about us
Our Board & Staff
The heart of Habitat is our people.
Leadership Team
Jaime G. Gomez
CEO
Jaime G. Gomez joined Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver in July 2023, bringing more than 20 years of experience in the affordable housing industry. Before Habitat, he served as Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer at the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA), where he helped lead statewide strategic housing initiatives and had oversight of the organization’s single-family, multifamily, and economic development lending functions. Gomez has also served in various banking and financial roles, including as managing examiner for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City (Denver Branch) and as director of finance and business development for the Colorado Office of Economic Development under Governor Romer.
Gomez has had a longstanding relationship with Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver, serving as a board member from 2012-2017 and as chair of the board’s finance and audit committee from 2015-2017. He currently serves as chairman of the board of Mercy Community Capital (CDFI), board member at Housing Colorado, and voting member of the Governor’s Financial Review Committee. He earned his Bachelor of Finance from the University of Colorado in Boulder.
Dana Griffin
Senior VP, People & Culture
Dana Griffin joined the Human Resources department of Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver in April 2015 after nearly twenty years of operations and people management experience in the for-profit education sector. Dana has served as the Human Resources Manager – ReStores, the Director of Retail Operations, and the Director of Human Resources and Risk Management, prior to being promoted to the role of Vice President.
As the VP of People and Culture, Dana oversees the organization’s equity work, volunteer and employee engagement, and human resources and safety functions. Dana graduated from the University of Rochester (NY) with a degree in Psychology and a secondary education teaching certification.
Victor Hernandez
Senior VP, Finance and Administration
Victor Hernandez joined Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver in October 2022, after having served as Director of Accounting at Urban Land Conservancy. He brings a diverse background with over 25 years of affordable housing and accounting experience. Victor has worked in affordable housing at the national, state and local levels. Before joining ULC, Victor was a manager at a public accounting firm, which specialized in accounting and fund administration for private equity firms. Victor holds a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University and a Masters of Accountancy from Texas State University. Victor is a certified public accountant licensed in Colorado and Texas.
Jay Middleton
VP of ReStores
Jay worked worked at Recreational Equipment Inc. for over 20 years before following his dream of joining the nonprofit sector and leading the Habitat for Humanity ReStores across Metro Denver. In his time in the corporate sector, Jay specialized in managing and developing teams and processes. He opened the REI store in Asheville, NC and was nominated for the REI Leadership Award. In 2014, he relocated to Lakewood, CO, and ran the REI store there until 2020. Jay maintains a great passion for the outdoors and loves to support the growth of teams and individuals. In his free time, Jay works on several side advocacy projects, rides his bike in the foothills and mountains of Colorado and works with his new Great Dane puppy on being a little bit better behaved.
Lori Pidick
Chief Development Officer
Lori Pidick joined Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver as the Chief Development Officer in 2016 and oversees the organization’s fundraising and communications. Lori has over 20 years of experience in both development and marketing communications roles in both for-profit and non-profit industries. Previously she worked in development at the Public Education & Business Coalition (PEBC), Central City Opera, and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, and in various marketing roles for Verizon Wireless. Lori holds an MBA from Georgetown University and graduated from Brown University with a double major in Economics and International Relations.
Department Leadership
Fundraising
Communications & Administration
Homeowner Services
Real Estate
Construction
Grants
Technology
Volunteer Engagement
ReStore
Board of Directors
The Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver Board of Directors upholds our mission and ensures the vitality and sustainability of our organization. The board is comprised of 20-25 members who represent the Denver Metropolitan Area and who come from diverse geographic, racial, ethnic, economic, religious, professional, and leadership backgrounds. The leaders who compose our board are critical to Habitat’s success and the impact of our work in the community.
2023 Officers
Chair
Cris A. White
Vice Chair
Gail Fritzinger
Treasurer & Assistant Secretary
Matthew Hanson
Secretary
Sarah J. Auchterlonie
Had Beatty
Members
Amy Cara
East West Partners
Janet Colley
Summit Management Company, LLC
Ivette Dominguez Drawe
Alpine Group
The Rev. Dr. Eugene Downing
New Hope Baptist Church
John E. Freyer Jr.
Land Title Guarantee Company
Jeremy D. Held
Bow River Capital
Michelle Jones
Brdzwork LLC
Kevin Kanouff
Statebridge Company
Melissa Millan
Lindsay McKae
Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie, LLP
Farhana Morales
Target
Naiely Miranda
Southwest Funding LP
Peter M. Pendergast
Sea-Land Chemical Company
Jeff Popiel
Geotech Environmental Equipment, Inc.
Marijn Smit
Transamerica Asset Management
Arleen Taniwaki
ArLand Land Use Economics
Herbert Vogel
SM Energy