WHO WE ARE

Johanna Leyba is the owner and principal consultant of LGA Consulting, where she brings more than three decades of experience working at the intersection of nonprofits, education, and human services. Her career began at Mi Casa Resource Center for Women, supporting Latina youth, and later at La Clinica Tepeyac, a community-based health clinic in Denver, where she served as Executive Director. From there, she moved into consulting with JVA, helping nonprofits strengthen their fundraising, leadership, and program design.

Johanna’s work has always been rooted in community and equity. After earning a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning with a focus on community development, she joined the University of Denver, where she held senior leadership roles and led efforts to expand diversity, equity, and inclusion across campus.

Today, through LGA Consulting, Johanna partners with a network of social justice practitioners to support both grassroots initiatives and systemic change, continuing her lifelong commitment to building stronger, more equitable communities.

Anna Lopez joined LGA after retiring from a 30-year career with the Colorado Department of Public Safety, Division of Criminal Justice, with a focus on juvenile justice. Her work centered on policy development, grants management, program evaluation, and community engagement to drive meaningful, systemic change. For 28 years, she led efforts to address and reduce the over-representation of youth of color in the justice system by using data to identify disparities and working with communities to implement effective interventions. Anna also contributed to projects focused on delinquency and substance use prevention, as well as improving the mental health response within the juvenile justice system. As a grant manager and later Grants Program Supervisor, she oversaw numerous federal juvenile justice programs, ensured compliance with reporting requirements, and served as liaison to federal agencies. In her final role, she co-led the establishment of seven new state-funded programs created through the 2022 legislative session.

Dr. Hernández is a bilingual, first-generation college graduate with nearly 30 years of experience in nonprofits and postsecondary education. The proud daughter of Mexican immigrants, she brings a deep understanding of equity, access to higher education, and community engagement to her work.  Throughout her career, she has led college access and scholarship programs that have opened doors for countless first-generation, low-income, and immigrant students. She has also held leadership roles with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, the Westminster Public Schools Foundation, the Gill Foundation, and the Chinook Fund—organizations united by their commitment to equity and social change.  Known for her culturally responsive approach, Dr. Hernández advises institutions and teams striving to advance educational equity and serves as a mentor to multiple generations of college graduates. Her work reflects both a professional dedication and a personal calling: to expand access, uplift underrepresented voices, and ensure higher education remains a powerful engine for opportunity and justice. With a collaborative, forward-looking style, she builds sustainable programs and partnerships that drive systemic change and inspire future leaders.

Ana León was born in Mexico and immigrated to the United States at the age of 10. As a low-income, non-native English-speaking student, she overcame significant challenges to pursue higher education, ultimately earning a Ph.D. These experiences shaped her deep understanding of the barriers many individuals face and the vital role of community support in creating healthy, thriving lives.

Driven by this perspective, Ana has dedicated her career to community work through nonprofits, policy advocacy, and the development of culturally responsive and equitable evaluation practices. She ensures that cultural context is woven into every stage of the evaluation process, using participatory approaches that center the voices of marginalized communities.

Her work not only strengthens programs and policies but also empowers those most impacted to influence decisions that affect their lives. Guided by a commitment to equity and justice, Ana continues to advance strategies that address systemic inequities and create more inclusive, sustainable change.

Gayle grew up in Mumbai, India, where poverty and access to clean water remain daily challenges for many. As a teenager she moved to the United States and eventually settled in Northwest Denver, dedicating nearly 40 years to grassroots nonprofit work, primarily within Denver’s Latino community.

She began her career at the Boys and Girls Club in West Denver and later spent nearly 15 years at Mi Casa Resource Center, where she developed youth and adult programs focused on education, business, and economic development. While at Mi Casa, she participated in a Kellogg Foundation initiative that fostered community-led solutions, including documenting stories of leadership and capacity building to guide future partnerships with foundations.

Gayle later transitioned to consulting, supporting local nonprofits with evaluation, program strategies, and community-driven initiatives. With experience as a participant, manager, evaluator, board member, and grant writer, she brings a unique and invaluable perspective to every project she supports.

Kavi grew up in a small Colorado town as the child of immigrants, an experience that shaped her deep appreciation for those who feel like the “other” in society. This perspective fuels her passion for creating spaces, systems, and practices that honor all people and recognize individuals and communities as their own best experts.

For the past 20 years, Kavi has worked across nonprofit, government, finance, and higher education sectors in community development, youth engagement, strategic operations, and capacity building. Her approach is rooted in years spent partnering with young people—making space for their ideas and leadership—an influence that continues to guide her advocacy for centering the voices closest to the impact.

Kavi is an Associate Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation, providing individual and team coaching as well as training in coaching skills. She is also a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory® (IDI), helping individuals and organizations deepen their intercultural competence.