Our Staff
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Carmen Lewis has been the Executive Director of Rise Above Violence since 1998. After receiving her degree in Psychology and Family Studies, she worked with at-risk youth. Time and time again, these troubled teens were victims of abuse. Violence was a theme in their lives. This ignited Carmen's passion for ending family and interpersonal violence. Carmen's other passions - family and FUN! |
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Annie Gian is our Development and Evaluation Coordinator and received her MPA from the University of Colorado Denver in 2011. She works to manage grant data and program evaluation as well as coordinating fundraising events throughout the year. After spending her childhood visiting Pagosa Springs, she's been a full-time residence for over 10 years now. Annie and her family are big sports fans and spend the weekends at the soccer fields!
Amanda Briggs is our Community Engagement Specialist. She completed her MPA in 2016 and became a Board Certified Coach in 2021. Amanda’s passion is helping families and communities learn about trauma prevention, as well as how to provide trauma-informed response and care to survivors. Amanda is a veteran, and she and her husband moved to Pagosa Springs full time in 2022 after she retired from the Space Force.
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Advocacy Staff
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Ryder Ferguson is our Director of Advocacy and holds a master’s degree in clinical psychology from the University of California, San Francisco. Ryder joins the Rise team with over ten years of experience supporting victims of sexual violence on their journey to becoming survivors. When not at Rise, Ryder loves spending time with her two adult children and two new grand babies who always make sure life is fun and filled with laughter. Outdoor trail running and spending time with her puppy, Millie, come in a close second!
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Kaylie Jackson brings a unique blend of expertise to her role as Court Advocate at Rise, with several years’ experience in Human Resources complementing her court advocacy skills. Kaylie’s dedication to people is evident in every case she handles, ensuring that clients receive the support and representation they deserve. In addition to her advocacy work in court, Kaylie actively works on state legislation to improve our court systems and laws in favor of victim rights. Her involvement in public policy committees allows her to contribute valuable insights and help shape policies that promote fairness and equity for survivors. |
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Laura Davis is our Legal Program Advocate. A former teacher, Laura
has spent Summers in Pagosa Springs for 18 years, and made the move to full time Pagosan in 2020. She started as a volunteer advocate with Rise, and then moved into a staff position when the opportunity arose. The transition from volunteer to advocate gives her the ability to help clients move beyond their crisis and continue their journey to healing and living a fulfilling life. In her free time she enjoys cooking, traveling, hiking, biking, and spending time in the beautiful San Juan Mountains. |
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Kristen Bair is our Housing Advocate. Raised an Army Brat that moved all over the country, she found her forever home in Pagosa Springs, 4 years ago. A former Memory Care and Life Enrichment Director; she brings her love of people to Rise, where she started out as a volunteer until she was recruited onto the team. Now she works hard to help Survivors obtain or maintain Housing; and more importantly: Independence and Empowerment! In her free time Kristen likes to spend time with her family and enjoy outdoor activities in beautiful SW Colorado.
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Jennifer Sutherland is our Volunteer Coordinator. Jennifer was born and raised in CO. Her strong will and dedication to helping others brought her to RISE initially as a volunteer and now as an advocate and to coordinate our volunteers. She has a passion for the outdoors and enjoys it with her two children. Hunting, fishing, hiking and camping has taught her and her family patience, discipline, ethics, appreciation, confidence, perseverance and hard work.
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Youth Program Advocate
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Marissa Talamante Marquez is our Youth Advocate Supervisor. She was born and raised 30 miles south of Pagosa. She has coached middle school girls in Volleyball and has a passion for youth since they are the future of everything. Rise helps fuel her passion for helping people. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hiking, fishing, hunting, gardening, and kayaking. Jennie Rose Sharp-Brown is a youth advocate. Jennie has resided in Pagosa Springs since high school and lives here with her husband and two daughters. She was a career Phlebotomy Tech and is currently getting her bachelor's degree in social work and behavioral health. She is very passionate about helping those in need and strives to make a difference daily. In her free time, Jennie enjoys doing anything outdoors with her little family such as, snowboarding, swimming, hiking, and going off-roading.
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