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. 

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Chauncey Billups

Co-Executive Director

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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.

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Staci Porter Bentley

Co-Founder & Director

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Staci Porter-Bentley has been an educator for 30 years. She began her career serving youth at The Curtis Park Community Center in 1991 and joined Denver Public Schools in 1992. In 2007 Staci was awarded  Colorado's Teacher of the Year by then Mayor, John Hickenlooper. Staci was also presented with The Denver Public Schools Outstanding Teacher Award in 2012 by Mayor Michael Hancock. Staci proudly served with Adams County Schools as Director of Intervention Services. While serving in Adams 12, Staci was awarded with The Black Educator of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award. Most recently, Staci is currently serving in her 26th year as the Family and Constituency Services Specialist in Denver Public Schools. As Co-Founder and Director of the Porter-Billups Leadership Academy, Staci supports in the selecting of outstanding educators, identifies progressive curriculum, and co-supports fundraising efforts which assists with the ongoing operation of the PBLA and the Porter Scholars Endowment. Most importantly, Staci works with students and families who attend the PBLA to achieve their dreams of becoming productive members of the Denver community. Staci's most passionate commitment to PBLA is to help to accomplish her father Lonnie Porter's vision: that all PBLA students graduate from high school, attend college or immediately enter the workforce successfully.

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