Arvada Chamber Announces DEI+B KAPS Council to Advance Inclusion Best Practices

November 17, 2022 – ARVADA, CO. Today, the Arvada Chamber of Commerce announced a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion + Belonging (DEI+B) KAPS Council to ensure that the Arvada business community is leading the way in taking meaningful action to improve DEI+B best practices. KAPS stands for Kick-Ass Problem Solvers and the business and community leaders on this council will work diligently to advance the Chamber’s DEI+B commitment.

Belonging is at the heart of the Arvada Chamber’s core values and work to serve the Arvada business community. By creating an inclusive environment, the Chamber’s vision in this work is to empower new perspectives, solutions, and opportunities for our local economy and serve as a champion for advancing all businesses and employees in Arvada. 

Members of the DEI+B KAPS Council include:

  • Jodye Whitesell, Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation
  • Jenny Macias, Hope House Colorado
  • Raven V. Faber, EngErotics, Inc./Faber Anderson Development and Design, LLC
  • Vanessa Kendrick, VK Signature Real Estate
  • Tina Hageman, Family Tree
  • Leslie Brezina, Regis University
  • Maya Oren, Talnua Distillery
  • Teresa YoKell, Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities
  • Terry Carter-Davis, Sooper Credit Union
  • Aurora Elicerio, Comcast
  • Elisa Thurston, Greater Colorado Council, Boy Scouts of America
  • Brianne Sheridan, SFinvest & The Square at Five Parks
  • Masaru Torito, Kokoro Restaurant
  • Joel Zigman, Deeply Rooted Music

Learn more about this council at www.arvadachamber.org/DEIB-KAPS-council.

The DEI+B KAPS Council is the latest step in the Arvada Chamber’s DEI+B focus over the last 21 months. In that time, the Chamber staff and board members have engaged in four distinct training experiences to help better understand internal and external opportunities to support businesses and the Arvada community. This includes working with Thriving Culture, a Denver-based consulting agency to audit, engage and educate the organization’s stakeholders and business leaders on DEI+B best practices and joining Colorado Inclusive Economy’s Cohort 5.

The Arvada Chamber will publish updates, resources, and programs from the DEI+B KAPS Council, as well as opportunities for business and community leaders to get involved.

0 Comments

Related Articles

Key Takeaways from the 2024 Arvada Top Challenges Summit

Key Takeaways from the 2024 Arvada Top Challenges Summit

Over 100 business and community leaders attended the 2024 Arvada Top Challenges Summit on November 13. This annual event from the Arvada Resiliency Taskforce brought together leaders, innovators, and changemakers for a day dedicated to elevating business success and...

read more
Join the Arvada Chamber Team! | Director of Policy & Economic Impact

Join the Arvada Chamber Team! | Director of Policy & Economic Impact

The Arvada Chamber of Commerce is in the midst of a strategic initiative, B.O.L.D. 2026 (Big Opportunities For Leaders To Deliver), focused on improving persistent business challenges that include talent, housing, childcare, and the business environment. We are building a team of tenacious problem solvers who will work to ensure that our talent ecosystem is the strongest in the country by increasing collaboration, aligning performance measures, designing sustainable systems, and sharing best practices. A substantial part of the success of B.O.L.D. will be through Sector Partnerships. Sector Partnerships are partnerships of business leaders, from the same industry and in a shared labor market region, who work with education, workforce development, economic development, and community organizations to address the workforce and other competitiveness needs of their industry.

read more

Subscribe to receive Arvada Chamber news, resources, and events!