Bio

Jenny Dobmeier’s blend of education, industry experience, and deep-rooted commitment to STEM make her an influential educator, inspiring future leaders to embrace innovation and drive success.

Throughout her corporate career, Jenny has established herself as a transformative leader, excelling in boundary-spanning roles across global business, product management, marketing, innovation, and supply chain at Johns Manville, a Berkshire Hathaway Company. Her extensive experience in these sectors underscores her ability to bridge the gap between technical expertise and strategic vision, making her a sought-after consultant and mentor.

As the Founder and CEO of Fuse, LLC, Jenny has dedicated her entrepreneurial efforts to developing the total person, recognizing that personal growth is key to enhancing leadership effectiveness. Her innovative approach empowers individuals to unlock their full potential and drive meaningful change within their organizations.

With a strong STEM background, Jenny is committed to shaping the next generation of leaders who are equipped to thrive in a rapidly evolving landscape.

Education

Jenny holds an MBA from the University of Denver, an M.S. in Engineering from the University of Virginia, and a B.S. in Physics from the State University of New York at Geneseo.

Bio

Barry Baresi is the CEO of Association Ventures and an advisor/investor in two venture philanthropy firms. In these roles, he helps nonprofit organizations embrace innovation to advance their mission, social impact, and financial goals.

Barry’s teaching at DU draws from three decades of experience as a social impact entrepreneur, clinician executive, and public health policy advocate. He has extensive expertise in strategy, business model innovation, and digital transformation. In his student teaching and advising at DU, he applies this expertise to support students in gaining leadership capacity to start up and scale up sustainable social enterprises in various sectors, including healthcare innovation, community design, and inclusive education reform.

Education

Barry holds a Ph.D. in Public Administration from New York University, Wagner School of Public Service, as well as an OD in Optometry from the New England College of Optometry and a B.A. in Biology and Sociology from College of the Holy Cross and completing the Harvard Medical School Executive Education program in Digital Transformation in Health Care.

Bio

Jacqueline (Jackie) Jordan-Davis is a former executive director of both a regional and a statewide nonprofit organization. She is also a coach, consultant, and trainer who applies over 25 years of experience in nonprofit governance, management, community-building and leadership development to support the work of professionals within the sector.

Education

Jackie graduated with High Honors from the School of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin, where she earned a B.S. She earned her MBA from Texas State University in San Marcos, with a focus on Management. Jackie has also conducted post-graduate research to develop a framework for internal community-building, which assesses the impact and presence of ten factors and related practices to improve employee well-being and organizational health within nonprofit organizations.

Professional Background

Jackie is the founder of Workplace Coaches, a boutique coaching and consulting firm. The firm supports nonprofit professionals in improving organizational performance and strengthening their quality of life at work. Jackie has also served as a coach, consultant or trainer on numerous performance and leadership development initiatives. These include multi-year efforts for NeighborWorks and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, as well as similar initiatives for the Boston Public Schools, United Way of America and numerous local and state agencies across the U.S.

Prior to founding Workplace Coaches, Jackie designed and delivered training and technical assistance services for AmeriCorps programs as a subcontractor for several providers of the Corporation for National and Community Service. She was also the executive director of the Capital Area Volunteer Center in Austin, Texas, and the Texas Alliance for Minorities in Engineering.

Motivation for Teaching

Jackie believes supporting the development of the next generation of nonprofit leaders is a vitally important goal. It represents her “why” as an instructor. She also feels strongly that eliciting and applying the knowledge embodied within the class is as important as any of the readings and assignments are in achieving that goal.

Helping Students be Successful

Jackie utilizes research, case studies and real-world experience to connect the dots between theory and practice. She is readily available to students via email, video, or phone to answer questions, and to support their academic and professional development.

Bio

Lynnette Adams is a distinguished nonprofit leadership and development figure with a career spanning over 15 years that blends academic achievement with practical expertise. She offers real-world insights and fosters the development of future nonprofit leaders. Her dedication to fostering positive societal change is reflected in her teaching as she guides students through the complexities of nonprofit management with a focus on effective leadership and organizational growth.

Education

Lynnette received her B.A. in Journalism from Eastern Michigan University, her MFA in Public Relations from Wayne State University, her MBA from the University of Phoenix, and her Ph.D. in Global Leadership from Pepperdine University.

Professional Background

Lynnette has held development positions at organizations such as the Community College of Aurora Foundation and the Crisis Center. Formerly, she served as the Director of Development at Black in Marine Science (BIMS), where she bridged theory with impactful action. Currently, Lynnette is the owner of Joy Eco System, a unique fusion of the for-profit The Joy Architect and the nonprofit The Joy Lab Inc., where she serves as Chief Joy Officer. Through this work, she leads initiatives to cultivate joy-centered leadership, healing, and connection in individuals, organizations, and communities.

Motivation for Teaching

Lynnette is passionate about nonprofit storytelling and seeks to develop the next generation of successful nonprofit professionals. She is not just an educator but also a mentor, equipping students with the knowledge and skills to drive meaningful change.

Helping Students Be Successful

Lynnette places joy and well-being at the forefront of learning, recognizing their importance to academic success and leadership sustainability. She prioritizes emotionally safe learning environments and remains accessible through email, phone, and virtual Zoom sessions to provide guidance and support with empathy and grace. Her goal is to help students become compassionate, capable nonprofit leaders.

Bio

Ryan Rucker has been an adjunct instructor at the University of Denver since 2018. He has been teaching information technology, education and research methods courses at various universities since 2011. Ryan has over ten years of information technology and instructional design experience by serving in various positions (Senior Instructional Designer, Technical Trainer, Instructional Systems Analyst, and Desktop Technician). 

Education

Ryan holds an Ed. D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Valdosta State University, an MBA from Colombia Southern University, an M.Ed. from the University of South Carolina Aiken, and an MLIS and a B.S. from the University of South Carolina.

Bio

Ebenezer Nii Okai Mensah is an educationist, an academician, and a technologist. He works with VMware Inc (Now VMware by Broadcom) as a Systems Engineer supporting Premier Services’ Mission and Business Critical clients.

His career in education and the Information Technology Industry spans over 15 years. During this period, he has been a high school teacher, desktop support engineer, telecommunication engineer, technical support engineer, cyber security specialist and adjunct professor teaching cyber security and networking, virtualization security, wireless and mobile security, operations security and security management and planning​.

Education

He graduated from Colorado Technical University with a Doctorate in Computer Science (Information Assurance) and holds Security + Certification from CompTIA, AWS Academy Cloud Foundation, and VMware Certified Professional (Data Center Virtualization) certifications. His research interests include virtualization securities, cloud computing, IoT securities, network securities and risk management.

Helping Students be Successful

Ebenezer is passionate about education and helping his students to be successful through the use of the latest technological concepts and methodologies. He implements real-life examples, relying on his vast experience in the industry to bring to life some of the problematic theories in the information technology spectrum.

Bio

Trent Bunnell is a retired Army Military Intelligence Officer and Cybersecurity professional with over 30 years of experience. Trent has worked for multiple three-letter agencies within the government and also spent time as a consultant in the public sector. He is currently working with Space Force to develop new ways to protect satellites and ground-based infrastructure.

Education

Trent holds master’s degrees in Cybersecurity and Business and Organizational Security Management from Webster University, as well as two graduate certifications, along with a CompTIA Security+ and ISC2 CISSP.