BOARD & STAFF
BOARD MEMBERS
Ken Matthews - President, general representative, Salida (until 2025)
Retired attorney
Ken has chosen to dedicate his energy and passion to an organization that he sees as essential to the integrity of our community. He brings his professional legal expertise as well as a keen interest in local housing policy. Ken is a great asset for the CHT working with our land-lease and other critical legal documents, as well as public interaction with elected officials.
Cheryl Kovacic-Brown, Ph.D - Vice-President, general representative, Salida (until 2026)
Retired educator, former Salida City Planning Commission Chair, Councilperson, Mayor Pro-tem
Cheryl’s academic background as an education consultant, evaluator and New Mexico Public Education Department Director lends to her deep analysis of the issues. She has long been a supporter of affordable housing, having served on the County Land Use Roundtable and Salida Planning Commission before being elected to City Council where she continues to work for constituents who cannot afford current housing.
Rachel Woolworth - Secretary, general representative, Buena Vista (until 2027)
Colorado Municipal League Research Analyst
With a decade of experience living and working in small towns across the American West, Rachel is passionate about uplifting the voice of rural communities through research and storytelling. She spent five years working as a reporter and then editor-in-chief of the Leadville Herald Democrat where she frequently covered local affordable housing efforts. Rachel now works as a research analyst for Colorado Municipal League, contributing to the League's evidence-based policymaking efforts on behalf of cities and towns across Colorado.
Eileen Rogers - Treasurer, government representative, Salida (until 2027)
Retired educator
Eileen has been involved in affordable housing since the mid-80's starting with Colorado Springs Habitat for Humanity’s creation and their first home construction. She was part of the original team that created Greccio Housing, serving on their Board of Directors for several years. As an elected official, Eileen championed affordable housing efforts in Salida and Chaffee County, including serving on the Chaffee Housing Authority Board of Directors.
Keith Baker - Government representative, Buena Vista (until 2026)
Retired US Navy Commander, current County Commissioner
Keith's recent election to County Commissioner prompted him to volunteer to bring a government perspective to the CHT as he campaigned on affordable housing as a top issue. His experience as a small business owner and Trustee with the Town of Buena Vista also informs his views.
Savanna Klimesh - CHT homeowner representative, Salida (until 2025)
Exercise Physiologist, Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center (HRRMC), Adjunct Instructor, Colorado Mountain College (CMC)
Savanna has a background in Health Promotion and Education and works on health and wellness initiatives for HRRMC employees and Chaffee County Residents. She is also involved with Colorado Mountain College and works as an adjunct instructor. With her background in Public Health she understands how affordable housing affects the future of Chaffee County and its residents.
Alex Restrepo - CHT homeowner representative, Salida (until 2026)
Lead Production Technician, 12 Peaks Farms
Alex worked in multiple restaurants in Salida with quite the following of loyal customers. Her dream was to own her home, now realized. Her advocacy for affordable home ownership is fierce, as is her Colombian-American pride. She brings the lived experience of making this community her own.
Christine Engle - CHT homeowner representative, Salida (until 2024)
Administrator, Salida Family Medicine
Christine’s goal of providing her son with a place to call home in town was recently accomplished. Her awareness of the needs of local workforce compelled her to join the Board to see what she could do to give back by representing them.
Christian Luna-Leal - Government representative, Leadville (until 2025)
Leadville City Councilperson
Born and raised in Leadville, Christian serves on City Council, the Regional Housing Authority board, Urban Renewal Authority, and is the Housing Coalition Chair. He is a vocal equity advocate who worked as a Promotor for the CHT.
ADVISORY BOARD
Earl Pfeiffer
Realtor, retired Executive Director, Florida Home Partnership
As a 20-year veteran of a large-scale nonprofit affordable home ownership program, Earl knows the field, the lenders, and the policymakers. He brings decades of experience in the industry, a wealth of wisdom and a critical eye for detail. Currently, Earl is a part-time realtor, enjoying not being in charge.
Don Stephens
On Time Builders – Owner
Don has worked a wide variety of professions and has a degree in Natural Resource Management. He has served as chair of the Salida Planning Commission and Mayor of the City of Salida. After years working as project manager for a major developer in Salida, he started his own construction company.
Greg Follet
Fish Builders - Owner
With a degree in construction management and over 25 years of experience, Greg has established himself as a quality homebuilder using innovative green and sustainable construction techniques. Greg was recently the President of the Chaffee County Homebuilders Association and currently serves on the Salida Planning Commission. He is a founding member of the CHT Board (2007).
Rich Mancuso
Collegiate Peaks Bank, VP Commercial Lending
Raised in Salida, Rich got his start in insurance, then moved into banking as a commercial loan officer, and now is VP of Commercial Lending. His deep roots in the community are a foundation for his extensive relationships with local business owners.
STAFF
Read McCulloch - Executive Director (since founding, 16 years)
With 32 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, Read has worked in large national and small
local organizations in a variety of capacities. With a degree from the University of California at
Berkeley, he was awarded an Echoing Green Fellowship (1999) and was a Colorado Trust Fellow (2001) while obtaining a Master’s in Nonprofit Management at Regis University. In 2008, Read led the creation and development of the Chaffee Housing Trust. A hiatus during the great recession allowed him to serve two years in the Peace Corps in Peru, bringing back Spanish language capacity. He re-established the Chaffee Housing Trust in 2015, garnering wide local support for affordable housing, resulting in a series of projects built and sold. He continues to lead the growth and expansion of the CHT, bringing on new staff, establishing partnerships with builders, developers, and local communities, as well as maintaining collaboration with other Community Land Trust’s regionally and nationally.
Claudia Palzkill - Homeownership Program Director (6 years)
Claudia joined the CHT in March 2020 as the Homeownership Program Manager. With over 10
years of hospitality experience in operations and human resources, Claudia brings a passion for
customer service, training and personal development. Originally from Peru, Claudia’s language skills are a critical component of providing bilingual services to all clients. In 2018, Claudia and her husband embarked a once in a lifetime overland trip around Mexico and the United States. From all the places they visited, they fell in love with Buena Vista and Salida.
Since starting with the CHT, Claudia has developed a trove of new materials to gently guide
clients down the path to home ownership. She has ramped up the client intake process, providing
counseling and coaching. Claudia obtained certification as a HUD Housing Counselor. She is currently leading efforts to streamline client services, to expand to Lake County, and the development of the Promotores Program.
Sean Romero - Director of Finance & Development (3 years)
Sean brings a breadth of experience in business development, expansion strategies, and project
management, as well as financial analysis and consulting. He has a passion for continuous improvement. With bilingual English-Spanish fluency, he's worked in both the U.S. and Mexico in food & beverage, hospitality, as well as education and sales. At the CHT, he is identifying new opportunities, expanding its reach, completing projects on time and within budget, making sound financial decisions, and identifying and addressing challenges. His talents round out the team as the organization scales.
In addition to his professional experience, Sean is also a highly motivated and results-oriented
individual. Having worked in the community Sean became aware of the apparent housing issue and looked for ways to contribute to the solution. The opportunity opened with Chaffee Housing Trust where he could take his strategic and analytical experience to be a part of the housing solution.
Sean loves spending time on the Arkansas River challenging himself to exhilarating rapids and
spending time with his young family in the beautiful outdoors of Chaffee County, Colorado. He also maintains his love and passion for Mexico, traveling whenever time permits.
Brandon Evans - Property & Project Manager (Hired in 2025)
With years of experience in property management and real estate, Brandon has served the Buena Vista community since 2015. He also has extensive professional experience as a firefighter and EMS provider, contributing a grounded, problem-solving approach to every project and emergency he encounters.
Beyond his professional roles, Brandon is a full-time dad who enjoys mountain biking and draws on a background in rafting and construction. Deeply committed to the community and the mountain lifestyle, he is always ready to lend a hand or join in local adventures
Kristi Galarza - Grants & Operations Manager (Hired in 2025)
Kristi has been working in the affordable housing field in Lake County since 2019. Previously, Kristi worked as the Lake County Housing Coalition Facilitator and led the group in passing a ballot measure establishing the first funding mechanism for housing in Lake County, strategic planning, city and county zoning code changes, and the establishment of the Leadville Lake County Regional Housing Authority. She has a Bachelor’s in Business Administration.
She joined CHT in August of 2025 as the grant writer and operations manager. Since then CHT has brought in a variety of grant funds from existing and new funders, with the most recent being a large award from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka- Affordable Housing Program.
Kristi enjoys reading and spending time with family in Leadville, Indiana, and Mexico. She is committed to working hard to save the souls of Chaffee and Lake Counties by providing affordable housing. Despite the challenges of rural affordable housing development, she is dedicated to the work with a persistence that enables long-term change.
Keisha Massarotti - Administrative Assistant (Hired in 2025)
Keisha has lived in the region for nearly 30 years, serving in a variety of professional roles. She has owned and operated an eyeglass store, worked with disabled community members through Mountain Valley Developmental Services, and acted as finance manager at Lake County Build a Generation. Her attention to detail, adaptability to community needs, and independent work ethic are valuable assets to the organization.
Outside of her professional life, Keisha is a dedicated mother who has raised two children, now an adult and a teenager. She is passionate about supporting her family and is deeply engaged in her local community, often volunteering her time and lending a helping hand to neighbors. Keisha enjoys reading and boating, finding relaxation and inspiration in the outdoors. Her commitment to service and her strong connections to the region reflect her genuine investment in the well-being of those around her.
Contract and Project Staff
The CHT hires part-time contract project managers for each building site to take on the day-to-
day operations of construction. Other duties are contracted including bookkeeping, accounting, financial consulting, architects, engineers, and other building experts as needed.
