Perla Bustillos

Chief Operating Officer & Programs Director

Prior to joining CEEMI, Perla Co-Founded Ednium: The Alumni Collective, a non-profit organization with a focus on mobilizing public school alumni as a powerful force to change the way cities educate and reinvest in its homegrown talent. She played a main role in executing overall operations of the organization to ensure it ran smoothly. 

Her advocacy work began during her senior year in high school when she learned how many barriers she would have to jump as an undocumented student. She advocated for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and shared her story through multiple news platforms. 

Perla holds a Bachelor of Science in Event and Meeting Management from Metropolitan State University of Denver, which opened doors to manage many A-List events, meetings & concerts in Colorado and Nevada. Although this was exciting and fun, she realized her planning and organizational skills needed to be used in a deeper and more meaningful way. So, she shifted her focus to community driven organizations. 

In July 2023, Mayor Johnston appointed Perla to a 6 month role focused on Denver’s unhoused community. To focus on this work, Perla has shifted to a part-time schedule with CEEMI through the end of 2023.

Perla was born in Delicas, Chihuahua and has lived in Denver for most of her life. he She ensures she stays true to her Mexican culture everyday. She lives in Denver with her husband and 6 year old maltese shih tzu.