Leadership Team
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.
President & CEO
Board of Directors
Advancement Board
Area Advisory Boards
NextGen Board
Planned Giving Councils
Leadership Team
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.
President & CEO →
Board of Directors →
Advancement Board →
Area Advisory Boards →
NextGen Board →
Planned Giving Councils →
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.
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.
Read More
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.
HopeWest Board of Directors
HopeWest
Board of Directors
Noni Bacon, MS/MBA, Secretary
Community Leader
Carter Bair
CFO, Hilltop Community Resources
Penny Brown
Community Leader
Mark Francis, Vice Chair
President & CEO, Family Health West
Allison Nadel
Marketing Operations Mgr.,
Assistant VP, Alpine Bank
Donald Nicolay, M.D., 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
Laurel Walters
Community Leader
S. Todd Young
Bank of the San Juans
HopeWest Advancement Board
HopeWest
Advancement Board
Barbara Butler, Chair
Dufford Waldeck
Lori Dean
Rocky Mountain C Stores – Shell / Wienerschnitzel
Bradley Feldhaus
Eagle Strategies, LLC / New York Life
Kathy Hall
Community Leader
Cheryl Hayward
336 Main LLC
C. Niki Hunn-Beightel
Thomas Hunn Jewelers
Brad Keller
FCI Constructors, Inc.
Kathleen Killian
Community Leader
Jim Pedersen
CEO, Timberline Bank
Porcia Chen Silverberg
Soul Centering Connections
Gaylene Thompson
Community Leader
Christine H. Tubbs
Community Leader
Matt L. Ward
Bank of the West
Laura Wilbur
Blue Sky Insurance Consultants
Western Slope Area Advisory Boards
Delta
Community Board
Joe Agne
Dennis Doerer
Patti Hart
Karen Huggins
Debbie Kimball
Diane Kissner, Co-Chair
Kelly Landen
Carolyn Payne
Darnell Place-Wise
Geri L. Simoens
Teri Stephenson, Chair
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
Shana Holliday
Stephanie Kobald
Sabine Murray
Margie Joy
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
Plateau Valley
Advisory Board
Nathalie Ames, Chair
Julia Cox
Katie Himes
Tammy Himes
Chloe Marx
Bill Moore
Katy Watson
Cecil Young
NextGen Board
Sara Carlisle
Anita Castro
Mandy Coltrinari, Co-Chair
Jolene Hanson
Derek Irick
Dr. Robert Johnson
Amanda Miller, Chair
Kurtis Murchison
Chris Myers
Lauren O’Dell
Kali Lockwood
Sadie Saad
Jennie Schmidt
Emilie Stickley
HopeWest Staff:
Deb Horwitz
Breanna Kramer
Katie Squier
Planned Giving Councils
Delta
Community Board
Melody BellCampton
Amy Crick
Jan Gage
Vanessa Hoff
Tom Huerkamp
Diane Kissner
William “Snub” Liles
Arthur Mendez
Robert “Rob” Sharon
Teri Stephenson
Margaret (Marge) Swain
Jim Ventrello
Kathy Welt, Chair
Barbara Wolfe
Staff
Debbie Horwitz
Nancy Hovde
Dorothy Pew
Georgia Rock
Amanda Twamley
Christy Whitney Borchard
Grand Junction
Planned Giving Council
Barbara Butler
Shauna Clemmer
Susan Corle
Brad Feldhaus
Kimberly A. Last
Barbara Traylor Smith
Debbie Vavak, Chair
Chris West
Honorary Members
Dick Arnold
Baird Brown
Mike Bussey
Jim Grisier
David J. Turner
Kathy White
Staff
Debbie Horwitz
Christy Whitney Borchard
Montrose & Ouray
Planned Giving Council
Sarah Abbott
Lincoln Anderson
Jaimee Carnes
Chris Cox
Jim Elder
Lisa Isaacson
Mike King
Ken Konkel
Nona Mayberry
Buck Miller
Stephen (Pete) Peterson – Chair
Carol Viner
Craig Wolverton
Staff
Kelly Thompson
Debbie Horwitz