Meet the Team

Leadership of the Academy includes Lonnie Porter, Co-Founder and Executive Director; Chauncey Billups, Co-Executive Director; Jennifer Clark, Assistant Director
An Advisory Board, made up of members/leaders from the local and national communities, provide guidance and assistance with fundraising activities.
Lonnie Porter
Co-Founder & Executive Director
Former Regis Men's Head Basketball Coach Lonnie Porter is the Executive Director of the Porter-Billups Leadership Academy. Coach Porter's award list is vast and varied and includes the National Association of Basketball Coaches Merit Award in 1990 and the Colorado Athletic Conference Coach of the Year awards in 1993-94, 1994-95 and 1995-96. He has also received numerous honors away from his sport. In 1995, Coach Porter was named "Man of the Year" by the Regis student body and was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. Coach Porter is widely recognized in the Denver area for leadership in community service and had a vision of creating a leadership academy to further serve the youth of the community beyond the school year. Coach Porter's vision became a reality in 1996. In May 2015, Regis University President Rev. John Fitzgibbons, S.J., awarded an honorary doctorate to Coach Porter, citing his commitment of giving hope and opportunity for a college education to a new generation of young people. Coach Porter is sincere in his commitment to the community in which he lives. "Serving the community is a humbling experience," said Coach Porter. "It helps me to realize how blessed I've been in my life. There is a tremendous need for us to use our talents to better the lives of those who may not be as fortunate as we are." In 2022, he was inducted into the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Hall of Fame.
Chauncey Billups
Co-Executive Director
NBA All-Star and Denver native Chauncey Billups announced his involvement and support of the Leadership Academy on March 1, 2006. Billups graduated in 1995 from George Washington High School in Denver, where he led the Patriots to two state high school basketball championships. Billups attended the University of Colorado. In his 55 games at CU, Billups averaged 18.5 points per game, 5.6 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. Billups was drafted by the Boston Celtics as the third player taken in the 1997 NBA draft. In 2004, Billups, then with the Detroit Pistons, was named the NBA Finals MVP, only the second player in NBA history to receive the MVP award before being selected to the NBA All-Star game. In 2007, he hosted 10 youngsters excelling in the PBLA to a Pistons home game, as well as a trip to the Charles H. Wright African American Museum and Motown Museum. Billups joined the Denver Nuggets in 2008, leading them to the NBA Western Conference Finals in his first year. Billups was the 2007-2008 recipient of the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award and won the 2008-2009 NBA Sportsmanship Award. He also played on Team USA which won the 2010 FIBA World Championship. He was a member of the Los Angeles Clippers from the 2011-2013 season and retired from the Detroit Pistons at the end of the 2013-2014 season. He now serves as Head Coach of the Portland Trailblazers. Chauncey and his wife Piper have three children: Cydney, Ciara, and Cenaiya. Billups continues to make a positive difference, be a powerful role model and an extraordinary leader in the Denver community.

Advisory Board Members
Sr. Advisory Board
Dan Baker
Thomas Bannigan
Peter Bentley
Piper Billups
Ken Carlson
Kelly Condon
Bill Fortune
Dr. Mike Gerber
Chad Glauser
Alex Glueckler
Wanda Harris
Don & Laurie Hicks
Tony Jones
David Kubik
Carrie Langgard
Aaron Leatherwood
Mitch Morrissey
Flossie O’Leary
Paul Pogge
David Roth
Dwayne Ruffin
Dr. Bob Sancetta
Dr. Mitch Seemann
Jordan Sherrill
Paul Sherrill
Debbie Trujillo
Sean Tynan
Dr. Reggie Washington
Bob Willis
Associate Board
Jennifer Condon
Cam McCaslin
Alex Fullerton
Ben Nurney
John McEwen
Kelsey Tordjman
Jason Baer
Jordan Drummond
Lauren Appleby
Lauren Sparks
Emily Bennett
Will Kerns
Rebecca Stout
Cameron Powell
Banafsheh Lari
Taven Sparks
Casey Kennedy
Trey Cousin

Academy Teachers
Sharon Jones, 4th Grade
John Farnham, 5th Grade
Paul Roberts, 6th Grade
Jorge Resendez, 7th Grade
William Baird, 8th Grade And Life Lessons
Alina Acosta, 9th Grade
Torrence Brown-Smith, 9th Grade And Life Skills
Sean Malloy, 10th Grade
Angela Sidhu, 10th Grade And Life Skills
Kiara Roberts, 11th Grade
William Anderson, 12th Grade
Alyssa Carter, Teambuilding
Paree Gregg, Lego Robotics And Coding
Martha Britt, Stem Engineering
Conor Simbeck, Outdoor Education
Meredith Blatner, Financial Literacy
Kelley Dawkins, Financial Literacy
Miguel Ortega, Culture And Heritage
Bill Heldman, Techotshots
Robin Segura, Art
John Lake, Art
Sonja Jones, Elementary Assistant
James Augustus Iii, Assistant
Ja’derris Carr, Assistant