Who We Are

Coming soon.

Manny is the chief marketing, experience and customer officer for UCHealth, a nationally recognized, nonprofit health care system. Actively involved in the Denver community, Mr. Rodriguez is a member of the board of trustees with Denver Center for the Performing Arts and Boy Scouts of America-Denver Council, President of the CMO Club Denver Chapter, Co-Chair of the Denver 2026 World Cup Host City Bid Committee and he is the Board Chair of the Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer Club. A leukemia survivor, Mr. Rodriguez does public/motivational speaking to raise awareness – and funds – for leukemia research and causes.

Robert has been involved at Rapids Youth Soccer for the last five years as a parent and coach, he is excited to increase his commitment to the club. Born and raised in southern California, he played a variety of sports, but soccer was always his first love. Eventually, his soccer skill couldn’t keep up with his passion, so he hung up my cleats and rowed competitively for Loyola Marymount University, where he earned a Bachelors in Business Administration and an MBA in Finance. He moved to Colorado in 2012 for a better quality of life for his family and to start a legal services company. He’s served on the board of a local school and a program that supported under-served youth by providing access to physical fitness through CrossFit. His passion for Rapids soccer runs deep. With all three kids involved in the program, he’s at a Rapids training or game every day of the week. Rapids soccer has given so much to his family and he’s honored to give back to such an amazing organization.

Andr<span class=”m_370812141221250868m_-7564743778754945351gmail-ilfuvd”>és Pedraza is excited to join the Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer Club, and bring with him his passion toward the development of young players, and his vast professional experience from working at multiple Fortune 500 organizations. Since he was a child in Colombia, or even as a young adult in the Denver Metropolitan area, Andrés was devoted to the sport of soccer. In fact, like many kids, he dreamt of playing professionally one day, but unfortunately, this never materialized. In his younger years, he experienced first-hand the monetary hardships of playing competitive soccer and the necessity for additional outreach tools for monolingual parents. During college, he attended DU, the University of Miami, and UC Denver where he developed a niche in the creation and the delivery of complex financial strategies. Most recently, he transitioned from managing a multibillion-dollar budget for a supply chain organization to lead very large M&amp;A and restructuring operations of key NBC/Telemundo assets. Andrés is going to focus his energy on breaking down language barriers; in order for all families in our footprint to thoroughly enjoy the Rapids experience. Finally, in his spare time, Andrés loves to watch soccer matches with his wife and his 3-year-old son and hopes to instill in him the same love and passion he has for the sport.</span>

Brooke Yates brings knowledge and experience from her work with various sports’ National Governing Bodies, sports organizations, and boards of directors to benefit the CRYSC. As a former competitive athlete and a parent of two CRYSC players, Brooke has seen first-hand the benefits of team athletics in children’s lives and understands the importance of the player experience in youth sports. She hopes to support and reinforce the CRYSC’s Core Values throughout the Club and the Colorado youth sports community. She is a litigation partner at Foley Hoag, an international law firm that recently opened an office in Denver, where she focuses on resolving high stakes disputes and counseling clients on complex risk management and related insurance issues. She earned her J.D. at the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law, and her B.S. in Business Administration at the University of Denver.

Lauren has been involved with the Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer Club since 2015. Lauren and her husband, Jay, have three kids in the CRYSC competitive program, and Lauren volunteered as a coach for her kids’ early years in the Rapids Recreational program.

Lauren is passionate about youth sports, having grown up playing a multitude of sports, including soccer, and went on to play D1 lacrosse in college. Lauren highly values the role sports play in a child’s life both on and off the field and is honored to help support the organization that has already brought so much to her family over the years.

Lauren received her B.A. from the University of Richmond and went on to earn her MBA from The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. She is currently the CEO of 828 Venue Management Company, a high-growth organization which manages a portfolio of venues across the country focused on private events including weddings, corporate events, galas and more.

Sean M. O’Hara is an Architect and a founding partner with EVstudio, a Denver based architecture and engineering firm. He has served multiple terms on the Denver Board of the American Institute of Architects and is currently a board member with the Boy Scouts of America, Denver Area Council. Both Sean and his wife Stephanie have coached Rapids rec teams for their three children and his daughters currently play for Rapids competitive teams.

Wayne Brant is the Colorado Rapids’ senior vice president of business operations. In his role, Brant oversees the day-to-day business operations for the club, including strategic communications initiatives, marketing, fan experience and match presentation, while developing and delivering the club’s long-term vision.

One of the longest tenured Rapids employees, Brant brings over 15 years of experience in the event and sports entertainment industry. He first joined the Rapids in 2007 and has held various roles ranging from director of marketing to senior director of fan development before accepting his current position in 2018. During his time with the Rapids, Brant played key roles in bringing in the 2015 MLS All-Star Game to Colorado, as well as hosting the first-ever MLS Cup Playoffs game on Thanksgiving Day.