Meet Shontel Lewis
Proven Leadership. Bold Vision. Real Progress.
Born in and Raised in Five Points
Shontel M. Lewis was born and raised in historic Five Points, and has lived in several neighborhoods throughout District 8. She is a proud graduate of Manual High School where she became the proud Mother to an amazing son, Diego. In 2016, she transitioned from an affordable housing rental into home ownership in the East Colfax neighborhood following displacement from Five Points due to rising housing costs.
This experience helped to expand her focus and advocacy for affordable rentals units as well as a path to home ownership as a wealth-building tool. She currently lives in NE Park Hill where she enjoys access to local parks and the farmers markets.
An Experienced leader with the issues that matter most to Denverites
A Strategic Leader as A past RTD Board Director
Shontel was elected to serve on the Board of the Regional Transportation District (RTD) in 2018, District B representing Denver, Aurora, and Adams county. During her time she served as the inaugural Chair of the Performance Committee helping to facilitate the development of the agency’s strategic priorities and direction in collaboration with the CEO. Shontel was a two-time Chair of the Civil Rights Committee, Vice Chair of the Operations and Safety Comittee and led the way for the creation of the Safety and Security Adhoc Committee.
My approach to leadership is to Ask, Care & Collaborate.
An advocate for safety, transparency, and equity
Shontel is well known for her advocacy for RTD frontline staff, including: ensuring access to PPE, the implementation of rear-door boarding, and advocacy of social distancing for transit providers throughout the state of Colorado. With the inclusion of community as a core tenant of her work, she is responsible for: the adoption of the first ever Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Resolution, the piloting of transit ambassadors, expanding resources for our unhoused neighbors, expanding public comment, live-streaming for all RTD Board and committee meetings, and free transit on Election Day.
AN Amplifier for Community Voices
Most recently she worked as the Vice President for the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless where she developed and oversaw programmatic, policy, and operational strategies for justice, equity, inclusion, and diversity. Prior to that Shontel served as the Director of Engagement and Strategy at the Denver Public Schools where she lead a team to plan, design and implement community engagement throughout the district and improve broad stakeholder engagement. Currently, she works as a consultant, where she partners with organizations to establish baseline data and thread equity metrics into their strategic plans through an equitable results framework. Additionally, she serves as a Sonder Coach: a Fellowship designed to grow and cultivate intentional leadership.
Community service & involvement
Preservation, Inc. Saving Places Conference – Panelist 2018
Honorary Lecturer: Ethical Community Partnerships, CU Boulder 2015 General Education Conference, Presentation on Best Practices 2012 Presenter in San Francisco, CA at The Research Collaborative on Youth Activism 2008
Community-based Research for Educational Equity: One Group’s Response to a School Closure
Research Presenter in Chicago, IL at The Society for Research on Adolescence 2008
Co-Author for Research Paper, Tracing Transitions 2007
I want to hear from You.
Please use the link below set up time with Shontel so that she can learn more about the concerns and celebrations of the district, and so that you can learn more about her vision for D8.
The Issues
A vision for a healthy Denver based on data-driven solutions and co-governance with community.
get in touch
Drop a message to Shontel and sign up for news about the campaign.
MEDIA
Read more about what Shontel is doing in the community and around Denver.
