Our Team

Healthy Air & Water Colorado Staff

Alex Boian, Executive Director

Alex Boian joins Healthy Air and Water Colorado as its first Executive Director bringing more than 15 years of leadership as a government affairs expert, executive leader, persuasive communicator, and passionate grassroots advocate. A Colorado native and graduate of CU Boulder, Alex built his career at the intersection of public policy and community engagement and has been a trusted advisor to political candidates, elected officials, and both business and nonprofit leaders, providing strategic guidance to achieve meaningful results. 

As Vice President of Government Affairs at Outdoor Industry Association, Alex led teams in Boulder, Colorado and Washington, D.C. that championed groundbreaking natural resources, sustainability, and climate policies, and as a senior leader at Vail Resorts, he created the company’s first-ever community relations program to ensure local voices were represented and heard. Alex is a results-driven leader who has a track record of working with a diversity of stakeholders to find collaborative solutions and positive outcomes.

Beyond his professional work, Alex volunteers with local organizations, including as Co-Chair of Governor Polis’s Keep Colorado Wild Task Force, as Past Vice Chair of the Colorado Tourism Office Board of Directors, and as Boulder County’s representative on the Metropolitan Football Stadium District Board.

Alex’s passion for public service is rooted in his personal life, being raised to serve others and protect the vulnerable. He has instilled a commitment to service in his own family, with one daughter pursuing a career as a Physician Associate at CU Medical School Anschutz and another who works with autistic children. Alex and his wife live in Erie and when he’s not working to advance meaningful policy, Alex enjoys traveling and exploring Colorado’s vast landscapes with his wife, embracing the outdoor heritage that has been central to his life and career.

501(c)3 Board of Directors

Dr. Sara Carpenter, Chair

Sara Carpenter is a pediatrician with a longstanding commitment to caring for vulnerable populations. Her professional interests include environmental and public health advocacy with a particular focus on climate change, health equity, and early childhood learning differences. She is enrolled in the Diploma in Climate Medicine Program at the University of Colorado, with a planned completion in April 2025. While not currently in clinical practice, she formerly directed both the Foster Care Clinic and the International Adoption Clinic at Children’s Hospital Colorado. She is a past member and chair of the Board of Directors for the Children’s Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus. She currently serves as the Chair of the Denver Community Health Services Board, which oversees the Community Health Centers at Denver Health Medical Center.

A native of New York, Sara has called Denver home for 30 years. She has a BA in Biology from Columbia University, received her MD degree from the University of California, San Francisco, and an MSPH from the University of Colorado. She completed her pediatric residency at Children’s Hospital Colorado where she was also a Chief Resident. While in medical school, Sara was fortunate to spend a year working on international health projects in Rwanda and Nepal. In her free time she enjoys hiking, cross-country skiing, and camping with her husband and three children, or curling up with a good book and her dogs.

Dr. Nikita Habermehl

Nikita Habermehl is a pediatric emergency medicine physician with Children's Hospital Colorado. In addition to providing the best pediatric emergency care as possible, she is passionate about how the climate impacts human health, specifically pediatric health. She takes a holistic approach when providing care, and believes in helping patients better understand their health. She advocates for her patients and communities by working with Healthy Air & Water Colorado, testifying at the capital for certain bills and participating in national meetings to support a healthier community. She not only advocates for her patients, but also teaches future physicians at the medical school and pediatric residents about how climate change can impact their patients' health.

Dr. Habermehl was raised in Longmont, CO and has spent most of her life in Colorado. She has always been taught to respect our natural resources and use them wisely. Now living with her family in Northern Colorado, she strives to live by those principles and enjoys serving her local community at the Children's Hospital, advocating for clean air and water for all, and standing up for those who can not themselves. 

Laura Howard BSN, RN

Laura Howard has been a Registered Nurse for more than 30 years. Laura graduated from Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana in 1988. She has worked in a variety of clinical settings, from Acute Care, Home Care, LTC, Supervisory roles, Charge Nurse on a covid floor, and retired from Cardiovascular/Stroke unit. 

Throughout her career Laura has worked extensively precepting and mentoring new Graduate Nurses on the job, through the Colorado Council of Black Nurses and the American Nurses Association. Laura is currently the President of The Colorado Council of Black Nurses, Inc. and serves as the Social Action and Legislation Chair. She advocates for the Healthy Air and Water of Colorado, Health promotion initiatives, vaccine literacy education, advocates for children with Autism, the elderly and community wellness organizations. 

Laura is a member of Chi Eta Phi, a Professional Nursing organization with the motto “Service for Humanity." She is also a member of The Colorado Nurses Association and is thankful to be able to use her skills and experience to serve the community and ensure liberty and justice for all. Laura also enjoys cooking, traveling, and serving at her church.

Sam Gilchrist

Sam Gilchrist is the Western Director on the Regional Impact Team at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Before arriving at NRDC in 2017, Sam spent the previous decade leading issue and electoral campaigns across the country. He started his professional political career in his home state of Indiana, and went on to work for Senator Chris Dodd and President Obama during the 2008 election cycle. Afterwards, he got his start in organized labor with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU)—leading a field team in Indiana in support of the Affordable Care Act, organizing security officers and janitors in the Midwest with SEIU Local 1, and finally as Political Director at SEIU Healthcare/District 1199NE in Connecticut. His wife’s military career brought them to Colorado, where he served as the executive director of the Colorado AFL-CIO before joining NRDC. Sam holds degrees in political science and anthropology from Indiana University. He lives in Denver, CO with his wife, son, and very energetic golden retriever. 

Jake Swanton

Jake Swanton is Vice President of State Affairs at Inseparable, an organization dedicated to improving mental health policy. Jake’s early professional experience is a cross-section of public service, politics, and campaigning. Over nearly a decade in the United States Senate, his roles ranged from health care policy advisor to former U.S. Senator Mark Udall during debate of the Affordable Care Act to later leading Udall’s policy team as Legislative Director. On the campaign side, Jake’s experience spans presidential, ballot issue, senate and mayoral races. He was staff for both of Barack Obama’s presidential efforts in his home state of Colorado, including as the campaign’s CO state policy director for the 2012 re-elect.

After leaving the public sector in 2014, Jake joined the Pew Charitable Trusts, leading a team focused on expanding access to dental care, criminal justice reform, economic mobility and more. Later, as chief of staff and policy director at rideshare company Lyft, Jake spearheaded national government strategies to bring rideshare into the healthcare market as well as boost state incentives for vehicle electrification. He also directed legislative strategy for the company across the Mountain West. Prior to joining Inseparable, Jake was Head of Social Impact at Guild Education.

Jake earned a BA from the College of William & Mary and holds a Master of Public Policy in health care from The George Washington University. He finally moved home to Denver in 2019 after many years in DC, loves his black lab mix Jolene, and works as a part time flying trapeze instructor.

Jake Williams

Jake Williams is the CEO of Healthier Colorado, an organization dedicated to advancing the mental, physical and social health of Coloradans through improvements in public policy. He has led this organization for over a decade, and has over two decades of experience in politics, policy and philanthropy. Jake was also appointed by Gov. Jared Polis to the Early Childhood Leadership Commission, where he continues to serve. He also serves on the board of directors of Sungate Kids, a nonprofit dedicated to preventing child sexual abuse and healing the trauma caused by it.

He earned an B.A. in Political Science and Communications from the University of Michigan, an MSc in Comparative Politics and Policy from the London School of Economics, and an M.B.A. from Brown and IE Universities. Jake is a citizen of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, and an active Potawatomi language learner. He is always planning the next travel adventure with his wife and two daughters.