Our Team
Our Team
Recovery Café Longmont has a small, focused team. We rely heavily on our members and our generous volunteers to help us fulfill our mission.
Jennifer Jepsen, MSW
Executive Director
Virginia Choung, MPA
Director of Philanthropy
Chris Poma, CPFS
Program Manager and Peer Support Specialist
Elyssa Hamilton, CPFS
Volunteer and Grants Manager
Kristina Garcia
Bilingual Peer Support Specialist
Harold Niedzielski, CPFS
Community Peer Recovery Navigator
Liv Herring
Communications and Media Manager
Sabrina Flanagan
Peer Support Specialist
Morgan Hufner, ADS
Peer Support and Acudetox Specialist
Shauna Royer, ADS
Peer Support and Acudetox Specialist
José Matos
Bilingual Resource Navigator
Jennifer Jepsen, MSW
Executive Director
After spending a year as a board member, Jen has been the Executive Director of RCL since 2023. She is a dual advanced degree holder with Master’s Degrees in Nutrition from Colorado State University and Social Work from University of Denver. Prior to this role, she pastored a small church in Longmont and raised three kids with her partner, Eric. She loves to hike and backpack, read, spend time with friends and family, walk her dog, eat, and do laundry.
Virginia Choung, MPA
Director of Philanthropy
Virginia has been the Director of Philanthropy at the Café since 2022. She started her career in finance and worked at Chase Bank in New York City and Fidelity Investments in Hong Kong. In 2016, she earned her Masters in Public Administration with a concentration in Nonprofit Management at CU Denver. Virginia has served on local nonprofit Boards, founded Left Hand Giving Circle, and is a partner at Social Venture Partners of Boulder County. In her free time, Virginia loves to travel, hike, read and spend time with her community of family and friends.
Chris Poma, CPFS
Program Manager and Peer Support Specialist
Chris has been with the Café since 2022 and is a person in long-term, sustained recovery. He is a volunteer Restorative Justice Facilitator with Longmont Community Justice Partnership and in 2023, Chris received his Colorado Peer and Family Specialist Certification (CPFS). Now, Chris volunteers his time with various organizations to advance the Colorado Peer workforce and Colorado Peer Support Supporters. He loves dance and DJs on-air at KGNU 88.5 specializing in Reggae/Jamaican Music. He grew up in Southern California and moved to Longmont in 2018.
Elyssa Hamilton, CPFS
Volunteer and Grants Manager
Elyssa found her way into recovery within local 12-step programs in February of 2022. As a Colorado Peer and Family Specialist (CPFS), she finds meaning in walking alongside those in search of a path of recovery that aligns with them. Along with wearing her CPFS hat as needed, Elyssa writes grant proposals, manages grant funding, and coordinates our volunteer base. Elyssa is pursuing a degree in human services and non-profit management. To rest and restore, Elyssa spends time in the mountains hiking, running, and practicing yoga.
Kristina Garcia
Bilingual Peer Support Specialist
A Colorado Native and member of the Recovery Café community since 2019, Kristina is currently working on the final steps of her CPFS license. She also works in partnership with the Family & Adult Integrated Treatment Courts in the City of Longmont, and does bilingual outreach throughout the community. Passionate about her work, Kristina finds much fulfillment and joy in watching others overcome hardship and flourish into lives of sobriety with meaningful purpose. A hairstylist by nature, Kristina gives back by providing free member haircuts. She enjoys traveling to new places with her kids, swimming, and volunteering at her church, in addition to appreciating beautiful music, Colorado skies, and yoga.
Harold Niedzielski, CPFS
Community Peer Recovery Navigator
Harold is a Community Peer Recovery Navigator and certified Colorado Peer and Family Specialist (CPFS) serving the entirety of Boulder County. Working alongside numerous Boulder County agencies, he goes to various communities in the county to assist law enforcement in addressing the unhoused and to offer support to those abusing substances. After choosing recovery eight years ago, Harold has devoted himself to getting others on better life paths. On his rare days off, Harold enjoys rockhounding, exploring Colorado, and gardening.
Liv Herring
Communications and Media Manager
Liv is a recent graduate of the University of Colorado at Denver with a degree in Communications. After some career related soul-searching, Liv realized her ultimate goal was to make a difference in the lives of others and found her place to do so at RCL, where she runs our social media platforms, writes web articles, organizes Café events, and takes a lot of pictures. Outside of work, you’ll typically find her on hours-long reading streaks, playing gigs around Longmont with her band, paddle-boarding, or napping with her cat.
Sabrina Flanagan
Peer Support Specialist
Sabrina has been part of the team since May 2024 and loves connecting with everyone who comes in. She is passionate about meeting people where they’re at and walking alongside them as they move towards their hopes and goals. Working to help RCL members seal eligible records with her clinic, The Mersaides Project, she hopes to open doors for individuals in our community that may otherwise remain closed. If she’s not at the Café, Sabrina is at the barn with her horse, Genesis, or spending time with her family.
Morgan Hufner, ADS
Peer Support and Acudetox Specialist
Bio coming soon!
Shauna Royer, ADS
Peer Support and Acudetox Specialist
Shauna was born and raised in California, finding opportunities as a Suzuki Piano teacher which led to her finding opportunities around the world at a young age, including Japan. At 18, she moved to Glenwood Springs, CO, and indulged in the mountain lifestyle, skiing, river rafting, camping, and fishing at every chance she had. Since moving to Longmont in 2013, she pursued her ADS Certification and now as a part of the Café Team, Shauna is working toward her CPFS Certificate. She loves that RCL is a place that encourages individuality while building loving community. In her free time, Shauna enjoys riding motorcycles and listening to music.
José Matos
Bilingual Resource Navigator
Bio coming soon!
Our Board
Lawson Drinkard
Board President
Don Alspaugh
Vice President
Andrew Pierce
Treasurer
Crystal Yepez
Secretary
Claire Clurman
Board Member
Dave Bartel
Board Member
Diana DeBrohun
Board Member
Margaret Merrill
Board Member
Ryan Forbes
Board Member
Steve Kukic PhD
Board Member
Lawson Drinkard
Board President
Lawson’s career has included founding and leading an architectural firm in Virginia, directing a fundraising foundation at the University of Virginia, and since 1995 he has consulted as a thinking partner with non-profit and for-profit organizations. He has served on various non-profit boards for over fifty years. His personal interests include songwriting and playing music, cycling, painting, reading, and travel.
Don Alspaugh
Vice President
Bio coming soon!
Andrew Pierce
Treasurer
Andrew has had a successful career in risk management, lending, commercial bank regulation, and consulting, while also owning vacation rentals. He is married to Jennie and has four amazing adult children (with equally amazing significant others/spouses) and two grandchildren. He enjoys biking and skiing in the mountains, yoga, cooking, reading, and traveling to warmer climates.
Crystal Yepez
Secretary
Crystal started volunteering at Recovery Cafe in 2021 after her father lost his battle with alcoholism. Knowing that her dad showed up as an amazing father when he was receiving support inspired Crystal to join in Recovery Cafe’s mission. Supporting others on their recovery journey has been an important part of helping Crystal heal. Aside from her work supporting the Café, she is on a journey of taking golf lessons with the hopes of graduating from Topgolf and Putt Putt to playing on the green.
Claire Clurman
Board Member
An East Coast transplant, Claire has lived in Boulder for over 35 years. With experience in both corporate and non-profit management, her most recent role was Executive Director of Attention Homes (now TGTHR). Affiliated with Social Venture Partners of Boulder County since 2018, she currently provides pro-bono consulting, and is a contributing member of the Women’s Foundation of Colorado. Her personal interests include skiing, biking, and traveling to new destinations. She also loves spending time with her family and raising their newest addition: Teddy the Bernedoodle.
Dave Bartel
Board Member
After studying at St. Peter’s College in Oxford, England, and at the University of Oregon, Dave served for 30+ years as a Senior Executive in Sales and Marketing for several pharmacy automation companies. Since retirement, he has volunteered for a variety of non-profit groups and spends his free time skiing, reading, and keeping a watchful eye on his grandsons. He has lived in Longmont for 34 years.
Diana DeBrohun
Board Member
A native of East Tennessee, Diana is one of the founding board members of Recovery Café Longmont. In 2021, after nearly 24 years in Longmont, she moved back to her home state but continues to serve on the board at RCL. For more than 30 years, Diana worked in nonprofit communications, marketing and fundraising with organizations such as the Southern Education Foundation in Atlanta, GA, and Via Mobility Services in Boulder, CO. Although officially retired, she remains active in her profession through volunteer service with nonprofits in Colorado and Tennessee. She enjoys gardening, weekly movie nights with friends and hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Margaret Merrill
Board Member
Bio coming soon!
Ryan Forbes
Board Member
Ryan works to explain and improve the criminal penal system through public speaking, community outreach, graphic novels, and hosting the podcast The Shakedown. Ryan serves on the board because he believes that the community created at Recovery Café Longmont allows people to grow in recovery, develop connections, and discover purpose. In his spare time, you can find Ryan playing Pokémon GO, listening to other podcasts, and being an emotional support human to a small beagle.
Steve Kukic PhD
Board Member
Stevan Kukic, PhD, was the State Director for At Risk and Special Education for Utah for 11 years. He served as President of the National Association of State Directors of Special Education, and as the VP for Strategic Initiatives for Longmont based Sopris West Educational Services for over a decade. He has consulted in all 50 states, Canada, Europe, and the Middle East, authored over 100 publications, and held leadership roles within the National Center for Learning Disabilities. He is married to the glorious Jan, a member of CENTRALongmont Presbyterian Church, a father and grandfather. Aside from his family and serving his community, Steve’s three passions are golf, cooking, and golf.
Join Our Team
Recovery Café Longmont is a nonprofit organization providing a community of refuge and healing for people in recovery from mental health, substance use disorder, isolation, and life’s many challenges. We believe that we are all in recovery from something.
Thank you for your interest in working with us!
