Our Team • The Connection Project

Connection Project leadership is focused on furthering our mission to strengthen and deepen connection to ourself and others. Our team’s combined professional and lived experience make them uniquely qualified to serve and guide our efforts.

Jason C Hopcus
Founder and President

Jason Hopcus’s personal mission is to advance human connection by embracing conversations amongst fighters; whose journeys from darkness to light provide hope to those that deserve a second or even a third chance at becoming ambassadors of conversations designed to go deeper.

As Founder and President of Connection Project, Jason takes a fresh approach to this by focusing on real people who have spun their personal struggles into passion for a community-driven cause, creating a place for honest conversations to flourish that empower individuals to embrace ‘next level’ social responsibility.

Under his guidance, Connection Project continues to launch initiatives designed to combat mental health in America in service to vulnerable populations who struggle with mental health, including but not limited to: youth, families, caregivers, first responders, and men.

Moreover, his motivation and relentless spirit as a catalyst for cultural change within the mental health industry has contributed to nine years of service as President and CEO of the National Alliance on Mental Illness for Arapahoe and Douglas Counties (NAMI ADCO). As NAMI ADCO’s President and CEO, Jason’s ongoing dedication to Colorado youth and families transformed the once $20,000 nonprofit into a six-figure organization, where he also led a NAMI ADCO support group for over a decade.

In addition to his leadership across the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, Jason is the host of Get Unstuck. Move Forward with Your Life Radio Show and the Nobody’s Perfect Podcast, which have created environments for anyone experiencing struggle to find hope and create their own vision for healing in support of their journeys to self-empowerment.

Nancy Barlow
Barlow Communications

Nancy Barlow is a versatile marketing professional known for her creativity, strategic prowess, design expertise, and vision. She is an expert-level direct marketer, particularly when promoting high-value products and services. Known for her distinctive marketing approach, Nancy captivates audiences with compelling messaging and visually engaging content. Clients seek her out for her innovative problem-solving skills and her knack for crafting and implementing unique marketing campaigns and strategies.

Jennifer Hashem-Ip
Velocity Public Relations

Jennifer Hashem-Ip (she/her) is a public relations and communications professional with a decade of experience in the field spanning across the municipal government, nonprofit, private, and higher education sectors. Upon relocating to Colorado in 2023 after a lifetime in the Midwest, Hashem-Ip launched Velocity Public Relations, where she continues to serve clients with strategic PR and communications in the life sciences, education, and nonprofit sectors, with an emphasis on mental health. Jen maintains intermediate speaking proficiency in Spanish and basic working proficiency in Arabic (Lebanese dialect), has previously served as a volunteer for the Mongolian School of Colorado and currently volunteers with the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. Jen received her B.A. in English and minor in Spanish from Indiana University Indianapolis and resides in south Denver with her husband, Jordan.

Aaron Cohen
3PG Consulting

Aaron Cohen is a nationally recognized entrepreneur and strategic advisor dedicated to helping organizations achieve their most ambitious goals.

Aaron is a five-time founder of impact companies and nonprofit organizations specializing in accelerating growth by forging strategic partnerships between clients and key stakeholders. With over 15 years of experience, Aaron has a proven track record of building trusted relationships with clients to fully understand their needs and connect them to the right people, resources and opportunities. He is passionate about aligning people around shared purpose to drive mutually beneficial outcomes.

As a Strategic Advisor, he provides guidance to founders, executives, boards and teams on refining strategy, improving operations, raising capital and expanding reach. Aaron facilitates partnerships between companies, investors, nonprofits and public entities, and has earned recognition as an AAPC 40 Under 40 honoree and featured guest on CNN en Español, Colombia TV, and Voto Latino. He is the former President of Front Range Strategic Connections and served as Government Affairs Co-Chair for the Rocky Mountain Anti-Defamation League.