Board Members

Heather with brown hair, smiling in a purple shirt.

Heather Otter, M.A. Ed.

Board President

  • Heather (she/her) is the Executive Director for SCAPE - Southwest Colorado Accelerator Program for Entrepreneurs. She helps founders access the resources they need to scale their companies. Heather has a BA in Psychology and a Master’s in Education with a concentration on technology. She has professional experience as an educator, small business owner, corporate training manager, school board governance consultant and economic development planner. Heather is passionate about improving the economic prosperity and quality of life of the communities she serves. She believes that education is the key to empowering people to have more agency and opportunities in their lives. She enjoys learning new things and sharing her knowledge with others, especially in the areas of leadership, technology, and process improvement. Heather is a proud alumni of Fort Lewis College.

Stephanie with long light hair, smiling in a black shirt.

Stephanie Smith, LCSW, LAC

Director

  • Stephanie (she/her) is the owner of A Wild Hope Counseling in Durango, CO. She is a licensed clinical social worker and a licensed addiction counselor. She has a BS in Business Administration and a Master's Degree in Clinical Social Work.

    She has been working with young people and families for over 15 years. She started her social work journey in wilderness therapy and then transitioned to a local youth services agency. She is currently in private practice, supporting both adolescents and adults. She works collaboratively and creatively with her clients to explore opportunities for growth and understanding so they may (re)discover their sense of well-being.

    Outside of her work, she loves adventuring in the natural world, it has a way of reflecting what she needs in the moment. She has an amazing dog; Luna aka looney tunes aka Schmoops aka peanut; who accompanies her on all her adventures. She is creative at heart and loves painting in the wild as a way to express her experiences.

Della is wearing a beanie and smiling while outdoors.

Della Turque, BA

Secretary

  • Della (she/her) co-facilitates a La Plata County coalition, ROAR (Recognizing Opportunities Around Resilience) that promotes social connectedness in our community and empowering youth as a means for substance use prevention. ⁠

    Prior to her current role, Della worked in regional opioid misuse and overdose prevention education with San Juan Basin Public Health. Della is passionate about community-led solutions, harm reduction, substance use education, policy reform and health equity. ⁠

    In her spare time, she loves exploring the outdoors, connecting with friends, and probably consuming too much news.

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Shannon Shropshire, MPH

Director

  • Shannon (she/her) is the Population Health Planner with the La Plata County Public Health Department and previously the Assessment and Planning Supervisor with San Juan Basin Public Health. Much of her work revolves around the Community Health Assessment and Public Health Improvement Plan.

    She supports many of the programs at the health department with data and is a member of the La Plata County Suicide Prevention Steering Committee. She also participates in the ROAR (Recognizing Opportunities Around Resilience) coalition, Pine River Shares and facilitates the Child Fatality Review Team. She has a bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a concentration in Criminology and a Master of Public Health focusing on Gerontology and Rural Health. She has experience in both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. 

    When off work, Shannon enjoys spending time with her three dogs, hanging out with her partner and friends, going to baseball games, and traveling around to see live music.