Board Chair

Director of Food Safety & Quality Assurance, Cappello's

Ludi is the daughter of Filipino immigrants. Her father is a USAF veteran, which gave her the opportunity to live in California, Texas, South Carolina, Okinawa, Alaska, and Germany.

Ludi's work experience is in Quality and Operations in the semiconductor and brewing industries. Ludi is currently the Director of FSQA for Cappello's, a local start-up gluten-free pasta, pizza, and cookie dough company.

Ludi has a BS in Chemistry from St. Mary’s College of CA, professional certifications in brewing and malting from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling in the UK, and is earning her MBA in Executive Leadership from the University of Denver’s Daniels School of Business.

Ludi has a passion for learning about cultures through their food and performing arts. She is excited to be a part of the Colorado Dragon Boat board to help get others passionate about learning about the diverse AAPI cultures. Outside of her professional life, Ludi is an avid gardener and runner (with her proudest moment being completing two Dopey Challenges at Walt Disneyworld two years in a row).

Board Vice Chair

VP of Software Engineering, Uplight

Evan is a serial-entrepreneur with extensive experience in strategic leadership, business operations, and building impactful teams. Before joining Uplight, he was the Co-Founder and COO of Nikola Power, a venture-backed energy tech startup — and was also the Co-Founder and CEO of Zipskee, a travel tech startup. Evan has led various verticals for multiple startups as well as Fortune 500 companies, including teams that generated over $180M in annual revenue. He is deeply involved with Conscious Leadership and is a mentor at Techstars, EforAll Longmont, and Greenhouse Scholars in Boulder.

Evan received his BA/MS from Wake Forest University and his MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

Board Treasurer

Auditor, Crowe LLP

Jeff grew up in Pennsylvania and moved to Colorado in 2001 with his family. He is a certified public account and received a master of accountancy degree from the University of West Florida. Jeff provides audit and consulting services to organizations throughout the Rocky Mountain region. Over the past several years, Jeff has lived and worked in Australia for Crowe Horwath International and worked on numerous international projects in South America, Asia, Japan and Canada. He and his family live in Denver, love the outdoors and try at any opportunity to travel to a new country.

Board Secretary

Director of Marketing, Frndly TV

Chris has over 11 years of experience building brands and the marketing teams to shout about them. His marketing experience spans a wide range of industries including telecom, travel-tech, fashion, and healthcare. Currently, he manages marketing for Frndly TV, a family-friendly subscription digital TV service. Previously, he led corporate marketing for The Apparel Group, a vertically integrated apparel manufacturing conglomerate, and launched their in-house label menswear brand. Chris also leads the volunteer keg-management operations program for the Great American Beer Festival.

Chris earned his BA from the University of Virginia and his MBA from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business.

Corporate Counsel, Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Janet is an in-house trademark and copyright attorney with Agilent Technologies, Inc. Prior to joining CDB, Janet served on the board of directors for the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center (APALRC) in Washington, D.C. as well as the boards of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) and the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of the Greater Washington, D.C. Area (APABA-DC, where she was president from 2005 – 2006). Janet has a law degree from The George Washington University Law School and an undergraduate degree from The American University in Washington, D.C.

Managing Director of Programs, Moonshot edVentures

Daranee is an educator, daughter of Thai-Chinese immigrants, and adventure enthusiast. As Managing Director of Programs at Moonshot edVentures, she leads the strategy, design, implementation, and evaluation of Moonshot’s innovative programming for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ education leaders.

She is a Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics (LEAP) Nonprofit Impact Fellowship Graduate and also serves on the City & County of Denver’s Asian American Pacific Islander Commission. Daranee earned an MA in Educational Policy & Practice from the University of Colorado Boulder. She is currently a doctoral student in the Leadership for Educational Equity in Urban and Diverse Communities program at the University of Colorado Denver.

Daranee is excited to be a Board Member and steward of Colorado Dragon Boat’s efforts to increase awareness of the diverse AAPI communities in Colorado and to promote intercultural exchange within and beyond the AAPI community.

Pediatrician, Children's Medical Center

Dr. Debbie Chen-Becker grew up in Cleveland and Columbus, OH. During her 4 years in St. Louis at Washington University School of Medicine, she served as Co-President for the local chapter of the American Medical Women’s Association as well as overseeing mentorship in the local chapter of the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association. She and her husband moved to Denver in 2003, where she completed her pediatric residency at Children’s Hospital Colorado. She is currently a community pediatrician at Children’s Hospital Colorado. Debbie enjoys spending time with her three children and spends countless hours volunteering at their school. She is excited to be apart of the CDB board to help promote increasing cultural awareness in the greater Denver area.

CEO, Denver Film

Kevin Smith is the CEO of Denver Film. Passionate about film and its ability to transform perspectives and spark constructive dialogue. He is an experienced arts and non-profit leader with a demonstrated history of working in non-profit, entrepreneurship, feature film, and entertainment industries. His current work is focused on building community, conversation, and awareness through film.

He has a B.A. focused in Finance from Michigan State University. He also currently serves on the Denver Commission on Cultural Affairs.

Global C-level Executive & Business Leader

Asha comes from a family with a long history of successful business, and is currently part of a third-generation business house. After completing her studies in India and gaining significant work experience, she moved to Colorado. Currently, Asha is as an advisor and aids clients over a broad range of business enterprises, including start-ups. Asha is passionate about serving the community and society. Empowerment of women in the workplace is an issue close to her heart, and she works with several organizations who are active on this issue. She has been recently recognized by the Governor Hickenlooper for her contribution of bringing the Colorado and Indian community together. Last year she was recognized by the International Women Leadership Association for her outstanding leadership. She is also a member of the American Society of Women Accountants and the Women’s Vision Foundation.

Tax Manager, Crowe LLP

Sandy was born in Taiwan and immigrated to the United States at an early age of 8. She has lived in 4 different states since then, finally settling in beautiful Denver, Colorado in 2017. She received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology, minoring in Business Administration, at University of California, Berkeley. After working a couple of years at a local bank, she then returned back to school to earn her master’s degree in Business Administration, with a focus in Accounting, at California State University, East Bay. Sandy has been a certified public accountant for almost a decade. She is a tax accountant that specializes in corporate tax with a focus in Manufacturing and Distribution as well as Cannabis industries.

Sandy has great passion for traveling, all forms of art, and the great outdoors. She’s an avid runner and hiker, always up for an adventure. She’s very excited to become a board member of the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival. She hopes to contribute to the foundation through her financial ability and help to spread awareness and knowledge of the AAPI community in Colorado.

Engagement Manager Lead – AT&T

Freddie has been an IT Professional for over 30 years and has been working at AT&T in emerging technologies for over 17 years. Freddie served as the Vice President of Operations at Colorado Dragon

Boat Alliance (CODA) for four years and worked extensively with CDBF during his term with CODA.

Freddie is also the coach/captain for the Agua Libre dragon boat team which is made up of parents, faculty, students, and friends of Denver Language School.

Freddie is an alumni of Texas A&M University – Whoop! He also holds several IT related certifications.

In his free time, Freddie helps with training other dragon boat teams in the Colorado area. Freddie is very passionate about dragon boating and has attended several dragon boat camps and also participates in several festivals nationally and internationally. Freddie also volunteers his time with Scouting BSA and training youth karate students at his home dojo, Colorado Budokan.

Principle Consulant, Oracle

Jeff Dang is a dynamic leader, driven by his unwavering commitment to community and personal development. Serving as the former President of the Colorado Dragon Boat Alliance (CODA), Jeff was instrumental in spearheading the organization's inception in 2017. Drawing from his extensive background as both a paddler and a coach for the last 13 years, Jeff cultivated an environment within CODA that not only thrived on the water but also nurtured individual growth and camaraderie.

Currently, Jeff serves as the Coach of Team RPT (Relentless Positive Thinking), embodying the ethos of optimism and resilience both on and off the dragon boat. Alongside his role as a Partner Enablement Lead at Oracle, Jeff continues to inspire and empower others, fostering a culture of collaboration and boundless potential.

Senior Sales Engineer, Calix

Will Bober is a technology professional supporting broadband, video and WiFi providers for more than 20 years. Formerly a high school teacher, Will moved into the service provider industry in 2000 and has filled a variety of technical roles. Will is currently a Senior Sales Engineer with Calix working with broadband service providers in Colorado. Will grew up in rural Canada but over the years has travelled to more than 60 countries and lived abroad in Japan, Philippines, Germany as well as Canada and the USA. Will's experiences abroad have allowed him to experience a variety of culture, languages and food.

In 2019 Will relocated to Denver, CO and joined Colorado Dragon Boat Festival through Japan American Society of Colorado's dragon boat team, Nichi Bei Go. Today Will is captain of Nichi Bei Go, has raced dragon boats in multiple festivals in Canada and the USA and serves as the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival equipment manager. Paddling has become a passion and Will is an active member in the paddling community including dragon boating, outrigger canoe, open canoe and recently surf ski. Will's other hobbies include music, rock climbing, snowboarding, camping, mountain biking, motorcycles and travel.

Will earned his Bachelor of Science from Augustana University in Camrose, AB, Canada and a Bachelor of Education from University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, SK, Canada. Will's immediate family are in Canada with his two adult children living in Sasatchewan, Canada.

In the summer you can find Will at Sloan's Lake working on the CDBF dragon boat fleet, steering/coaching corporate teams, practicing with Nichi Bei Go or paddling his outrigger canoe. Dragon boating has become a way of life.

#paddlesup

Account Manager, Xcel Energy

Kynnie Martin (she/hers) is an account manager with Xcel Energy, supporting large commercial, industrial, and municipal customers. She has been with the company for nine years, having created a successful and award-winning veteran hiring program, and has led the company’s corporate philanthropic interests on behalf of the Xcel Energy Foundation. She is the chair for the company’s veteran employee business resource group.

Kynnie was commissioned via ROTC at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, and is a U.S. Army veteran, having served five years on active duty as a Military Intelligence Officer. She deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2005-06 as a platoon leader with the 3rd Infantry Division’s first Shadow Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Company and as the Battalion Intelligence Officer for the 703d Forward Support Battalion. She was honorably discharged as a Captain in 2007, and is a recipient of the Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, and the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge. Kynnie’s military service is featured in the Emmy award-winning documentary, “Women Warriors: A Vision of Valor” which is housed in the Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project.

Kynnie earned her Master’s Degree in Nonprofit Management from Regis University and serves on the boards of directors for Colorado Dragon Boat, Colorado Nonprofit Association, Aurora Chamber of Commerce Leadership Aurora, and the Center for American Values.

She has been recognized by the Aurora Chamber of Commerce with the Community Leader Award (2020), Denver Business Journal Top Women in Energy (2019), 40 Under 40 (2015), CivilianJobs.com Top 40 Under 40 for Military (2014) and was Call of Duty Endowment as an Outstanding Female Veteran (2012). She is a proud lifetime member of VFW Post 1.

She resides in Wash Park with her husband have two daughters. goes here