 2018-2020 for the Southern Colorado Runners Club. Alex has been awarded as a 2022 Outstanding Young CPA by the AICPA, two time 40 Under 40 by the CPA Practice Advisor, one of the 40 Under 40 Emerging Leaders by the Pueblo Latino Chamber of Commerce in 2019, a Women to Watch Emerging Leader in 2021 by the COCPA, an Outstanding Woman in 2021 from the Pueblo Library Foundation, and was one of thirty-eight CPA’s nationwide to be selected for the AICPA’s Leadership Academy in 2019. Alex’s hobbies include running, cake decorating and reading. She also enjoys traveling, hiking and going on adventures with her husband and son in their multi-colored 1978 VW bus.
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Gloria Madrill Treasurer |
Gloria Madrill is the Community Relations and Development Specialist at Pueblo City-County Library District. Originally from Pueblo, Gloria earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Business with an emphasis in marketing and a minor in finance from the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs in 2006. Gloria spent a combined six years working as a special event and marketing coordinator at the Pueblo Zoo in Pueblo, CO and Oklahoma City Zoo in Oklahoma City, OK before joining Pueblo City-County Library District’s Community Relations Team. In her current role with the library, Gloria has demonstrated a dedicated and cooperative spirit, assisting the Community Relations and Development Director in events and marketing, funds development, and coordinating Pueblo Library Foundation Board activities. Gloria has been a member of the Junior League of Pueblo since 2016; was named Active Member of the Year in 2017; and was member-approved as 2021-23 Board Treasurer in 2021.
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Tanna Schut Secretary, President Elect Elect, & Membership Co-Chair |
Tanna Schut joined Junior League of Pueblo in January 2019 and is currently serving as Secretary of the Board since 2021. Tanna is married of 9 years to Tyler Schut (who is a Pueblo native), and has 2 children, Brookelyn who is 9 years old and Tyler Jay who is 5 years old. Tanna has a degree from Pueblo Community College in Associate in Science with an emphasis in Physical Therapy Assistant. Tanna is also serving on the Southside Children’s Center Board for the last 4 years as Treasure. Tanna enjoys spending time with family, hiking, exercising, and making a difference in people’s life. Tanna currently works part-time at Parkview Medical Center Cardiothoracic Surgery as a Surgery Scheduler.
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Holly Harsh Sustainer Rep |
Holly was raised in Pueblo, Colorado and a graduate of Pueblo Central High School. She is a proud first generation American citizen; her mother was born in Germany but was brought over by an Nebraskan church from a deportation camp as a young girl. Holly is a mother of two daughters. Zoe and Mara both attend CU Boulder. Holly attended CSU-Ft.Collins and received her bachelor’s degree in Social Science Education. She holds a Master’s degree in Special Education and an endorsement in Career and Tech Education. Holly has been teaching at Centennial High School for about 10 years but began her teaching career over 20 years ago. As a young teacher, newly returning from Atlanta, Georgia, joining the Junior League of Pueblo in 1997 provided her with an instant circle of friends in her old hometown, and the League offered her a wonderful support system in her first years as a new professional and later as a new mother. Holly was introduced to Junior League by founding member Sandy Stein and former neighbor as a child. During her years in the League, Holly started the Book Swap, Chaired Funds Development and Community Impact and as a sustainer of many years, she is proud to host and support the League today. Holly’s closest friends were all developed through my work in Junior League. Because of this connection, I know we share the same values, beliefs, and hope for the future of Pueblo. Together, we all make out small, but positive impact on Pueblo. The JLP really gave me the skills and leadership experience I needed to sponsor the Girls’ Cabinet at Central and Centennial High Schools. Their mission is to empower young women to be leaders in our communities and I love that our mission in the league is so similar. I hope to continue to give and transfer what I have learned and gained from the Junior League of Pueblo into all organizations and community experiences I am privileged to be a part of. “I’ve learned people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you make them feel”. Maya Angelou. |
Doreen Martinez Sustainer Rep |
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Jenny Ramos Communications Chair |
Jenny Ramos is a graduate of Oklahoma State University with a Bachelors of Science in Merchandising. She has spent the last 8 years of her career in HR, currently working as an HR Generalist. Jenny and her husband, Mike, recently relocated to his hometown of Pueblo from Oklahoma City. They have two dogs, Maddie and Clementine. In their free time, they enjoy spending time with family and friends and exploring their new surroundings. |
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Nicole Wismann Community Impact Chair |
Nicole Weismann was raised in Pueblo, CO and currently serves as the Community Impact chair for 2022-2023. Nicole stays busy as a Registered Dental Hygienist and loves dedicating her career to helping people achieve a smile they are proud of and a healthier life. She is happily married to her college sweetheart, Matt, and they both enjoy traveling, biking and being full time dog parents. Volunteering has always been one of Nicole’s passions and Junior League of Pueblo has provided her the vessel to be around like minded individuals trying to better serve our community. |
Shannon VanMatre, Esq Membership Co-Chair |
Shannon VanMatre joined the Junior League of Pueblo in August 2020. She is originally from Trinidad, Colorado but moved to Pueblo in 2018. Shannon earned her Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Texas Tech University and her Juris Doctor from Washburn University School of Law. Shannon is an associate attorney at Franklin D. Azar & Associates.
Shannon is licensed to practice law in Colorado federal and state courts. She is a member of the Colorado Bar Association, Pueblo Bar Association, Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, and the Women Trial Lawyers Network. In her spare time, Shannon enjoys traveling, exercising, going to concerts, spending time with family and friends, and going on adventures with her dog–a German Shepherd named Max.
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Janessa Gallegos Funds Development Chair |
Janessa is a 47-year-old wife, mother, and grandmother. Janessa and her husband David have been married since October 2005. Her only child, F’Lissitee is currently in nursing school. Janessa also has an amazing daughter-in-law, Jailen who is a nurse, as well as two adorable grandchildren, Amaziah (9) & Zaxon (6). Janessa also helps to raise her beautiful nieces, J’lynn (15), K’leigh (11), & Ry’lee (3).
Janessa was born and raised in Pueblo and has strong family ties to this community. Janessa has a background in Property Management and marketing. Janessa’s favorite job was when she was a Flight Attendant for the same airline that her identical twin sister, Vanessa worked for. She loved being in the sky and traveling the world. Janessa loves photography, horses, and especially loves sunflowers. Janessa began volunteering for the Pueblo community way back in high school. She loves to give back and has been apart of many different organizations and groups over the years. Janessa loves to volunteer with her church family as well as with the Junior League of Pueblo. You can often find Janessa behind the lens of a camera taking photos. Her favorite things to do is spend time with family and crafting. Most of all, Janessa loves her Pueblo community and loves to give back. She always encourages everyone to do a Random Act of Kindness each day, since even a smile to a stranger can brighten their day. |
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Parliamentarian |
