Board of Directors
Lance Timbreza
Board Chair
Lance Timbreza is a Western Slope local, born and raised in Delta, Colorado. He attended Colorado Mesa University receiving a B.A. in History in 2002. He received his law degree, summa cum laude, from Gonzaga University School of Law in 2005.
Georgia Rock
Board Vice Chair
Georgia Rock is the Chief Operating Officer for HopeWest. Georgia moved to Grand Junction in 2018 and loves the area, with plans to never move again. She is committed to giving back and joined the board at Roice-Hurst Humane Society because of her love for animals and the community. Georgia has four dogs: a golden doodle named Maddie and three golden retrievers, Dexter, Milo, and Katie, affectionately known as the Three Musketeers. Dexter and Milo occasionally visit hospice patients, and Katie spreads love to everyone she encounters.
Bill Wade
Board Treasurer
Bill Wade is a Colorado local who grew up in Grand Junction and returned after a 30-year career in investment banking. That career allowed Bill and his wife, Karen, to live in various parts of the United States, but upon his retirement, they always intended to return home to western Colorado. A graduate of the University of Colorado, Bill has been involved in nonprofit work since the early 2000s, focused primarily on assisting homeless individuals and families. That work has shown him how crucial a pet can be in providing support to a person in need.
Matt Bell
Board Secretary
Matt Bell is the Business Development Manager at Grand Junction Economic Partnership. Matt’s primary responsibility with GJEP is business recruitment while also supporting existing businesses, providing information and assistance with real estate, incentives, local government relations, and industry connections. Matt joined the Roice-Hurst Humane Society board because of his genuine love for animals and desire to help create a community that embraces love for animals. Matt has adopted two cats from Roice-Hurst, Rizzo and Addison, to go along with his two dogs, Kannah and Lainey.
Dr. Julia McHugh
Board Chair Emeritus
Dr. Julia McHugh is a vertebrate paleontologist who has served as the Curator of Paleontology for the Museums of Western Colorado and Lecturer of Geology at Colorado Mesa University since 2014, while also holding a research associate position with the Same Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History. She has a B.A. in Geology from Hanover College, an M.S. in Geosciences from Idaho State University, and a Ph.D. in Geoscience from the University of Iowa. Dr. McHugh is also an avid photographer, an enthusiastic kitten foster mom for Roice-Hurst Humane Society, and serves on the board of directors for the Dinosaur Diamond National Scenic Byway, the Fruita Area Chamber of Commerce, as well as the steering committee for the academic journal Open Paleontology.
Elaine Johnson-Craig
Board Director
Elaine Johnson-Craig is an incredible, long-time supporter of Roice-Hurst Humane Society. Elaine assists the organization with fundraising, events, on-site volunteering, and more. Elaine has a true passion for the organization and the pets and people it supports. she is a former local small business owner, writer/editor, and public relations specialist.
Dr. Cathlin Craver
Board Director
Dr. Cathlin Craver graduated from Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 2007 and received her Master’s degree in shelter medicine from the University of Florida in 2017. She has worked in a variety of settings, from nonprofit organizations and rescues to municipal shelters, both around the United States and internationally. She has worked as the Director for the ASPCA’s animal relocation program. Dr. Craver joined the Roice-Hurst Humane Society board to cultivate meaningful relationships within our community to improve the health of pets and people. She shares her home with Lotus the cat and Roice-Hurst alum, Pierogi the dog.
Marcus Deans
Board Director
As the owner of Kodiaxe, Marcus Deans uses his business expertise to help the pets at Roice-Hurst. Marcus is an avid dog lover and enjoys giving back to the community.
Nicki Huprich
Board Director
Nicki Huprich moved to Grand Junction in 2022 from Texas. A few months after making her move, she started volunteering at Roice-Hurst Humane Society. She quickly grew to love the animals, the people, and the mission of Roice-Hurst and wanted to do more to be a part of this great organization, so she joined the board of directors. Nicki has been a real estate broker for over 15 years and works remotely for a top real estate broker in Texas. Her home is ruled by her rescue cat, Boots, and rescue dogs Leo & Daisy May, a Roice-Hurst alum.
Beth Bershader
Board Director
Beth moved to Grand Junction from Denver in 2017. She has spent her career working in nonprofits and has a passion for volunteering and giving back to her community. Beth loves all animals, but especially her kittens, Cisco and Gri. Outside of her full-time job with Kaiser Permanente, Beth and her husband spend their free time being active in the outdoors, traveling, enjoying wineries, and taking classes on a variety of topics.
Chris Hawkins
Board Director
Chris is happy to be a recent arrival in Grand Junction, having worked for over two decades with
a non-profit in Atlanta. After settling into his new home, he wanted to find a companion for
Doug, his rescue American Staffordshire Terrier, which is how he discovered Roice-Hurst. Impressed with what he learned about the organization, he felt drawn to become a volunteer and was soon invited to the Board of Directors where his non-profit experience and love of animals could further benefit the organization. Oh, and he found a companion for Doug, adopting a Catahoula Leopard Dog named Olive.
