Staff and Board
Meet Our Team
Eric Lazzari
Executive Director
The Conservancy named Eric the Executive Director of the in November of 2019.
He joined the Civic Center Conservancy in November 2011, bringing extensive event operations and program management experience to his initial role as Director of Programs and Events. Eric was promoted to Director of Strategic Operations in May of 2018.
Eric is a proud member of the 2020 Class of Leadership Denver. He was also a member of the Downtown Denver Leadership Program’s 2014 class, where he was selected as the winner of the John Parr Leadership Award and elected by his peers as the class trustee.
Prior to joining the Conservancy, Eric served as the Program Operations Manager for USA Swimming in Colorado Springs, developing and managing various programs, clinics and series. He previously served as Director of Special Projects for the Metro Denver Sports Commission, leading event production for the 2008 Frozen Four and coordinating sponsorship development and activation for the CU vs. CSU Rocky Mountain Showdown. He received his bachelor’s degree in Leisure Studies from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign and his MBA from the University of Denver.
Piep van Heuven
Deputy Director
Piep brings twenty years of experience in non-profit management and advocacy work to her new role as Deputy Director.
Before joining the Conservancy, Piep was Bicycle Colorado’s Government Relations Director. She led the organization’s policy efforts to improve infrastructure and access, including passing statewide road safety legislation and helping to create and implement popular eBike programs in Denver and with the Colorado Energy Office. While at Bicycle Colorado, she served on the Denver Mayor’s Climate Action Task Force that created the blueprint for Denver’s climate change efforts including the formation of the Denver Climate Action, Sustainability & Resiliency Office and many of its transportation program areas, and graduated as a member of the 2017 Downtown Denver Partnership Leadership Class.
In her work at Bicycle Colorado and as the former Executive Director at BikeDenver, Piep helped to build a strong foundation for bicycling and other multimodal options in and around the state including work to help launch one of the nation’s first bike-sharing programs (Denver B-cycle), successfully advocated for the city’s first multi-block protected bike lane on 15th Street, and legislative work in Denver and the State Legislature to clarify the regulations for developing mobility options.
Before her transportation advocacy work, Piep was a non-profit leader at environmental and education non-profits including a role as Deputy Director at Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado, and as an NCAA I and III athletic administrator and university coach. She earned a Master’s degree in Sport Management from the University of Richmond.
Sara Leitch
Development Director
Sara joined the Civic Center Conservancy in March 2021 as the development manager.
Prior to joining Civic Center Conservancy, she worked in individual giving at Prospect Park Alliance and general development at GrowNYC.
She brings with her experience engaging people in urban parks through membership programming, events, and philanthropy. Sara earned her B.A. in psychology from the University of Iowa, and her J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law. She resides in Denver with her young family and makes frequent use of Denver’s green spaces.
Eric Raya Steinbeiss
Development Director
Eric Raya Steinbeiss is coming to the Civic Center Conservancy from Girls Inc. of Metro Denver, where he was the Manager of STEM and Career Readiness Programs since 2020.
He grew up near Pasadena in the Los Angeles suburbs before attending the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned a B.S. in Environmental Science, Policy, & Management. Eric has a long professional history in informal science education and positive youth development, having held positions at the Headlands Institute, California Academy of Sciences, Denver Zoo, and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
While at DMNS, Eric developed his skills in organizing special events that activated the Museum’s public floors and exhibition spaces during their Free Days and other special events, along with spearheading the Museum’s presence at community fairs and festivals. Through this work, he developed and fostered many relationships with the diverse communities of Denver. An 11+ year resident of Denver, Eric has found ways to give back to our community through serving as a “Big” in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, being a Community Representative in the James Bible Park public art selection process, and serving as Board Member and President of his alumni club the Rocky Mountain Golden Bears. In his spare time, Eric loves to garden, cook, travel, and explore the wonders of the natural world with his husband, Matt, and pup, Charlie.
Murphy Hogan
Volunteer & Development Operations Coordinator
Murphy joined the Civic Center Conservancy in April 2022 as the Program & Development Operations Coordinator to assist with the SPARKLES volunteer program and development activities.
Before joining the Conservancy, Murphy was a marketer in the built environment of the Denver metro at various companies. He was a member of the Society for Marketing Professional Services Colorado Chapter where he was a Member of the Year Nominee.
Murphy earned his B.S. in Business Administration with a focus on marketing from the University of Colorado at Boulder and spends his free time going to concerts, snowboarding, volunteering at various organizations in the Denver Metro, and rock climbing.
Board of Directors
Chris Frampton, Chair
Matt Neren, Treasurer
Heather Ashour, Secretary
Jerrel Armstrong
Sean Bahoshy
Trish Bragg
FloraJane DiRienzo
Kourtny Garrett
Charles Gilford III
Danielle Glover
Nicole Isenberg
Nicole Jarman
Lulu Lantzy
Jaime Moreno
Jennifer Nealson
Susan Noble
Community Volunteer
Danielle Oliveto
State of Colorado
Marcus Pachner
Peter Park
Peter J Park, LLC | University of Colorado, Denver
Grace Ramirez
Eric Rymarz
Andrew Stettner
Stettner Properties
Marvin Wilkinson
Founder
Elaine Asarch
Careers at Civic Center Conservancy
Want to join the Civic Center Conservancy team? Now’s your chance! We are searching for an Event Success Coordinator with strong skills in logistics, project coordination, and maintaining positive relationships with private, governmental, and community stakeholders!
Ready to Apply?
Qualified and interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume with the subject line “CCC Event Success Coordinator” to Eric Raya Steinbeiss, Director of Community Partnerships.
