Alexis Boian, Founder and Executive Director
Alexis Boian is the Founder and Executive Director of the Young Philanthropists Foundation. Her background is in marketing and communications, with an emphasis on the independent sector.  She has consulted for such organizations as Colorado Ballet, the Integrated Nutrition Education Program and the Business School at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center.

At the age of 25, after witnessing the September 11 terrorist attacks from her balcony in Brooklyn, NY, she founded the September 11 Quilt Project, a national “healing” project that received enormous acclaim.  A giant American flag made up of individually designed panels of cloth that came from all over the world, the September 11 Quilt Project toured the country, and was featured in such publications as The New York Times, People Magazine, TIME Magazine, and The Washington Post as well as on such news programs as CNN Headline News.  The flag was recently donated to the Colorado Historical Society.

Alexis also serves as the Secretary of the Board for the Rape Assistance and Awareness Program (RAAP) in Denver, and is the chairwoman of the Development Committee for RAAP.  Additionally, she and her husband, Andy, run a local positioning and PR firm called dovetail solutions.

Amber Gerding, Program Coordinator
Amber Gerding comes from a diverse background of sales and marketing, as well as nonprofit coordinating experience. She’s worked with organizations such as the Volunteer Connection’s MentorsMatter program, AmeriCorps VISTA*, and DiningOut Magazine, in addition to starting a local jewelry business called J.Skaar Collections with her mother, Jill, which also has a philanthropic component.

Amber graduated from the University of Denver with a Bachelor’s Degree in English and is currently earning her MBA from the University of Denver with a special focus on Not-for-Profit Management, specifically in finance and program development. She recently returned from a trip to Tanzania, where she and a group of MBA students worked closely with a local foundation, Peace House, advising them on program development and curriculum for their newly-opened Secondary School.

To round out professional and educational workloads, Amber volunteers with the Special Olympics Colorado as a Unified Partner for both Volleyball and Basketball. She enjoys working with children and sharing her passion of volunteering, and is very excited to help coordinate the Penny Harvest program.