The GrowHaus Board of Directors
William Peña - Interim Chair
William’s passion is global food security; he believes that healthy food is a right and not a privilege. William is an advocate of green and sustainable practices in food production. His passion for food security has driven his education and career in food systems. He grew up in Quito, Ecuador, where he pursued a degree in agroindustrial engineering at the National Polytechnic School. He moved to the US in 2011 and received his Master’s at MSU in food safety.
William works at Ready Foods, Inc. as the Director of Innovation. Previously, he has also collaborated with food safety teams by enforcing private standards and federal and local regulations, supply chain teams and led research and development initiatives. William has international experience in different food sectors from farm to fork. He lives in Denver with his wife and 2 kids and on his free time he enjoys indoor and outdoor sports, music, learning, cooking and mastering his handyman skills.
Patrick O’Keefe - Treasurer
Patrick is an experienced leader with global experience across operations, sales and corporate functional management in a Fortune 500 corporation that serves clients across infrastructure, energy, water, and urban development. Prior to founding Summit Street Group, he worked for CH2M, a global engineering and construction firm, serving in numerous capacities including head of the U.S. and Canada regions.
Patrick started his career in Washington, DC working as an aide for the then-chairman of the Energy and Power Subcommittee Chairman in the House of Representatives. He served as a key aide on energy issues, with specific focus on electric utility, energy development and environmental policy. After Capitol Hill, he worked as a government relations lead for the Tennessee Valley Authority leading Clean Air Act strategy and electric industry deregulation for the nation’s largest government utility. Colorado is home. He enjoys life with his wife, Karen, their three children and dog. He loves golfing and fishing in the mountain weather, tries to make up for not learning guitar at a younger age and still plays a little ice hockey.
Meegan Moszynski - Secretary
Meegan has worn many hats throughout her career and currently serves as a nonprofit leader in the ski industry. She is the Executive Director of the Alterra Mountain Company Community Foundation and Managing Director of the US Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association; previously, she served as the first female Executive Director of the National Ski Patrol. She spent several years of her early career in restaurant management, followed by a focus on international food security in graduate school. She also is a certified paralegal.
Meegan’s work focuses on organizational management, strategic planning, nonprofit governance, communications and leadership development. Her main goal is to foster continuous dialogue across sectors and industries to facilitate investment, promote sustainability and inspire change. Meegan holds a master’s degree in International Trade, Investment and Development Policy Studies from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and a bachelor’s degree in International Studies from Middlebury College. She has led the Middlebury Rocky Mountain Alumni Chapter for eight years and has volunteered for The Aspen Institute, the Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club and the Jackson Hole Center for Global Affairs. She frequently advises young professionals seeking unique career paths in Colorado.
Mercedes Pineda - Board Member
Mercedes is Corporate Counsel at Ensign-Bickford Industries (EBI). EBI is a high technology conglomerate focused in space & defense, pet food science, and biotechnology. As Corporate Counsel, Mercedes works across all EBI’s business on HR/Employment related matters and acts as a strategic partner on issues such as intellectual property and international corporate governance.
Mercedes is President-Elect of the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association, which promotes justice by advancing Latino interests and issues in the legal profession and seeking equal protection for the Latino Community before the law. She is passionate about mentoring law students and young attorneys and promoting DE&I in the legal profession. Mercedes earned her BS in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University. She also holds a JD from the University of Colorado Law School. Mercedes and her husband, James, have called Colorado their home for the past decade. In her free time, she loves to spend time with her toddler and two cats, reading concerts, and traveling.
Graciela Gonzales - Board Member
Graciela’s passion for social justice has fueled a diverse career path, taking her from the ground level to the halls of power. As a college student, she led one of Boston's largest after-school programs, grappling with the question of where true change begins. This question continued to guide her as she interned at the White House Domestic Policy Council, supporting the launch of the first national HIV/AIDS strategy.
Returning to her roots in Denver's Westside, Graciela embraced the role of educator and community leader, honing her grassroots skills and building collaborative solutions for educational equity. Currently, as senior staff at the Latino Leadership Institute, Graciela advocates daily for the power of reflective leadership in driving social change across all levels.
Marco Dorado - Board Member
Marco Dorado brings over a decade of experience in strategic leadership to the Communities Lead Communities Thrive (CLCT) Coalition as its inaugural Managing Director. Prior to joining CLCT, Marco served as Deputy Policy Director for the National Redistricting Foundation and Affiliates (NRF). During the 2021 redistricting cycle, he led state-based advocacy efforts to ensure Colorado’s redistricting process resulted in electoral districts reflective of the state’s diverse population. Before his tenure at the NRF, he worked in economic development with the National Development Council, managing Washington State’s support for small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He also led the Urban Leaders Fellowship’s 2018 Denver cohort and worked with the Latino Leadership Institute to advance Latinos in leadership across Colorado. For over a decade, Marco has advocated at the state and federal level for immigration reform. He currently serves on the Board of the Community Economic Defence Project demonstrating his continued commitment to creating more inclusive and equitable communities. Marco is an alumnus of the University of Colorado Boulder where he served as the first undocumented student body president and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. He’s also an alumnus of the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington where he obtained a Master’s in Public Administration with a focus on Social Policy.