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
With 27 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, Read has worked in large national and small local organizations in a variety of capacities. He was an Echoing Green Fellow and obtained his master's degree in Nonprofit Management from Regis University as a Colorado Trust Fellow. In 2008, Read led the creation and development of the Chaffee Housing Trust and has served as ED since.
Claudia Palzkill - Homeownership Program Director
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 lived in Jackson, WY from 2007 to 2018. Claudia’s interpretation and translation skills are a critical component of the management team as the main contact for all Spanish speaking clients.
Sean Romero - Director of Finance & Development
Sean brings a breadth of experience in business development, expansion strategies, and project management, as well as financial analysis and consulting. 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. His talents round out the team as the organization expands and scales.
Clara Marcela Hernández - Homeownership Program Assistant - VISTA
Her love for the service, and her desire to accomplish her dream of working for a non-profit organization, brought Clara to Buena Vista as a Volunteer in capacity building with the VISTA program of CRC. She is from Colombia, Business Administrator, and has more than 20 years of experience working with Major Corporations, and Subsidiary Companies. Clara is grateful and happy to be here.
