President

Mitchell Toms

Mitchell Toms grew up in Virginia. After college, he worked for nonprofits, government and family construction business. His present background is commercial real estate investment and management. After serving for twenty seven years in a variety of jobs for the military he retired a major. He has five children ranging from forty to eleven. He enjoys local community organizations, officiating soccer and basketball, outdoor activities and ballroom dancing. He and his partners own and manage a number of properties, mostly in downtown Cortez, Colorado. Presently, in addition to serving as Secretary for the Cortez Cultural Center, he is Chairperson of the Montezuma Community Economic Development Association, a member of CASA of the Four Corners, TriCity Soccer, Area 18 Basketball Officials, Montezuma Arts Council, School Community Youth Council, Trout Unlimited, Cortez Area Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Cortez and Historic Preservation Council, Dolores River Festival and a founder of Habitat for Humanity of Montezuma County.

Vice President

Chris Burkett

Chris is an avid fly fisher as you can tell from his photo. He loves fly fishing all the local waters and takes a week long trip to Montana and Wyoming every year but says it is hard to beat our local waters. He graduated with a dual B.A. degree from Fort Lewis College in Physical Education and Anthropology and received his M.S. degree from the University of Wyoming in Parks and Recreation Administration. He was the Director of Cortez Parks and Recreation for 29 years before moving on to take on the position of Grants Administrator for the City of Cortez. He has been and continues to be on numerous local boards/committees and continues to be a volunteer coach for the Montezuma-Cortez High School Girls Soccer Team. He believes in the need for local programs, education and opportunities, a thing which he believes that the Cultural Center exceeds at with their programs and offerings to the community.

Treasurer

Bruce Johnson

Economic Development Specialist

Having been born and reared in Salina, Kansas, it was not surprising that I attended and was graduated from the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. The next step in educational preparation was to be graduated with a Masters of Business Administration degree in Finance from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Finance.

Banking was my career of choice which had its beginning with The Omaha National Bank, Omaha, Nebraska. My six years there started with management training, evolved into commercial lending, and then ended with the challenge of organizing and developing an international banking department. This was a particularly interesting job assignment as it allowed me to travel extensively in Europe and Asia. Many Kansans vacation in Colorado and make it a goal to live there eventually. I was one of those and seized upon the opportunity to move to Colorado Springs in 1968 joining the First National Bank as a commercial loan officer.

My career in Colorado Springs took several different twists. In 1973, I mobilized an investor group and started a new bank, First American Bank. After about five years, we sold the bank and wanting to stay in Colorado Springs, I acquired a non-banking business. After a few years of unsuccessfully pursuing that business, I returned to banking as a consultant. My primary consulting activity was assisting people buy and sell banks, but it also involved appraising or evaluating banks. In this connection I was introduced to Dove Creek and later in 1991 took the position of president of the Dove Creek State Bank.

During my years at the Dove Creek State Bank, the bank became a healthy financial institution, grew substantially, and opened two branches in Cortez. While in Dove Creek, I became quite active in various community organizations and also was very much involved in an assortment of economic development efforts. All of my banking career and involvement with economic development activities prepare me for yet another challenge as economic development specialist for the City of Cortez serving all of Montezuma County. This new adventure began in February, 2002.

Along the way I fathered five children who in turn have produced five children of their own. Outdoor activities in nature have long been a passion of mine which passion has been broadened since living in the Four Corners to include vigorous avocational interests in archaeology and Native American cultures. Foreign travel is another strong passion and fortunately I have been able to experience many places and peoples around the world. Community involvement has always been important to me. Currently I serve on the boards of the Cortez Cultural Center, Southwest Health System (Southwest Memorial Hospital), Region 9 Economic Development District of Southwest Colorado, the Montezuma Land Conservancy and the Advisory Council of Pueblo Community College. I serve on the organizing committee of the Dolores/Montezuma County Summit.

Secretary

Lan Degeneres

Lan, our Secretary, is a busy member of the Kiwanis Club of Mesa Verde and helps organize the annual Relay for Life. She owns Lanmark Productions which does advertising and marketing all over the county. She came here from Louisiana to start KRTZ 98.7, our local radio station, which she sold a few years ago to American General Radio.

Cap Allen

Cap works as a consulting civil engineer, and his company has offices in Cortez and Durango. He has been a resident of southwest Colorado for 33 years. He has served as a board member for several organizations, including the Durango Children's Museum, Friends of the Animas River, and Durango Parks and Forestry. He is also a co-founder of the Colorado Timberline Academy.

Mike Ostrander

Born and raised in San Marino / Covina, California. Graduated from Covina High School and attended the University of Colorado. Joined the US Navy and served aboard three ships and at four hospitals. Served in Vietnam during the tet offensive of 1968. Retired off the USS Enterprise as a Chief Hospital Corpsman in 1981. Held the civilian job of chief of pharmacy logistics at Madigan Army Medical Center, Fort Lewis WA until 1992, then worked in pharmacies for Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound. Retired and moved to Cortez, CO in 2004 with my wife Duanne (Kasal) formerly of Durango who chased me around and caught me in Seattle in 1976. From my High school days I have always been involved with staging for music or drama, in the 1990's was doing sound and lights for cover bands in the Olympia, WA area.

Cassandra Leoncini

Some folks are born to be patrons of the arts, some are born to serve. Cassandra has apparently been in thrall to the written word since vacating her mother’s womb. Her first job was after school at the public library. In the following decades she worked in bookstores, managed bookstores and owned bookstores. She worked in the book wholesaling industry and was a publisher’s sales representative for large publishers and small. She has worked in publishing houses as marketing, sales, and public relations manager. She ran a literary agency, and still consults with authors and publishers.

Cassandra has degrees in psychology and anthropology and has worked as a contract archaeologist as well as Marketing and Publicity Director at Crow Canyon Archaeological Center. She has served on the library boards in Lafayette, CO and here in Cortez. She joined the Cortez Cultural Center board in 2008.

When she is not reading, writing, traveling, selling books, working in her yard or volunteering in the community she loves, Cassandra is a professional astrologer (twoeaglesastrology.com).

Gerald Vincent

        January, 1990 to Present

        Gerald L. Vincent and Associates

        Management Consultant

        P. O. Box 1233

        Stamford, CT 06904

Scope of latest engagement, with a leading 500 plus billion dollar financial service organization, included the application of Information Technologies, Innovation Planning, Imaging, Speech Biometrics and Technology with implementing algorithms in collaboration with the Air Force Research Lab, Rome New York; and, Customer Relations Management in the financial services sector.

Executive Director

Brenda Hindmarsh

I grew up and went to school here in Cortez, you may have know me as Brenda Apple. I have 3 wonderful boys, Bradly, Dalton and Logan. I am very involved the the local 4H program, volunteering as a club and project leader. I also serve on the advisory board for the Dolores FFA. I am very excited to be the Director, and look forward to keeping the Center a vibrant and vital part of downtown. If you have any suggestions please come by and see me or give me a call, your input is always welcome.

Bookkeeper

Kristie Fitchett-Wagner

Kristie was raised in Cortez, and after graduating from MCHS moved to Washington State to attend college. She then opened and operated Skystone Clinic of Massage & Bodywork ~ Healing Arts Center & Gift of Spirit Gallery. After selling her business, she made the move back to Cortez, and is looking forward to establishing a clinic locally. Kristie has two children, one daughter attending school in Washington State and the youngest starting as a freshman at MCHS. We are very excited to have her join our team here at the Center!

Volunteer Coordinator

Patsy Brown

Retired teacher.

We have a story to tell of a gal we know so well!!! Teaching has always been her passion......... And even today....she continues to teach, us all!!! This commitment started after graduating from Western State College! She taught Elementary School in Towaoc....then moved to Alaska and taught for several years and actually experienced the dramatic Eathquake of 1964. Cortez, Colorado called her back!!!! Wish we had a picture....but to hear them tell it......She drove back to Cortez in a cool VW Bug with 2 Siberian Huskies....Toke and Tacoo and her 10 year old son. So the Story goes on!!!! She taught at Kemper and at Menaugh under Buford Wayt. She supervised young teachers during their Student Teaching!!!! And guess who she mentored......Our very own......Ruth Wallace!!!! So after putting away the books and the rulers.....She was beckoned by Buford Wayt to Teach and Help and Direct in many ways at our Cortez Cultural Center Gift Shop!And to this day...... She still does that!!!! This Spring, we invited The Harlem Ambassadors to Kick off our First Fund Raiser......for our Art Scholarship. We all enjoyed a Great Event....and The Scholarship was Established!!!! we honor You, Patsy....as we name our Award....The Patsy Brown Scholarship !!!!

Hawkins Preserve Coordinator

Linda Raczek

After volunteering for the Center for three years on the birding festival committee, this is the first year I haven’t experienced a huge post-event “blues”. The reason? Because I was lucky enough to step into a job that is as enjoyable as the birding festival — managing the beautiful Hawkins Preserve. Patrick left big shoes to fill, of course, but he left behind a number of projects in progress I could latch on to, and wonderful volunteers who helped at a moment’s notice — especially Dale, Shelby, David, and Ian. The job has included designing a brochure (check it out at the gift shop), holding Friends of Hawkins Meetings, taking care of maintenance issues, making sure tours of all kinds are covered (even a couple of bird walks!), a day camp for middle-schoolers with Diane and Fred, putting up an informational sign and doggy bag dispensers. To keep me humble I have bagged up rotting garbage that dates to at least March, judging from the Easter egg coloring kits and eggshells. Most of the trash, however, was not quite so wholesome — ask me, I’m happy to share the details.

I grew up as a Navy brat, went to Jr. High and High School in Albuquerque where my mom and dad still reside. I have lived in Montezuma County since 1982, nearly half of my life. I moved here from the Gunnison area, initially lived with Lottie Reddert and served as the children’s attorney, or guardian ad litem, for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe with Norman Lopez, Emeline Casey, and Yvonne Lansing. One of our accomplishments was to start the Sunrise Youth Shelter, so that tribal children could stay closer to their families during tough times. As a result of my experiences there, I became an adoptive parent of a boy and girl, both tribal members. I had open adoptions so the kids would know their relatives, who have become extended family for me as well.

I had other interesting positions in Cortez as well: associate attorney with Kelly R. McCabe, where his mother Janet taught me to say “I prefer not to” when the work piled on; mental health worker for the chronically mentally ill; freelance writer. I have 4 children’s books to my credit; the Cultural Center always has my award-winner, The Night the Grandfathers Danced, on hand in the gift shop!

I love living in Montezuma County. I love the outdoors, especially flyfishing and sailing, my house on Montezuma Avenue, and my good friends here, especially the Kuenzlers. And now a new chapter to enjoy, with Deb and the great crew at the Cortez Cultural Center. If you’re just dying to spend more time at the Hawkins Preserve, please come see me. There’s lots to do!

Volunteer Archaeologist

Dale Davidson

Retired BLM archaeologist.