Board & Staff
Arthur McFarlane II Chairperson
Arthur McFarlane II is a native son of one of the most storied communities in American History – Harlem.
He joined Children’s Hospital Colorado in 2014 after retiring from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), where he worked for 25 years. At the CDPHE he started as a statistician for the HIV/AIDS Section of the Disease Control and Environmental Epidemiology Division, creating and analyzing data to address the spreading AIDS epidemic. Next, he was the Quality Control/Quality Assurance Manager for the Health Statistics and Vital Records Division and lead the implementation of the statewide Electronic Birth Certificate Program. He served as a lead analyst in Human Resources for six years, Asthma Program Manager for nine years, then a program evaluator for his last 4 years at the department.
He is now a part-time Population Health Analyst, Outreach Coordinator and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion co-lead in the Breathing Institute at Children’s Hospital Colorado applying his asthma and evaluation experience to pulmonary programs and research projects. He focuses much of his time and attention on evaluation of AsthmaComp, a school-based asthma education program.
He has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the State University of New York College at Brockport and is ABD in Social and Clinical Psychology at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
As the Great-Grandson of Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois he speaks publicly about his Great-Grandfather’s legacy and the relevance of his words and work to the current and ongoing struggles of People of Color throughout the world. He has given dozens of presentations around the world on Du Bois to groups of all ages and backgrounds.
Dr. Robert Atwell Vice Chairperson
Robert Atwell is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice with offices in both Denver and Boulder, Colorado. He has a mixed clinical and forensic practice providing direct services such as psychotherapy and psychological evaluations. Over the past 48 years he has functioned as a therapist, supervisor, and Clinical Director in both inpatient and outpatient settings with a variety of populations, i.e., victims of abuse, substance abusers, delinquent adolescents, combat veterans, and perpetrators of sexual abuse.
He has provided consultation via evaluation and /or testimony in hundreds of legal cases over the past 40 years throughout the front range of Colorado in cases involving determinations of capacity for social and vocational functioning, the impact of trauma and discrimination, trial competency, sanity and child custody and visitation following divorce. He also provides agency consultation and training for mental health and social service providers in the areas of multicultural issues, responses to trauma, remediation of abusive behavior and substance abuse.
He has maintained an active involvement in multiple associations including Association of Black Psychologists. In addition, he has functioned as a seminar leader, supervisor and instructor at the University of Denver’s School of Professional Psychology and University of Denver’s Graduate School of Social Work and a consulting instructor on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder for the National Veterans Training Institute.
Nora Robinson Secretary
Nora Jane Robinson is a second-generation Denver native. She was educated in Denver’s public and parochial schools. Her early years, until she and her sister began junior high school, were spent in the historic Five Points Neighborhood. She grew up knowing Denver’s legendary African American leaders because they lived in the neighborhood.
Ms. Robinson began singing in elementary school and at the age of thirteen was accepted into the Florence Lamont Hinman Preparatory Conservatory; her time at the conservatory led to a scholarship to the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music where she received a Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance. From 1968 to 1974 she studied and performed in West Germany. In 1976 she received a Master of Music in Voice performance from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
After several years as a performing artist, she began 30+ years as a management level arts administrator including the following positions: Coordinator, Events Programs for the Cultural Education Collaborative’s Institute for the Arts in Boston, MA, Program Manager, The D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Manager of Community Partnerships, The Education Department of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and from 1999 to 2016 she served as Director of Education for the Colorado Symphony Association.
Awards include the Helen Phelps Award (2004) for exemplary contributions to Denver Public Schools, and the National Association of Partners in Education, Inc 1996 McKee Foods Corporation Award for Partnership Leaders for work for D.C. Public Schools.
Ms. Robinson is a lifelong member of the historic Church of the Holy Redeemer, Colorado's only African American parish, where she currently serves as the Co-Senior Warden and a member of the Board for the Pauli Murray Social Justice Coalition Center. She is also a member of Coterie, founded in 1915 and Denver’s oldest African American women’s study group.
Harold Fields Treasurer
Harold Fields is active in restorative justice and racial reconciliation projects in Denver and around the nation. He facilitated a citywide monthly racial dialogue that had been continuously active since 1997, the Second Tuesday Race Forum. He was a founder of Multi-Racial Families of Colorado and was the national training director for the documentary Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North, about the most prominent slave trade trading family in America. He served on the Board Trustees for The Denver Foundation for 6 years and is now the chairperson of the Denver Black Reparations Council. In 2017 he was honored by the Colorado ACLU with the Carle Whitehead Memorial Award for a lifetime of achievement in advancing civil rights and civil liberties.
Harold grew up in Tulsa with the survivors of the 1921 race massacre as his mentors. He earned a degree in civil engineering from Oklahoma State University and spent over 30 years with IBM and the airline industry as a systems designer and programming manager. He played an integral role in the development of spreadsheet technology, the first laser video disk, and hotel reservation systems.
Imam Abdur-Rahim Ali
Imam Abdur-Rahim Ali is the resident Imam of Northeast Denver Islamic Center (Masjid Taqwa) in Denver, Colorado and the Co-Chair of Greater Denver Interfaith Alliance. He has been an Imam for over 20 years in Denver and formally the Imam of the Evanston Islamic Center in Evanston, Illinois for 3 years. He served as the president of the Committee for the Removal of All Racial Images that Attempt to Portray the Divine” (CRAID) in Chicago for several years. Throughout, Imam Ali has associated with the leadership of Imam W. Deen Mohammed, who was his mentor. He is a frequent speaker on Al-Islam around the country and was honored to speak at the Interfaith Service at the Democratic Convention in 2008 and the historic breakfast honoring Dr. Martin L King's "I Have A Dream Speech." Currently, Imam Ali contributes his time to the Colorado Imam’s Council, the Detroit National Annual WDM Muslim Convention Committee (DNA), Denver Black Reparations Council and Park Hill Strong, and is an Honorary Board Member of WorldDenver. He is also engaged in efforts to develop attainable and affordable housing in Denver and other community development projects,
Mary Haynes
Mary Haynes is a proud native of Denver with deep roots in Denver’s community, and a 3rd generation graduate of East High School. She is a certified Executive/Transformational Life Coach as well as a professional trainer/facilitator/speaker and certified mediator. In these capacities Mary has worked with individual clients ages 15 – 60 as well as trained faculty, administrators, advisors, peer mentors and students on an effective Academic Coaching model. In addition, she has presented and consulted with C-suite executives of manufacturing companies across the United States. Mary currently serves as a Program Director for multiple leadership programs at the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation. Much of Mary’s career has been in higher education where she spent a dozen years working at 3 different universities and now and 21 years at Daniels Fund, a private foundation in Colorado that provides comprehensive college scholarships and support for college students, many of whom are first-generation students from all backgrounds and from all over the world. At Daniels Fund Mary has served as both a coach/advisor as well as a philanthropic Program Officer
As a graduating senior at Stanford, Mary was the first African American female to be awarded the Dinkelspiel Award in recognition of her community service to Stanford and to Stanford’s Black community. Mary spent an additional 8 years at Stanford as an Associate Director in the Undergraduate Admission Office and as an Assistant Dean of Students/Residence Dean. Mary has always been an active community member and has served as a board member of numerous non-profit organizations in California and Denver. She has received several awards and honors in recognition of her service to her various communities including being recognized twice by the Colorado Black Round Table and in October 2019 by the Colorado Black Women for Political Action as a Woman that Slays. Mary’s most treasured role is a Mom of her 29-year-old son, who is a graduate of the California Institute of Technology (Cal Tech) and works as a Software Engineer in the Silicon Valley.
JoKatherine Holliman Page, MSW, LCSW
JoKatherine Holliman Page is a third generation Coloradan who received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Colorado, completed her foundation year at University of Denver, Graduate School of Social Work and received her Master’s in Social Work from Howard University. She began her Clinical Pre-doctoral work at the University of Washington Medical School Department of Psychiatry, receiving Post Master’s certification in Community Mental Health.
Her professional career includes psychotherapy practices with the first Head Start Center in Denver, Foster Home programs, Leak Watts Residential Treatment Center in New York, Employee Assistance Program International in Denver, and Group Health Mental Health Dept. of Puget Sound. Her executive management experiences include the YWCA of District of Columbia, Girls Incorporated, the US Departments of Labor, Justice, and Health and Human Services. As the first Citizen Affairs Officer for Tennessee Valley Authority, government owned utility corporation, she managed advocacy projects for the economically and culturally disenfranchised populations of seven southern states.
Her faculty appointments have included Howard University, Universities of Tennessee, Southern Colorado, Washington, Chattanooga, Pikes Peak, Metro and Community College of Denver, and the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work.
Board of Director positions have included the Colorado Personnel Board and Mental Health Corporation of Denver, the Racial Justice Commission of the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado, the Colorado Women’s Foundation, White Rose Foundation (Links, Inc.), Colorado Parole Board, the Black American West Museum and Heritage Center, and the Vestry of Church of the Holy Redeemer Episcopal Church.
Her organizational affiliations include Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Links, Inc, Jack & Jill, Inc., Coterie, NAACP, National Urban League, and the North East Neighborhood Association.
Tamara Rhone
Denver native Tamara Rhone devoted 45 years of her life to her passion, teaching in the classroom before retiring in 2021. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a Master’s in Educational Administration from Colorado State University. She is a firm believer in life-long learning and is the founder and CEO of TamRho, LLC., specializing in Educational Consulting. She enjoys developing curriculum and has written an accelerated African-American history course and African Anthropology course.
Tamara has been the recipient of several awards and honors including the 2004 American Stars of Teaching awarded by the U. S. State Department of Education and the 9News Teacher Who Cares Award (2010). She has been recognized with the Black Education Advisory Council Appreciation Award (2004), an African American Leadership Institute Mountain Award (2007), the William “Bill” Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award (2012), the Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award (2013), and the 2014 Cornerstone Educator of the Year from TheEduCtr and many other honors. Tamara is the recipient of an honorary doctorate from the Denver Institute of Urban Studies. During a trip to Ghana, West Africa in 2004, Tamara was recognized for her work in education and enstooled as the Queen Mother of Development of the village of Aburansa. She works toward improving the quality of education in the village.
Tamara is a Co-Facilitator of the Denver Chapter of Coming To The Table. She is a Life Member of Jack and Jill, Inc. Her greatest joy is spending time with her daughter, Amber, a fellow world traveler and professional in the field of mental health.
Rev. Dr. Eric Smith
Rev. Dr. Eric Smith was born in Fort Carson, CO. He grew up in Colorado Springs and attended Coronado High School. He attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo. where he earned a BA in Social Work in 1980. He earned an MSW (1983) from the University of Denver, an MDiv (1986) and a DMin (2006) from The Iliff School of Theology. Rev. Smith is also a graduate of the 2 Year Spiritual Academy which is a course of study in Christian Spirituality sponsored by the Upper Room of the United Methodist Church. Eric will be celebrating 34 years of ministry in the United Methodist Church.
Eric has a heart for Diversity and Racial Justice. In the Rocky Mountain Conference of the United Methodist Church, he has served as Chair of the Commission on Religion and Race as well the Board of Racially Diverse and Inclusive Church. He is one of the original members of the newly founded Denver Black Reparations Council.
His personal Mission Statement is: To be a Co-Creator with God, in creating Racially Inclusive and Affirming communities that bring joy to the hearts of men, women and children as they discover and claim their place in the church, the world and the Kin-dom of God.
Bobbie Alexander, MBA
Bobbie Alexander, MBA, is a passionate advocate for social equity. Born and raised in Denver, CO, she was instilled with a sense of community and social responsibility by her mother, who dedicated over 25 years to educating students in Denver Public Schools.
Bobbie embarked on her educational journey at Norfolk State University, a historically Black university, where she obtained her B.A. in sociology-criminal justice in 2001. Driven by knowledge and personal growth, Bobbie pursued her M.B.A. from the University of Phoenix in 2009.
Over the past two decades, Bobbie has been dedicated to uplifting marginalized communities in the Denver metro area. Her background includes roles in community corrections, law enforcement, human services, and pivotal events such as the 2020 U.S. Census and the historic 2020 election.
Since 2006, Bobbie has been an employee of the City and County of Denver, where she currently holds the position of Special Projects Manager in the Mayor's Office of Social Equity and Innovation.
Bobbie's commitment to addressing systemic disparities in the Black/African American community in Denver is demonstrated through her role on the Denver African American Commission.
Dr. Veronica Wylie
Veronica Wylie is a Colorado native and 2003 graduate of Denver East High School. She is a classroom educator, and has served in that capacity for more than 10 years. In addition to being an educator, she has served her community as a hospital and jail chaplain and continues to do as an active member of the Church of God in Christ where she works in her local, district, and jurisdictional church in both the women’s and youth departments. Veronica received her bachelors degree in Chemistry from Loyola Marymount University in 2007. She has since received degrees from the University of Colorado at Denver, Denver Seminary, and Illinois State University. She also has a PhD from Jackson State University. Veronica has been fortunate enough to have been an intern at NASA, and completed multiple education based fellowships. She is most proud though, of her efforts to walk her talk, in ensuring that everything she attaches her name to is rooted in equity, love, justice, and faith.
“Specifically, restitution for African Americans would eliminate racial disparities in wealth, income, education, health, sentencing and incarceration, political participation, and subsequent opportunities to engage in American political and social life. It will require not only an endeavor to compensate for past repression and exploitation but also an endeavour to offset stubborn existing obstacles to full black participation in American political and social life.”
William A. Darrity Jr. and A. Kirsten Mullen taken from From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-first Century (2020)