Announcing the 2021 Women Who Light the Community Honorees

The Boulder Chamber will honor recipients at its 26th Annual Women Who Light the Community celebration on September 30.

The Boulder Chamber is pleased to announce the honorees for the 2021 Women Who Light the Community Awards. This event honors women who have made significant, innovative contributions to our community by addressing meaningful business, nonprofit, education, arts, and community needs.

Jacqueline Attlesey-Pries

Vice President of Operations and Chief Nursing Officer, Boulder Community Health

Jackie has been honored to serve her community and the dedicated staff of Boulder Community Health (BCH) since 2011. Prior to joining BCH, Jackie worked at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, for 25 years in various nursing leadership roles. She is also Secretary of the Board of Directors for Golden West Senior Living Community.

An enduring element throughout her career has been Jackie’s passion for putting the needs of the patient first, compassionate care, and improving quality.

Jackie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Nursing, Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, MN, and a Master of Science in Nursing, Winona State University, Winona, MN. She is an Assistant Professor of Nursing at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and is certified in Executive Nursing Practice. She is also a member of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership and the American College of Healthcare Executives.

About Jacqueline

Jan Burton

Former City of Boulder Councilmember and high-tech executive

Faced with an IBM territory covering 40,000 sq. mi. of rural Kansas, Jan realized that the only way to cover this area would be to become a bird. She did… by obtaining her private pilot’s license to meet with her customers more easily. This is only one example of Jan’s ‘out of the box’ thinking that launched her career as a global high-tech woman executive.

After moving to Boulder, she supplemented her corporate career with active community involvement. Jan served on several music nonprofit boards, became an open space raptor monitor, won a hotly contested city council seat, and still continues to write thought-provoking columns for the Daily Camera.

Jan is a fierce advocate for local political involvement and good governance, and was instrumental in the passage of a ballot measure to directly elect Boulder’s mayor. On the creative side, Jan’s advocacy through Create Boulder has funded local arts organizations with more than $375,000 since the beginning of COVID-19. And she is still a bird.

About Jan

Ana Karina Casas Ibarra

Promotoras de Salud Program Coordinator, El Centro AMISTAD; Community Connector in Residence, City of Boulder

Ana immigrated to the United States with her mother and two brothers in 1999. She began advocating for immigrant rights in 2009, after her brother was arrested and sent to immigration detention.

As part of Boulder-based group VOICE and a volunteer with CIRC, Ana helped organize events and rallies for immigrant rights, Know Your Rights trainings, and informational meetings about emergency preparedness plans for immigrants.

Ana has interned with the Community Foundation Latino History Project and was part of Boulder County’s Information for Immigrants Project. She is also part of the Salsa Loteria monologue produced by Motus Theater. Currently, she is the Promotoras de Salud Program Coordinator for El Centro AMISTAD, and Community Connector in Residence for the City of Boulder. Ana lives in Boulder with her two sons, husband, and mom.

About Ana

Berenice Garcia Tellez

Economic Sustainability Specialist, City of Longmont and Vice-Chair, Latino Chamber of Commerce of Boulder County

Berenice Garcia Tellez, a Mexican native and travel enthusiast, received her master’s degree in Environmental Engineering in Saudi Arabia. Other countries she has lived in include Turkey, Italy, and Norway, where she worked researching climate change.

Berenice currently manages the Sustainable Business Program at the City of Longmont and works with the business community on implementing sustainable and equitable practices that lead to a thriving economy.

She also sits at the Latino Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. Through her work with the Chamber, Berenice has supported hundreds of Latino businesses through the COVID-19 crisis, coordinated community equity clinics, and provided technical assistance to Latino-owned organizations.

About Berenice

Annett James

President, Boulder County NAACP

Annett James is a mom, speaker, advocate for social and economic equality, and president of NAACP Boulder County Branch. A native of rural Mississippi, she studied at the University of Colorado and has lived in Boulder since.

Annett’s passion for education, economics and business bloomed during her studies. She was a member of Black Student Alliance and supported the First Nations Committee. They were the catalyst to her membership in multiple nonprofit organizations and boards, including the Family Learning Center and Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. As former chair of the United Black Women of Boulder Valley, she worked to promote the educational, economic, political and social welfare of Black people in Boulder Valley.

During her time as an investment broker, she taught training seminars for Black and People of Color that focused on the importance of financial planning. She was one of a small group of investment brokers that lobbied Fortune 500 companies to conduct some of their stock trades using Black brokers. Annett also enjoys inventing and product development and has a granted utility patent.

Annett helped to found the Joan Washington Scholarship Fund, which provided a monetary stipend to Black high school graduates from Boulder and St. Vrain Valley School Districts, and the Charles and Mildred Nilon Scholarship, which is awarded to a student majoring in education at the University of Colorado who plans to teach in diverse schools.

Currently Annett’s spark is fixated on expanding the reach and vision of the NAACP Boulder County Branch.

About Annett

Janell Tarma Camposano

Emerging Youth award winner - Skyline High School

Janell Tama is a daughter, a sister, and an aunt of ten. She is proud of her Peruvian heritage, which made her who she is today.

Janell is in the P-TECH Program at Skyline High School where students can receive an associate degree in computer science within four to six years, giving her a head start to her college career.

She is also active in the “I Have a Dream” Foundation, which has supported both her personal life and educational goals.

“I am grateful for the privilege of having so many opportunities, and I have my family to thank for those opportunities,” says Tama. “They have supported me every step of the way, and I want to make them proud of me. I also want to show them that all their hardship and sacrifices got me to where I am today.”

About Janell