Meet Our Staff

We have an incredible team of dedicated staff members whose passion, commitment and excellence ensure that San Miguel Resource Center carries forward its mission of empowering and supporting survivors and promoting prevention education and social change!

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LISA SEBREE
Executive Director

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    Lisa came to SMRC after many years in England working to end gender-based violence through her work as Global Executive Director for Media Matters for Women, a US, UK and Sierra Leonean non-profit organization.  She also worked with ECPAT International in Switzerland to produce its Global Legal Review on Sexual Exploitation of Children Online, a comprehensive tool for prosecutors and human rights activists worldwide. Lisa holds a law degree from Georgetown University and a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Kansas. Her career in law ranged from criminal defense work to commercial matters and import/export law.  As in-house counsel for a multinational telecommunications corporation, she held global responsibility for international trade issues. Lisa, her husband and three children adopted Telluride as their home in the US while living abroad for the past 25 years and she is excited to now call Telluride home.

ELLIE GREENE
Grants Manager

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    Ellie’s role at San Miguel Resource Center is to manage SMRC’s extensive grant funding. SMRC is able to offer all of its services for free thanks to critical funding from federal, state, and local governments and foundations. She is grateful that funding from our nation’s capital is making its way to our remote mountain communities and she is proud of the difference our national and local funding has on the lives of our community members. Ellie loves writing about SMRC’s many accomplishments and the positive impact our work has on the safety and wellbeing of the residents of San Miguel County and West Montrose County. Ellie graduated from the University of Vermont with a B.A. in English. She worked in the publishing industry in both Boston and New York City before claiming Telluride as home. She has loved being a part of this community through her work with Mountainfilm, Telluride Film Festival, Telluride AIDS Benefit, and One to One Mentoring. When she’s not working, she spends every minute she can with her husband and their adorable son and daughter.

DESTINY FARR
Advocacy Services Manager

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    Destiny is excited to be the Advocacy Services Manager at SMRC, as she has dedicated her academic and professional career to serving survivors of gender-based violence. Destiny earned a BA in Criminal Justice and Women’s Studies from UNLV and an MA in Gender and Ethnic Studies from George Washington University.  She has worked with victims and survivors in different capacities for many years and is excited to be applying those experiences and knowledge in her role at SMRC. She is passionate about providing culturally appropriate, trauma-informed services and is particularly motivated to ensure equitable access to services for everyone; she also loves training and developing and expanding programs.

    Destiny was raised in New Orleans and spent summers in Lewistown, MT-- she has moved all over the country as an adult, and now lives in the West End with her partner, Keoni, who teaches Kindergarten at Nucla Elementary and their two daughters, Willow and Wylder.

    When she’s not working, Destiny and family enjoy spending time outdoors-- they love camping, fishing, hiking, paddle boarding and are looking forward to exploring more outdoor winter activities!

NICOLE TATUM
Rural Advocate

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    Nicole was raised in Naturita, CO until the age of 8 and then moved to Wyoming. She continued to come back throughout the years to visit family that lives in the area and has always loved the beauty of Colorado. While living in Big Piney, WY she worked as an EMT-Intermediate for 11 years and as an LPN for one year. She thoroughly enjoys helping others and doing her part for the community. Nicole returned to Colorado in 2021 and joined SMRC as the new Rural Victims Advocate where she works primarily in Norwood and the West End. She loves that her role as an advocate allows her to directly support clients and empower those individuals who are survivors of domestic and/or sexual violence. In her free time she enjoys reading, taking her dogs out to explore the area, learning yoga, and spending time with family.

LIZA COONEY
Prevention Education Coordinator

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    Liza Cooney joined San Miguel Resource Center’s Youth Violence Prevention Education Program in November 2020. Liza has lived in Telluride since 2018, where prior to SMRC, she worked for Bright Futures as their program development AmeriCorps VISTA serving families and child care providers in San Miguel, Ouray, Delta, Montrose, and San Juan counties. Liza graduated from Wheaton College (MA) in 2018 with a B.A. in psychology and a special focus on child development. Through her time with Bright Futures, Liza fostered a deep appreciation for upstream intervention and social-emotional education, so she is very grateful to continue this programming with the amazing students in our region!

CAITLIN HENSON
Victim Advocate

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    Caitlin grew up in SW Colorado, and returned to settle in Norwood in 2023. Prior to joining the SMRC team, she worked as a legal advocate for the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center in Seattle, WA for almost 7 years.

    She earned a BA in Peacebuilding and Development, with double minors in Pre-Law and Political Studies from Eastern Mennonite University; and an MA in Conflict Transformation with an emphasis in Restorative Justice from the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding. 

    She has travelled and volunteered extensively overseas, where she had opportunities to work in vulnerable persons shelters and within the anti-violence movement, deepening her understanding of and commitment to addressing harm in communities and working with individuals and their supports to heal and transform trauma. 

    She looks forward to working with survivors and collaborating with the folks already doing the important work of DV/SA advocacy in San Miguel County, a community she feels strong connection to.  

    When not working Caitlin enjoys hiking, spending time with her family/cats, and indulging in the goofy pleasure of watching Bravo reality shows. She also drives/delivers for Blue Grouse Bread in Norwood, which she really enjoys.

RUTH RIVAS
Bilingual Advocate

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    Ruth was born in Colombia but has lived in Telluride since 2021. Since that time she has worked for the equality of rights in the Latino community. Before coming to Telluride, Ruth worked as a Justice of the Peace in Colombia helping the community in conflict resolution. She has 10 years experience working on family and criminal law matters including domestic violence, child sexual abuse and homicide. In Colombia, Ruth played on the national ping pong team! She loves the snow in Telluride—something she never saw in Colombia!

MAX HAMMEL
Administrative Assistant

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    Max moved to the Telluride area in the fall of 2024 and joined SMRC shortly thereafter. He graduated from Skidmore College with a B.A. in Economics and Arts Administration. For most of the time since then, he lived in Brooklyn, NY working in the transportation and logistics industry. Seeking a change in pace, Max decided to relocate to the furthest thing from New York City in search of a deeper connection to nature and greater meaning in his work. He is eager to employ his skillset toward something new every day in support of those who have experienced domestic violence and sexual assault.

    Outside of work he enjoys powder days on Gold Hill, matching the hatch on the San Miguel, playing hockey, and spinning records on KOTO.