PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
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Scott Smith, MSW, has worked in the field of behavioral health and human services for over a decade. He attended Fort Lewis College where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and later attended the University of Denver where he received his Master’s in Social Work. He began his social work career in k-12 education by implementing trauma informed strategies, restorative practices and substance use prevention frameworks both in the US and abroad. He has served on numerous boards and committees at the local and state levels and previously served as the President of the Southwest Colorado chapter of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness). Scott worked as a case manager, and later as a program manager at La Plata Youth Services from 2013 to 2018. Scott later served as the Executive Director of the Alliance for Suicide Prevention of Larimer County from 2019 to 2023. During his tenure there, Larimer County was the only county in Colorado to consistently reduce the suicide rate, year over year. Scott is a life-long advocate for social justice and when he isn’t working you can find him skiing or hiking, soaking in the hot springs, gardening, and cooking food for family and friends.

VICE PRESIDENT OF STRATEGIC OPERATIONS
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Jeff brings 20 years of advocacy and non-profit experience to Our Own Lives. Jeff has worked in many different roles founding, forming, leading and managing disability related non-profits. In advocacy roles, Jeff is an accomplished public speaker on representation, disability rights, Disabled history and the history of disability advocacy and guardianship reform. Jeff is nationally known for his work engaging as a disabled advocate with the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), calling for mainstream ABA services to affirm disabled identities, include the client in decision making about their services, and embrace assent and consent are non-negotiables. Jeff joined the board of Community Connections in 2012, and in 2015, left the board to take paid employment at Community Connections. During his time at Community Connections, Jeff drove numerous changes and improvements to provide services more focused on the person’s wishes and ensuring the person’s rights and prerogatives were respected. He developed an advocacy and leadership training program, worked with people in services to develop the Client Leadership Council, reworked agency trainings to focus on person centered practices and understanding the disabled experience, and increase representation and leadership by disabled people at all levels of the organization. With the transition of Community Connections’ Adult Services into Our Own Lives, Jeff is thrilled to be a part of an amazing team of advocates and staff working to build a truly empowering and affirming model of services from the ground up. When not working, Jeff is busy skiing and camping with his family and tinkering with his various old “toys” of cars, trucks, snowmobiles, jetskis and campers.

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
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Cynthia Eileen Foster Momsen Aspen is a life-long, many-named feminist and believer in equality. Cynthia began working in the non-profit sector at their alma mater, the University of Illinois. Raised in suburbs of Chicago, they have proudly served as the Finance Manager for great-hearted organizations for the past thirty years. In 1999, Cynthia moved to Durango with their husband and quickly settled in and built a home in the mountains at 8,000 feet. Cynthia has worked with more than a dozen local nonprofits providing financial services, including managing government and private grants, leading audits, developing and monitoring annual budgets, and preparing financial statements, including cash flow and projections. Cynthia’s responsibilities include providing tight organizational internal controls, agency accounting policies and GAAP compliance. Cynthia has served local organizations such as Sexual Assault Services Organization (SASO), Adaptive Sports Association, Compañeros: Four Corners Immigrant Resource Center, Music in the Mountains and Southwest Colorado Council of Governments. Cynthia finds it such a joy to support Our Own Lives as part of the Accounting Team.

Cynthia believes their mission is to share their financial expertise in service of nonprofits’ missions to improve our community and world. Cynthia thinks spreadsheets are the bomb and enjoys sharing financial information in a friendly and accessible way. Their favorite moments are spent raising their incredible child with their amazing husband, Robert.