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!
Ellie Greene, Grants Manager
she, her, hers
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
she, her, hers
Destiny is excited to be the Advocacy Services Manager at SMRC, as she has dedicated her academic and professional career to serving survivors of interpersonal 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 using those experiences and knowledge in her role at SMRC. Prior to her work at SMRC, Destiny worked for Victim Outreach Inc (VOI) in Jefferson County, CO, where she provided Law Enforcement based victim services to victims of crime and trauma from 8 jurisdictions.
Destiny was raised in New Orleans, LA and Lewistown, MT, but has moved all over the country as an adult, eventually settling in the Denver Metro area for a decade with her partner, Keoni, where they had their daughter Willow and raised her until she turned 7! After being offered a position at SMRC, Destiny and family purchased a home in Redvale and all 3 are extraordinarily happy about the transition.
In addition to providing services to survivors, Destiny has a passion for providing culturally appropriate, trauma-informed services in any role she fills, and is particularly motivated to ensure equitable access to services for everyone. She loves training, programming, and of course, direct services!
When she’s not working, Destiny enjoys spending time outdoors with her family (including their lab Sunny and 2 cats, Rainbow and Flower); they love camping, fishing, hiking, paddle boarding and are looking forward to exploring more outdoor winter activities!
Lauren Norton, Bilingual Advocate / Promotora Bilingüe
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Lauren was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest and graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle in 2016 with a degree in Spanish Language & Cultures, with a minor in Early Childhood Development. This unique program took her to many different places and spaces - including Quito, Ecuador where she spent several months working at a local preschool. Her experience in Quito ignited a passion she holds to this day: working with families at all stages of life.
Lauren moved to Telluride in 2017 and since then has immersed herself in the community through her work; Lauren served as the Lower School Spanish teacher at the Telluride Mountain School for 5 years, teaches English classes for Spanish-speaking adults, and also teaches Spanish classes for public-facing professionals in the community. Additionally, Lauren is a certified yoga instructor, teaching classes at both Wilkinson Public Library and Telluride Yoga Center, with offerings in both English and Spanish to create a deeper sense of equity in the local spiritual community.
Throughout her years in Telluride, Lauren has developed a passion for coordinated community care, especially for the local Latine population. She is passionate about sharing our resources with the diversifying local citizenry and showing them all the dignity and respect that they deserve.
When no she’s not working, Lauren enjoys spending time with friends, her husband, Yusuf, and their blue heeler, Pancho. She practices yoga and mindfulness, hikes, skis, flyfishes, and gets outside as much as possible. She’s also an avid reader of almost any genre of book and love listening to and making music with friends. She is so grateful to Telluride for shaping her into the person she is today and looks forward to giving back to this awesome community as much as she can.
Community Engagement Advocate
Position open, email advocacy@smrcco.org for more info!
Nicole Tatum, Rural Advocate
she, her, hers
Nicole was raised in Naturita, CO until the age of 8 and then moved to Wyoming. She has 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. She is looking forward to meeting new people and finding new adventures!
Liza Cooney, Prevention Education Coordinator
she, her, hers
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!
Executive Director
Position open, email info@smrcco.org for more information!
