Board and Staff

CHAIR – Rifle

Helen first came to the Western Slope in 1984, after having spent two years post-college on an Indian Reservation in Eastern Arizona. Helen’s love of outdoor adventures, wilderness, and access to the Colorado River drew her to this region to raise a family.
Her commitment to improving one’s quality of life and that of those around her, led her to become involved in several non-profit organizations as well as engagement in quasi - governmental entities. Her engagement with Planning and Zoning and Rifle’s Downtown Development Authority for many years helped her better understand the process of how government functions and ways to improve it.
Helen is self-employed and owns HR Interior Design + Consulting, having completed projects from Grand Junction to Aspen over the past 20 years, working with a vast array of clients and environments.
The vision the LoVa Board brings to Garfield County is an important one for those who live and work in our region. Without family-oriented, multi-modal accessible trails, our communities are missing out on what could be healthy transportation options and connectivity for our towns and a strong economic driver for our Colorado River Valley.

SECRETARY – Glenwood

Ellie Caryl lives in No Name, west of Glenwood Springs. She says the easy access to the Glenwood Canyon paved recreation path, and No Name Creek hiking trail are among the top reasons why she and her husband have lived there for over 30 years. Ellie joined the LoVa Board in 2019, in support of the vision to construct a safe bicycling and walking route from Glenwood to its neighbor communities of Canyon Creek, New Castle, Silt, Rifle and Parachute. Working for Eagle County for 24 years, Ellie led the ECO Trails department in the construction of 17 new miles of the paved “Eagle Valley Trail”, and oversaw the design and planning for the remaining 19 miles which will complete the system.

Ellie’s other career adventures include land-use planning positions with Veracity LLC, Town of Minturn and the City of Flagstaff, AZ. In addition to LoVa, Ellie helps out with the Bicycles for Humanity Africa program, and tutoring local elementary school students in literacy skills.

MEMBER – New Castle

Angela Dunn moved to New Castle from New Jersey in 2018. She is an avid runner, and running coach. She would love to have a safe, separated trail throughout her community to explore and enjoy the majestic scenery of the Western Slope. A new mother in 2021, Angela is especially committed to fostering the LoVa Trail and in-town connections to it, for safe recreational corridors for her daughter to grow and develop.

MEMBER – New Castle

Oli Johannsson is an architect and lives in downtown New Castle. He and his wife, both natives of Iceland, moved to Aspen right after graduating from college nearly 30 years ago. They had a newborn daughter and job offers so they decided to try life on Western Slope “for a couple of years”. As with so many transplants, they fell in love with the area and made it their home. In 2015 they bought a commercial property on main street in New Castle. They live and work in one of the units and rent the others out. “It’s been a great place to work and play,” Oli said. “We love the outdoors, and we hike, bike, ski, and paddleboard. We use the trail system in New Castle almost every day for exercise. When we lived in the Aspen area, we were able to use the trails there for our commute to work.” That experience convinced Oli that New Castle and the communities further west need to connect their trail systems to a larger regional trail network encompassing the Roaring Fork Valley and Glenwood Canyon to the east. It will benefit all the communities and create tremendous opportunities. It will not only provide recreation but also alternative transportation corridors and economic development. Oli supports the LoVa trail and is excited to be part of this project.

MEMBER – New Castle

John lives in New Castle with his wife Beth, two teenagers and two dogs. He works Development Officer at the Valley View Hospital Foundation. He is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) with over twenty years’ experience in major gift fundraising. John holds a Master’s degree in Medical Ethics from the University of Washington School of Medicine and a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Rockford University. A transplant from Rockford, Illinois, he moved his family to rural Colorado so that his kids might have a chance to grow up surrounded by nature instead of strip malls. He’s at his most relaxed running the trails of New Castle’s Colorow trail system while listening to podcasts about ancient history.

MEMBER – New Castle

Troy is a small-business owner in downtown New Castle. He was born and raised in southeast Missouri, but spent time in Denver as a youth and it left a lasting impression on him. As a college student, he made several road trips to Colorado. He and his wife Grace honeymooned in Colorado and then moved here for good shortly after.

His work and play interests have always centered around human-powered outdoor recreation. He spent many years backpacking, canoeing, and rock climbing, supporting his habit with employee discounts offered through his many retail jobs in the outdoors industry.

Troy realized his dream of opening his own shop last year with the debut of Defiance Cyclery, located on New Castle’s Main Street. It’s a family affair, as his son Skyler wrenches on bikes at the shop too. Grace owns an interior design firm and his youngest son Bryce is a senior at Coal Ridge High School.

His passion has always been for the outdoors - especially the mountains and red rock deserts. While he doesn’t backpack nearly as often as he would like, and he gave up rock climbing, cycling has remained a constant in his life for more than 30 years. He also greatly enjoys skiing, hiking, camping, Stand Up paddle boarding, and fly fishing (indulging Grace’s passion).

“LoVa was a natural fit for me, as one of the primary reasons I opened my shop last year was to be more connected to the community where I live. The LoVa trail connects our local communities to one another and by extension brings us together in shared appreciation of our environment and our many mutual friends. It is an honor to try to give back to the communities that have embraced my family all these years, by trying to help facilitate the completion of this asset for current and future generations of Coloradans.”

MEMBER – Silt

Lindsey Williams joined the LoVa board in 2020, representing her home community of Silt. She currently works in Community Relations for local electric cooperative Holy Cross Energy. She is the Vice President of the Planning and Zoning Commission for the Town of Silt and also serves as the Treasurer for the Rifle Area Mountain Bike Organization.

Lindsey sees the value of the LoVa trail connecting the communities of the Colorado River Valley to expand both recreation and economic opportunities for residents and visitors. She enjoys exploring Western Colorado and its history with her husband and two dogs and attending almost any genre of live music. Her superpower is being able to make dinner out of a variety of random ingredients in the fridge.

MEMBER – Glenwood

Jeremy Wussow was born in Minnesota and moved to Glenwood Springs when he was 14. A flat-lander by nature, he fell in love with the mountains immediately. He quickly discovered mountain biking, and nearly 35 years later it continues to be one of his greatest passions.

In addition to mountain biking, Jeremy is an advocate for bicycle-commuting. From 2014-2017 he regularly commuted to work from Glenwood to Carbondale on his bike. Jeremy believes the LoVa Trail will be the much-needed, down-valley extension of the Rio Grande Trail; not only a trail for recreationists, but also an opportunity for daily commuters.

BOARD MEMBER EMERITUS

Greg Russi is a former LoVa board member and New Castle Town Councilor. Through these dual roles, he was instrumental in building the pedestrian bridge at Interchange 105, a 5-year endeavor completed in 2015. The $2+ million project created safe, separated pedestrian and bike access between New Castle and its neighboring communities south of the Colorado River including Appletree Park, Riverbend and residences along the County Road 335 corridor. Now retired from his law practice and living in Costa Rica (ahhhh!), Greg continues to follow LoVa’s progress from afar. On his frequent visits to the Valley, he facilitates connections with landowners and provides invaluable strategic expertise.

BOARD MEMBER EMERITUS

Tod Tibbetts is a founding board member of LoVa and a main instigator in its creation in 1999. He lives in Silt and is semi-retired. He stepped down from official LoVa board membership in 2015 but continues to volunteer as bookkeeper. Tod spends his winters as the head groomer of the West Elk Nordic Trails system, a non-profit group of which he is also the Executive Director. He has been and continues to be, a steadfast advocate for the LoVa Trail and public recreation of all kinds in western Garfield County.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Jeanne is a founding board member of LoVa, having joined the group in its infancy in 1999. She was referred to the group by a friend due to her background as a competitive cyclist. She served on the board on and off until 2016 when the then-director retired, and she was offered the position. “I love the idea of the LoVa Trail,” she said. “Imagine being able to walk or ride on a safe, separated path, with views of the Colorado River and the Grand Hogback, all the way from Glenwood Springs to DeBeque, and beyond.” It’s an audacious dream that she works to keep alive through collaboration with local and regional governments and trails organizations.

Originally from Florida, Jeanne has lived in Glenwood Springs for 32 years. When she’s not writing grants for LoVa trail design and construction, she enjoys hiking, skiing and riding any one of her 7 bikes, throughout our beautiful community. “I am grateful to my dedicated Board of Directors, without whom LoVa could not exist. We are committed to getting this trail built, one mile at a time.”