Powered by Houston Endowment, the CCE Collaborative at PSW features southwest funders in dialogue with nationally recognized organizations, sharing successes, strategies, and lessons learned from their partnerships to strengthen civic engagement and bring communities together across the region. 

Upcoming Session: 

March's webinar highlights what it takes to build the next generation of informed, engaged, and courageous civic leaders through a candid conversation centered on youth voices and those closest to the work.

Designed for grantmakers, this webinar will highlight what meaningful youth civic investment looks like in practice, share firsthand insights from emerging civic leaders, and examine how philanthropy can play a catalytic role in sustaining  healthy, resilient communities. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of the ecosystem supporting youth civic engagement and concrete ideas for aligning grantmaking with long-term civic impact.

PSW is excited to bring back Cameron Parker, the 2025 Colorado Civics Bee State Champion and National Civics Bee Championship Finalist, for March's session within our Civic and Community Engagement Collaborative! Cameron will also be joined by Keith Lee, the 2025 New Meixco Civics Bee State Champion and National Civics Been Championship Finalist, and the Executive Director of the organization Collective Action for Youth, Tiffany Echevarria. Together, they will explore how early investment in civic learning, leadership development, and real-world engagement equips young people not only to understand democracy—but to actively strengthen it.

BONUS: Think you have what it takes to go head-to-head with Keith and Cameron? Join the webinar right at the start time to take a polled quiz to test your civics knowledge with real questions from this year's National Civics Bee. The winner(s) who answer the most questions correctly will receive something fun in their mailbox from PSW! 

Learn more about this webinar's featured organizations and speakers:

• The National Civics Bee Championship is a nonpartisan competition for middle school students (grades 6–8) who advance from local and state rounds to Washington, D.C., where finalists from around the country showcase their civic knowledge, leadership, and proposed solutions to real community challenges. Led by the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation, it brings together young civic thinkers to compete for awards and recognition while inspiring deeper engagement in American civic life.

• Collective Action for Youth works to create communities where all young people can thrive by centering youth voices and leveraging community power to advance equitable, systemic solutions. Based in Houston, TX, their mission is to elevate the experiences and leadership of young people, especially those most impacted by systems, to transform policies, practices, and opportunities for youth success.

• The Daniels Fund: Established by cable television pioneer Bill Daniels, the Daniels Fund is a private charitable foundation dedicated to making life better for people across Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming through its big bets, grants, scholarships.

Featuerd Speakers

Keith Lee, New Mexico

Keith Lee is a high school freshman at Albuquerque Academy (Class of 2029) with a distinguished record in civic leadership and academic competition. A two-time champion of the National Civics Bee New Mexico State Rounds (2024, 2025), Keith achieved national recognition by placing third in the 2024 National Civics Bee.

Keith’s civic work includes authoring “Fixing New Mexico Education Crisis: A Civic Duty,” a proposal to address the state’s low literacy and math proficiency rates by implementing a school-based Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring and tutoring program focused on equality, respect, and responsibility. His plan emphasizes student-led clubs, partnerships with foundations such as the Thornburg Foundation and New Mexico Foundation, and expansion to rural and tribal communities through virtual mentoring.

Beyond civics, Keith is a multi-year Scripps Spelling Bee New Mexico Champion and 2023 National Quarterfinalist, and a top-tier math competitor in the AMC, UNM-PNM, and MATHCOUNTS, leading his team to a state victory in 2025. His diverse interests extend to band, robotics, cross-country, and baseball. Keith is fluent in English and Mandarin and is a member of HOSA and DECA.

Cameron Parker, Colorado

Cameron Parker is a high school student from Colorado with a strong interest in civics, government, and public service. Through participation in the National Civics Bee National Championship and speaking opportunities at multiple conferences, Cameron has demonstrated a commitment to civic knowledge and leadership. In his free time, Cameron enjoys playing Ultimate Frisbee for his high school team.

Tiffany Echevarria, Executive Director, Collective Action for Youth

Tiffany Echevarria supports the work of Collective Action for Youth by providing leadership and strategic direction. Tiffany’s background includes implementation, evaluation and continuous quality improvement for youth programming. She is an experienced facilitator who regularly brings people together to dialogue around race and diversity. In this role, she is eager to work shoulder to shoulder with youth to create better solutions for the community. Tiffany has a Bachelor’s Degree from Texas Southern University and a Master's of Public Policy and Administration from University of St. Thomas. Tiffany leads with empathy, respect, humility, and considers herself a lifelong learner.

Moderator

Nick Loyacona, JD, Grants Program Officer, Daniels Fund

Nick Loyacona serves as a Grants Program Officer at the Daniels Fund in Denver, where he oversees the organization’s national Civics initiatives, including spearheading the National Civics Bee in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. He also leads the Youth Development funding area for Metro Denver and manages all funding areas for the eastern half of Colorado, including the City of Colorado Springs.

A graduate of the University of Notre Dame Law School, Nick brings a deep commitment to civic education and a reverence for America’s founding documents. Through his work at the Daniels Fund, he advances initiatives that foster character, opportunity, and a strong sense of civic responsibility, helping to cultivate future generations of informed, engaged, and patriotic citizens.

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Questions? 

Email Brittany Huber at bhuber@philanthropysouthwest.org.