Jamie is a multicultural native of Pueblo, Colorado and a parent and grandparent with education in Electronics Technology and Psychology. He began his environmental justice work in 2015 as a volunteer Digital Organizer and has since expanded the scope of his work and turned it into his career. He is now the Colorado Senior Organizer for a mother-founded, mother-led climate justice organization called Mothers Out Front that works toward the goal of a livable climate for all children. Jamie also serves as an appointed member of Colorado’s Environmental Justice Action Task Force. His activist background is primarily in racial and economic justice movements and he considers environmental justice a natural progression that’s become his passion and he therefore, approaches all his work with equity, justice, and inclusivity in mind.

Ashley Valdez began working for Xcel Energy in 2015 as the Area Manager of Community & Local Government Affairs for Xcel Energy in Southern Colorado. She possesses over 25 years of experience in the utility industry, having worked in both the investor-owned and electric cooperative business arena.  She has successfully managed a wide range of projects in customer operations and community engagement with strong skills in public relations, communications, corporate sponsorships, and brand development.

Since joining Xcel Energy, Valdez has managed stakeholder engagement across a wide array of projects including approval of franchise agreements in seven communities as well as community engagement with the Pueblo Innovative Energy Solutions Advisory Committee for the replacement generation of Comanche 3, Colorado Power Pathway Project, the Rush Creek and Cheyenne Ridge Wind projects, 2017 Electric Resource Plan/Pueblo Community Advisory Council, and local engagement in Southern Colorado. As area manager, Valdez works to build positive relationships with local governments, partners with local non-profit organizations for social community engagement and fostering employee involvement in volunteer projects.  Her personal motto is “There are no problems, just opportunities for creative solutions.”

Valdez serves as chairwoman of the 2023 Pueblo Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors and served as chair in 2021.  She is on the executive boards for the Action 22 organization and the San Luis Valley Development Resource Group. Valdez is the Pueblo County United Way 2023 Campaign Chairperson and will continue in the role for the 2024 campaign year. Previously, Valdez was a member of the Colorado Workforce Development Council and numerous other boards in Southern Colorado. 

Valdez has been recognized locally, regionally, and nationally for work in communications within the utility industry and has led several state communication and stakeholder engagement initiatives. She has twice received the Xcel Energy Innovator award. In 2018, Valdez was named the 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award for Mass Communication by Colorado State University – Pueblo and in 2012 was awarded the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Touchstone Energy National Brand Champion.

Valdez resides in Pueblo West, Colorado and is married to husband Leroy for 31 years and has one daughter and three grandchildren. She has a passion for singing and is well known in Southern Colorado for performing the National Anthem, including at the Congressional Medal of Honor Society Convention Gala in September 2017. 

Michael Ogletree is the Division Director for the Air Pollution Control Division (APCD) of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). Before becoming Division Director, Mr. Ogletree was the air quality program manager for the City and County of Denver, where he led Denver’s overall efforts to improve air quality. Michael Ogletree is an experienced leader with a passion for using technology to create positive change. With a strong background in leadership and a track record of driving successful initiatives, he has a natural ability to bring people together and drive meaningful change. Since being with Air Pollution Control Division, Mr. Ogletree has been instrumental in major initiatives that focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from trucks and cars and prioritizing the uptake of zero-emission vehicles, creating strides towards public protections from toxic air contaminants, prioritizing Environmental Justice communities in engagement and permitting decisions, improving data transparency, and integrating the next-generation of air monitoring technology. Mr. Ogletree is dedicated to making a difference and creating a better future for us all.

Environmental justice and social change have long been at the heart of Velma’s activities, beginning with her childhood in the segregated South during the civil rights movement that caused her to pursue transformation and social change. She appreciates the organizing style and philosophy that solving the climate crisis requires, addressing the combined effects of systemic racism, classism, and corporate welfare. She loves to be engaged with energized and committed members of her community, state, and beyond.