Susan Thorpe – President
Susan Sheehy Thorpe is an Early Childhood Education Specialist with thirty-six years of experience instructing at colleges and universities as well as working with and for non-profit agencies serving children and families. She recently taught Early Childhood Education for Pueblo Community College and served on the Advisory Board for Head Start Southwest Region. She previously served on the Seeds of Learning Board from 2002-2006.
Julie Simmons – Vice President
Julie Marie Simmons is a Colorado native, finding her life in southwest Colorado dedicated to building stronger rural communities. While at Fort Lewis College in Durango, she was an avid volunteer for several organizations and a founding member of a community service organization. After she achieved her business degree from Fort Lewis, she stayed in Durango and served as an Americorps Volunteer In Service To America (VISTA) with Operation Healthy Communities and Colorado Housing, Incorporated (CHI). She began pursuing a graduate degree in public policy and was hired in 2001 as the special projects director for the town of Pagosa Springs where, for seven years, she worked on a wide-range of projects including infrastructure development, community planning, policy, human resources, economic development, contract administration and grant writing. She currently serves as the executive director of Colorado Housing, Inc.
Pam Barsanti – Secretary
Born and raised in Denver, Pam earned a BS degree in Early Childhood Education at UNM and a MA degree in Early Childhood Education from UNM as well. She began her teaching career at a private preschool in Albuquerque, where the emphasis was on the sensory development of children at an early age. She then began teaching kindergarten, the first year that Albuquerque offered kindergarten in the public schools. Pam taught kindergarten for 7 years and also had the opportunity to work with student teachers from UNM, in the classroom. With 50 children a day and two children of her own, she opted out of teaching and went into real estate because of her love of the outdoors. She did teach 2nd grade for one more year, owned a restaurant for a couple of years, did a lot of public service work in the Chama community for a few years, and then went into real estate full time. She served as the president of the PSAAR for two years, and worked on CARHOF, affordable housing, at the state level and PSF, which promotes voting and publicity at the local level for issues affecting the wellbeing of the community as it relates to housing. She currently works at Jim Smith Realty and is a board member for the Chamber of Commerce.
Michael Beckel – Treasurer
Born in Amarillo, TX, Mike has lived in various cities within Texas and Louisiana. A newcomer to Pagosa Springs, he has become one of the owners of Wilson, Rea, Beckel & Associates, CPAs, LLC. He holds a BS degree in Accounting from Louisiana State University-Shreveport and is a licensed CPA with over 22 years of experience in public accounting as well as working as a corporate controller and as a Manager of Corporate Income Tax for a Fortune 500 company. Mike’s experience includes both audit and taxation disciplines. His audit experience is primarily within governmental and financial institutions and his taxation experience covers various industries.