Meet The Team

Since moving to Boulder in the late 1990s, Joe Pickett has devoted much of his life to helping organizations that support people experiencing homelessness. This includes Boulder County Cares, Bridge House (Community Table and Path to Home), and BOHO (Boulder Outreach for Homeless Overflow). He is retired from IBM and lives in Boulder with his wife Barbara to whom he has been married for more than 50 years. Joe was a competitive triathlete and marathon runner. These days he loves running with his dog Riley and doing Murphys (a CrossFit workout).

After moving to Colorado in 2013, Lew Miller jumped right into community service work, driven by a passion to make a difference in people’s lives. Lew has been active with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Meals on Wheels, the YMCA/YWCA, Rotary, Erie Chamber of Commerce, and Marshalltown (Iowa) Community College Foundation. He’s a member of Congregation Har HaShem and chair of the men’s organization at JCC Boulder. A retired plumbing distributor, Lew founded the Iowa BBQ Society, a unique nonprofit that combines love of barbecue with random acts of kindness.

Greg Kok  is a retired atmospheric scientist, who spent much of his career sampling air around the world. At HomeAhead he is the “fixer” working on repairable furniture as well as supporting the facilities, providing crucial support to keep the operations moving. He also helps move furniture. His hobbies are woodworking and vehicle maintenance. He lives in Boulder with his wife Barb who is also an active HomeAhead volunteer.

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Loren Donaldson spent many years in finance. During his early career Loren managed a number of college and high school food service programs. Later Loren managed one grocery store in a chain of six stores then moved into his own business selling, installing and maintaining cash registers and point of sale equipment for grocery stores and restaurants. He is grateful for the opportunity to serve HomeAhead as Treasurer.

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Carol Fries helped launch the volunteer group that preceded HomeAhead and has been on the team ever since. She has more than a decade of experience volunteering with organizations that serve people experiencing homelessness, including Bridge House (Community Table and Path to Home), Mother House (The Lodge), and BOHO (Boulder Outreach for Homeless Overflow). A retired marketing communications professional, Carol loves reading, writing, running, and dark chocolate. She lives in Erie with her husband Tim.

Mary Gaylord has worked in the nonprofit sector for close to 10 years, and with HomeAhead since early 2022. Her background includes working in nonprofit leadership, strategic planning, and program development. A chronic idealist, Mary has a strong passion for supporting individuals and organizations that endeavor to make our world a better place. Mary enjoys living near Boulder with her husband and two teenagers, hiking, skiing, mountain-biking, camping, and hanging out with friends and family.

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Lori Hopkins has lived in Boulder County for more than 30 years, raised two children here, and now enjoys watching her grandsons grow up in this community. Lori brings a valuable perspective to the board, as she lived on the streets of Boulder for many years and is now a Permanent Supportive Housing case manager at Boulder Shelter for the Homeless. She has first-hand knowledge of how difficult it can be to move from unhoused to housed and believes home furnishings can help ease the transition. She is happy to be working directly with Home Ahead and grateful that her clients have access to this resource.

Tricia Dessel has lived in Boulder for more than 30 years, has raised her family here,  and has volunteered in the community with various organizations. She is a graduate of CU with an MBA and worked in the medical device industry in a marketing capacity for two decades. She is currently a realtor in Boulder with Compass. In her free time Tricia enjoys hiking, skiing, mountain-biking, reading, and playing tennis.

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Clair Minson is the Founder and Principal Consultant of Sandra Grace LLC. Clair is a non-profit leader, racial equity consultant, and theologian who leverages her decade-plus experience in workforce development and mental health counseling to maximize the impact of forward-thinking institutions across the United States. Anchored in her faith in the human capacity for change and propelled by a critical analysis of systemic and institutional racism, Clair works with clients in the public and

private sectors to develop and implement sound strategies that address the root causes

of social inequity. Clair is currently in seminary and serves as the Pastoral Intern at Atonement Lutheran Church in Boulder. She is from the Bahamas and lives in Westminster with her two daughters. 

Eilene Spear joined the team in early 2023. Her background includes managing operations for an emerging business law website and working with at-risk youth through the Department of Labor's JobCorps program. Eilene has an unshakeable belief that smart, concerted action can make the world better and she is determined to use her experiences to be a part of that effort. Eilene spends her free time reading,  running, and spending way too much time at the gym.