Co-Founder, President & CEO

Birthplace: San Diego, CA

U.S Army Veteran

Operation Enduring Freedom 2011

Nicholas was born and raised in San Diego, CA and grew up spending most of his time at the beach and in the outdoors. He joined the Army in 2009 and spent the next 5 years as a Motor Transportation Operator with The 1st Infantry Division Big Red One and The 82nd Airborne Division All Americans. Nicholas brings a passion for serving others, and a love for all things health promotion. In his free time you can find him enjoying the outdoors, exercising at one of our partner locations, or grabbing some of Fort Collins’ amazing craft food and beer.

Co-Founder, Vice-Chairman, Retreat Program Director

Birthplace: CT

US Civilian, Consultant & Founder Pivotal Impact LLC

Adopted by a WWII Veteran (USN, Pacific), Mary grew up on the East Coast. Always at home outdoors, she moved to Boston to enjoy the ocean and mountains further North, working as a copywriter and Master Social Worker. Gaining experience in hospitals, mental health clinics and inner-city Housing Projects, she then headed West and established a counseling and retreat business. In 2011, Mary was invited to serve as a counselor and Program Director for National Veterans Wellness & Healing Center (NVWHC), a residential retreat program in NM for Veterans managing post traumatic stress and other challenges common in high-risk operating environments. In 2017, she left NVWHC and founded Pivotal Impact, LLC (formerly Heart Scars 6), serving Veterans and civilians via education and retreats. Determined to enjoy that work-play balance, Mary is often found hiking or sharing laughs with friends.

Treasurer

Birthplace: Minnesota

US Civilian, Tax Specialists of Northern Colorado

Judy has been a tax professional for over 30 years, with 10 years in the financial services industry. A resident of Loveland, CO since 2003, she was born and raised in Minnesota, after which she lived in NW Iowa for 15 years. Judy has been with Tax Specialists of Northern Colorado since 2015, after an eight year employment with a small, local CPA firm. She specializes in all types of tax filings, from Individual and Corporations to Trust/Estates and Tax Exempt Organizations. She looks forward to the challenges of researching tax regulations and laws in order to provide her clients with the most accurate and efficient tax preparation service. Included in this are current and prior year tax filings, correspondence with Federal and State taxing agencies, and year-end tax planning. In her free time she and her husband enjoy hiking, biking, camping, skiing, and spending time in the mountains with their son, daughter, and grandson.

Director of Veteran Support Services

Birthplace: Laramie, Wyoming

US Army Veteran, Larimer County Veterans Service Officer

Operation Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom

Lee attended high school in Hillsboro, Oregon and obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Wyoming in International Studies. Lee was working procurement and supplier management at Hewlett-Packard when the events of September 11, 2001 radically altered the trajectory of his life. Never having seriously considered the military until that point, Lee enlisted in the Army at the age of 38. He deployed to Iraq as a Tactical Psychological Operations team leader, and subsequently in a counter-piracy PsyOp planning role in Africa. Upon obtaining his discharge in 2013, Lee leveraged his Post 9-11 GI Bill benefit into an MBA from Colorado State University, and a commercial pilot’s license from Aims Community College. Lee has been deeply involved in the Northern Colorado veteran community for well over a decade, most recently in the capacity of Larimer County’s Veteran Services Officer.

Director of Fundraising

Birthplace: Fort Worth, TX

US Civilian, Brown & Brown of Colorado, Inc

Mike Ford was born in Fort Worth, Texas and into a military tradition of service. His grandfather, Command Sergeant Major Jack Ford, a highly decorated 33 -year Army veteran was a strong role model in his early life. His example of service and sacrifice to defend our freedoms led Mike to attend the University of Texas at Arlington and Texas Christian University’s Air Force ROTC program hoping to be an Air Force dentist. Mike’s military career was interrupted when he was medically discharged due to a shoulder injury during field training in Florida.

When Mike graduated from college in 2009, he chose to pursue a position with one of Americas most established financial institutions as a financial advisor and insurance broker in the Dallas/Fort Worth market. In 2015 he relocated to Fort Collins to continue his career in commercial insurance.

Mike’s experience as an out-of-the-box, entrepreneurial strategist, real world business experience and passion for the military and first responders well equips him to lead our fundraising committee’s efforts. His friendly, outgoing personality energizes our efforts to reach local business owners who share a desire to give back right here in our community. In this way, they know their donations to Health 4 Heroes will have the greatest impact on local service members.

Mike and his spouse Jen have a beautiful 3-year-old daughter named Elizabeth who they love to show off and who you’re sure to meet if you visit one of our events.