Celebrating Our Staff

It’s no secret that the Mountain Family Health Centers staff give their all for our patients, our community, and our mission. A hardworking staff should gather to laugh, dance, and appreciate each other.

In January, our staff did just that. With all locations represented, our Mariposa Committee hosted a masquerade ball. Staff came ready to enjoy the evening in elegant attire and decorative masks. Everyone had a wonderful time.

We thank the Glenwood Springs Elks Lodge for hosting us and catering a delicious buffet. We are also grateful to the Rocky Mountain Health Foundation for underwriting some of the costs. Finally, we appreciate the array of in-kind donations from local businesses towards our raffle, which added to the evening’s celebration.


One of the best parts of a staff party is taking the time to recognize and celebrate employees’ accomplishments. Ten unique staff awards, and seven locations specific awards were presented. As the trophies for our recipients read, “May you be proud of the work you do, the person you are, and the difference you make.”

The Supporter, Dana Peterson, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, Director of Human Resources: This award is a recognition of a coworker who intentionally checks in on fellow team members to ensure their well-being and to provide support in any capacity.    The person that takes the time to say: I see you, I hear you, you are important. 

The Sunshine, Wynette Jackson, RN, Clinic Nurse Facilitator 2: This award goes to the team member that continuously lifts up the morale in whatever setting they are in.  Someone who tends to be positive on meetings and in person. This person tends to look on the positive side of things.

The Mentor, Anneliese Heckert, DO, Co-Chief Medical Officer, Glenwood Springs Site Medical Director: This award is for the mentor in your world, who you can always call on when you have a question or feel lost, they steer you in the right direction without judgment or grief.  They have directly supported you and have affected where you are and how you are doing today. 

 The Leader, Consuelo Gaytan, Population Health Specialist: This award is for someone who you see as an amazing leader.  They might not necessarily be in a leadership position, but they tend to step up and take on leadership qualities during projects or processes.  They do more than they have to do just because they know it needs done. They make the team better just by being them. 

 The Extra, Wendy Gil, Glenwood Springs Site Practice Director: This is for the person at a site that just goes above and beyond to make their site better, whether it’s handing out star cards, picking up Starbucks, tracking of everyone’s birthday to knowing everyone’s favorite candy bar. They really have made all the difference and they need to know! 

The Creative Thinker, Marija Weeden, Director of Operations: This creativity award is a recognition of an employee who innovates creative solutions to new or existing problems or who has significantly improved processes.  Who in your world continuously looks at processes and says.. nope that doesn’t work.. let’s think on this … let’s makes changes… or…let’s try this…

The Overhaul Mastermind, Kendra Nagey, CPNP-PC, Director of Pediatrics: This is for the person who has turned their department upside down and back again all for the better.  2023 was a year of change following 2022, another year of change, 2021… well, you see the pattern here.  This person is always thinking about how they can improve their department and never shies away from a challenge.

The Master Processor, Karen Miller, Staff Accountant: We all have paperwork, but this person might actually enjoy it. Not only do they work behind the scenes to keep us on track, but when you are missing something, they are gracious in their support and always willing to help. 


 Site Awards: Site awards are for the individual who consistently has goes above and beyond to support that location and make it better.  Whether that’s greeting everyone in the morning or digging into charts to check on QI measures or making the best coffee.

  • Avon Integrated Health Center: Claudia Morales, Pharmacy Technician
  • Basalt Integrated Health Center: Emily Borkevech, PA-C, Basalt Site Medical Director
  • Glenwood Springs Integrated Health Center: Wynette Jackson, RN, Clinic Nurse Facilitator 2
  • Gypsum Integrated Health Center: Jackie Marshall, Compliance and Risk Management Officer
  • Rifle Integrated Health Center: Mayra Sanchez, Rifle Site Practice Director
  • School-Based Health Centers: Nataly Meraz, RN, School-Based Health Centers Nurse
  • South Grand Administrative Office: Steve Leazer, Director of Finance

The Mountain Family Award, Annette Franta, Chief Financial Officer: This is for the person that day to day has shown up and completely portrayed Mountain Family Core Values.  They are supportive to co-workers, effective team members, and work to make Mountain Family and the communities we serve a better place to be.