Ageno Otii

Senior Program Officer
Priority Areas I Work In: 

Community Solutions, Locally-focused Work: East Colfax Corridor

Ageno is a changemaker through and through. She has spent the better part of her 20-year career aligning herself with people, work, missions and organizations who better enable her to form relationships centered on change. Whether she’s working to make higher education more accessible or leading community-centered re-entry programs for formerly incarcerated individuals, Ageno believes in the power of bringing people together to be active in creating the community they want to live in. During her time at The Civic Canopy, she used a variety of techniques to develop strategy and action plans alongside communities throughout Colorado.

Ageno comes to this work with a deep recognition that systems-level intervention is necessary for people to experience positive, long-term change in their lives. In her role as senior program officer at The Colorado Health Foundation, she hopes to further develop her skills and impact positive change in the community – now with an eye and ear towards philanthropy. Ageno believes that listening, building authentic relationships, and taking actions that shifts the underlying foundations of social problems are key ingredients for bolstering community power. In addition to grantmaking, Ageno is hopeful that she can connect communities to resources outside of grantmaking – resources to increase capacity, leadership and idea development throughout Colorado’s social and political landscape. She feels connected to the Foundation’s mission because she knows what it means for health to be out of reach. Her personal experience and her passion for equity pushes her to continue developing stronger and more innovative ways to increase agency among community members.

Ageno knows that change isn’t something that can happen in one day, so she fills her life with joy and love. Whether she is dancing, enjoying the Denver music scene or planning a trip to the hot springs, she finds home and comfort in the community she’s with. You can always catch Ageno finding the beauty in all things, wherever it is that life takes her.

Connect with Program Officers Near You

“I do the work I do know because I have seen people I work with struggle with the same systems no matter what sector I was in. I know that the power we need comes from changing things on a systemic level.”
Ageno Otii
Ageno
303-953-3690
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