Born and raised in Walsenburg, Elisa has dedicated her life to the care of the elderly, a passion that began in her youth. She pursued her education at CU Boulder, followed by a Master’s Certificate in Gerontology from the University of Denver. In 2018, Elisa earned the prestigious Certified Senior Advisor® certificate, further solidifying her commitment to senior care.

Elisa brings a wealth of experience to La Veta Village, having worked extensively in geriatric care across various settings, including nursing homes, private care, home care agencies, and assisted living facilities. Her journey brought her back to Walsenburg in 1996 to care for her aging parents, reaffirming her deep connection to the community. Before joining La Veta Village, she served as the Administrator for Trinidad Assisted Living.

The opportunity to contribute to a new assisted living facility in La Veta led Elisa to apply for her current role when she first moved to La Veta in 2013, where she patiently waited for a decade to step into the position of Administrator. Today, Elisa is an integral part of La Veta Village, bringing her vision and dedication to ensure the continued success and well-being of our residents. She is excited to be part of our community and looks forward to shaping a bright future for La Veta Village.

Jeanne, an RN, has lived in La Veta since 2012. Jeanne is Program Development Consultant for LVVI, guiding our senior care services planning, funding strategy, and community outreach activities. Jeanne offers LVVI her wealth of experience and success in senior care and non-profit assisted living community operations. From 1989 until 2002, Jeanne, along with two fellow nurse friends, her family, and many community supporters, formed a non-profit, and developed and operated three mid-sized assisted living homes in Douglas County. Lovely La Veta beckoned as retirement, following 10 years of a caregiving journey with husband Ted, as he courageously endured the ravages of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Passion called, however, and Jeanne is once again, guiding her adopted, supportive community toward providing housing and care for its growing elder population.

Jeanne Schwarz, is the co-founder of the award winning, Castle Country Assisted Living Communities in Castle Rock and Parker, Colorado. Jeanne brings expertise and commitment to the La Veta Village endeavor that will benefit Spanish Peaks seniors.

Pat is a retired insurance agent.  She owned and operated an independent insurance agency in a rural community for 35 years.  As such she gained extensive experience in business management , personnel management and customer service.  While operating that business Pat was also actively involved in community activities from school board to youth groups,  the chamber of commerce to meals on wheels.

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Pat is a people person who has lived a life of community service. If there’s a job to do Pat is your gal.  Pat and husband Dennis have called La Veta  home since 2015.

Sarah has lived in the La Veta/Cuchara area for many years and has been a community volunteer in La Veta, Walsenburg and at the Spanish Peaks Regional Health Center. She is a strong believer in the benefits of community living in a secure and thriving environment, in part based on her parents’ positive experience in such a community.
 

Sarah retired in 2005 from the Los Alamos National Laboratory; she worked at Accounts Payable where she became Team Leader then at Travel Accounting where she was also Team Leader. She has extensive experience in accounting as well as both business and personnel management.

Ron is a native of Colorado growing up on a dairy farm located in the northeastern front range.  Ron graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science.  Following graduation from college, Ron’s initial professional employment was as a civilian management analyst for the Department of the Army at White Sands Missile Range, Las Cruces, NM.  Soon after, Ron was homesick for his native Colorado and returned.  For the next thirty-two years, he was employed by the State of Colorado in a variety of professional, supervisory, and managerial positions in the field of Human Resources.  His last employment was as the Human Resources Manager for the Colorado Department of Human Services, an agency with 5000+ employees.

Soon after retirement Ron and his wife, Nancy, moved to rural Huerfano County. During Ron’s postretirement, Ron served on numerous Boards including the Las Animas/Huerfano Community Centered Board, the La Veta Fire Protection District Board, and the Huerfano County Hospital District Board.  Ron served as chairman on two of the Boards: LV Fire Protection and Huerfano County Hospital District Board.

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Ron continues to enjoy retirement in Huerfano County devoting time to various home repair projects, fire mitigation on the property, fishing, and a variety of other activities.

Gerri was born and raised in Colorado.  She and her husband left Colorado in 1966 when Jack went into the service.  In 2009 they moved back to Colorado after building their log home in Forbes Park in Costilla County.  In 2019 they relocated to Colorado City in Pueblo County.  

Gerri has had a variety of experience in administrative work, serving on boards, and property management.  She managed senior apartments for 12 years.  She was chairman of the board at SLV Life Center in Alamosa for many years.  She is always willing to help in community and church functions.  She was Executive Assistant to the VP of a major hospital for 6 years.  She is a very organized person and likes to see things get done!

Marta moved to La Veta in 2000 to take up the rural community life.  As a long-time dialysis nurse, manager and specialist, she spent many years helping families with complex health and social issues and found it a privilege to do so.  In her younger life she trained as an administrative assistant in the R&D department to round out her organizational and marketing skills. These experiences she now brings to the small community of La Veta and to the Village. 

She has been president of the Chamber of Commerce, president of the Library board, a founder of Wahatoya Initiatives, a non-profit farm-to-table initiative, and business owner of The Salon.  Art, animals, gardens and weedwhacking are her passions: love of rural life holds her meaning.

Becky grew up in eastern Colorado and has spent her life serving others through healthcare and community involvement. After early work with Mountain Bell and Plains Medical Center, she and her husband Gary volunteered for many years as EMTs with the Limon Ambulance Service. In 1993, Becky joined Spanish Peaks Regional Health Center, where she held a wide range of roles including CNA, Activities Director, Lifeline manager, surgery assistant, home health CNA, and Human Resources director. She retired in 2016. Becky’s lifelong passion is supporting older adults, and she is proud to serve as a director for La Veta Village.