EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

As Founder and Executive Director, Laurie Lazar leads the strategic planning, program development, fundraising, and overall management of Realness Project. With over 30 years of experience in business and technology, Laurie has held leadership roles such as Director of HR at Level 3 Communications and Executive Recruiter for Fortune 100 companies. She also holds a BS in Education with a focus on Curriculum Development. Laurie believes that her most significant credential is her deep experience and unwavering commitment to empowering individuals to transform their lives. In her free time, Laurie enjoys practicing yoga and making delicious meals with ingredients from her garden to share with her husband and finicky feline friends: Phineas and Zuri.

FACILITATOR IN TRAINING

As a Facilitator in Training, Certified Peer Support Specialist, and member of Realness Project’s Source Team, Shawna Pierson acts as a liaison between those who are currently incarcerated and those who serve on the Leadership Team. During her four years of incarceration at La Vista Correctional Facility Shawna was fortunate to participate in Realness Project programming. The course was life changing work and she knew that she wanted to be a part of it upon her release. Shawna brings to her role her experience as a former participant of Realness Project’s programming while incarcerated as well as her lived experience modeling the principles of authentic relating in every area of her life. Shawna is a mother, grandmother, and manages a Salon in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. 

FACILITATOR IN TRAINING & ADMIN

As a Facilitator in Training, Shani brings a decade of experience in holding space, facilitating deep work, and bringing out people’s strengths and innate joy. Shani is the creator and facilitator of a healing group practice called Journey Writing Circles, author of the book Being Ana: a memoir of anorexia nervosa and loves serving people with addiction and mental health issues. As a lifelong writer, Shani believes that writing and speaking your truth heals. She lives in a semi-rural co-housing community in Lafayette, Colorado with her teen son and her partner where she practices and teaches yoga, cooks feasts, reads poetry, and camps in the woods. 

DONOR & DATA MANAGER

As a Facilitator in Training and Donor & Data Manager, Shavon is responsible for outreach, enrollment, tracking, and updating donor contributions. Shavon holds an Associates Degree in Psychology, has done tons of communication classes, and brings her warmth, can-do-attitude, and people skills to Realness Project. During her seven year incarceration she participated in Realness Project’s 2-day intensive “ART of Being Human” course. It gave her the tools to feel comfortable being herself and to respond to conflict without violence. Shavon’s dream is to create a healing house to help adolescent girls who are trafficked like she was to build the strength they need to break away from that lifestyle. Shavon lives in Denver, Colorado.

COURSE LEADER/FACILITATOR

As a course leader and facilitator Marcia coordinates and facilitates the Foundations of Authentic Relating Training at Denver Women’s Correctional Facility. As a senior citizen, her lifetime of work starting up many social services for people with mental illness, as well as acting as Executive Director for a grassroots homeless advocacy and non-profit start-up, have prepared her for her role at Realness Project. She loves being part of the Realness Project community where she can practice walking her talk and empowering others with tools for increasing their self-awareness. Marcia has lived in Colorado since 2017 and has two grown daughters. She hikes three times a week, loves road trips, meditates, tries new things, and has taken up poker in the last year! She is loving life!

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

As the Marketing and Communications Manager, Annie is responsible for designing visual materials, creating social media content, and crafting community outreach such as newsletters and organizational updates. She was drawn to Realness Project through her prior work in advocating for fair chance career opportunities and assisting formerly incarcerated Coloradans in securing long-term, sustainable employment. Annie is passionate about Realness Project because of its focus on empowering wellness, vulnerability, and empathy in prison populations across the state—traits that she knows are crucial to a successful reentry into society. Annie moved from Florida to Colorado in 2018 and resides in Denver with her furry cat friend, Muffin. 

PRESIDENT

Anthony P. Martinez is the Regional Turnaround Manager for Goodwill Colorado as well as an 

award-winning leader featured on Fox News, the Gazette Magazine, Forbes Magazine, and the National Campaign for Goodwill International ‘New Lives’. As President of Realness Project’s Board he is responsible for ensuring compliance with laws and regulations that apply to the organization’s business activities, establishing priorities for board meetings and executive committees, managing and identifying risks associated with its business activities, and ensuring all activity aligns with the organization’s mission. Anthony believes in the untapped potential in underserved communities and that people need a second chance as he once had the same need and someone took a chance on him. He lives in Denver, Colorado with his family, which includes his young daughter and a Maine-Coon cat named B-mo. In his spare time he likes to read, stay active, and watch his daughter grow up.

TREASURER

Caz Bzdek is the founder and pioneer of the Dueling Pianos® Official, Dueling Pianos Road Show, 4 Grands 8 Hands®, Mobile Dance Club™ and StrikeAChord.org as well as Treasurer of Realness Project’s board. Caz has performed for and done business with over 250 Fortune 500 Companies and continues his altruistic and philanthropic work via his Music Therapy Mobile concept. Educated at CU Denver/Boulder in Business Management and certified in Music Therapy, he also taught many classes on finance, credit building and business startups. Caz was the 1995 recipient of the Young Entrepreneur Association’s Award and has been performing publicly since age six. After serving four years of a twenty year financial crimes racketeering prison sentence, and overcoming past trauma and abuse, he now brings his diverse experiences, business acumen, event planning expertise, and performance passion to Realness Project. Caz lives with his wife and daughter in Denver, Colorado.  

SECRETARY

The Realness Project’s mission deeply resonates with Jurney. As a Criminal Justice major with first-hand knowledge of how fraught the criminal justice system is, she wanted no part of it. Instead, she became a paralegal to appease her interest in the legal system. Twenty years later she transitioned to the study of alternative health care when at long last her passions merged. The work of Realness Project helps heal relationships and her work with individuals helps heal physical, emotional and spiritual imbalances. Aside from being Secretary of Realness Project’s Board, Jurney is ecstatic to serve as a Super volunteer. She helps with data collection and vital communications with incarcerated Realness project graduates because she deeply cares for each individual human being. She lives a life of balance between her dreams and her reality.