Policy and Legislative Action Network

The Policy and Legislative Action Network (PLAN) is a leadership table composed of policy and advocacy leaders from investing partner organizations. The PLAN is a working group that drives the policy and advocacy strategy for the network, focusing on policies, legislation, and funding allocation that can be impacted and/or developed at ALL levels (organizational, municipal, county, regional, state, and federal).

The PLAN consists of a core team of members that meet monthly to engage in critical work sessions, make key decisions, and compile needed information, research, and pre-work necessary to move forward with policy decisions.

Policy and Advocacy Champions

Matthew La Crue
Managing Director, Dentons | Policy and Advocacy Co-Champion

Ryan McCoy
Executive Director, Front Range Community College Foundation | Policy and Advocacy
Co-Champion

Policy and Legislative Action Network Members

Naomi Amaha, Director of Policy and Government Affairs, The Denver Foundation
Andrés Carrera, Denver Metro Regional Director, Senator Hickenlooper’s Office
Joe Ferdani, Chief Communications Officer, Adams 12 Five Star Schools
Maria Gonzalez, Founder and CEO, Adelante Community Development
Lisa D Hough, President/CEO, Adams County Regional Economic Partnership
Lisa Jansen Thompson, Executive Director, Early Childhood Partnership Adams County
Stephanie Knight, Executive Director, Senior Hub
Matthew La Crue, Managing Director, Dentons
Ryan McCoy, Executive Director, Front Range Community College Foundation
Nicole Milo, System Director Government and Community Affairs; Centura Health
Melissa Osse, Vice President, North Suburban Medical Center
Toni Wehman, Chief of Policy & Public Affairs, 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office
Ashley Wheeland, Hunger Free Colorado
Jon Whiting, Senior Management Analyst, City of Thornton

Elected Official Advisors

Local, state, and federal elected officials join PLAN meetings once per quarter to act in an advisory capacity, including the following roles:

Serve in an advisory capacity on matters of statute and policy, providing expertise as elected officials on:
- Long-term strategy for policy and advocacy actions that need to be taken
- Big picture view of where policy needs to shift organizationally, locally, regionally, state-wide, and nationally
Provide content expertise on needed advocacy efforts, such as:
- Understanding where public opinion exists and where it needs to shift to realize goals of the Partnership
- Emerging opportunities for community engagement around policy priorities and the work of the Partnership

The PLAN’s elected official advisors are:

Council Member Jay Jaramillo, Council Member, City of Northglenn
Former Council Woman Jacque Phillips, Thornton City Council, City of Thornton
Former School Board President Kathy Plomer, Adams 12 Five Star Schools Board of Education
Former Mayor Pro Tem Anita Seitz, City of Westminster
Council Member Ann Taddeo, Council Member, City of Brighton

For more information contact, Kayah Swanson, Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy, at KayahSwanson@RMPbackbone.org