Our Team
Leadership
Rico Changeux
FOUNDER & PRESIDENT
Rico - Vertile’s son - moved to the U.S. from Haiti when he was ten years old. He opened his own dance studio in Boulder in 2008.
In 2010, after a devastating earthquake in Haiti, Rico established The Vertile Foundation. Named in honor of his late mother, he rebuilt his childhood home with the goal of providing a home for vulnerable children in the area.
Melissa Roza
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Melissa began her career in investment banking, eventually consulting for tech startups. Since then, she’s owned two award-winning businesses.
She’s worked with several nonprofits in various capacities, managing strategy, marketing, fundraising, and event planning.
Haiti Team
Guerline
HOUSE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Gina
SCHOOL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Ti-Se
HOUSE MOM
Jaques
SECURITY
Board of Directors
Serina Ojala
Serina has held Accounting, Finance and Strategic Consulting roles with Grant Thornton, EKS&H and several startups. She has a passion for accounting, earning both Bachelor's and Master's Degrees from CU Boulder.
Serina has worked with several nonprofits and is particularly excited to positively impact the lives of the Vertile children in Haiti.
Nicole Miller
Nicole began her career in advertising in New York and over the past 20 years has worked for a wide range of clients including Audi, Evian, The North Face, Maybelline and the NBA. Most recently she served as the Head of Multimedia Production for Janus Henderson Investors. Her documentaries focusing on marginalized communities have been showcased at festivals around the world including Sundance and the Frameline Festival in San Francisco. She is excited to bring her marketing expertise to help the children at the Vertile House.
Colin Forkin
For more than 25 years, Colin has built his career working directly with Fortune 100 companies in the technology space. He put this business acumen to good use, investing in several Denver-based companies, including Culture Meat & Cheese deli's and River Bear American Meats.
Colin's strong business foundation, pragmatic approach, and strategic focus on sustainable business practices will help Vertile grow and continue to impact change for the kids and the larger community.
Garlise Boni
Originally from Haiti, Garlise is proud to represent the needs and experiences of the Vertile kids. Passionate about helping people in need, he works in Boulder’s Division of Housing in the affordable housing department, and volunteers with the Mokomba African Dance Ensemble, a dance group that raises money to maintain a library in Ghana.
Garlise has played a pivotal role at Vertile, fundraising and helping organize events.
David Alexander
Dave has been studying dance with Rico as a part of the Streetside and Motion Underground dance communities for 20+ years developing a close friendship with Rico along the way. He has been a long time supporter of Vertile and is very grateful to participate in a broader way on the board.
Dave brings technical experience to the board. He has a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Colorado at Boulder and has been developing plasma physics software at Tech-X Corporation in Boulder for 25 years. Before joining the board he has volunteered with Vertile with many fundraisers and on such projects as helping Vertile teachers set up web-based education systems and content.
Our Story
Born in Carrefour, Haiti, Vertile Changeux - our namesake - was a community leader. Throughout her life, she worked hard to strengthen her community by feeding the hungry and taking in children in need.
Inspired by her life’s work, her son re-opened her former home for abandoned children after the 2010 earthquake that left hundreds of thousands of kids homeless. Vertile’s compassion and dedication to serving others lives on in our mission today: providing safe housing, medical care, and education to the children of Haiti.