Meet Comeback Yoga’s Board of Directors
JUSTIN, Board Chair
Justin is an Air Force Academy graduate and an Air Force veteran. While serving, Justin was a Finance Officer stationed in California and Colorado and also served overseas in Afghanistan.
While he was stationed in California, he met his wife (Katie) who is also a veteran. They are proud to be part of the veteran community and are passionate about giving back to it.
He has previously sat on several panels targeted at helping service members with their transitions from military to civilian life.
Justin loves Colorado and really enjoys being active in the mountains. Yoga has been an increasing focus in his life as he strives to achieve balance.
SERGIO
Sergio is an Air Force Academy graduate and an Air Force veteran. During his service, Sergio was an Acquisitions Officer in Utah, California, Colorado and also served a tour in Afghanistan.
When he moved back home to Colorado, he met his wife (Lizzi), and they just started their family.a
After the military, he started his own business in real estate along with his own performance coaching company. He has helped Veterans by partnering with Salute Colorado as they transition from military operations back into civilian lifestyle.
Sergio grew up in Colorado and loves spending time in the mountains snowboarding, mountain biking, and hiking with his family. He loves to travel, workout, music, and practices yoga. Yoga helped Sergio when he was struggling with PSTD and Depression after his tour in Afghanistan. Sergio will tell you that Yoga changed the trajectory of his life.
OSCAR, Treasurer
Oscar retired from the US Army in 1998 after 21 years of service. He was enlisted for nine years before attending OCS and served the remainder of his time as an officer. His first 17 years were in the infantry until he suffered a knee injury during a parachute landing which led to his being reclassified as a contracting officer. That led him into the contracting world, serving the government. He started his first small business in 2000 and his second in 2007. He is still active in both.
He met his wife, Rose, while stationed in Germany, and they have been married for over 43 years. They have three children and three grandchildren, all of whom reside in Colorado. Oscar is passionate about helping veterans and those in need in our community and currently serves on the board for the V3Gate Foundation and on the board for Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of Colorado Springs. He also served for six years on the board for Catholic Charities of Colorado Springs.
MIKE
Mike was a small business owner for 25 years. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois with a degree in engineering and of University of Denver with an MBA/finance.
He has been a member of the Board of Trustees of A Precious Child charitable organization for over 10 years.
Mike has been happily married for over 30 years to Judy and is the father of two (Taylor and Jacob). Recently retired, he is an avid skier and golfer.
Mike is truly impressed with the benefits that yoga has demonstrated for our veterans and this is the main reason for his involvement with Comeback Yoga.
GINA, Secretary
Gina is a mental health clinician at the Denver VA Hospital, focusing on crisis services, homelessness, and legal concerns. She holds both her License in Clinical Social Work and License in Addiction Counseling.
Prior to this, Gina worked as a government contractor for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC at the VA central office in Washington, DC. Feeling disconnected from the veteran population she was serving, she enrolled in graduate school at Columbia University earning her Masters in Social Work where she completed her clinical field work at the Manhattan VA and Walter Reed Military Hospital.
Gina has extensive experience working and volunteering in nonprofits, many focusing on veterans' services and mental health. Gina has found the therapeutic benefits of yoga in mental health and overall wellness, as a way to slow down and be present in an ever demanding, fast paced world. Gina is a native New Yorker, and enjoys hiking, running, and skiing with her dog Ollie in her free time.
KARA
Kara is an Air Force Reserves Intelligence Officer serving in Colorado Springs. She is also a Defense Contractor supporting the Navy and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
Having served on active duty, in the Reserves, Air National Guard, as a Contractor, and military spouse, Kara has been around the military for over twenty years. She understands the unique challenges of being a military member and being part of a military family.
Kara originally hails from New Jersey, but the Air Force has taken her all over the world. She loves being active, especially outdoors, so Colorado is a perfect fit. Yoga plays an important restorative, relaxing, and therapeutic role in her life.
NED, Co-Founder, Board Member Emeritus
Ned is Co-founder of Comeback Yoga. He started teaching yoga at the Denver VA Hospital and has loved his involvement there ever since. Ned is also a student of yoga and is interested in the topics of trauma informed yoga, neuro-plasticity, brain research and imaging and attachment theory in early childhood development.
After becoming a Yoga Alliance certified teacher and completing more than 450 hours of additional yoga and related continuing education, Ned has taught more than 300 trauma informed yoga classes at the Denver VA Hospital facilities.
MARGOT, Co-Founder, Board Member Emeritus
Her gateway to yoga was recovery of whole body fitness after a significant ski accident and subsequent surgeries. Recovery is not linear and she had many stops and begin again moments on her path to having a regular yoga practice – this makes her very understanding of others with similar stops and starts to their exploration of yoga. Margot brings her scientist curiosity and knowledge with her to the yoga mat and uses brain research and trauma informed yoga practices to help her students find relief, confidence and calm in their practice. Margot is the daughter of a veteran and teaches to this population out of appreciation for their service. She is a co-Founder of Comeback Yoga and has been teaching since 2014.