About Onward!

As a registered respiratory therapist, Pete Montano was able to work in numerous hospitals and mostly worked in neonatal intensive care units. That is how he met his wife, Laurie. She worked in the pediatric intensive care unit at the University of Utah. Pete also worked as a certified welder building ore and powder wagons. He worked in that field for two years. However, Pete is mostly known for his work in the restaurant business. Mr. Montano has always enjoyed cooking for others.

Volunteer work is something Pete has always been involved with. In high school he volunteered helping elementary school students with reading challenges. He was a volunteer with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for five years. Pete worked at the summer camps as a therapist for five years as well. “It was a wonderful experience working with the kids and other volunteers,” Pete stated. As his children grew he volunteered to be a soccer coach. Pete even earned his level E certification as a coach though he never played the game. “I believe that volunteer work is important if you are to be part of your community. I have volunteered my time in many ways. My email tag line is ‘be involved’.”

The first time Pete met his future wife he was covered in mud. He and a buddy had been out four wheeling in the foothills of Salt Lake City when they got stuck. The two men walked down to some homes where Pete knew a nurse named Laurie lived. Hopefully she was home and they could call for help. She was. Pete took off his muddy boots, tiptoed in and called his friend Dave for help. Dave came and they went to get the truck. Once they got to the truck, he realized he had left his boots at Laurie’s house. Pete went back a couple of days later to sheepishly get his muddy boots. She had cleaned them, and they were spotless. They were married about a year later.

Pete reflected on his involvement in Onward!, “I really believe in the work we do in supporting our community. By working behind the scenes we enable non-profit organizations to plan for the future and devote more time to their passion.” BE INVOLVED!

David Coit is a seasoned commercial and corporate finance professional with over 30 years’ experience. Most of the valuation work he does at Vertess is for healthcare companies such as behavioral healthcare, home healthcare, hospice care, substance use disorder treatment providers, physical therapy, physician practices, durable medical equipment companies, outpatient surgical centers, dental offices, and home sleep testing providers.

He holds certifications as a Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA), issued by the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts, Certified Value Growth Advisor (CVGA), issued by Corporate Value Metrics, Certified Merger & Acquisition Advisor (CM&AA), issued by the Alliance of Merger & Acquisition Advisors, and Certified Business Exit Consultant, issued by Pinnacle Equity Solutions. Moreover, the topic of his doctoral dissertation was business valuation.

David earned a Doctorate in Business Administration from Walden University with a specialization in Corporate Finance (4.0 GPA), an MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management, and a BS in Economics from Northern Illinois University. He is a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society and Delta Mu Delta Honor Society.

Before joining Vertess, David spent approximately 20 years in commercial finance, having worked in senior-level management positions at two Fortune 500 companies. During his commercial finance career, he analyzed the financial condition of thousands of companies and had successfully placed over $2 billion in corporate debt.

David Coit is a former adjunct professor with 15 years’ experience teaching corporate finance, securities analysis, business economics, and business planning to MBA candidates at two nationally recognized universities.

“I joined the Board of Onward! to be a positive influence on my community. The grants that Onward! provides to community organizations, and the scholarships provided to our community members add value to those recipients. As such, I wish to be instrumental in Onward!’s sustainability and growth.”

M.B. McAfee is a retired social worker and educator. Both careers brought her into contact with diverse populations – children, families, adult men and women, sick and dying folks and elderly people across cultures, ethnicities, and religions. Eventually she learned her strengths were in advocating for adult men and women with few resources and teaching social work at Colorado State University. M.B. found avenues and agencies where she could advocate for adults in need and for students to have the means to pursue post-secondary education.

Ms. McAfee’s volunteer work has included a wide range of activities. She helped start a pre-school, a food co-op, and a hospice organization in Larimer County. She has served on numerous boards of directors and committees including local, regional, and national organizations. M.B. has been an active advocate for protecting our environment including working with Montezuma Land Conservancy to protect the agricultural and wildlife habitat of our local landscape. She helped lead the effort to develop the Bridge Emergency Shelter in Cortez. M.B. has found wonderful satisfaction working with a variety of groups to award scholarships to folks of all ages to earn certificates and degrees.

When she was forty years old she found herself in the road bike racing world; M.B. competed in and around Colorado for the next five years. This was the early days of women racers in America and she had few women with whom to train; however, she found a group of men riders with whom she could ride and they became her teammates and cheerleaders. M.B. had some good years of racing and earned three national medals along the way.

M.B. stated, “I am on the Board of Onward! because I know how a local foundation can serve the community. Scholarships administered by Onward! have had a notable impact on the lives of numerous individuals in Montezuma and Dolores counties. It is great to be able to offer grants to community organizations to help them further their work. I find it a real pleasure to work with our Executive Director, Chuck Forth, and the rest of the Board of Directors. I am honored to be a part of this organization.”

Youvonne Neeley manages Osprey Packs Credit Department. She is a native of Cortez and has worked and lived in Cortez her entire life. She has owned businesses in Cortez: Desert Gold and Desperado Bronze, prior to going to work for Osprey Packs in January 2000. As a native Coloradan, Youvonne fell in love with the outdoors and all that the open space has to offer, Osprey was a perfect fit.

Ms. Neeley has developed a strong sense of dedication to Montezuma County with five generations of her family working and living in the Dolores McPhee/Cortez area, and raising her own three children in Cortez. Youvonne is now looking at retirement in the area.

This experience gave her a deep appreciation for the area. “I look forward to staying connected to help network our resources. I am interested in how Onward! Legacy Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life for our community; one program at a time.”

Inspired by joining Leadership Montezuma Class of 2016-2017, Youvonne developed a deep passion for the continued success of making Cortez and the surrounding area a place visitors dream of spending quality family time.

Youvonne is happy spending her days in Cortez, Colorado, an amazing place to live.

Born in Park City, UT I grew up valuing the outdoors and its small community feel. Upon graduating Park City High School I selected Fort Lewis College. I was drawn to Durango by the size of FLC and the rugged wilderness of the southern San Juans. I graduated from Fort Lewis College in 2006 with a B.A. in History. Beginning as an outdoor guide, I led young people on backpacking trips throughout the mountain west. Working with youth in the outdoors inspired me to dig deeper and pursue a master’s degree in education. In 2011 I completed a Masters degree in Education through Regis University. After graduate school, I became an instructor at Southwest Open School (SWOS) – an alternative education campus that is focused on outdoor education, experiential education and project-based learning. During my time at SWOS I took on a leadership role in advocating for aligning our organizational systems, utilizing data to guide our strategic and real time response to the challenges posed, grant writing, and advocacy. The school’s reputation and my personal record of work towards improved performance are well documented within the community and beyond.

Over the last decade, I worked my way up from classroom instructor to Academic Lead, to my current position as Executive Director (ED). Strategic planning, developing regional and state level partnerships, fundraising, grant writing, and being the face of an organization are among my regular duties. As the leader of SWOS I was responsible for the following: strategic planning and visioning; contract administration; building and facilities management and maintenance; community partnerships; monitoring compliance; and supervising and evaluating staff based on best practices as head of HR. I recently transitioned to the General Services Director for the City of Cortez. In the new position I will be focused on maintaining a growth mindset, promoting a data driven culture, supporting quality work and accountability, and supporting the overall performance and well being of the city government.

Currently, I live on a small farm with an orchard and raise Dexter cattle. I love to fish, snowboard, raft, and camp with my wife and daughter.

Jessie Farias Jr. has spent 34 years as a visitor and resource protection ranger for the National Park Service and is currently the Chief Ranger of Emergency Services at Mesa Verde National Park. He has been fortunate and privileged to work as a ranger in three national parks and one national recreation area during that time span: Golden Gate Recreation Area (California), Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona), Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming/Montana/Idaho), and Mesa Verde NP. He oversees all the Law Enforcement, Emergency Medical Services, Search and Rescue, Structural and Wildland Fire service functions in the Park. He is also a member of the park’s Senior Management team.

Jessie’s employment has given him the opportunity to live in several unique locations, and to work with several communities. He has been fortunate to work with Chamber of Commerce organizations, National Park Service Committees, and tourism groups while living in those communities. Jessie and his family have lived in the Four Corners area for over 17 years and he has been involved as much as he can in the community while still working for the National Park Service. He has volunteered numerous hours with Cortez Little League coaching for 9 years straight, he is a 2008 graduate of Montezuma Leadership and an active member of the Cortez Council Knights of Columbus.

Jessie has been married to his wife Rene for over 20 years. They have two sons who grew up in Montezuma County. One of the boys is attending college at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction CO and the other is finishing his junior year of high school in Dolores. Jessie is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys hunting, fishing, hiking, and biking.

Jessie remarks, “After living in the Four Corners area for an extended period, I would like to give back to the community that my family and I call home. I feel that by joining Onward!, I will acquire the opportunity to assist and learn from the divergent groups of non-profits that Onward! supports. I will also get the opportunity to work with a very talented group of board members that encourage discussion and welcome different points of view for the betterment and sustainability of the foundation.”

Laura Herrick has been teaching professionally for 35+ years. She has taught kindergarten through college: elementary, gifted and exceptional education, and grant writing in the Cortez School District. She learned that educating is an art form which requires patience, empathy, humor and the ability to multi-task with 20 balls in the air. Never a boring day! She believes that each child has a gift. Cortez youth is loaded with incredible talent.

She has volunteered over the years, like many parents, in youth activities such as soccer, Knowledge Bowl, Science Fair, art workshops, and has hosted international students in their home. She is an outdoor advocate and has participated in trail building, the Dolores River festival, and Montezuma Land Conservancy to name a few. Onward has opened the door for her to volunteer and interact with a broad array of non-profits in our area.

Laura says, “I joined Onward because I’m a firm believer that once you raise your family it’s your turn to contribute money, time and knowledge back to your community. ‘No one has ever become poor from giving.’ (Anne Frank) I challenge you this year, instead of shopping; give the gift of giving to a local charity in a loved one’s name! DONATE NOW through Onward! A Legacy Foundation.”

Rebecca Samulski grew up in Montezuma County where she lives with her husband and two sons south of Summit Ridge. She received a B.A. in Anthropology from Fort Lewis College and an M.A. in Political Science from CU Denver and has worked in Montezuma County in the public and private sector, including for nonprofit non-governmental organizations since 2009. She is adept at finding opportunities to engage with and for the community.

She now manages a statewide nonprofit community wildfire resilience network, Fire Adapted Colorado. It was an interest in community organizing and engagement that drew her into wildfire work as a neighborhood volunteer coordinator in the first place, but, through this lens, she has gained extensive nonprofit and collaborative management experience.

She has served and worked for many non-profit boards in Montezuma County and has direct knowledge and background on many of Onward!’s fiscal funds. She has developed and interpreted financial reports, led and participated in strategy sessions, served on committees, reviewed grant applications, participated in organization activities and advocated for the work of all of the organizations she’s been involved with.

Rebecca is passionate about supporting community development, and serving on the Onward! Board is a way to keep pace with the work that is shaping our community and to support that good work.

• Executive Director, Fire Adapted Colorado
• SCYC Teen Maze Advisory Committee
• Coordinator, Dolores Watershed Resilient Forest Collaborative
• Interim Director, Bridge Emergency Shelter
• Forming Committee, Montezuma Community Economic Development Association
• Land Use Planner, Montezuma County, Town of Mancos, City of Cortez

Jennifer Tewell has been a mortgage loan originator serving the Cortez and surrounding Four Corners region since 2005. With two decades of experience in residential lending, she has developed a deep understanding of the local housing market and is committed to helping individuals and families achieve sustainable homeownership. Jennifer is known for a relationship-driven approach built on trust, clear communication and long-term client success.

Through years working closely with community members, real estate professionals, and local organizations, Jennifer brings a practical, solutions-oriented perspective on housing, financial stability and economic growth in the region.

In addition to her professional work, Jennifer currently serves on the boards of The Four Corners Child Advocacy Center as their current President as well as Hospice of Montezuma as their current Treasurer. Her board service reflects a strong commitment to giving back and supporting the long-term vitality of the community.

Jennifer lives in the Cortez area with her husband and two daughters, one attending high school and the other studying at Arizona State University. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, traveling and spending time with her family.