Co-founders

Lottie Grimes, MA, Eds, LPC

Lottie’s professional and personal dreams came together in 2010, when she began offering equine-assisted psychotherapy and learning to a wide variety of clients. Her passion for the work has only increased as she’s continually witnessed people make tremendous progress in their confidence, relationship skills, and sense of empowerment after interacting with horses. She brings to her work deep beliefs in every person’s inner wisdom and ability to overcome challenges. Before offering equine-assisted services, Lottie spent years working with abused and neglected children and adolescents in a variety of settings. She received her Masters and Educational Specialist degrees in counseling psychology from James Madison University and is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. In addition to her role as executive director of Groundwork Ranch, she operates a private counseling practice where she helps people navigate difficult life transitions and reclaim their personal power. In her free time, Lottie enjoys playing Frisbee golf with her family, gardening, and taking care of her horses. 

dave wyner, Ma, LPC, NCC

Dave received his master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from Regis University. He’s a National Certified Counselor, a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, and a Certified Advanced Grief Counseling Specialist. He is also a certified equine-assisted psychotherapist and was certified as the human half a pet therapy team until his dog’s retirement. Dave co-facilitates all of Groundwork Ranch’s programs and workshops as well as helping lead program development, partner relations, and financial management. As a former foster parent, Dave used his first-hand experience to co-develop the ranch’s highly successful Leader of the Herd workshops for foster and kinship parents. In addition to his work at Groundwork Ranch, Dave has a private counseling practice where he specializes in helping people identify their strengths and find meaning after experiencing traumatic events or devastating losses.   

Board of Directors

Sandra VÁsconez

Sandra is a Teaching Professor in Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder since 2007. She holds a Masters of Science in Lighting from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Masters of Arts in Art History and Museum Studies from the University of Denver. Before CU, she worked in museum exhibition design. Sandra enjoys sharing her passion for lighting and design. Sandra began volunteering at Groundwork Ranch in 2021 and became a board member in 2022. As an educator, she appreciates the valuable service Groundwork Ranch provides to participants through their various workshops and programs. She loves witnessing how participants can immediately put into practice what they learn at the ranch. The lessons imparted by both Groundwork’s experienced facilitators and the herd are powerful and can be life changing. As an animal lover herself, she enjoys spending time tending to the horses along with other volunteers.

Shelly Colwell

Shelly’s professional and volunteer background focuses on education, health, and community service. With an elementary education degree and a career as a personal trainer, she is committed to lifelong learning and empowering others. Her recent focus on trauma recovery has further fueled her dedication to Groundwork Ranch, where she volunteers in all programs that help kids, teens, and adults build confidence, hope and emotional regulation through equine therapy. Shelly’s hands-on involvement includes ensuring the safety and growth of participants in all programs offered at Groundwork Ranch, managing social media, and assisting with fundraising efforts. She has attended numerous horse clinics, learning how to read equine body signals and apply these insights to create safe and transformative experiences for participants.

leslie schmalz

Leslie is a small business owner in Boulder with past work experience in corporate events and training. Leslie found her way to Groundwork Ranch through a volunteer opportunity and became a board member several years later. With her background in events and training, Leslie assists with ranch events, programs, and volunteer opportunities. As an animal lover and advocate, Leslie appreciates the unique experience of  becoming familiar with each horse in the herd and their individual personalities. Their positive effect on program participants has also been extremely rewarding for Leslie.

erica feyock

Erica has a background in application development and database management, combined with a lifelong passion for animals. While earning a degree in Biology at the University of Colorado, she spent time as a volunteer at the Boulder Valley Humane Society and worked at a veterinary office. Erica began riding at the age of 10 and has always been eager to understand how horses think and experience the world. After an injury required her to take time off from her career, she rediscovered the healing power of horses. The peace she found at the ranch during her recovery inspired her to become deeply involved in supporting both horses and people through training and therapy.