Leadership
Board of Directors
Erik Carlson
President
Erik joined DCF in 2019 to continue to live out his philanthropic values of giving to those in need through the 3 “Ts” : Time, Treasure, and Talent. Erik has leaned into the inner workings of the group through serving on the Grant Review Committee and as Beverage Chair for DCF’s major events. As Beverage Chair, Erik has established positive relationships with distributors to secure product and financial donations for DCF events. He was elected to serve as a Board Director for the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 terms. He leads DCF as President in 2026-2027.
Erik is an Attorney at Foster Graham Milstein & Calisher specializing in land use and real estate law. Erik is inspired and fulfilled by helping clients navigate the complexities of real estate transactions, entitlements, and development. He holds a JD from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and a Bachelors in Communication/Political Science from Concordia College.
Erik is an avid Colorado adventurer, enjoying skiing and snowmobiling in the winter, camping and hiking in the summer, and hunting in the fall. Erik also enjoys the blessings of fatherhood, golfing, “lake time” back in Wisconsin with his family every summer, and his beloved Green Bay Packers.
Nick Troxel
President-Elect
Nick joined DCF in 2019 and was elected to serve as President in the 2027-2028 fundraising cycle. He also serves as Legal Counsel to the Board. In this role, he reviews contracts and advises the Board on legal obligations, risks, and liabilities. Nick served as 2023 Christmas for Kids Event Chair and led the Foundation to a record fundraising level.
Nick is co-founder of Troxel Fitch LLC, designed to meet the needs of businesses operating in the hyper-competitive modern marketplace. The firm specializes in business formations, commercial contracting, intellectual property, financing and securities, mergers and acquisitions, and real estate transactions.
He enjoys sports (becoming an avid golfer), spending time with family and friends, and travel.
Ross Blahnik
Past President
As a member of DCF since 2017, Ross has held a variety of roles within the organization, including Entertainment Chair in 2021, Beverage Chair in 2022, and Polo Classic Chair in 2024 (the most successful Polo event ever at the time). His experience in fundraising, leadership, and event management is an asset to the organization, and DCF membership elected Ross as President-Elect in 2024. He proudly serves as President in 2025-2026.
Ross is a seasoned residential real estate broker with Compass. With nearly a decade of experience as a realtor, he’s advised clients through hundreds of transactions and is passionate about his work. He’s been active as a Big Brother in Denver’s Big Brothers Big Sisters program for 9 years, and also serves on their Associate Board of Directors.
Ross is a proud Colorado native and graduate of the University of Colorado, Boulder. He enjoys travelling the world, reading historical fiction, playing golf, and spending time with his girlfriend Erika and their dog, Louie.
Jayce Smallwood
Treasurer
Jayce joined the Foundation in 2022 in order to give back to the community he has called home for his whole life. In addition to overseeing the organization’s finances as Treasurer (2025-2027), Jayce has dedicated his time to serving as a member of the Grant Review Committee (2024,2025) and will manage the Denver Polo Classic & Denver Barn Party’s beverage operations as Beverage Chair (2026).
In his role as an Employee Benefits Consultant, Jayce partners with local businesses to provide strategies and tools that keep their employees happy and healthy. From startups to staples in the Denver community, Jayce’s clients trust him to take care of their employee benefits programs.
Jayce was born and raised in Parker, Colorado, before obtaining his Bachelor’s Degree from Drake University while playing Division I football. Upon his return to Denver he obtained his Master’s Degree from the University of Denver, and spends his free time skiing, fishing, hunting and playing overly-complicated board games with his wife.
Cam Douglass
Treasurer
Cam was elected to a 2-year Treasurer term in 2026-2027 and 2027-2028. He joined DCF in 2025. He also coordinates the annual Polo Classic Friday Night Gala restaurant service as Apprentice for the 2026 event and lead for the 2027 fundraiser.
He works as West Coast Regional Director for Gallagher Environmental Casualty in Denver, Colorado, specializing in environmental risk management and insurance solutions. Cam was named to the Insurance Business America (IBA) Hot 100 list for 2026. As a Senior Vice President, and with 10 years of experience in environmental risk management, Cameron specializes in providing technical knowledge, brokering, and sales of environmental insurance for Gallagher throughout the U.S.
Cam graduated from Elon University in 2016 and enjoys yoga and travel with his wife and spending time as a father.
Brady Anderson
Secretary
Brady was elected by his peers as Secretary for the 2026-2027 Board of Directors term.
Away from DCF, he works as an Energy and Power Consultant with FMI. For more than 70 years, FMI has been the leading management consulting and investment banking* firm dedicated exclusively to engineering and construction, infrastructure, and the built environment.
Brady is a Colorado native and enjoys time with his family and travel.
Elio Merino
Director
Elio serves as a Director of the Denver Children’s Foundation for the 2025–2026 and 2026-2027 terms after being elected by his peers. In 2024, as Event Chair, he led DCF to a record-setting Christmas for Kids fundraising campaign and shopping event. He also has coordinated and directed the Denver Polo Classic’s Friday Black Tie Gala dinner, overseeing catering and service logistics for up to 800 guests.
Originally from Wyoming and raised in a Mexican-American household, Elio brings a grounded perspective shaped by family, work ethic, and community. He has spent the past decade building a career in finance and currently holds a Board seat on a loan fund that advocates for access to high-quality charter school education.
Beyond his professional work, Elio leads a family-owned leather goods business based in Denver, where craftsmanship, sustainability, and family legacy intersect. His greatest priorities are his wife and two children. Outside of work, he enjoys staying active, focusing on health, and spending time on the golf course, basketball court, or with his brothers.
Ryan Tracy
Director
Ryan is a Principal at Marquette Associates, one of the nation’s largest independent, 100% employee-owned institutional investment consulting firms, serving more than 400 clients with over $400 billion in assets under advisement. Ryan’s primary focus is advising large endowments, foundations, and other nonprofit organizations, as well as family offices and high-net-worth families. He also co-chairs Marquette’s Family Office Practice Committee.
Ryan is passionate about giving back to the Colorado community and is proud to serve on the Board of the Denver Children’s Foundation (DCF) for the 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 terms. Since joining DCF, he has held several leadership roles, including serving as Chair of the record-setting 2026 Denver Polo Classic. His involvement and service have been recognized by his fellow members with DCF’s Rookie of the Year Award in 2023, the Hard Charger Award in 2024 (runner-up for Member of the Year), and Member of the Year in 2025.
Outside of work and DCF, Ryan enjoys traveling with his family, fly fishing, golf, billiards and enjoying all that Colorado’s outdoors have to offer.
Josh Fitch
Director
Josh was elected Director for the 2026-2027 terms and also was appointed by the Board to lead membership recruitment as Membership Chair. He has been an active and proficient fundraiser since joining DCF.
He is co-founder of Troxel Fitch LLC, designed to meet the needs of businesses operating in the hyper-competitive modern marketplace. The firm specializes in business formations, commercial contracting, intellectual property, financing and securities, mergers and acquisitions, and real estate transactions.
Outside of DCF, Josh enjoys golfing and spending time with his wife.
Travis Marr
Director
Travis was elected Director for the 2026-2027 term by his peers. He has been an active and proficient fundraiser since joining DCF including Event Chair for 2026 Leaders Fore Kids Golf Classic, raising the group’s high standard for fundraising and tournament service.
Away from DCF, he is Vice President of Operations at Provident Construction. Since 1988, Provident Construction Company has committed to three guiding principles - fair pricing, high quality, and schedule driven - that have fueled its success and steady growth.
Travis is a Colorado native and enjoys time with his wife and family, golfing, and travel.
Ian Epstein
Grant Review Chair
Ian joined DCF in 2024, served on the 2025 Grant Review Committee, and now serves as Board-appointed Grant Review Chair. He was elected by his peers and served as Secretary for a 2025-2026 Board term.
As Head of Trading at Goss, Ian leads odds-making for an online app (Playgoss) where users can make predictions and place bets on reality TV shows, pop culture, and celebrity drama. Previously, Ian was Founder of PropSwap, a unique sports-betting enterprise that served as a marketplace for users to sell their active sports betting tickets.
Ian also serves as a Trustee for his family’s charitable Foundation, leveraging his analytical and business expertise to support the Board’s decisionmaking.
Colson Castilla
Raffle Games Manager
Colson’s desire to serve his community led him to join DCF in 2023. Colson serves as the Raffle Chair since 2025, advises the Board on Colorado’s Games requirements and regulations, and oversees all Raffle activities including administration, prize acquisition, and delivery.
Colson is a partner at Ember Capital, a private real estate investment & advisory firm. He focuses on acquisitions, asset management, and financial modeling serves in partnership with developers, funds, and investment firms.
Event Chairs
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Rick DeFino
2026 Christmas for Kids Chair
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Dillon O'Dea
2026 Denver Polo Classic Chair
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Evan Anundsen
2027 Denver Barn Party Chair
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Jack Hoyt
2027 Leaders Fore Kids Golf Classic Chair
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Nick Behm
2026 CREDA Fight Night Lead
Executive Director
Adam Cohen
Executive Director
After more than 20 years in the private sector – and then 10 years as a high-performance catalyst to nonprofit, healthcare, service, financial, government, and manufacturing client-partners – Adam joined The Denver Children’s Foundation (DCF) in 2018 with a commitment to give back to the community and to elevate the organization’s reach and impact. In his first 5 years, DCF doubled its grantmaking into the community and optimized operational efficiency. In addition, Adam’s relationships with key sponsors and outreach to the community enable him to fundraise to more than offset his annual salary.
He served in multiple roles in the CH2M (now Jacobs) Companies including Vice President of Enterprise Performance Excellence, Quality Director for Baldrige National Quality Award Recipient OMI – a subsidiary of CH2M, and Director of Project Development Services for OMI. His community experience includes former Board Emeritus of Rocky Mountain Performance Excellence; former Community Member of Children’s Hospital of Colorado’s Patient Safety and Experience Committee; Expert Coach-Advisor to the Communities of Excellence 2026 national initiative; and support for the Rocky Mountain Children’s Law Center, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Alzheimer’s Association, Movember men’s health campaigns, Project CURE, Judi’s House, Wishes for Wheels, and Denver Area 8 Basketball Officials Officials for the Cure fundraisers.
Adam enjoys travel and adventures with his wife and life partner Adriana, fitness training and yoga, reading/writing and editing books for publication, and officiating collegiate, high school, and youth basketball. He has two terrific adult children and three wonderful step-daughters.
