Leadership Team
Senior Leadership
Board of Directors
Advancement Board
Area Advisory Boards
NextGen Board
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We believe the key to being a successful nonprofit is to remember HopeWest exists because of the communities we are privileged to serve. Every community is unique and we are honored to have dedicated boards that provide vision and help guide our organization.

Cassie Mitchell, MSN, MBA, RN
President and CEO
A Kentucky native, Cassie Mitchell has worked in health care for 27 years as a trained Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and Registered Nurse (RN). For 20 of her 27 years in health care, she has compassionately served thousands of patients and their families in some of their greatest times of need through hospice care.
Cassie was drawn to hospice care during her work as an ER nurse because of the additional, special care she was able to give to hospice patients. Her career in hospice began as an admission nurse and nursing supervisor, eventually moving into roles to include inpatient unit management, intake, and admission team leadership, 24/7 call center oversight, clinical operations, and business development.
Before joining HopeWest, she served as the Chief Operating Officer at Bluegrass Care Navigators (BCN) in Lexington, Kentucky. Bluegrass Care Navigators serves a third of the State of Kentucky delivering care to more than 20,000 patients annually, 6,000 of whom receive hospice care.
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Cassie is people-centered, finding joy and fulfillment in relationships and service to others. She deeply understands HopeWest exists to serve our community, enrich lives, and profoundly change the experience of aging, illness, and grief.
Not only does Cassie personify HopeWest’s values of compassion, empathy and generosity, she has the business acumen and experience to guide HopeWest through the challenges facing the healthcare industry today. Regulatory challenges and funding shortfalls are not new to hospice; Like her predecessor, Cassie is committed to continuing the mission-driven work of HopeWest, which exists to enrich the lives of those its serves— its employees, volunteers, donors, and our community— ensuring sustainability to serve the region for the next 30 years and beyond.
In her free time, Cassie likes to read, garden, travel, spend time with her husband Matt and their two grown boys, Cole (20) and Greyson (18). When she’s not at work, you’ll often find her furry sidekick and faithful companion, Emmett, by her side discovering western Colorado’s hiking trails.

Deb Horwitz, MBA
Chief Development Officer

Crystal Owens, MD
Chief Medical Director
Georgia Rock, MBA
Chief Operating Officer

Sarah Walsh
Chief Finance Officer

Terri Walter, RN, MSN
Chief Administrative Officer
Board of Directors
Carter Bair
CFO, Hilltop Community Resources
Barbara Butler
Dufford Waldeck
Mark Fancis, Vice Chair
President & CEO, Family Health West
Marc Lassaux
Executive Director, Quality Health Network
Allison Nadel
Marketing Operations Manager & Assitant VP, Alpine Bank
Donald Nicolay, MD, Chair
Retired Chief Medical Officer, Community Hospital
Carolyn Payne
Community Leader
Jim Pedersen
CEO, Timberline Bank
Monique Serra
Community Leader
Michelle Shiao
CNO, VP Patient Care Services, St. Mary’s Medical Center
Chris Thomas
President, Community Hospital
Ashley Thurow
Executive Director, Monument Health
Monika Tuell
Chief Operating Officer, Rocky Mountain Health Plans
S. Todd Young
Bank of the San Juans
Advancement Board
Barbara Butler
Dufford Waldeck
Lori Dean
Rocky Mountain C Stores – Shell/ Wienerschnitzel
Bradley Feldhaus
Eagle Strategies, LLC & New York Life
Kathy Hall
Community Leader
C. Niki Hunn-Beightel
Thomas Hunn Jewelers
Kathleen Killian
Community Leader
Jim Pedersen
CEO, Timberline Bank
Gaylene Thompson
Community Leader
Christine H. Tubbs
Community Leader
Laura Wilbur
Blue Sky Insurance Consultants
Advisory Boards
Delta
Community Board
Kelly Landen – Chair
Ron Courtney
Dennis Doerer
Alisa Green
Patti Hart
Carolyn Payne
Bert Sibley
Geri Simoens
Claudia St. Peter
Grand Valley
Community Board
Carol Acuff
Carter Bair
Barbara Bowman
William Cummins
Dr. Wayne Lanning
Melissa Latham, RN
Dr. Thomas Motz
Jennifer Reyes
Meeker Advisory Board
Kent Borchard
Billy Goedert
Christine Halandras
Gus Halandras
Fr. Scott Hollenbeck
Margie Joy
Toby Leavitt
Solveig Olson
Amy Peck
Liz Sellers
Laurie Whiteman
Montrose & Ouray Advisory Board
Chaucey Edwards
Ellen Fetterolf
Sue Frank
Ryan Gilbert
CoralAnn Hackett
Sandy Head
Allison Nadel, Chair
Joan Napolilli
Lisa Rediger
Barbara Seelye
Steve Woody
Montrose & Ouray Planned Giving Counsel
Sarah Abbott
Jaimee Carnes
Chris Cox
Jim Elder
Ken Konkel
Nona Mayberry
Stephen (Pete) Peterson – Chair
Carol Viner
Craig Wolverton
Plateau Valley Advisory Board
Nathalie Ames
Julia Cox
Katie Himes
Tammy Himes
Chloe Marx
Bill Moore
Katy Watson
Cecil Young
NextGen Board
Sara Carlisle
Anita Castro
Mandy Coltrinari, Co-Chair
William Crow
Derek Irick
Dr. Robert Johnson
Chelsee Key
Amanda Miller, C0-Chair
Kurtis Murchison
Chris Myers
Kali Lockwood
Lauren O’Dell
Sadye Saad
Emilie Stickley
HopeWest Staff:
Deb Horwitz
Katie Squier
Olivia Swinger