Our Staff

​Carmen Hubbs 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!

Claudia Lopez is our Director of Advocacy.  She manages our advocacy services and works directly with clients.  Claudia is a native to Colorado, born and raised in the metropolitan area. After completing her Criminal Justice and Criminology degree she focused on work with youth. She brings lots of experience with working with at-risk youth in residential settings as well as work in pretrial and probation for many years.  Her passion is to help others in many forms, whether being a mentor for youth, a support system for offenders to get them on the right road or  working with survivors to help them feel whole again. In her off time she loves to do things outdoors and enjoying her family. 

​Nancy Fryer serves Rise as a Court Advocate, and when not in court, Nancy actively works on state legislation to improve our court systems and laws in favor of victims rights and needs. Nancy enjoys the small town atmosphere in Pagosa and has lived here for over two decades. Nancy supports victims through the difficult and confusing court processes. Oh, and she LOVES cats!

Cheryl Bowdridge, our Youth Advocacy & Education Coordinator, strives to prevent violence through her interactive workshops, support groups, and community education projects. She can be seen working with area youth, running with a group of girls, acting on stage, or talking with YOU on how we all can create communities of change that encompasses peace and safety. When not presenting, you'll see her cheering on our Pagosa Pirates! ​

Ashley Wilson, MPH, our outreach and evaluation coordinator. The only one in our staff who loves numbers, works to manage all the statistical and grant data needed so we can get our money to do all our great work. You'll also see her coordinating our many fundraising events throughout the year.  Ashley grew up in Pagosa and is excited to be back raising her two girls here. She graduated in 2016 with her masters in Public Health from the University of California Berkley. 

Lisa Sifrit is our Legal and Housing Advocate and when she is not working to secure stable housing for survivors or going to bat for survivors in civil court, she is working to obtain her masters in social work while raising her three children.  Lisa is passionate about working with survivors and their children to understand the impact domestic violence has on individuals and their family systems.  She is a Colorado native who values the healing benefits that the sunshine, wildflowers, and fresh mountain air have to offer here! 

Linda Beaudry  ​is our Volunteer Coordinator. She works hard to recruit and train volunteers to be the best they can be to help assist our clients. Linda has a MS degree in Psychology from Purdue University Global. She believes there are no failures in life, simply learning opportunities that can make you stronger and smarter. In her free time she enjoy time with her loved ones, hiking, reading, and sewing.

​John Finefrock is our Youth Advocate.  He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education from Prescott College in 2011 and has been an elementary, middle school and high school teacher in both traditional and Expeditionary Learning settings. In 2018 he and his dog Pablo completed the entirety of the 486-mile Colorado Trail.