Meet Our Team
Sagebrush serves diverse clients with unique business and organizational needs. Our facilitation and consulting partners share a common passion in supporting individuals and groups to thrive.
In developing the custom teams for each project, we intentionally consider the expertise, perspectives, and backgrounds essential to assist you in successful planning, development, and follow-through.
Learn more about our amazing facilitation and consulting partners below.
Sandhya Atkinson
(she/her)
Sagebrush Founder & Lead Facilitator
Bayfield, CO
Expertise:
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Facilitation
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Strategic Planning
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Community Coalitions
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Nonprofit & Board Consulting
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Social Styles Trainer
As a previous nonprofit Executive Director, Sandhya founded Sagebrush to be able to serve the numerous mission-driven organizations in the Four Corners region. She uses inclusive facilitation practices to support individuals and groups in addressing complex challenges. She is a master of Technology of Participation (ToP) Methods, as well as trained in facilitating for Racially Just Spaces, Organizing Racial Equity, Shifting Power, DEI, Conflict Resolution, and much more. Sandhya loves living in the liminal spaces between the desert and mountains, connecting land and sky.
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Arlina Yazzie
(she/they)
Sagebrush Project Manager & Admin
Cortez, CO
Expertise:
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Project Management
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Facilitation
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Community Coalitions
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Leadership Development
Meet Our Key Partners
Adrea Bogle
(she/her)
Durango, CO
Expertise:
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Leadership Coaching
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Facilitation
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Strategic Planning
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Education Sector Specialist
Adrea has over 20 years of experience working in education, with expertise in school leadership, strategic planning, facilitation and project management. She has facilitated and managed multiple collaborative grant projects. As a certified Leadership Coach she enjoys engaging in collaborative partnerships that support inclusive, effective teams and sustainability of initiatives and organizations in rural regions. She is honored to work in Southwest Colorado where communities are actively and authentically engaged in meaningful collaborations on behalf of positive growth in our region. Adrea is the founder of Luminary CC.
Andy Kull
(he/him)
Brunswick, ME
Expertise:
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Attorney: Legal Services
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Peacemaking & Facilitation
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Transformative Consulting
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Andy Kull brings his love of Peacemaking to the world because he knows it helps everyone. He facilitates circle process to confront and resolve tough conflict between parties and within organizations. He applies relational tools and strategy as a nonprofit attorney and legal consultant for startup and governance, 501(c)(3) certification and compliance, and mergers and acquisitions. Andy also offers Peacemaking professional development training and coaching to leaders, lawyers and mediators, and organizations. Andy comes from mixed European ancestry, lives in Brunswick, Maine (Wabanaki country) with family and pets. He received an undergraduate degree from Brown University (1995), a J.D. from Maine Law (2002) - more at Andy Kull.​
Cynthia Aspen
(they/them/theirs)
Durango, CO
Expertise:
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Nonprofit Finance Management
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Budget Creation & Cash Flow Projections
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Audit & Grant Tracking Consulting
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Accounting Software & Procedure Consulting
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Cynthia Aspen consults with organizations in all things finance. They offer a wealth of knowledge and 30 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. Cynthia enjoys budgets, pie charts and projections, along with the impact clear financial reporting can have. They have worked with organizations in every of stage of development, change and financial growth. Cynthia’s mission is to share their expertise in service of nonprofits’ missions to improve our community and world. Cynthia serves as the Finance Manager for several local nonprofit organizations.
Elicia Whittlesey
(she/her)
Mancos, CO
Expertise:
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Program Design
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Co-facilitation
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Evaluation
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Food Systems Specialist
Working in farming and food systems for over a decade, Elicia understands the value of well-designed programming that creates impact, meaning, and connection for individuals and organizations. Building on her degrees in Environmental Analysis (BA) and Geography (MA), Elicia is committed to place-based work that is informed by the complexity of our land’s history. Thriving in the space between vision and implementation, Elicia moves between the big picture and details to help create sustainable, vital, and responsive programming.
Esther Belin
(she/her)
Bayfield, CO
Expertise:
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Facilitating from an Indigenous perspective
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Indigenous knowledge systems & models
An author, writer and citizen of the Navajo Nation, Esther values story. She teaches in the Native American & Indigenous Studies Department at Fort Lewis College and is a practitioner of Restorative Justice. She is a creator of visual and literary arts. She is a graduate of UC Berkeley, IAIA and Antioch University. Her process is rooted to the concept of kinship, or relationality, and the reciprocity that flows from kinship. Esther is the first Poet Laureate of Durango. Esther enjoys going home to Diné bikéyah, the homeland of the Navajo people, for cultural events and to get recharged spending time on the land. See Esther's work at Esther Belin.
Heather Distad
(she/her)
Durango, CO
Expertise:
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Board & Volunteer Leadership Development
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Philanthropy Strategy
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Cause Messaging & Communications
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Team Management & Building
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Event Planning & Emceeing
Heather has spent the last 14 years working for nonprofits at the local and national scale, especially focusing on education, advocacy, and conservation missions. Her extensive experience shines in her work with teams, philanthropy strategy, volunteer engagement, and cause messaging. She has always had a deep desire to bring people together, harness their collective energy, and lift each other up for the greater good. Heather serves as the Executive Director of Outdoor Mindset, and is the founder of High Point Nonprofit Consulting. She also serves on the boards of American Hiking Society and Big City Mountaineers.
Heather Leavitt Martinez
(she/her)
Durango, CO
Expertise:
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Custom visual templates for graphic facilitation
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Group resilience coaching
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Lettering instruction for meeting professionals
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Tech host training for virtual sessions
Heather is a Certified SHIFT-IT Visual Coach and received visual facilitation training from The Grove and Bikablo. Appreciative Inquiry (AI) and Human-Centered Design is at the core of all her work. She holds both AI and Appreciative Resilience certifications and teaches at The Center for Appreciative Inquiry. A nature lover, Heather is a tree hugger and equally loves Aspen and Ponderosa Pine. She has a public-facing studio in The ArtRoom and enjoys collaborating on meaningful community projects. Heather has built her own training platforms in lettering and tech hosting.
Imo Succo
(she/her)
Cortez, CO
Expertise:
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Indigenous Knowledge Keeper
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Presenter, Panelist, Trainer on Indigenous culture, access, health equity, and substance use
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Moderator & Talking Circle Facilitator
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Imo is a proud member of the Navajo Nation, born and raised on the Eastern Navajo reservation. Currently based in southwest Colorado, she brings a unique blend of traditional Navajo cultural values, formal education, and professional (MSW) expertise to her work. As the Director of Indigenous Wellbriety, a community-based, all-Indigenous-led peer recovery organization in Cortez, CO, Imo is dedicated to promoting holistic wellness and fostering cultural understanding. Her work focuses on educating communities about Native American culture, advocating for health equity, and addressing substance use through a culturally informed perspective. Imo’s deep commitment to her heritage and her community drives her mission to create lasting, positive change.
Jenn Bartlett
(she/her)
Bayfield, CO
Expertise:
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Board & Volunteer Leadership Development
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Youth Sector Specialist
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Social Styles Trainer
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Team Building
Jenn has dedicated her career and volunteer work toward youth development which has evolved for the past 10+ years into focusing on Personal Development. She uses Social Styles for a variety of groups of adults and youth alike to facilitate a space for participants to gather further communication tools. She creates an environment that lifts one another up through acknowledging challenges and celebrating strengths we bring within and to those around us. Jenn serves as the Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Colorado, and is the founder of Authentic Elevation.
Jennifer Bassignani
(she/her)
Durango, CO
Expertise:
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Human Resources
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Board Governance
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Leadership Support & Coaching
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Mediation/Conflict Resolution
Jennifer has spent 20+ years practicing Human Resources, working in tandem with business leaders and senior leadership, building successful teams, introducing innovative ideas to bring out the best in employees, and laying the foundation for highly functioning HR departments. A desire to help others, problem solve, and find opportunities that increase employee/employer engagement and what makes
employees tick, drew her into the HR world. She specializes in supporting small employers and non-profits to implement and improve their current HR practices and board governance, and build strong teams and cultures that support employees. Jennifer owns Essential Operations, her HR consulting business.
Kyler Grandkoski
(he/him)
Mancos, CO
Expertise:
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Facilitation
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Strategic Planning
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Implementation & Accountability Partnerships
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Community Coalitions
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Food Systems Specialist
Kyler supports community-centered organizations and initiatives in change making through highly participatory processes that lead to collective resolve, action and impact. He has been a local food systems leader affecting collaborative change in the American Southwest and Pacific Northwest working with diverse stakeholders from the grassroots to state and federal institutions. He is trained in ToP methods, Liberating Structures, Holistic Decision Making, Results-Oriented Management, and Accountability, Cultural Humility, and much more. Kyler is the Founder and Lead Facilitator of Aligned Action.
Lisa Bloomquist
(she/her)
Durango, CO
Expertise:
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Board Leadership
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Fundraising
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Affordable Housing/Homeownership Specialis
Lisa Bloomquist has more than 15 years of experience in the nonprofit and affordable housing realm. Her expertise includes consulting for governmental entities, nonprofits, and private businesses and their boards as it relates to affordable housing for their communities or employees. Lisa is also experienced in fundraising, board facilitation, staff engagement, and event organization. She has a master’s in public administration from the University of Colorado, Denver, and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Colorado State University, Fort Collins. Lisa served as the Executive Director of HomesFund for seven years, a Durango-based nonprofit and community development financial institution (CDFI). She enjoys hiking and backpacking, as well as a post-hike craft brew.
Niki Camarena
(she/her)
Castle Rock, CO
Expertise:
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Nonprofit Sector
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Fundraising
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Philanthropy
Niki brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her nonprofit partners. The majority of her work has focused on nonprofit fundraising and philanthropy, Niki partners with organizations to assess their fundraising strategy and goals to strategically strengthen, grow and diversify their outreach, donor base and funding sources. As a Senior Program Officer at the Anschutz Family Foundation from 2017-2021, Niki traveled throughout southwestern, southeastern and northeastern Colorado advocating for funding for countless organizations, with a special focus on rural communities. Niki is the founder of BigSky Collaborative and holds a special place in her heart for southwestern CO. Niki enjoys gardening, yoga, taking and time spent exploring with her family.
Rachel Turiel
(she/her)
Durango, CO
Expertise
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Communication training and coaching
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Mediation and conflict engagement
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Convergent Facilitation (a decision making process)
Rachel Turiel’s mission is to inspire both personal and community growth by offering tools of collaboration, communication and liberation. She brings communication training and coaching to businesses, schools, organizations, parents, couples and individuals, locally and nationally. She was a recipient of the Durango Women’s Resource Center’s Extraordinary Woman Award: Champion of Peace and Nonviolence. Her focus, Nonviolent Communication, is both practical and spiritual, containing seeds to change ourselves and the world. She has been published in the New York Times, is raising two teenagers, one dog, six chickens, reads as a survival strategy, and does it all with a flip phone. More on her website.
Sandy Gilpin
(she/her)
Durango, CO
Expertise
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Facilitation
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Leadership & Team Development
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Project Management
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Education Sector Specialist
Sandy has over 25 years of experience in K-12 and higher education. Throughout her career, she has orchestrated transformative initiatives and instigated meaningful change in organizations. She excels in guiding organizations through pivotal transitions by creating supportive, inclusive, safe spaces for diverse participants. Sandy Gilpin is a transformational coach who also creates custom ritual boxes to guide individuals through transitions and overcome limiting beliefs. She holds a Deconstructing Gaslighting Certification and operates from a trauma-informed lens. She loves living in Durango close to nature and raising her independent, resilient teen daughters.
Sloan Gingg
(she/her)
Durango, CO
Expertise:
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Evaluation & Assessment
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Stakeholder Engagement Design
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Marketing Communications
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Strategy Development
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Sloan brings a unique combination of expertise in marketing communications and program evaluation. She began her career in marketing at a national nonprofit before completing a Master’s in Public Health (MPH). After graduate studies, Sloan worked for an Austin-based, behavior-change advertising firm as a strategist, specializing in market analysis and data-driven communications campaigns. Sloan is skilled in evaluation design and synthesizing research results into comprehensible reports. Sloan brings a passion for rural economic development and minimizing disparities to every project. Sloan is the Principal and Founder of Unclouded Communications.
Stacey Villalobos
(they/them/elle)
Albuquerque, NM
Expertise:
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Facilitation
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Community Educator
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Cultural Worker
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Racial Justice
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B Stacey Villalobos (they/them/elle) is a bilingual cultural worker & interdisciplinary artist currently living on Tiwa lands in New Mexico. Villalobos was raised in the San Gorgonio Pass of Southern California with native and ancestral roots in México. They have been a land steward of the Mojave & Colorado deserts for over six years and their practice weaves art, culture & spirit as a way of building relationships. They have had the honor of working with youth & families of color as a community educator, co-facilitated a racial justice program for California desert conservation advocates and has supported relational healing efforts in service of Indigenous communities. Learn more about their work by visiting www.blanca villalobos.com or by viewing this film.