Denver Foundation Has A New President

DENVER (CBS4) - The Denver Foundation is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year.

It aims to improve life in the Denver metro area by focusing on basic human needs, economic opportunities, education and community leadership.

LINK: The Denver Foundation

"It's a community giving program that focuses on basic human needs P-12 education, economic development, community leadership and a whole host of other programs including racial equity and inclusiveness," said Christine Márquez-Hudson, who was just named the foundation's new president, on CBS4 News at Noon on Tuesday.

Márquez-Hudson will step down from her current leadership role at the Mi Casa Resource Center at the end of the year to lead the foundation.

"Mi Casa works on the same issues as the Denver Foundation. We work to improve the economic and educational situations for low income families in Denver, especially Latinos," she said.

Márquez-Hudson, a Colorado native whose ancestors settled in the San Luis Valley, said her years of experience at Mi Casa "are very much aligned with the new work that I'll be doing."

Affordable housing is one barrier many low income families currently face in the city.

"Mi Casa is working on this. We just launched a capital campaign to build a 42 unit affordable housing structure with 20,000 square feet for our family economic and education center in Denver," Márquez-Hudson said.

CBS4 SPECIAL SECTION: A Place To Call Home

"I really think that this whole model of affordable housing and services is what Denver ought to be looking at around the metro area to address (this)."

Márquez-Hudson was picked after The Denver Foundation conducted a nationwide search for a replacement for David Miller, who The Denver Post reported will be creating an institute at the University of Denver to explore charitable giving in society.