Board

RHA Board Chair

Member at Large

Pat Vaughn, Real Estate Investment and Operations Consultant. Pat has been directly involved in acquiring, developing, and managing income properties and large-scale land development projects for almost 40 years. Previously Pat was the Operating Director – Non-Energy for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe Growth Fund overseeing the Tribe’s off-reservation investments in real estate and private equity with investments from coast to coast. Previous experience includes Vice President and Mountain Region Manager for Terrabrook, the largest developer of Master-Planned communities in the U.S. at the time managing local project teams in Denver, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, and Southern California in charge of 10 planned communities. Pat also served as the President of Park Land Company, a Denver-based income property owner/manager and land developer. Pat earned a B.S. degree in Geophysics from the University of Arkansas. 

RHA Board Vice-Chair

La Plata County, Commissioner

Marsha Porter-Norton is a La Plata County Commissioner serving in her first term. She has lived in La Plata County for 29 years and has an extensive background in nonprofit management as well as serving as a professional meeting facilitator and consultant. She is passionate about healthy communities and sees workforce and affordable housing as key ingredients in keeping the communities of La Plata County economically and socially diverse and strong. 

RHA Board Treasurer

Town of Ignacio, Town Manager

Mark Garcia is the Town Manager for the Town of Ignacio and has been working for Ignacio for eight years.  Mark has worked in the local government arena for 28 years in an administrative and project management capacity. He has a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of New Mexico and finds that this degree works well in local government with all the different project and utility demands.  

Mark has been associated with housing for years and includes service on the Colorado Housing Inc. board, Habitat for Humanity for Archuleta County board, and the Regional Housing Authority board.  Housing is greatly needed in Ignacio, and Mark is working on providing more housing stock for home ownership and rent within the community.

Mark serves on several boards, including the Transportation Commission (District 8), Mountain Studies Institute, and Transportation Planning Region (Region 5).

Town of Ignacio, Mayor

Clark Craig was elected Mayor of the Town of Ignacio in 2022.  Before this, he served as chair of the Town of Ignacio Planning Commission.  He is the Vice Chair of the La Plata County Planning Commission, President of the Ignacio Chamber of Commerce, and Chair of the Ignacio Community Library.

Clark is a graduate of Durango HS and completed his BS in Mathematics from Northeastern State University – Tahlequah, OK.  He held various leadership positions in Oil and gas Information Technology and Production Automation for nearly 25 years.  These different roles took him, his wife, and three children to several states including NM, TX, and OK, and a short 5-year assignment in Alberta, Canada.

Clark and Sharon returned to SW Colorado in 2016 and are co-owners of Meadow Brook Mobile Home Park in Ignacio, CO.

La Plata County, Deputy County Manager

In June of 2023, Kevin accepted the position of Deputy County Manager with La Plata County after serving 6 months as the County’s interim Community Development Director. Prior to this, Kevin served in a variety of roles with the City of Durango from 2001 through 2022, including Assistant City Manager, Managing Director of Community Development, Natural Lands, Trails and Sustainability Director, and Open Space and Trails Development Manager. Kevin has more than 25 years of municipal, County, and regional government experience. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration/Political Science and a Master’s Degree in Urban Planning, both from the University of Wisconsin. Kevin has been a resident of La Plata County since 1998.

Town of Bayfield, Trustee

Brenna Morlan was elected to the Bayfield Town Board in 2017 and is currently serving her second term on the board as Mayor Pro Tem. Brenna is a Vice President and Community Outreach Director for First Southwest Bank, a CDFI organization whose mission is to increase household wealth and promote economic development in underserved and low-income rural communities. For over 25 years, Brenna has worked in real estate, mortgage, title, and financial industries. She has a MBA in Business and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management where she graduated Summa cum laude, both from the University of Phoenix. She is a member of Delta Mu Delta, an international business honor society as well as a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success. She currently serves on the Bayfield Area Chamber of Commerce Board (and was past President from 2015-2023), she is also a member of the Pine River Centennial Rotary Club in Bayfield.

Town of Bayfield, Town Manager 

Katie’s family relocated to Western Colorado where she grew up.  Her early career included cosmetology, orchard, and packing shed management, aggregate sales and estimation, construction, and contracting before returning to obtain her degree.  Katie graduated from the University of Colorado at Denver with a Master of Public Administration as the Outstanding Western Slope Student in 1998.   From 1998 to 2006, Katie was the GIS Coordinator for Delta County during a county-wide address change.  In 2006, Katie was hired as the Cedaredge Town Administrator and in 2018 moved on into interim town manager positions around Western Colorado until full time as the Bayfield Town Manager.  Katie has four children, two stepchildren, and five grandchildren.  Katie’s hobby interests include drafting, hiking, cycling, and tending her flower gardens. 

City of Durango, City Councilor

I am a longtime resident of Durango and I attended Fort Lewis College (FLC) graduating with a Business Administration degree in 1997. My experience at FLC while supporting my family has been a significant accomplishment for me.  I have worked with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and other federal, state, and tribal agencies. I also lived in Washington, D.C., where I worked on Capitol Hill on women's rights and racial equality issues. I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, the Durango Historic Preservation Board and La Plata County Undesirable Plants and Rodent Advisory Commission. Curently, I am a Durango City Councilor.  I enjoy the outdoors and I am an avid Broncos football fan. I enjoy skiing, fly fishing, boating, hiking, and lake camping with cooking over a wood fire. 

My unique life experience and professional background will be a positive contribution in approaching RHA’s opportunities and challenges. I am particularly interested in issues around workforce and affordable housing.  I am dedicated to fostering a welcoming environment that inspires communication and creative problem-solving. 

I look forward to working with my colleagues and serving the population of  La Plata County through our work at the Regional Housing Alliance.