Aaron was brought up in Pennsylvania and after achieving a BA in Biology from Virginia Tech he followed a lifelong ambition to work in Africa. He worked as a volunteer for the nonprofit Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia for two years before leaving to travel in Southern Africa and the United States. Aaron and his wife, Pip, then worked in Zanzibar for another nonprofit organization, Chumbe Island Coral Park running an island eco-lodge. They moved to the U.S. in 2002 and their journey brought them to the San Luis Valley where they settled just outside of Villa Grove. Aaron thoroughly enjoys the Rocky Mountain lifestyle and is excited to put his experience with non-profits, his belief in building local community and his passion for music to good use with CPI.
Elinor Laurie – Vice President | Villa Grove, CO
Elinor first visited the San Luis Valley in 1974 and moved to the Villa Grove area in 1992. She earned her BS in Nursing in 1972 and pursued a nursing career for 23 years that included working in the private business sector as well as hospitals and clinics. She left nursing in 1990 and has put her acquired skills to use, helping to found the Saguache County Credit Union and develop the initial credit loan policies, and serving as Treasurer for the Villa Grove Area Merchants Association. She joined the board of directors of Crestone Performances, Inc. in 2002 and has served as Treasurer, President and now Vice President. Music has been an important part of her life, attending symphonies, operas, and musicals from a very young age with family, learning to play first the violin, then piano, then guitar, and performing with church and school choirs in her student years. She fully supports the CPI Mission of bringing performing arts to the San Luis Valley schools, and believes in the importance of music as the universal language of human experience.
Eli Dokson – Treasurer | Crestone, CO
Eli is a recently retired school superintendent, having moved to Crestone in 1995 to work for the Moffat School District. He is originally from the east coast, born and raised in Miami, Florida, and lived in California and Washington state before moving to Colorado. He has been a teacher of English and Drama, a school counselor and administrator, and a working musician for many years. He currently plays guitar and sings in the local rock band "2 Weeks in Fiji" and has performed with this group and others at the Crestone Music Festival several times. He and his wife own and operate the Baca Grande Stables located in the Baca Grande subdivision adjacent to the town of Crestone.
Enid Malecek – Secretary | Crestone, CO
Enid has been a performing musician since 1965 and taught music for eight years. She currently serves on the Environmental and Architectural Control Committee for the Baca Grande Property Owners Association and also with Friends of the Crestone Firewalkers Volunteer Fire Department. She has attended most of the Crestone Music Festivals, and then volunteered for the first time in 2006, piquing her interest in becoming more involved with CPI. With her background in music, she strongly supports and feels the need for various music programs in the San Luis Valley. She hopes to increase her involvement in the many music programs that CPI offers.
Kizzen Laki – Director | Crestone, CO
Kizzen was one of the “founding mothers” of the Crestone Music Festival and served on the first board as an assistant board member. She has served on several boards: 15 years on the Town of Crestone Board of Trustees, ten of those years as Mayor; 12 years on the Baca/Crestone Ambulance Service, eight years as Chairperson; twice she was on the Crestone Baca Community & Arts Center board and has also served on several other committees and boards over the years. She was the founder of the Crestone Cabin Fever Show and organized it for 11 years. She has published the Crestone Eagle newspaper for the past 20 years, and believes in supporting community, music, the arts, education for our young people, fun and diversity.
Dennis Neuhaus – Director | Crestone, CO
Dennis comes to us with vast nonprofit board experience having served on the Crestone Moffat Business Association board for 10 years, the ScSEED board for eight years and the Earth Art Institute board for two years. A musician since the age of 16, he plays trumpet, upright and electric bass. He owned and operated a recording studio for 14 years. He designed, built and wired the studio and was its recording engineer, technician and producer. For the last 14 years he has owned and operated Rainbow Enterprises, which consists of a bed & breakfast, computer repair service and a dealership for DirecTV and Verizon Wireless. His computer, business and musical experience are a valued addition to CPI.
Don Richmond – Director | Alamosa, CO
Don has been a professional performing musician for more than 30 years. He sets the stage for professional excellence and courtesy. He has released five solo CDs as well as numerous other recordings with the bands Tumbleweed and Hired Hands. Don owns and operates Howlin’ Dog Records, which has recorded and released numerous other recordings by many local, regional and national artists. Don has also been an Artist-In-Residence and Aesthetic Institute instructor in the Colorado Council of the Arts’ Art in Education program. Don helps us by producing our radio commercials and through his musical expertise.
Akia Tanara – Director | Crestone, CO
Akia has lived in Colorado since 1977 and moved to Crestone in 1993 with the intent to simplify her life and have more fun. She has reinvented herself many times since moving here, including operating a commercial bakery, opening a quilting studio, and starting a house painting and carpet cleaning business with her husband Tedd, a singer/songwriter, who has played at eight of the Crestone Music Festivals. Akia is the Town Manager in Crestone and recently filled the role of general contractor for the new municipal water system, resulting in the reduction of development costs of ~$500,000. She raised funds, negotiated the purchase of and managed renovations to the Town Center Building, an historical structure built in 1880 that now provides free and/or affordable rental space for non-profit organizations that provide a range of social services not previously available within 70 miles. She also raised funds for and managed the 2010 renovation of the Community Building, the original Crestone schoolhouse built in 1880, which continues to serve as the community center in town and houses a parent-run cooperative preschool. Akia was coordinator of the Music Festival gate for several years and has attended most of the festivals. She brings skills of grantwriting, project management and volunteer coordination to the CPI Board. She has served as Secretary on the Board of Directors of EarthArt Village, a sustainable ecovillage community, since 1997. Akia is an avid organic gardener and quilter.
Steve Westra – Director | Villa Grove, CO
Steve retired in 2004 from the US Navy holding the rank of Commander after nearly 24 years of active duty service in Naval Intelligence. In his most recent tour of duty, he was a Special Projects Director at the National Security Agency (NSA) in Fort Meade, Maryland. During his diverse career, he served in many positions including Chief of Computer Network Intelligence at US Space Command; Director of Special Projects at US Special Operations Command; Director of Intelligence for Carrier Air Wing Six aboard the USS Forrestal, Middle East Analyst for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Squadron Intelligence Officer aboard the USS America. He is a veteran of both wars in Iraq, as well as Operation Provide Comfort which provided relief to the Kurds in Northern Iraq. He is currently a volunteer for the Disabled Veterans of America driving veterans to their medical appointments along the Front Range. He holds a BS from Indiana University. He is a graduate of the US Marine Command and Staff College and the US Armed Forces Staff College. He was commissioned in the US Navy in 1980 from NAS Pensacola after attending Aviation Officer Candidate School.
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Aaron was brought up in Pennsylvania and after achieving a BA in Biology from Virginia Tech he followed a lifelong ambition to work in Africa. He worked as a volunteer for the nonprofit Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia for two years before leaving to travel in Southern Africa and the United States. Aaron and his wife, Pip, then worked in Zanzibar for another nonprofit organization, Chumbe Island Coral Park running an island eco-lodge. They moved to the U.S. in 2002 and their journey brought them to the San Luis Valley where they settled just outside of Villa Grove. Aaron thoroughly enjoys the Rocky Mountain lifestyle and is excited to put his experience with non-profits, his belief in building local community and his passion for music to good use with CPI.
Eli is a recently retired school superintendent, having moved to Crestone in 1995 to work for the Moffat School District. He is originally from the east coast, born and raised in Miami, Florida, and lived in California and Washington state before moving to Colorado. He has been a teacher of English and Drama, a school counselor and administrator, and a working musician for many years. He currently plays guitar and sings in the local rock band "2 Weeks in Fiji" and has performed with this group and others at the Crestone Music Festival several times. He and his wife own and operate the Baca Grande Stables located in the Baca Grande subdivision adjacent to the town of Crestone.
Enid has been a performing musician since 1965 and taught music for eight years. She currently serves on the Environmental and Architectural Control Committee for the Baca Grande Property Owners Association and also with Friends of the Crestone Firewalkers Volunteer Fire Department. She has attended most of the Crestone Music Festivals, and then volunteered for the first time in 2006, piquing her interest in becoming more involved with CPI. With her background in music, she strongly supports and feels the need for various music programs in the San Luis Valley. She hopes to increase her involvement in the many music programs that CPI offers.
Kizzen was one of the “founding mothers” of the Crestone Music Festival and served on the first board as an assistant board member. She has served on several boards: 15 years on the Town of Crestone Board of Trustees, ten of those years as Mayor; 12 years on the Baca/Crestone Ambulance Service, eight years as Chairperson; twice she was on the Crestone Baca Community & Arts Center board and has also served on several other committees and boards over the years. She was the founder of the Crestone Cabin Fever Show and organized it for 11 years. She has published the Crestone Eagle newspaper for the past 20 years, and believes in supporting community, music, the arts, education for our young people, fun and diversity.
Dennis comes to us with vast nonprofit board experience having served on the Crestone Moffat Business Association board for 10 years, the ScSEED board for eight years and the Earth Art Institute board for two years. A musician since the age of 16, he plays trumpet, upright and electric bass. He owned and operated a recording studio for 14 years. He designed, built and wired the studio and was its recording engineer, technician and producer. For the last 14 years he has owned and operated Rainbow Enterprises, which consists of a bed & breakfast, computer repair service and a dealership for DirecTV and Verizon Wireless. His computer, business and musical experience are a valued addition to CPI.
Don has been a professional performing musician for more than 30 years. He sets the stage for professional excellence and courtesy. He has released five solo CDs as well as numerous other recordings with the bands Tumbleweed and Hired Hands. Don owns and operates Howlin’ Dog Records, which has recorded and released numerous other recordings by many local, regional and national artists. Don has also been an Artist-In-Residence and Aesthetic Institute instructor in the Colorado Council of the Arts’ Art in Education program. Don helps us by producing our radio commercials and through his musical expertise.
Akia has lived in Colorado since 1977 and moved to Crestone in 1993 with the intent to simplify her life and have more fun. She has reinvented herself many times since moving here, including operating a commercial bakery, opening a quilting studio, and starting a house painting and carpet cleaning business with her husband Tedd, a singer/songwriter, who has played at eight of the Crestone Music Festivals. Akia is the Town Manager in Crestone and recently filled the role of general contractor for the new municipal water system, resulting in the reduction of development costs of ~$500,000. She raised funds, negotiated the purchase of and managed renovations to the Town Center Building, an historical structure built in 1880 that now provides free and/or affordable rental space for non-profit organizations that provide a range of social services not previously available within 70 miles. She also raised funds for and managed the 2010 renovation of the Community Building, the original Crestone schoolhouse built in 1880, which continues to serve as the community center in town and houses a parent-run cooperative preschool. Akia was coordinator of the Music Festival gate for several years and has attended most of the festivals. She brings skills of grantwriting, project management and volunteer coordination to the CPI Board. She has served as Secretary on the Board of Directors of EarthArt Village, a sustainable ecovillage community, since 1997. Akia is an avid organic gardener and quilter.
Steve retired in 2004 from the US Navy holding the rank of Commander after nearly 24 years of active duty service in Naval Intelligence. In his most recent tour of duty, he was a Special Projects Director at the National Security Agency (NSA) in Fort Meade, Maryland. During his diverse career, he served in many positions including Chief of Computer Network Intelligence at US Space Command; Director of Special Projects at US Special Operations Command; Director of Intelligence for Carrier Air Wing Six aboard the USS Forrestal, Middle East Analyst for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Squadron Intelligence Officer aboard the USS America. He is a veteran of both wars in Iraq, as well as Operation Provide Comfort which provided relief to the Kurds in Northern Iraq. He is currently a volunteer for the Disabled Veterans of America driving veterans to their medical appointments along the Front Range. He holds a BS from Indiana University. He is a graduate of the US Marine Command and Staff College and the US Armed Forces Staff College. He was commissioned in the US Navy in 1980 from NAS Pensacola after attending Aviation Officer Candidate School.