CHA Staff
Marjo Curgus
Executive Director
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For over 25 years, I have worked to foster stronger leaders and organizations because I believe the most durable solutions happen when communities can come together to care for their own social, economic, and natural assets. I bring 13 years of organizational leadership and 10 years as principal of my own community planning consulting business. I began my career as a program director at Enterprise Community Partners in Santa Fe, NM in the mid-1990’s when the City was adopting one of the first inclusionary housing ordinances in the west. This experience inspired me to pursue a master’s in Community & Regional Planning from the University of New Mexico.
After graduating, I spent the next decade in leadership roles at the Sonoran Institute and Orton Family Foundation pioneering planning tools and solutions to communities struggling with growth and change. In 2014, I started my own consulting company providing facilitation, strategic planning, and community planning services to nonprofits and government agencies. In this role, I supported multiple affordable housing projects across the West as well as helped communities build resilience through the integration of water and land use. My favorite professional project was three years supporting USAID’s first freshwater biodiversity project protecting rivers in Nepal, the country where I did my first multiday river trip in 1994.
When not at work, I enjoy Colorado’s vast outdoor recreational opportunities and being a cat mom to two spoiled fur babies.
Jen-ai Stokesbary
Real Estate & Property Manager
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I am grateful for CHA’s work and thrilled to help create more housing for Chaffee County residents, and to help more residents move-in to homes. Friends and family have struggled with chronic homelessness and benefitted from supportive housing and affordable housing.
I am a first-time developer of inclusionary homeownership units in partnership with Chaffee Housing Trust. I have an MBA from CU Boulder and am a Project Management Professional. I worked in start-ups and early stage business for 14 years and am comfortable wearing multiple hats to create impactful outcomes.
While it’s impossible for me to choose one favorite spot in Chaffee County, I’ve been loving surfing Scout Wave 2.0 in the quieter low-water months, and also at higher water with heaps of elated surfing friends.
Daniel Flanders
Housing Case Manager
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Daniel holds a Master of Science in Clinical Psychology and has spent his career supporting youth and families through trauma-informed and restorative practices. He played a central role in launching a Colorado nonprofit focused on social-emotional learning and mindfulness in public schools, developing curriculum, training educators, and building programming from the ground up. His background also includes wilderness therapy and crisis response work in both urban and rural communities.
At CHA, Daniel provides case management and housing navigation services for residents of income-restricted and below-market housing, as well as individuals and families experiencing homelessness. He oversees emergency shelter placement and rapid rehousing services in partnership with the Department of Human Services and directs programming and site management for Molly House, which provides transitional housing for families and seniors awaiting permanent housing in Chaffee County. His work centers on trust, practical problem-solving, and ensuring that people navigating housing instability feel supported and respected.
Daniel also volunteers with Chaffee County Search and Rescue South. For many years, he worked as a river guide and ski instructor, and still spends as much time as he can on rivers and in the mountains.
David Kephart
Property & Asset Manager
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One could easily argue that affordable housing is now a myth in Chaffee County; a relative term perhaps. I am honored to be a part of the team at the CHA that is taking on the challenges of the mission to create and preserve affordable housing in our valley.
As the owner and manager of Simple Foods Market, I dealt with the challenges of food affordability and access to locally-produced, healthy foods for over 22 years. Healthy food and housing security are two of the most basic needs for all of us and I consider it a personal mission to help the citizens of Chaffee County with their quest for both.
I do not know that I can pair down my love of Chaffee County to one favorite place, but I can certainly
say that Chaffee County is my favorite place in Colorado and probably the world. Like Dorothy said,
“There’s no placed like home.”
Dawn Heigele
Financial Management & Bookkeeper
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Affordable housing is a topic that I have been passionate about for years. When my husband and I opened Café Dawn in 2008, affordable housing was an issue that no one wanted to discuss. Over the years, we watched as homes that were affordable sold and turned into vacation rentals and 2nd houses. As small business owners, we did the best we could to pay a wage that kept up with the soaring rental prices, but the diminished inventory of affordable homes made it difficult to find employee housing.
After retiring Café Dawn, I wanted to work in a field that I found rewarding. Bookkeeping for Chaffee
Housing Authority allows me to have a direct impact on an issue that I have felt strongly about for years.
Laura Thompson
Housing Navigator
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I bring extensive experience in housing services, nonprofit leadership, public education, program management, and community engagement to my work with the Chaffee Housing Authority. Throughout my career, I’ve been committed to supporting families, strengthening organizational systems, and expanding access to resources that help communities thrive.
Before joining CHA, I served as an Office Manager in Cherry Creek Public Schools and spent ten years with Denver Public Schools managing communications and enrollment, helping ensure the smooth and effective operation of a large and active school community. While in DPS, I was also the Head Cross Country Coach for seven years, where I developed a dynamic running program that drew more than 250 middle school athletes each year.
Before my time in public education, I spent more than 15 years in the nonprofit and affordable housing sector. As Executive Director of Denver VOICE, I led organizational management, fundraising, and community outreach for the nonprofit street paper, which provides individuals experiencing homelessness or extreme hardship with a dignified employment opportunity. Prior to that, I served as Program Manager for HERO Alliance, where I implemented a housing counseling program serving over 100 clients with disabilities each year, and built partnerships with nonprofits and government agencies to expand access to affordable housing resources.
Throughout my work, I’ve been deeply committed to equity, collaboration, and improving access to stable housing and supportive services. I look forward to bringing my experience and enthusiasm to the Chaffee Housing Authority and the Chaffee community.
Outside of work, I enjoy running, hiking, gardening, and fly fishing, and I truly value the opportunities Chaffee County provides for these activities. I am married and the parent of two grown children.