Board Members
Dedication. Expertise. Involvement.
Our board members come from varied backgrounds, but share a common goal to reject extremism and promote a new form of politics.
Dave Murphy
Dave Murphy is the founder of The Alpine Group, an Executive Search firm. He has served on the Boards of Western Colorado Community Foundation, Grand Valley Peace & Justice, and Maryknoll Affiliates. A centrist, unaffiliated voter for many years, Dave serves as RTB Chairman.
Glenn Whitaker
Glenn is a retired trial attorney with 44 years of experience including having served as Special Litigation Counsel for the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington DC. He is a Board Member and volunteer instructor for the New Dimensions Life Long Learning Institute in Grand Junction. He was a lifelong Democrat but is now a registered Independent.
Tim Sarmo
Tim Sarmo is a former regional manager of the Colorado Department of Local Affairs. He is also the former administrator of Palisade and Silverton/San Juan County. He was a longtime Democrat but is now unaffiliated.
Chris Muhr
Chris is a 4th generation Grand Junction native with a geology degree from Mesa State College. He owned All Metals Welding and Fabrication Co. from 1997 to 2020 and has served on numerous local nonprofit boards for over 30 years, including Mesa County Air Quality Planning Committee, COPMOBA, Colorado West Land Trust, and Colorado Discover Ability. He continues to volunteer building mountain bike trails.
Thea Chase
Thea Chase is a Palisade trustee, small business owner and consultant, and former director of Grand Junction’s business incubator. She is a former independent candidate for Colorado House District 54 and remains politically independent today.
Dennis Kirtland
Dennis Kirtland is a retired Shaw Construction executive and former Grand Junction City Council
member. He was a lifelong Republican until 2017 but is now unaffiliated.
Betsy Longenecker
Betsy Longenecker is a retired family physician who served on the faculty of St. Mary's Family Medicine Residency program and worked as Associate Medical Director at Rocky Mountain Health Plans. She has volunteered in the community in several capacities. A registered independent, Betsy is interested in consensus-building and moderation and serves as RTB Vice Chair.
Kirk Rider
Kirk Rider is a retired Grand Junction attorney and Western Slope native. He has been active in local
affairs for over 49 years. A longtime Republican, he became unaffiliated in 2016.
Jim Brown
Jim Brown has practiced law in Delta, Colorado for over 49 years and has been active on numerous community board’s in the Delta and Montrose areas. He is a former Republican, now registered unaffiliated.
Janalee Hogan
Janalee Hogan is retired after a 30-year career in the financial industry and almost 15 years in local government for La Plata County. She is an active community volunteer in Durango serving with numerous non-profit agencies. She was a life-long Republican until, becoming disappointed with both political parties, she registered unaffiliated.
Ivan Geer
Ivan Geer has served on numerous boards including Hopewest, Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce, GJ Housing Authority, GJ Economic Partnership, and is the Mesa County Republican Second Vice Chair. He runs his precinct meetings for the Republican Party and believes we would have better policy outcomes if more voters stayed informed and participated in the party process.
Jana Gerow
Jana Gerow has worked in commercial construction for over 43 years and has been active with Grand Junction Rotary, March of Dimes, and local Chambers of Commerce. Originally a Democrat, she joined the Republican Party in 1994, then switched to unaffiliated when she ran for Mesa County Commissioner in 2012. Jana believes the best solutions come from listening and working together.
Sharon Heller
Sharon is a semi-retired Spanish-English translator who moved to Palisade in 2013, following many years working in administration and language education in the Middle East and South America. Born in Northern Ireland, she registered as an unaffiliated voter when she became a US citizen in 2004 and remains independent today. Sharon serves as RTB Secretary.