The Metro State Foundation has elected six new community leaders to its Board of Directors for the 2008-09 academic year. The six kicked off their tenure by attending their first board meeting on Sept. 9.

The new board members are Michael Benson, Jerome Davis, Diedra Garcia, Jim Garrison, Evi Makovsky and Carolynne C. White.

Outgoing board members are Roger Gibson, Elsa Holguin, Carl Neu Jr., Ellen Robinson, Lola Salazar and Stan Sena.

“The foundation will benefit from the strong leadership that these new members will contribute,” says Carrie Besnette, vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the foundation. “We look forward to working with this year's slate of directors for a successful and productive year and thank those who are resigning for their years of commitment to Metro State.”

More information about the new board members is provided below.

New foundation board members (l. to r.): Michael Benson, Jerome Davis, Diedra Garcia

Michael Benson is senior vice president for business affairs with Kroenke Sports Enterprises. He has been with the organization since 1996, including three years with its prior parent company, Ascent Entertainment Group. Benson previously worked in the finance and planning departments of Pulte Mortgage Corporation. He serves on the executive committee of the board of the Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau. Benson holds a master’s degree in finance from the University of Colorado.

Jerome Davis has held a series of progressively responsible positions at Xcel Energy, beginning in substation engineering in 1984, to his current role as area manager for community and local government affairs. He is chair of the board of the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation, vice-chair for the Denver Chapter of the American Association of Blacks in Energy, and serves as a board member of the Metro Denver Sports Commission and the Johnson & Wales University President’s Roundtable. Davis holds an M.B.A. from Regis University.

Diedra Garcia was appointed manager of the City and County of Denver’s Department of General Services on Sept. 8 by Mayor John Hickenlooper and starts her new position Nov. 2. Formerly president of DRG Construction Corp, one of the region's fastest-growing Hispanic-owned businesses, Garcia was named Outstanding Woman of the Year for Business (Construction and Real Estate) by The Denver Business Journal and Business Woman of the Year by the Denver Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Her extensive board service includes the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, Gateway Women’s Shelter, the State Personnel Board and the Rocky Mountain Community Foundation. Garcia holds a bachelor’s degree in human resources management from Regis University.

New foundation board members (l. to r.): Jim Garrison, Evi Makovsky, Carolynne White

Jim Garrison is business manager of RMMI, a Denver-based technology firm. A 1980 Metro State economics graduate, Garrison has served on the board of the Metro State Alumni Association since 2005 and is currently treasurer. Garrison has served on the boards of directors of the National Pedigreed Livestock Council (two years as president) and the Arabian Jockey Club.

Evi Makovsky is an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and Denver University’s Graduate School of Social Work. Previously, she was an assistant Colorado attorney general and Denver’s senior city attorney in employment. Makovsky writes policy for National Jewish Hospital and co-chairs its Ethics Committee. She is a member of the Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado’s Jewish Resource Council (Allocations), the Mayor’s Advisory Council for the Denver Preschool Program and the Denver Health Foundation board. She also chairs the Center for Bioethics and Humanities for the University of Colorado. Makovsky holds a J.D. from University of Denver School of Law.

As a shareholder at Brown Hyatt Farber Schreck, Carolynne C. White’s legal practice focuses on zoning and entitlement as well as municipal election matters. She is the former staff attorney for the Colorado Municipal League and the Denver Water Board before that. White has served on numerous boards including for the Legal Aid Foundation, the Colorado Bar Association and the Denver Bar Association (first and second vice president). She currently serves on the City and County of Denver Zoning Task Force. She was named a Colorado Super Lawyer in 2006 and 2007. White holds a J.D. from the University of Denver School of Law.