David Wolf has nearly 25 years of emergency services experience, including responses to wide-spread flooding in Houston TX and wildfires in Colorado. He served as the Fire Chief for Estes Valley for seven years, including during Cameron Peak, East Troublesome, and Kruger Mountain Fires. He is a graduate of the FEMA Emergency Management Basic Academy, and has his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in Geology. He has been active in the Colorado State Fire Chiefs since arriving in the state, including time as chair of the Volunteer & Combination Section (2019-2023), and chair of the Wildland Section (2023-present), where he has focused on improving statewide mutual aid, statewide capacity building, and enhancing prescribed fire capabilities and opportunities. He is also active with the International Association of Fire Chiefs Wildland Program, developing and delivering the course “Evacuation Management for Law & Fire Service Leaders” and as a facilitator for the Fire Department Exchange Program. He teaches for Colorado State University’s Fire & Emergency Services Administration program. David lives in Estes Park with his wife Danielle and two sons. 

Jän and Wendy Rigby are Texans who moved from San Antonio to their dream home in Estes Park in January of 2020. Jän is a retired News Operations Manager at KENS-TV in San Antonio, a local CBS news affiliate. Wendy is a journalist and communications specialist who used to work in local television news. She worked as the Managing Editor of the Estes Park Trail-Gazette for three years. Wendy is currently the Marketing & Communications Specialist for Estes Park Health. 

Vern Carda has served as the CEO of Estes Park Health since March of 2020. Carda has spent the last 30+ years working in healthcare. He has served as CEO of multiple rural hospitals and as VP of Operations for Sanford Health and the Billings Clinic. 

Originally from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Carda and his family now own a home in Estes Park which he hopes to keep forever. 

John Cullen has been active in the lodging industry for 28 years acting primarily in the roles of owner/operator of boutique independent hotels around the world.  Currently Mr. Cullen is President & CEO of Grand Heritage Management LLC, the company he founded in 1989 and Owner of Grand Holdings, LLC, the owner of several hotels in the USA, Mexico and the UK.

Through the years, Grand Heritage Management, LLC, under Cullen’s leadership has owned hotels ranging from The Governor and Avalon in Portland, Oregon, Casa del Mar in Los Cabos, Mexico, Providence Biltmore, Peaks Resort & Spa, Telluride and the legendary Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, CO. Additionally, GHM managed properties in Mexico, Qatar, Egypt, and Italy. The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado has been and always will be Cullen’s favorite hotel and passion.

Dr. Katherine "Katie" Dickinson is an Associate Professor with tenure of in the Environmental and Occupational Health department at the Colorado School of Public Health. She conducts collaborative, interdisciplinary research-to-action to advance environmental and climate justice. International projects have addressed water and sanitation, household energy and air pollution, and malaria. Domestically, she has studied wildfire, infectious disease (including COVID-19 and mosquito-borne disease), housing, and oil and gas development. Katie’s teaching focuses on environmental and occupational health policy, and how public health professionals can partner with change-makers at different levels to build healthier and more resilient communities where everyone can thrive.

Jim & Annie live in the Retreat, which is a mountain community in the Glen Haven area. Between them, they have 5 children and 2 grandchildren. Jim retired in 2022, after 42 yrs at the YMCA of the Rockies as a director. Annie has been a speech pathologist for 42 yrs. They are both semi-retired. Jim also is responsible for the road maintenance for the Retreat.

They love their life in the mountains: the peace and quiet, being able to go on hikes right from their property, gardening, the close bond of our community, sharing our little mountain paradise with their family and friends, and most of all, enjoying the year-round beauty.