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DANIELS FUND
and communities of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming
Management Team
Biographies
Hanna Skandera
President & Chief Executive Officer
Hanna Skandera joined the Daniels Fund as a Board member in 2019 and was subsequently selected as president and CEO in 2020 due to her proven track record of transformative leadership and impact in both public and private sector organizations.
Founded by cable pioneer Bill Daniels, the Daniels Fund transforms communities through grantmaking and college scholarships in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. Its mission is rooted in Bill Daniels’ own life story, vision, and values and its work is centered on developing contributing citizens, enhancing quality of life, driving upward mobility, and promoting the free market. In 2021, the Daniels Fund celebrated giving away $1 billion since 2000.
Nationally recognized for her expertise in education, with significant improvements in student achievement, she previously served as secretary of education for New Mexico under Governor Susana Martinez. Prior to serving as secretary of education, she also was undersecretary for California Governor Schwarzenegger, deputy commissioner for Florida Governor Jeb Bush and deputy chief of staff and senior policy advisor for the U. S. Department of Education.
Hanna has founded multiple education initiatives and leadership programs and has been a visiting professor of Education Policy and Impact at the Pepperdine School of Public Policy, Distinguished Teaching Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, and a research fellow with the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. She has been recognized by Pepperdine as both a Distinguished Alumni and an Outstanding Woman in Leadership.
Hanna currently serves on the boards of Academic Partnerships, Daniels Fund, Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, Newsela, and Philanthropy Roundtable.
Kristen Lozada Morgan
Chief of Staff
Kristen Lozada Morgan joined the Daniels Fund in December 2020. She oversees administrative services and drives strategic focus and operational efficiency across the organization to achieve greater impact.
Prior to her position at the Daniels Fund, Kristen served as a consultant to nonprofit and education organizations across the country with an eye toward driving increased outcomes while realizing efficiencies. Previously, she led the unified enrollment system for the city of New Orleans as the Executive Director of Student Enrollment at the Louisiana Recovery School District and Chief Operating Officer for a network of charter schools.
Kristen holds a bachelor's degree from Harvard College and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Tulane University’s Freeman School of Business.
David Brown
Senior Vice President, Finance & Operations and Chief Financial Officer
David Brown joined the Daniels Fund in December 2007. As the Chief Financial Officer, David manages finance activities and serves as the Board Treasurer. He also manages operations including information technology and the analysis and reporting of data used in business activities across all departments.
Prior to joining Daniels Fund, David served as a Financial Analyst and IT Project Manager for Land Title Guarantee Company.
David is committed to community investment, which is at the heart of the Daniels Fund’s work. David worked as a volunteer for numerous years, providing assistance to international students through International Students Incorporated. He is a past board member of DenverWorks. David is a member of the Leadership Network at the American Enterprise Institute, an alumni of Leadership Program of the Rockies, and a graduate of the Metro Denver Chamber Leadership Foundation's Impact Denver.
David has presented on cybersecurity topics at conferences, serves on multiple technology committees, and advises non-profits on cybersecurity matters to enhance the security practices of communities the Daniels Fund serves.
David holds an M.B.A. from Regis University, a Master of Science degree in Information Security Engineering from the SANS Technology Institute, and a bachelor’s degree in Business from Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado. David has earned 13 cybersecurity certifications, including the industry leading Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). He was the 170th cybersecurity professional in the world to earn the prestigious Security Expert (GSE) designation.
Bill Fowler
Senior Vice President, Investments
Bill Fowler joined the Daniels Fund in April 2012 as the Senior Vice President of the Grants Program. In June 2015, Bill changed roles and moved to Senior Vice President of the Scholarship Program. In August 2020, Bill moved to another role in the Daniels Fund as Senior Vice President of Investments where he assists the CFO and the Investment Committee in managing the administrative and operational functions associated with the Daniels Fund investment portfolio. Bill works closely with the Fund’s investment consultant in providing oversight for managing the investment assets.
Prior to his position at the Daniels Fund, he served as chief financial officer and chief operating officer of Daniels & Associates, L.P. a privately owned media and telecommunications investment bank founded by Bill Daniels in 1958. He had the pleasure of knowing and working with Bill Daniels.
Bill has been a volunteer in the Denver community since high school where he was Key Club president and lieutenant governor. For over 30 years he has served the community in various capacities and is currently serving as an advisory board member of Colorado State University Department of Accounting; current board member of NASBA Center for the Public Trust; Board Member Emeritus and past board president of the Colorado Golf Association.
Bill holds a bachelors degree in accounting from Colorado State University.
Laura Giocomo Rizzo
Senior Vice President, Communications & Scholarships
Laura Giocomo Rizzo joined the
Daniels Fund in November 2021.
She oversees the Daniels Fund’s
scholarship program and its communications function, including
brand integration, graphic standards,
messaging, print materials, and
corporate website.
Prior to joining the Daniels Fund,
she served as Senior Vice President of
External Affairs for the Denver Metro
Chamber of Commerce, overseeing
marketing, communications, public
affairs and events.
Throughout her career, Laura has
worked in communications and
marketing for elected officials, the
Colorado Department of Higher
Education, Centura Health, and SE2,
a Denver-based communications
consulting firm specializing in public
issues.
She is currently on the board of Mile
High Early Learning, Denver’s oldest
and largest provider of subsidized
quality early childhood care, and a
member of the community advisory
board of Presbyterian St. Luke’s
Hospital in Denver. Laura is a 2017
winner of the Denver Business Journal’s
40 under 40 award and alumna of
Leadership Denver class of 2016. She is
a Colorado native and a graduate of the
University of Denver who lives in Denver with her husband and two young sons.
Bo Peretto
Senior Vice President, Legacy & Donor Intent
Bo Peretto joined the Daniels Fund in January 2006. He leads the integration and preservation of Bill Daniels’ life and legacy throughout the Daniels Fund and all of its activities. Bo stewards the direction, style, and values of Bill Daniels in a manner that advances Bill’s legacy for generations to come. He also oversees the organization’s headquarters facility and public meeting space, special events, as well as the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program.
Prior to joining the Daniels Fund, Bo served as Assistant Vice President of Administration at Young Americans Center for Financial Education. In this role, he was responsible for supervising administrative staff and overseeing a broad range of the organization’s administrative functions.
Bo is a currently a board member of Young Americans Center for Financial Education and has served on the boards of the Rose Andom Center, Young Philanthropists Foundation, and Colorado Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy.
Luke Ragland
Senior Vice President, Grants Program
Luke Ragland joined the Daniels Fund in July 2021. He oversees all aspects of the Grants Program, including eight grant funding areas across the Daniels Fund’s four-state region.
Prior to joining the Daniels Fund, Luke was the President of Ready Colorado, a statewide education advocacy organization focused on expanding school choice. Previously, he served as Vice President of Policy at Colorado Succeeds, a coalition of business leaders focused on improving the state’s education system. Luke practiced complex commercial litigation at a law firm in Denver immediately after law school.
Luke currently serves on the board of the Charter School Institute, Colorado’s statewide charter school authorizer. He received his undergraduate degree from Colorado State University and studied law at the University of Colorado Law School.
Luke is a fourth-generation Coloradan who grew up working for his family’s logging company in rural southwestern Colorado. He currently lives in Denver with his wife and two daughters.
Karren "Sparky" Turner
Vice President, Community Relations
Sparky Turner joined the Daniels Fund in December 2002. She is responsible for developing and maintaining key business, community, and government relationships throughout Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, to identify opportunities for involvement across the Daniels Fund's various programs.
Before to her current role, she served as a Senior Grants Program Officer at the Daniels Fund, managing grants in Wyoming and Metro Denver.
Prior to her position at the Daniels Fund, Sparky served as a state field representative and assistant state director for U. S. Congressman and Senator Hank Brown. Through her work, she monitored local and national legislative issues and worked closely with individual citizens and civic and community leaders. She also owned and operated her own accounting/bookkeeping business, and owned and published a weekly newspaper, The Fowler Tribune.
Sparky attended the University of Southern Colorado, majoring in Accounting. She has years of experience in the nonprofit sector, volunteering with numerous nonprofit organizations across rural Colorado including serving as President of the Bent-Prowers Cattle & Horse Growers Association, Board Member of the Colorado Republican Party and Otero County Farm Bureau, Chairman of the Second Senatorial District Republican Central Committee, and more.
Bruce Wilmsen
Vice President, Media & Communications
Bruce Wilmsen joined the Daniels Fund in May 2014. He manages the Daniels Fund's media relationships, release of news, community partnerships, digital communications, and social media.
Before his position at the Daniels Fund, Bruce served as Vice President, Client & Marketing Strategy for RBC Capital Markets. In that role, he was responsible for business-to-business digital, print, collateral, and event marketing. Prior to RBC, Bruce was Marketing Manager for Daniels & Associates, L.P., a privately owned media and telecommunications investment bank founded by Bill Daniels in 1958.
Bruce holds a bachelor's degree in Marketing from the University of Colorado.