About Us
About Colorado’s UNA in Boulder: Colorado’s Home for Global Engagement
Long before our current chapter took shape, Boulder residents were already coming together to celebrate the United Nations and its mission. In the 1960s, 70s, 80s, and 90s, UN Day celebrations brought together members of UNA-USA, the League of Women Voters, and other passionate citizens. Leaders like Maxine Hitchcock, Cathy Wrenn, and Bruce MacKenzie helped keep the UN’s work visible and vibrant in our community.
Highlights from those early years include the UN’s 40th birthday celebration in 1985, featuring Susan Markham, a New Zealander working in the UN Public Information Agency, who spoke on the Decade for Women and International Youth Year. The following year, the Daily Camera reported on a UN Day event headlined by Dr. Francis Bretherton of NCAR, who addressed the “Peaceful Use of Outer Space.”
Some Boulder residents also recall a short-lived UNA-USA chapter that formed around 1964. Though it existed for only a few years, its spirit was remembered fondly by figures like John Porritt and Bruce MacKenzie, who reflected on those early days at a 2006 Annual Meeting.
Did you know? We’re currently the only active chapter of UNA-USA in Colorado. While our name honors our roots in Boulder County, our community and our mission reach across the entire state. Whether you’re in Denver, Fort Collins, Grand Junction, or anywhere in between, you are welcome here. We are UNA-Boulder County by name; but we are Colorado’s chapter at heart.
A Legacy of Local Action, Global Vision
The Modern Chapter Takes Shape
Our current Chapter was reestablished in the mid-1990s at the encouragement of Professor Ved Nanda of the University of Denver, then president of the Colorado Division of UNA-USA. Following a series of preparatory meetings in 1995, officers and directors were identified, bylaws were adopted, and by 1996, our first official board meeting was held.
In 2003, the chapter gained important financial footing when Gatekeepers to the Future, a nonprofit associated with First Congregational Church of Boulder, ceased operations and generously gifted their remaining funds to support our work.
What we do today
Like UNA-USA chapters across the country, we bring together grassroots energy and high-level engagement. We connect community members with global issues, provide educational resources to the public and media, and ensure that Colorado’s voice is heard by our representatives in government. From free community programs to direct service initiatives, our work is driven by volunteers and supporters who believe a better world is possible, and worth building together.
We’re so glad you’re here. Whether you’re ready to volunteer, become a member, or simply learn more, there’s a place for you at our UNA chapter.
Our Mission
UNA-USA’s mission is to support the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals through community grassroots action and leadership. Our chapter believes in and advocates for the work of the UN through a combination of community education and direct policy advocacy.
Throughout my career, I've combined developed competence in communications, digital strategy, organizational leadership, and international development. I've advised nonprofit organizations, developed digital engagement initiatives, and helped organizations modernize their outreach while strengthening stakeholder engagement and public education.
Now as a resident of Colorado for the past 14 years and as President of Colorado’s only UNA, I'm leading a strategic vision to expand our chapter's statewide impact through partnerships with schools, universities, civic organizations, businesses, and local governments. My priorities include growing our Model United Nations programming, bolstering advocacy on global issues, advancing education on the United Nations and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), increasing youth engagement, and developing grant-funded initiatives that connect local communities with international solutions.
I believe that effective global impact can begin at the local level. I serve with a commitment to building bridges between communities, promoting informed dialogue, and demonstrating how the principles of the United Nations can inspire meaningful action throughout Colorado and beyond.
I look forward to working alongside all of you as we grow this chapter's impact together.
Warm regards
Daryl Wallace
Daryl Wallace
President
Introducing
Hello, I'm Daryl Wallace, the President of the Colorado’s United Nations Association in Boulder, and I'm honored to bring more than two decades of international leadership, humanitarian experience, and nonprofit innovation to this role.
My commitment to the ideals of the United Nations has been shaped through both academic study and field experience. I read International Relations at Keele University in the UK and UBC in Canada. I focused on international development, political economy, and global governance.
My work with the United Nations began Dubai running international conferences before moving to Sri Lanka in the aftermath of the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, where I supported UN-led humanitarian and recovery initiatives during one of the largest international disaster response efforts in modern history. Working alongside international agencies, government partners, and local communities, I contributed to rebuilding efforts that emphasized sustainable recovery, community resilience, and international cooperation.
In 2010 I began supporting UNESCO in the Comoros, contributing to conservation and sustainable development initiatives within the Mohéli Marine Park, one of the Indian Ocean's most diverse marine protected areas. I balanced environmental stewardship with community development while helping protect globally significant marine ecosystems. My work continues in the developing world today through technology enablement efforts in Papua New Guinea.
Board Members
Svetlana Mikhaylova
Svetlana Mikhaylova is a global HR and workforce transformation leader with experience in organizational change, talent strategy and emerging technology. She currently leads global workforce transformation initiatives at Lumen Technologies and is active across Colorado’s civic and nonprofit community. In addition to serving on the UNA-BC Board, she serves on the boards of Women’s Bean Project and Rocky Mountain MicroFinance Institute and helps organize monthly AI for Good Colorado gatherings, bringing together nonprofit, business and technology leaders to explore how AI can be used to better serve Colorado communities.
Jill Wilson
Jill Wilson is a Longmont-based author, advocate, and graduate social work student whose work focuses on the intersection of human rights, public policy, healthcare, and ethical technology. Before returning to school, she spent more than two decades in the financial services industry. She now brings that experience to advocacy, research, and strategic communications, with a particular interest in translating complex issues into accessible information and meaningful opportunities for action. Jill is also the author of Off My Chest and founder of Side-Eye Ink, where she explores how personal experience and larger systems shape our lives.
Ed Elmendorf
For more than 60 years Ed Elmendorf has been deeply engaged in the work of UN organizations. His initial engagement was as a junior US diplomat at the US Mission to the UN in New York City. After four years at the US Mission, mostly working on the UN and social issues such as human rights, he spent two years on leave from the US Foreign Service as an international civil servant in the UN Secretariat. His writ was to strengthen relations and cooperative initiatives among the many UN-related bodies brought together under what is now known as the UN Chief Executives Board chaired by the UN Secretary General.
Ed's final foray as an official of a UN organization was 30 years in the World Bank. In the Bank he engaged in policy planning and World Bank lending and Country Strategy, principally on Sub-Saharan Africa. After a stint at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Ed turned to health policy and financial operations in the World Bank. He co authored the 1994 book published by the Bank, Better Health in Africa.
Following his retirement from the World Bank, Ed has become deeply engaged in the United Nations Association of the USA, initially in Washington DC (Board Member and then President of the local chapter), then at the national level (Board Member and then President and CEO leading to a partnership with the UN Foundation), and most recently in Boulder as a Board Member and as promoter of UNA-BC communication activities and leader of the UNA-BC initiatives for intergenerational Model UNs.
Testimonials
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Olivia Carter
Bachelors of Social Work
MSU Denver
Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 SemestersAs a Bachelor of Social Work student at MSU Denver, interning with UNA-Boulder County has been an incredibly meaningful experience that aligned closely with my passion for global justice and community-based advocacy. During my time with the organization, I helped plan community events, contributed to the chapter’s strategic planning efforts, and worked on outreach initiatives to strengthen local engagement. Being part of UNA-BC gave me the opportunity to apply what I’ve learned in the classroom to real-world advocacy and deepen my understanding of macro social work in action. This internship has strengthened my commitment to pursuing a career in international development and public policy as I look towards graduate school, and it showed me the power of community education as a tool for change.
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Max Karpinski
Bachelors of Social Work MSU Denver Fall 2024 and Spring 2025
Completing my social work internship with the United Nations Association Boulder Chapter has helped me develop a wide range of skills under thoughtful, skilled, and caring supervision. I was surrounded by a wealth of experience and had the opportunity to participate in events, team-building activities, marketing, and social media efforts. I also attended board meetings and engaged with members, which deepened my understanding of the organization’s concerns and future initiatives aimed at serving the community. This is an experience I highly recommend for anyone interested in working within macro ethical practices, as it offers the autonomy to align your work with your personal values.
Want to join our team?
We offer internships, volunteering options, sponsorship opportunities and more.