The Vanguard Collective LLC is an innovation lab designed to empower people to directly and meaningfully participate in the U.S. political and legal systems. We create and support projects that encourage democratic participation, promote equitable distribution of power, and advance the public good.
Lisi Owen
Founder and Chief Vision Officer
Lisi is an experienced anti-corruption lawyer who sues prisons, hospitals, insurance companies, and other institutions in abuse of power cases. She is obsessed with beauty, the rule of law, and the human spirit. Past work includes founding and directing a prisoners’ rights non-profit, being a sought after insurance coverage and appellate lawyer, researching the Norwegian prosecution system, and running an audacious campaign for Denver District Attorney. A true multi-attentional Sagittarian rising, at the moment she homeschools her two incredible kids and runs Vanguard Justice LLC, a law firm for the public good.
Andrés Alvarez
Political Director
Andrés is a first generation immigrant from Venezuela who moved to the United States when he was five. As a kid who was impacted by politics, Andrés has always been aware of the unique impacts that policies can have on people and how those impacts lead to real life decisions with consequences. Now in Colorado, Andrés keeps an eye on the state legislature in Denver during session, and he enjoys traveling and hiking during his off time. When he isn’t reporting on state politics, he’s producing and hosting a Star Wars and politics podcast called Sithty Minutes. Andrés will try almost any food once, so he’ll never turn down a lunch to connect with you!
Robert D. Gandy
Director of Legal Research
Robert D. P. Gandy, a 70-year-old resident of Montreal, Canada, embarked on a journey to the United States in 1978, seeking a better life. After a few years on Long Island, he vacationed in Boulder, Colorado, which eventually became his permanent home.
In Colorado, Robert faced challenges, including minor run-ins with the law. In 1990, he was charged with burglary and, due to prior marijuana possession convictions, received a life sentence as a habitual offender. Despite this heavy burden, Robert became an advocate for himself, challenging his conviction and ensuring the Colorado Department of Corrections followed its own policies, including international treaties. After nearly three decades, Robert was released in July 2022 and returned to Canada. He has a relentless passion for uncovering hidden truths.
Beth Huffer
Chief Operations Officer and Ontology Director
Beth is the founder and President of Lingua Logica LLC, a full-stack knowledge management technology. She is a philosopher and a lover of logic, semantics, ontology, and data who has been working in the semantic technology field since 1998. Beth started and finished her bachelor’s and master’s degrees and completed a significant portion of her Ph.D while raising Lisi as a working single mom. Before running her own business, Beth worked in law firms as a receptionist, legal secretary, and paralegal. She loves dogs, seventies music, and boisterous debate no matter the setting or time of day.
Davi Mendes Málaga
Director of Academic Research and Partnerships
Davi is a lawyer practicing in Brazil and holds a Ph.D in Administration. His doctoral research included an international comparative research study analyzing the prison policy in Norway versus Brazil. His interests gravitate toward a varied array of topics, including law, sociology and social justice, political science and institutional organization, public administration and public policy, and political economy.
Davi is well-versed in political theory and has a keen understanding of the impact of extractive capitalism on Brazil and other countries that have been subjected to imperial rule.