Aaron Hackett
(he/him)
Western Colorado Lead Organizer
Aaron grew up in West Virginia where he became deeply involved in grassroots organizing. Inspired by his grandfather, who was a public school teacher of more than 30 years, he ran for the Board of Education in his home county at the age of 21. Despite losing, he began working for the Working Families Party in West Virginia to help get others elected. Aaron believes strongly in the importance of organizing in small cities and rural communities and is excited to help amplify the voices and voting power of young people throughout Colorado’s Western Slope.
When not working, Aaron enjoys being outdoors, watching Ted Lasso or The Mandalorian, and telling anyone who will listen that he owns a share of the publicly-owned Green Bay Packers.
Arianna Morales
(she/her)
Organizing Director
As a devout believer in astrology, Arianna attributes all of her success to being born at 4:23 PM in Ventura County on a beautiful January day. In truth, her success is a combination of her passion to give back to her community and a deep commitment to make her Mama proud. While attending Metropolitan State University, she joined the 2018 Colorado Latino Leadership Advocacy and Research Organization (CLLARO) fellowship and researched the impacts of health and education policies on Latinx lives in Colorado. After graduating magna cum laude as a first-generation student with a degree in Chicano Studies, she joined New Era Colorado in 2019.
When she first joined the team, Arianna supported the leadership development of abortion advocates into activists in the reproductive freedom movement through The Brazen Project. She then became policy manager, where she held leaders accountable to the Youth Agenda and drove New Era’s issue campaigns with the policy team.
As our new organizing director, Arianna brings years of institutional knowledge to the table and is excited to continue supporting organizers on the ground while building out New Era’s new regional program. Outside of work, she spends her time reluctantly going on walks with her girlfriend and giving her cat the silent treatment.
Camila Navarrette
(she/ella)
Communications Director
Born and raised in mid-city Los Angeles, Camila came to Colorado in 2013 to attend the University of Denver. Many jobs— including a preschool teacher and food writer—later, she became New Era Colorado’s communications director in 2022. With experience in conservation, fiscal reform, health equity, and local political spaces, Camila brings a multidimensional perspective to progressive communications and advocacy.
Influenced by her Mexican-American family’s commitment to creating change and connecting through food, she can often be found making a mess in the kitchen, playing with clay at the pottery wheel, reading, or ranting.
Christina Soliz
(she/her)
Deputy Director
Christina got her start in progressive politics in Michigan, where she grew up. After she graduated from the University of Michigan with her bachelor’s degree in sociology and women and gender studies, Christina began canvassing with Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan. As a canvasser, Christina realized that she loved all the data and details that go into building campaigns, and that sparked an interest that influenced her entire career.
Ten years, a move to Colorado, and a few advocacy jobs later, Christina is still passionate about making sure that people, especially young people and people of color, take their powers and use them to create the world they want to see through relationship building and organizing. In her free time, you can catch Christina hanging out with her sweet baby, two kitties, and partner; enjoying outdoor patios with her friends; or, browsing her cookbooks for new recipes to test out!
Emily Carson
(she/her)
Operations Coordinator
Emily, originally from Denver, believes in creating community change through social advocacy, mutual aid, and policy change. She has worked with many nonprofits, including the International Rescue Committee, before coming to New Era Colorado. Stemming in her work in case management during the Afghan Resettlement program and used data for advocacy at local and national levels, Emily has deep love for working with refugees and immigrants from around the world.
A graduate of Washington State University with a degree in comparative ethnic studies, Emily brings an infectious enthusiasm for continuous learning to her work. Her passion extends to crafting efficient systems within the non-profit sector. Notably, Emily’s journey has taken her through four different states, and 15 different countries. Having recently moved back to Colorado, she is excited to contribute her skills and experiences to the New Era community. Outside of her professional endeavors, Emily finds solace in her love for the environment, often spending her time hiking mountains and fostering a deep connection with nature.
Jorge Hernandez
(he/him/él)
Denver Regional Lead Organizer
Jorge Hernández is a son of immigrant parents from Hidalgo, México, and a Denverite. As a first-generation graduate with a political science degree from Metropolitan State University of Denver, Jorge is committed to advancing equity and advocating for justice. He prioritizes serving and empowering young students and people of color, particularly in the Spanish-speaking community, through community organizing, dialogue, and transformative justice. Those values and experiences remain with him today, and they continue to fuel his passion for creating change. ¡Si se puede!
In his free time, Jorge enjoys bringing the Mexican flavor while skiing during the winter season, watching the sunset at the Mile High Stadium as he roots for the three-time Super Bowl champions, the Denver Broncos during the fall, and dancing to some tropical hits during the summer!
Karl Lapham
(he/him)
Boulder Regional Lead Organizer
Karl was born and raised in north Seattle where he developed a passion for community organizing and a belief in the power of voting to achieve social change. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2024 with a degree in the Philosophy of Law and Society; during college, he was a superstar volunteer with New Era Colorado which allowed him to put his passion for organizing and general advocacy to practice in his local community. Karl additionally has experience fundraising for technology startups and canvassing for Colorado state initiatives. In his free time, you can find him playing Dungeons and Dragons, painting, or exploring the Rocky Mountains.
Kate Kelly
(she/they)
Senior Organizing Manager
As a strong supporter of the power of people and communities, Kate is driven to invest herself in the work necessary for social change. Graduating from CU Boulder in 2021, with a bachelor’s degree in political science and women & gender studies, she is very thankful for the opportunities she’s had and the relationships she built along the way. With previous experience in student groups and nonprofits, Kate found her passion for advocacy and organizing with people and community members. She gives credit to those environments she got to be a part of as a large motivator for her passions today. Recently, Kate took on the role of Senior Organizing Manager in 2024 after serving as Boulder Regional Organizer since Jan. 2023.
Kimberly Carracedo
(she/ella)
Northern Colorado Regional Lead Organizer
Kim is the daughter of two strong Panamanian immigrants who came to the United States in 1999. Raised in southern Colorado, she has always fought for the issues affecting those with historically marginalized identities, accrediting her parents and culture as the biggest reasons for her strong advocacy.
She received her bachelor’s degrees in political science and international studies in the spring of 2023 (yay!) at Colorado State University; during her time at CSU, she fought to have Black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) heard and represented throughout the Fort Collins community. In 2022, Kim became the speaker pro tempore at Colorado State through the Associated Students of Colorado State University (ASCSU). There, she secured funding to create a heavily-needed immigrant services coordinator position to address the needs of immigrant students with a diverse range of identities. She looks forward to making the voices of young folks in northern Colorado stronger than ever before!
Kiyana Newell
(she/her)
Policy Manager
Kiyana is a dynamic policy professional originally from Kentucky but has lived in Colorado for five years. She recently started at New Era Colorado as the Policy Manager! She holds a Master of Public Policy from the University of Denver and a BA in Political Science from the University of Kentucky. She is passionate about overcoming inequality and racial discrimination through reformative justice. With her knowledge of the Colorado political landscape, Kiyana is dedicated to driving positive change and impact through her work in policy management.
Additionally, Kiyana lived in Geneva, Switzerland at the beginning of 2023 for a traineeship. There she was able to monitor United Nations meetings like the 52nd Human Rights Council and publish reports on human rights violations. Her advocacy runs deep and she is happy to continue her work advocating for the Youth Agenda.
Kylie Claxton
(she/her)
Development Manager
Originally from a tiny town in southeastern Michigan, Kylie relocated to Denver to work with New Era as a Development Manager. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 2022, where she studied public policy with a concentration in social justice and inequities in policy. Her education and the influence of relationships built along the way catalyzed her into pursuing a career that centers young voices and progressive policy issues.
Outside of work, Kylie loves any and all things outdoors, cooking yummy vegan food, and visiting every single coffee shop in any city she visits. She also spends as much time as possible trying to show and tell pictures of her beloved cat, Frankie.
Molly Stawinoga
(she/her)
Communications Manager
Molly likes to imagine a country in which every single election has 100% voter turnout and voting is as accessible as filling out a Google Form (and ballot language as understandable as “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”). Born and raised in DeKalb, Illinois, Molly worked in the cornfields for her first job before working at a local news station while attending the University of Missouri. After nearly five years in broadcast news, Molly pitched an investigative story about the lack of reproductive healthcare access in Missouri and what would happen if Roe v. Wade was overturned. When her story was deemed irrelevant, Molly took the eventual Supreme Court’s ruling as a signal that it was time to turn back to her activist roots.
Once she spent time as a legislative aide in the Colorado Senate, she got her next signal seeing New Era hustle at the legislature. She is excited and proud to drive digital communications for an organization that prioritizes equitable, anti-racist policies that will reshape America’s failing democracy.
Mykaela Aguilar
(she/her)
Development Director
Mykaela is a proud Burqueña born and raised in New Mexico. While earning her bachelor’s degree at Arizona State’s Walter Cronkite School, she reported on the complexities of immigration policy and shared the stories of deeply affected people. After moving to Denver in 2016 and searching for community and purpose, she volunteered with the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR). When Roe v . Wade was overturned, Mykaela, now the deputy director of COLOR, led her team through one of the most challenging times in our movement.
Now at New Era Colorado, Mykaela helps resource young people’s political power to create a more free and equitable Colorado for all. She is a rookie gardener who loves tending to her dogs, Kevin LeBron and Barry White, and reading celebrity memoirs.
Nicole Hensel
(she/her)
Executive Director
For as long as she can remember, Nicole has been driven to create a more just and fair world. Before New Era, she spent over eight years working in the field of youth empowerment and education policy. Nicole first moved to Colorado in 2012 as a bilingual kindergarten teacher in Montbello, right when the “Frozen” craze swept kindergarten classrooms across the nation (yes – she knows all the words to “Let it Go”). After teaching, Nicole received her Master’s in Public Policy and Master’s in Education Leadership at Stanford where she geeked out over social psychology, social contract theory, and systems-change. At Stanford, she co-founded an organization called REENVISIONED, a national movement to redefine the purpose of school, where she learned how to unite and mobilize students, teachers, parents, and community members around a shared vision for change.
After moving back to Denver, Nicole continued to work in education – both at Denver Public Schools and a national nonprofit, The Future Project. However, she found that many of the problems she was seeking to solve in education were symptoms of larger societal issues that could only be solved by democracy. Nicole decided to bring her expertise in youth empowerment and deep commitment to social justice to New Era in 2019 as our Executive Director.
Nicole strongly identifies as a Gryffindor, has a dog named Tonks, and owns a staple Hermione costume for whenever the moment is right. She is happiest when she is making Lebanese food (ask for her family hummus recipe) and adventuring outdoors.
Tash Berwick
(she/her)
Political Director
Tash believes that truly anti-racist policies are grounded in people’s needs. Her work as the political director is deeply rooted in coalition building, collaboration, and listening. A lot of the time that means getting out of the office and talking to people! Additionally, she is responsible for overseeing our issue campaigns and accountability work — including New Era’s legislative session program, issue campaigns, and c4 electoral targeting.
Backed by a degree in History from CU-Boulder and a Master’s in public policy from the University of Denver, Tash came to New Era from Denver Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca’s office. In her previous roles, she’s worked on environmental justice, criminal justice, fiscal, and regulatory policies.
Tash is re-learning what it means to have spare time after finishing graduate school and is most exited to catch up on living.