Institute for Public Service Staff
Staff Contact Information
Staff Biographies
Shaun LaBarre serves as the Inaugural Director of the recently established Institute for Public Service at Metropolitan State University of Denver. The Institute for Public Service was developed on the mission to inspire, prepare, and enable MSU Denver students to serve, with an emphasis on careers in government and the non-profit sector.
Shaun, a Roadrunner alumnus, returned to MSU Denver in 2023 with over twenty years of experience in a broad array of public service sectors. As a community organizer, nonprofit executive, and higher education professional, Shaun has been committed to a civil society through engagement on the most pressing social and environmental issues of the day. Prior to returning to Denver, Shaun served as Deputy Director and Executive Director of the Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy, and the Environment (GWC) at the University of Colorado School of Law. At the GWC, he worked on a variety of public policy issues focused on western water and the Colorado River, public lands, tribal rights, and a just transition of the energy sector. Before joining CU, Shaun served for several years as Senior Director of the Boulder-based, Center for Resource Conservation (CRC). At the CRC, Shaun was involved with the early-stage development of several innovative social enterprise programs focused on water and energy conservation, and material reuse and recycling.
Jessica Wade is a dedicated education professional. She has taught ESL in South Korea and Mexico, assisted outreach efforts for the state Extension offices in Illinois during an AmeriCorps Community Development Fellowship, and coordinated public health outreach efforts as a Peace Corps volunteer in Suriname. Prior to starting her position at MSU Denver, she worked extensively with program management and immigration services for international student and scholars. In her free time, Jessica enjoys long walks and visiting all kinds of parks.
2024 Presidential Federal Interns
Miguel Garcia is a first-generation undergraduate student currently pursuing his bachelor’s in political science and a minor in philosophy at MSU Denver. In his first semester at MSU, Miguel has already become a part of the MSU Denver Mock Trial team. Raised in Aurora, CO, Miguel’s upbringing in a culturally diverse environment, marked by a strong sense of community and the presence of immigrant families such as his own, has significantly influenced his academic and professional aspirations. His overarching goal is to embark on a career in Public Service and Law, with a focus on advocating for and safeguarding the rights of immigrants and workers within his community. Miguel also has a passion for protecting the environment and hopes to find legal and legislative mechanisms to do so. Miguel is poised to bring a dedicated and informed perspective to the fields he aspires to contribute to.
2024 Presidential Federal Internship Service: Office of Senator John Hickenlooper
Isai Lozano resides in Denver Colorado and is a first-generation college student. He struggled transitioning into the rigor college demanded of him but was able to push through by relying on his family and peers to support him. Ever since the Pandemic, Isai has seen the importance in community and community resources, and this has called him to pursue a social work degree in the hopes of one day working in Child welfare.
Isai has been recognized for overcoming hardship and for his academic achievements by being a recipient of the Reisher Scholar Program. This scholarship program has helped provide him with the proper guidance and has allowed him to commit more time to extracurriculars such as being a Residential Assistant on campus to gain first-hand experience and familiarity in cultivating and maintaining a community. Other pursuits such as an internship at the Denver Human Services has shown him the cogs in the machine that is child welfare. Experiencing this first-hand insight and by working under his superiors he has piqued an interest in macro social work. Isai wants more than to just help people, he wants to create meaningful foundations in their lives that will last them a lifetime.
2024 Presidential Federal Internship Service: Child Welfare League of America
Denny Palacios is a non-traditional student in her third year at MSU Denver. As an immigrant who has called Denver home for the past twelve years, Denny has focused the lens of her studies in policy and history studies on the Mexico-USA drug trade relationship. During her time at MSU, Denny has truly committed to life on campus. Her identities as current co-chair for The Student Advocacy Council (Student Government), the lead Student for Model United Nations, a full-time student, and a part-time job holder grant her an understanding of the particular complexity of being a MSU Denver student.
Her insight as a previous ESL Paraprofessional, merged with her current experience as a First-Generation Political Science student and Political Theory teaching assistant, have revealed the profound impact policy and access to quality education have on individual lives and communities. Denny seeks to pursue a career on educational law or as a professional higher education academic.
2024 Presidential Federal Internship Service: Office of Senator Michael Bennet
In moving to Denver from Baton Rouge, Louisiana and pursuing a journey through undergraduate academia at two of three Auraria institutions, Mary has come to appreciate the community that has embraced her. She understands that folks have an obligation to give what they can to the city that gives them what they need, and simultaneously recognizes that there are discrepancies in achieving favorable conditions for all neighbors.
Mary has a vision of achieving justice in our growing city through equitable and sustainable development. She has a vision that everyone will have access to a safe and fair job opportunity, a way to get to that job without dependence upon a personal vehicle, and an affordable house with a fridge full of food to come home to at the end of every shift. Through collaboration among community members and cooperation among community leaders, Denver can become an exemplary city where everyone is housed, moving, and fed.
2024 Presidential Federal Internship Service: Public Religion Research Institute
2024 Public Service Pathway Fellows
Institute for Public Service Advisory Council
Institute for Public Service
Contact Us
For questions or more information
Contact:
Shaun LaBarre, Director, Institute for Public Service
Phone:
303-605-7131
Email:
[email protected]
Campus Location:
King Center 484
Mailing Address:
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Campus Box 37
P.O. Box 173362
Denver, CO 80217-3362