Leadership Team

Sue Renner 

Executive Director

Sue oversees the grant making and operations for the Merage Foundation, and is spearheading the development of the Foundation's Early Learning Ventures initiative to increase the stability and productivity of Colorado's ECE sector through market-based interventions. Prior to joining the Merage Foundation in 2006, Sue was the Executive Director of Early Childhood Connections, a non-profit corporation providing early intervention supports and services to over 1,000 infants and toddlers and their families each year in the Denver-metro region. Sue also worked as a Senior Program Manager with the Colorado Office of Resource and Referral Agencies where she was responsible for launching Colorado's T.E.A.C.H. program, a public-private venture to provide early care and education professionals with college scholarships.

Sue's experience includes volunteer leadership roles with several community development, family support and early care and education organizations. In her tenure as President of the Arapahoe County Early Childhood Council she established several new initiatives including the Developmental Surveillance Project, a successful venture to engage pediatricians and parents in the early identification of developmental delays. Ms. Renner received her BS in Human Development from California Polytechnic University, and her MS in Child and Family Development from Colorado State University.

Lindsay Dolce

Senior Program Manager, Policy and Business Development

As project manager for Early Learning Ventures, she is responsible for three areas: advocacy for education policy change on both a national and state level, developing a national community of leaders in the shared services movement, and working with significant sponsor organizations on effective change. Prior to joining the David and Laura Merage Foundation in 2007, Lindsay was a domestic relations attorney for a private practice in Leawood, Kansas. She also worked as a staff assistant to United States Senator J. Robert Kerrey, D-NE, in his Washington D.C. office and was responsible for coordinating VIP relations for the 1998 Omaha Economic Conference on behalf of Senator Kerrey. Lindsay received a B.A. in English, Political Science and International Relations from William Jewell College, studied at St. Peter's College at Oxford University and received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Missouri at Kansas City.
 

Judy Williams

Program Director, Early Learning Ventures Alliances

Judy is overseeing the launch of Early Learning Ventures Alliances in Colorado. She works directly with these new Alliances to develop the business plan, start-up operations, and implement the ELVA model. Prior to joining the David and Laura Merage Foundation she owned and operated successful private drop-in childcare centers in the Denver metro area; providing high quality early care and education to thousands of children and families. Judy is a graduate of the University of Northern Colorado with a B.S. in Nursing. Judy also served as an Officer in the United States Army and has worked as a nursing instructor, a staff supervisor, and as a consultant in a variety of settings in the healthcare industry.
 

Zerrel Appel

Zerrel works with the Merage Foundations and is responsible for all aspects of technology as a it is relates to the projects of the various Foundations. Zerrel is managing the development of the Early Learning Ventures Alliance CORE which will change the way the Early Care and Education Industry does business. This platform includes ELV Resources, Alliance CORE, and the CCA for Social Good interface which are all critical components to the seamless work of an Early Learning Ventures Alliance. Additionally, Zerrel is responsible for the administration of The Merage Foundation database, and he has played an integral role in the debut of the redesigned Merage Foundation website and the brand new Early Learning Ventures website. Prior to joining the Merage Foundations, Zerrel worked as the Helpdesk Administrator for an investment and private equity firm in south Aurora. He also spent time at Vail Resorts Inc. and Sun Microsystems working on numerous technology projects. Zerrel holds a B.S. in Information Systems Security from the Westwood College of Technology in Denver.

Sarah Paterson

Program Manager, Communications & Training

Sarah Paterson is the project manager for the Merage Foundations.  Sarah is responsible for oversight of multiple programs and ensuring alignment with the mission of the David and Laura Merage Foundation-- to inspire innovation and create opportunities for philanthropic partnerships to thrive.  Sarah provides technical support and management for the Early Learning Ventures Alliance (ELVA) IT Platform, CORE.  Additionally, in her technical capacity, Sarah is responsible for maintaining the ELVA website, developing educational tools for ELVA Affiliates, researching funding opportunities, conference planning, and project development focused in ECE. 

Prior to joining the Merage Foundation, Sarah worked as a Technology Coordinator at a nationally recognized charter school in Denver, Colorado and served as a project manager for an educational services company that specialized in customized professional development programs.  Sarah holds a B.A. in Communications from Virginia Tech and an M.A. in Information and Learning Technology from the University of Colorado.

In-kind Support

In addition to the five associates who work directly for the Early Learning Ventures, Consolidated Investment Group, an investment company founded by David Merage, offers an extensive in-kind support network. Consolidated provides a vast range of professional services to the Foundation team including accounting, human resources, legal and marketing, among others. This partnership allows the Foundation's operating expenses to be kept at a minimum; therefore concentrating Foundation resources on program development and activities.