Meet the staff

Our Staff

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!

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!

Advocacy Staff

Kaylie Jackson is our Director of Advocacy. She brings a unique blend of expertise to her role at Rise, with several years’ experience in Human Resources complementing her victim advocacy skills. Kaylie’s dedication to people is evident in every case she handles, ensuring that clients receive the support and services they deserve.
Her involvement in coordinated community responses allows her to strengthen collaborative efforts within victim serving providers to improve response and safety for all victims in Archuleta County.

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.

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.

Jennifer Sutherland is our Court Advocate. Her strong will and dedication to helping others brought her to RISE initially as a volunteer, then as the volunteer and community outreach coordinator, and now as the court advocate. Jennifer ensures clients receive the support and representation they deserve and actively works on state legislation to improve our court systems and laws in favor of victim rights. Jennifer was born and raised in CO and has a passion for enjoying the outdoors with her two children. Hunting, fishing, hiking and camping has taught her and her family patience, discipline, ethics, appreciation, confidence, perseverance and hard work.

Phoebe Schroeder is our Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator. After earning her Bachelor of Science in Public Health at NAU, she has dedicated her career to advocacy and empowering others to create the positive change they want to see in the world. In her role at Rise, Phoebe focuses on building connections through community outreach and developing a strong dedicated volunteer team to support survivors and further Rise’s mission. Outside of work, Phoebe loves cooking, backpacking, hunting and tackling creative DIY projects with her husband and their lovable black lab mix, Goober. One of her favorite quotes is, “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted”, which inspires her work in building a compassionate and empowered community.

Youth Program Advocates

Marissa Talamante Marquez is our Youth Advocate Supervisor. She was born and raised 30 miles south of Pagosa. She has coached middle and high 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.