Boardmember Bios

Posted on 05. Apr, 2010 by john in About

Dr. Milton G. Parsons is the Chairman of the Board of Veterans Green Jobs and a Vietnam War veteran having served with the 101st Airborne Division. He is an independent consultant in natural resources, sustainable development and ecotourism. During his 35 year career with the USDA Forest Service, Parsons served as a wildlife and fisheries biologist, national fisheries ecologist, legislative resource specialist, deputy director legislative affairs, special assistant to the deputy chief, state and private forestry, and the executive director for the coalition of Western State Foresters and USDA Forest Service. Parsons earned a bachelor of science in wildlife and fisheries biology from the University of Montana, a master’s in environmental education and a doctor of adult and higher education from Montana State University. He was also a former National Wildlife Federation Environmental Fellow, American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow, Senior Executive Fellow, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and graduate of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Senior Executive Service Development Program.

Harry Bruell, CEO & President, has been with the Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC) since May 2004 and has worked with service and conservation corps since 1991. SCC engages young people as resources to complete conservation projects for the public benefit. During his tenure with SCC the agency increased its annual revenue from $550,000 to over $5 million and expanded from one office in Colorado to four offices in Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. From 1994 to 2004 Harry worked with the National Association of Service and Conservation Corps (now The Corps Network), most recently as Chief Operating Officer and previously as Vice-President. Harry began his work with corps at the Durham (NC) Service Corps in the early 1990s where he served as Work Project Coordinator and Associate Director. Harry co-founded the national Public Lands Service Coalition and the Mountain Alliance of Conservation Corps. He serves on numerous Boards including The Corps Network and Veteran Green Jobs.

Elizabeth Hawkins Robinson is the founder and executive director of ONE Freedom, Inc. ONE Freedom (OF) is a nonprofit education organization dedicated to transforming stress and trauma by offering interactive workshops on the brain and body and skills for self-regulation. ONE Freedom programs are a distillation of scientific discoveries in neuroscience, somatic recovery and skills-based techniques. The aim is to bring to light and resolve a mounting stress epidemic by serving individuals and organizations inside the military, government, education and private sectors. Since 2003, Elizabeth has assisted in the groundswell of addressing traumatic stress for U.S. service members, veterans, families and care providers with programs such as Strength after Service™, Writing the Warriors Journey™, ONE Freedom/Outward Bound Wilderness Programs, and Retreats for Women in Uniform. She is collaborating with other nonprofit leaders to bring OF programs to college and university campuses across the country, as well as coordinating a national campaign on stress education. Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Arts in public relations and marketing and is an award-winning writer with over 20 years of experience in communications and management in the nonprofit and education sectors. She founded Journey Writing Workshops™ and has taught transformative writing for over 15 years. Elizabeth is also co-founder of Magis Group LLC, a private firm that provides performance enhancement, resilience building and stress mitigation to organizations.

Debra A. Porter is an attorney with Fairfield and Woods, P.C. and she focuses her practice on estate and business succession planning; business formation and taxation, and tax-exempt organizations. Prior to joining FW’s team, Deb practiced law in Steamboat Springs, Colorado and continues to serve clients in this area. During law school she was a law clerk for Oregon’s Land Use State Board of Appeals and was a county court mediator. Deb also designed and conducted a pilot project for Oregon’s Department of Land Conservation and Development which studied the impact of mediation in land use disputes in Oregon and she studied international law for a summer in Florence, Italy. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Biology from Colorado State University. Deb was born in Minnesota and moved to Colorado in 1991. She enjoys riding her motorcycle, traveling, skiing, hiking, and trying to surf (but mostly failing).

Senator Gail Schwartz earned a degree in Marketing from the University of Colorado School of Business. Her professional career includes experience as a corporate officer, small business owner, housing developer and market analyst.  Gail’s business background includes community economic assessment, ski area planning throughout North America, consulting for financial institutions in the Western United States, and as the director of development for the Pitkin County Housing Authority. Gail was appointed to the Colorado Commission on Higher Education by Governor Roy Romer, and was elected to the University of Colorado Board of Regents in 2000 and the Colorado State Senate in 2006.  As a resident of her district and the Roaring Fork Valley for over 38 years, Gail has dedicated herself to making Senate District 5 the best possible place to live, work and raise a family. Gail is committed to preserving Colorado’s majestic environment and protecting her district’s water, natural resources and agricultural lands.
Gail is a strong advocate for innovative approaches and solutions to strengthen local businesses, expand rural healthcare and grow economic opportunities in communities throughout her district. She has a distinguished record in working to promote energy diversification and creating new jobs by encouraging energy conservation, efficiency, and expanding Colorado’s energy portfolio with solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, and bio-mass. Above all else, Gail has championed P-20 Education, and has dedicated much of her career to enhancing educational opportunities for all Coloradans.  She is a Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Businesswoman, Educator, and Community Leader.
Her current appointments in the Colorado State Senate include:

Chair, Senate Local Government & Energy Committee
Vice Chair, Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee
Member, Capital Development Committee
Member, Legislative Legal Committee
Member, Colorado Tourism Board and Heritage Tourism Board
Legislative Liaison, Colorado Commission on Higher Education, Colorado
Department of Education, and Dept. of Labor & Unemployment

John Mills is a combat veteran with service in conflicts in Vietnam, Iran and Panama. John was drafted serving a combined enlisted and commissioned career of 30 years with the US Army, Corps of Engineers. His career spanned positions from Drill Sergeant, command of multiple engineer units at grades from Lieutenant to Colonel serving 12 years overseas. John was selected to attend the 2 year Advanced Operations Studies Fellowship program. This contributed to his planning assignments for combat operations from the Battalion to Corps sized units to include Operation Just Cause to remove General Manuel Noriega as dictator of Panama. Upon retirement from the Army he served as Secretary of the Panama Canal Commission to implement the U.S. transfer of the Canal and military facilities to the government of Panama. John then joined Watsco, the largest wholesale distributor of air conditioning and refrigeration, as the Vice President of Human Resources and Development. John and Dee Mills now reside in Homestead, Florida. Dee is a professor at Florida International University and John is the managing director of a broad-based LLC with operations in auto/recreation vehicle sales, estate farm management and estate renovations. Mills earned a bachelor of science in Civil Engineering at the University of Washington, a Master of Science in Acquisition and Contract Management for Florida Institute of Technology. He is a graduate the Command and Staff College and Advanced Operations Studies Fellowship at Fort Leavenworth.

Harold ‘Rocky’ Waite is a 21 year U. S. Army veteran of 11 different assignments and 5.5 years service in overseas commands. Rocky graduated from the United States Military Academy and was commissioned as an Artillery Officer in 1973.  From the rank of Lieutenant to Lieutenant Colonel he was repeatedly selected to command units of varying sizes and complexity of missions. Rocky was selected to attend the School of Advanced Military Studies which led to his operational planning assignments in both the United States and the Republic of Korea. Upon retirement from the Army he was hired by Wal-Mart as part of the nucleus of the leadership team to expand the distribution network for Wal-Mart supercenters. He spent the next 4.5 years in three different distribution centers throughout the United States.  Rocky then joined Watsco, the largest wholesale distributor of air conditioning and refrigeration, as the President of Weathertrol Supply Company. He was then asked to become the President and CEO of Comfort Supply Company, another Watsco subsidiary, in Houston. Texas. Upon completion of that assignment he spent the next six years as the CEO and part owner of a private publishing company in Monterey California and as Chief Operating Officer of Standard Renewable Energy in Houston.  Rocky and Karen Waite now reside in Houston, Texas.  Rocky is part owner and the Vice President of Operations of a privately owned restaurant/marina complex in Central Texas. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Military Academy, a Master of Science in Education from the University of Kansas and a Master of Military Arts and Sciences from the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Dr. Nick Hall directs the University of South Florida (USF) Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, and the Saddlebrook Resort Wellness Center near Tampa, Florida. A $2.4 million grant from the Department of Defense is partially supporting his USF research to improve the quality of life for veterans. Another award has funded his work to help veterans transition from combat roles to civilian life. This work is an extension of three decades of National Institutes of Health sponsored research unraveling the links between the brain, emotions and the immune system.  At Saddlebrook Resort, he presents seminars and team building events to major corporations striving to reduce health care costs and increase productivity. Prior to that, he served as a consultant in designing the wellness program at Disney’s futuristic town, Celebration.  Throughout the years, Nick’s research has been featured in numerous media outlets including CBS’s 60-Minutes, the BBC NOVA Series, and the Emmy Award  winning program, Healing and the Mind produced by Bill Moyers for PBS. Nick also has a strong interest in the impact PTSD and stress have upon health and performance, from both an academic and personal perspective. His early work on stress-related communication patterns in whales was supported by the Office of Naval Research, and then by the National Geographic Society when he led an expedition to the West Indies to determine why whales mass strand. He has also worked as an operative for the US intelligence community, and has taught at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia.  He lives near Tampa where he participates in extreme adventure races when not enjoying time with his family.

 Dr. Steve Houston is a combat veteran who served 25 years in the US Army first as an Infantry Soldier in the 2nd Ranger Battalion, 75th Infantry Regiment (Fort Lewis, WA), then as an Aviation Officer in the 25th Infantry Division (Schofield Barracks, HI), 2nd Infantry Division (Korea), 101st Airborne Division (Fort Campbell, KY), and the Coalition Forces Land Component Command (Kuwait and Iraq).  Steve has also conducted scientific research on soil systems influence on explosives contaminants at Fort Greely, AK for the Army Research Office, and taught environmental engineering and science as an instructor/professor at the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY.  Upon retirement from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel, Steve joined Weston Solutions, Inc. as their Sustainable Development Leader directing technical approaches to sustainable infrastructure design and campus sized developments.   Steve is currently a Partner and Principal in Fidelis Environmental Risk Management which is a brownfield remediation, sustainable mining, and sustainable development company.  He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point, a Master of Science and Engineering in Environmental Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Ecology from Colorado State University.  He is a licensed Professional Engineer in Environmental Engineering (Virginia) and a US Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional for Building Design and Construction.  Steve, Laura and their two children reside in Monument Colorado.