Meet Our Team

Christine was born and raised in San Diego, California. She moved to Denver in 2005 and this is where she has called home for the last 16 years. Since her arrival to Denver, she has become a mother to 4 wonderful boys and a wife to her husband. Christine has utilized her lived and professional experience to empower community and uplift the experiences of those impacted by systemic and racial injustice. Christine has worked and partnered with over 20 Colorado nonprofits and has supported and built authentic relationships with over 80 DPS students and families. Christine approaches her work from an equity and inclusion standpoint, and with that she continues to be a voice and a pillar in and for the community, moving with a purpose, on purpose, unapologetically.

Emilia grew up in North Jersey, but has spent the last decade in Philadelphia. She received her bachelors in Early Childhood Education from Temple University and her masters in Social Work from Columbia University School of Social Work. Emilia has over seven years of experiencing working in the out-of-school time field in Philadelphia. Emilia is thrilled to join the Heart & Hand team and is committed to providing high-quality opportunities for young people using a positive youth development framework and healing-centered approach.

Emilia is new to Colorado, but since arriving in September 2020, she has enjoyed the access to the mountains, where her and her partner have spent the winter snowboarding. In her spare time, Emilia also enjoys live music, escaping with a good novel, snuggling with her two cats, and eating delicious food. One of her newer food ventures has been making handmade tortillas every Tuesday for Taco Tuesday!

Brianna was born and raised in the small town of Great Falls, Montana. She moved to Denver in 2015 seeking a more diverse community, better opportunities, and a degree in social work. Brianna has an AA in General Education as well as experience with facilitating social emotional learning (SEL) workshops at a Head Start program, and providing community based support for families who have mental health and/or developmental disabilities at AWARE Inc. When she started the Social Work program at MSU Denver, Brianna also began volunteering for Heart & Hand and eventually joined the staff as a Program Leader. She found her strength in building relationships with students and families, and teaching SEL skills and restorative justice to our youth. Brianna started working with the CCR program as an intern in 2019 and discovered her passion for working with older students. She is passionate about collaborating with CCR students and their families to set intentional goals and establish a plan for a bright future using a strength based lens. Being a mother is her proudest accomplishment so in her free time Brianna enjoy spending time with her two sons and two bonus daughters. She also loves to visit her family in Montana whenever she gets the chance.

Blaine began working with the Heart & Hand Center as an intern in 2010 and is now the Chief Operating Officer.  She is a Colorado native who graduated from Colorado State University and is now pursuing a Masters Degree at Regis University. Blaine's favorite thing about working with Heart & Hand are the relationships she has developed with H&H families, youth and coworkers. She enjoys reading, creative writing and spending time outdoors.

Relationships, culture, and community are the core of Timiya's personal and educational philosophy. Timiya holds a BA in Secondary Education/English from Point Park University and a Master’s in Organizational Leadership from Fort Hays State University. She is passionate about working with unprivileged populations and being an advocate for social justice.  When Timiya is not working, she enjoys spinning, crafting, or spending quality time with family and friends.

Ariel was born and raised in Chicago, IL, but is looking forward to the experiences that Colorado will bring. She received her Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies from Illinois State University, a Masters in Legal Studies from Pepperdine University, and is currently working on her Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership and Development from Adler University. She has a passion for giving back to the community and focusing on the healthy positive development of all children; regardless of race, ethnicity, or economic background, action is required by the whole community to instill values of empathy and understanding, so we diminish adverse childhood experiences and fill the gap for opportunities. She hopes to combine community engagement with social justice development to strengthen and empower all those who are underserved, undervalued, and unheard. In her free time, she love to travel and hopes to do more soon to really explore the beauty of the world; She also loves wine and hope to get more invested in the process of it later in life; and she enjoy health and wellness, which is necessary for the two-year-old Rottweiler she has, who’s a huge cuddle bug, loves attention, and loves to play.

Zachary Lindsay is a Colorado native that has never left. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado in Recreation Tourism and Hospitality. Zachary's previous work experience is in youth programming and operation management. His previous employment was Denver Public Schools and South Suburban Parks and Recreation District. Zachary is very excited to work with Heart & Hand, so he can give back to his community. Zachary hopes to be a positive role model for Denver youth. When he is not working, Zachary enjoys being around family, watching football, or training MMA. Don’t be a stranger if you see Zachary in the community!

Angie Neslin is thrilled to be part of Heart & Hand's team supporting families! Born and raised in Denver, she has a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University in Hispanic Studies and American Studies. Following graduation she went to the Dominican Republic on a Princeton in Latin America fellowship that enabled her to develop an urban gardening program at Fundación Abriendo Camino, a nonprofit serving under-resourced communities in Santo Domingo. Loving her work with students and their families, she wound up staying for five years and had the honor of coordinating a full-fledged environmental education program as well as a youth parliament that gave kids and families a voice in the organization's programming and in their broader community. As part of this work, she also became involved with Diálogos Hambre Cero, a UN-affiliated program to address food insecurity in the Americas. She is eager to continue engaging with issues of food justice, environmental sustainability, and community voice in decision-making processes as the Family Development Program Manager at Heart & Hand. Outside of work, she plays electric guitar in a pan-American fusion band, studies poetry, and enjoys walking her dog around her favorite city, Denver.

Cami has always been passionate about building relationships with youth and ensuring that youth in historically underserved communities are provided with the resources and supports needed to help create more of an equal opportunity to quality education. Having worked and volunteered for various after-school programs, Cami is excited about helping build the new High School Program and working with the youth at the Heart & Hand Center. Cami holds a BA in Psychology with a minor in Education Studies at the University of California, San Diego and a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Denver. Originally from Richmond, California, Cami enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, being outdoors, reading, trying new foods, and sleeping in her spare time.