WESTERN COLORADO FRIENDS OF THE HIMALAYAS
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Meet our team
We are a small but dedicated board, comprised of Nepalese Sherpas and several individuals who have lived in or spent a good bit of time in Nepal and other Himalayan countries
Meet the Board
This is an image of our board from many years ago. Some are still with us. Others have past on or retired from serving . Below are current members as at October 2026.
President
Val Burnell
Vice President
Val emigrated to Colorado in 1968, with her husband Terry, from England, where she enjoyed a career in education. They both worked with the Colorado Outward Bound School in Marble and Lake City for 8 years before setting up a business in Montrose and becoming involved with several local non-profit organizations. Inspired by Terry's 1964 experience with a British mountaineering expedition to the Himalayas, Val ventured to Nepal with him in 1967 and since then they have both undertaken numerous treks and assisted with humanitarian projects in the region. Val has served as president of WCFH since 2006.
Ang Danu hails from the Sherpa village of Khumjung in northeast Nepal. Prior to coming to the US in in 2005 he served as manager fot the Khumbu Bijuli Company, which was the first hydro electric plant to supply electricity in the Mount Everest region. He attended Mesa State College and became a registered nurse. He has worked at Montrose Memorial Hospital in the Acute Rehabilitation Unit since 2009. Together with his wife, Nima, they help coordinate many of our projects in the Solukhumbu area.
Ang Danu Sherpa
Secretary/Treasurer
Nima's family home is in Khumjung village, Solukhumbu. She is the grand daughter of famed Sherpa artist Khapa Kalden Sherpa. Nima is also a Thanks artist herself, an art that she learned from her father. She moved to the US in 2002 and attended Mesa State College where she obtained a bachelor's degree in nursing science. She now works at Montrose Memorial Hospital as Nurse Manager of the Acute Rehabilitation Unit. She returns to Nepal regularly and helps oversees some of our projects in that area.
Nima is married to Ang Danu Sherpa
Nima Sherpa
Kelvin came to the US in 1976 after a career in the British army, serving mainly with the Gurkhas from Nepal. He has been to Nepal 17 times and participated in two major Himalayan climbing expeditions. In the US, he owned small businesses and has always been active in his community and with non-profits, specializing in fundraising. Kelvin is our website manager.
Kelvin Kent
Carole Parker, MEd., has served for many years on this board. She has visited some of the Altrusa Club of Montrose's International Committee and has partnered with WCFH on many different community endeavors. SHe remains active in numerous local organizations and has recieved the WCFH International Peace Award.
Carol Parker
Terry was trained in England as a tool and dye maker but became very active in the early 60s climbing scene. He climbed with the best British climbers and was part of the 1964 British expedition to scale Gauri Shanker. Later he emigrated to the US with his wife Val and worked with Outward Bound for 8 years before his family moved to Montrose, where he established a successful construction company, specializing in foundations and micro-pile technology. He has been to Nepal numerous times and has strongly supported his wife with all aspects of WCFH.
Terry Burnell
Mark Carr
Arlyn MacDonald
Mark works as a human resource executive for a Fortune 500 company and has over 30 years experience in the Human Capital Management Field. He is a certified transformational leadership coach and sought-after keynote and workshop presenter, nationally. His successful book is called "Ascend".
In the climbing world, Mark has successfully scaled Everest, and summited the highest peaks on all seven continents as well as all the fourteeners in Colorado. Altogether, he has climbed 150 peaks and has an MBA from the University of Arizona and a Masters Degree in forensic pathology.
He is orginally from Colorado and lives in Montrose.
Arlyn could be aptly described as a board member emeritas. She has been a supporter of WCFH for over 15 years and is a past president. She has a BA in Community Arts Non-Profit Management and a Ph.D in Spiritual Education Management. She was the senior minister of the Montrose Spiritual Awareness Center and Dean of the Spiritual Development Institute. She was also the founder of the Week of Unity and Peace and originated the WCFH annual Peace dinner in Montrose. In August 2026 Arlyn felt it necessary to resign due to health and other reasons which resulted in her decision to move to Denver with her husband Donald. It is hoped that she may still remain on one of our boards, after she has settled in. Nima Sherpa took over from her.
Advisory Board
Sangdrol (Dawn) Blanchard
Bruce Ward
Sangdrol (Dawn) Blanchard is a certiified UX Designer for the USDA-USFS (Washington DC office), designing modernized web applications. Her fine art is in collections throughout the Southwest and she currently owns Meditation Spaces Art Gallery and Studio in Montrose, Colorado. She has been a practicing Tibetan Buddhist Rinpoche - head of the Pasyyul Lineage for over 15 years and has studied with great masters such as HH Penor Rinpoche. She also does consultations to help others create sacred spaces for practice and meditation. He business store in Montrose is Meditation Spaces.
Bruce Ward Moved to Ouray in 2025 after living in the Denver area for several years. He has served as chairman of the American Hiking Society, executive producer, America's Forests with Chuck Leavell, Advisor for the Aldo Leopold Foundation and, currently, as a director of Education Elevated in Colorado.
Previously he was an executive with REI and is married to Kanchi Sherpa from Nepal. He has trekked extensively in Nepal and is deeply involved with the building and program for a girls school in Chyangba (Solo Khumbu region). He spends a lot of his time in Nepal.
Jigchen is from Eastern Tibet but came to the US as a refugee, where she had to receive major medical attention and was helped by our founder Bill Duckworth, to obtain schooling and college education. She now works at Montrose Memorial Hospital as a phlebotomist. She is married to another Tibetan (both now US citizens) and has two young children.
Jigchen Tso
Sadly, two of our long term original and more current board members passed away in 2025. The current board wishes to acknowledge the dedicated service and value given over many years by Stu Krebbs and Wayne Quade, to this organization. They will be greatly missed.
On may 9th 2026, the board gathered at the Montrose Ute Indian Museum to dedicate a new metal bench with suitable description in memory of Stu Krebs. His wife, Barb, is sitting on the bench
In September 2026 A new, re-painted Bench (right) was re-located to a better location
Taken in August 2026.L to R: Kelvin Kent, Bruce Ward, Ang Danu Sherpa, Nima Sherpa, Val Burnell, Terry Burnell (not in picture is Carol Parker)
Distinguished nonagenarian members from Chicago, Jossy and Ken Nebenzahl, wearing their WCFH Peace Medals, were awarded t for services to the Himalayan Region and long-time support for our organization. (Picture taken October 8th 2019)
Sadly Ken died in 2020 but his wife Jossy is still actively supporting us.
Board Member Kelvin Kent was presented with an award in October for his many contributions, over 20 years, to WCFH
