Colleen Denny is the Regional Director for Europe. Colleen began her tenure at Spirit of America as the Manager of Citizen-Military Partnerships, responsible for development and fundraising. Prior to joining Spirit of America, Colleen earned a master’s degree in international public policy from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies after serving for eight years in the U.S. Coast Guard.

A native of Buffalo, New York, Colleen graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy with a Bachelor of Science and a commissioning in the US Coast Guard. During her time in service, she served on three ships including a tour as the Commanding Officer of a Fast Response Cutter. She earned over five years of sea time and also served one tour as a military aide-de-camp. She operated primarily in Central America, the Caribbean, and the Florida Straits conducting counter-narcotics missions, search and rescue missions, and delivering humanitarian aid and relief. In January 2010, she responded to the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Port-au-Prince, Haiti. As a responder, Colleen led the first shore excursions into Port-au-Prince to provide medical care and humanitarian supplies, and was responsible for coordinating helicopter medical evacuations in and out of the harbor.

In 2018, Colleen served as a Peace Fellow in Kenya, working with warring pastoralist communities in Northern Kenya. She conducted peace-building activities with children of the warring tribes while working with tribal leaders to create economic interdependence and develop food security initiatives between the groups, resulting in a sustained peace for over 15,000 Kenyans.