Health Extension Leadership Team
The Health Extension Leadership Team consists of dynamic, skilled professionals who are passionate about living and growing alongside their neighbors. County-, Regional-, and State-level Specialists are stationed throughout Colorado to serve as informational resources, community connectors, and health navigators. They strive to amplify resident’s voices, build upon community strengths, and creatively respond to identified needs. Connect with a Specialist today to learn more!
Health Extension Leadership
Sue Schneider
State Health Specialist, Health & Well-being Co-Lead
Rebecca Hill
State Extension Specialist & Co-director of the Colorado AgrAbility Project
Natalie Bachmeier
Health Extension Coordinator
Natalie Bachmeier is based in Fort Collins. She is passionate about developing strong relationships and emboldening communities to collaborate and innovate around big challenges. She holds a master’s degree in public health from the Colorado School of Public Health at CSU. Natalie’s favorite place in Colorado is Crested Butte! Whether she is biking or skiing, she is always amazed by the beauty that surrounds her!
Christine Fruhauf
Health & Well-being Co-Lead
Dr. Fruhauf is a professor at Colorado State University (CSU) in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS), where she serves as the Director of the HDFS Extension Programs, Coordinator of the Gerontology Interdisciplinary Minor, and is the Healthy Aging Division Director within the Prevention Research Center. Dr. Fruhauf is a faculty affiliate of the Columbine Health Systems Center for Healthy Aging at CSU and serves CSU Extension as a tri-lead of the Extension Health and Well-being Project and Reporting Unit (PRU).
Katie Seelhoff
Health & Well-being Co-Lead
Katie Seelhoff is a Family and Consumer Science Extension Specialist in Morgan County where she provides educational programming. Her main program areas are food preservation and safety, financial management, and the 4-H Youth Development Program. In her free time, Katie enjoys taking her dog for walks and crafting with friends and family.
Behavioral Health & Resilience Leadership and Specialists
Chad Reznicek
State Behavioral Health Specialist and Behavioral Health & Resilience Co-Lead
Melina Bricker
Behavioral Health & Resilience Co-Lead
Melina Bricker is the Family and Consumer Science Specialist in Routt County. Her background in crisis intervention, behavioral health, and family resilience and wellness inform her programming in addition to more traditional topics of home health and economics. Guiding her programming is the belief that overall health begins with the development of self-efficacy and agency in decision-making, whether those choices are nutritional, social, educational, economic, or behavioral.
Jim Kuemmerle
Behavioral Health Specialist, Eastern Region
Jim Kuemmerle has a background in clinical social work, prominent in rural communities in several states including Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Wyoming and Colorado. Jim holds multiple master’s degrees, making him jack-of-all-trades: Master of Social Work, master’s in emergency management and a master’s in business administration. His favorite place in Colorado is any wilderness area where he can go backpacking with his boy Scouts and disappear off the grid for several days.
Kirsten Wulfsberg
Behavioral Health Specialist, Mountain Region
Kirsten Wulfsberg is a licensed professional counselor, who spent 20 years working in psychiatric crisis management within a hospital/emergency department setting. Kirsten is passionate about behavioral health education, training and working with people in a preventative manner, and believes feeling engaged in your community is a key component of that. Kirsten believes personal insight and proper self-care techniques can help promote balance, sense of community, and a happier, healthier lifestyle. She loves volunteering and spending time with her husband and dogs in Chaffee County, enjoying year-round mountain and river activities.
Julie Elliott
Behavioral Health Specialist, Western Region
Julie Elliott is a licensed professional therapist, who spent 15+ years providing behavioral health services, vocational services, and education in diverse settings with special focus areas in trauma, suicide prevention, mood disorders, disability, families, and substance abuse. Julie grew up in Northwest Colorado and is from a 5th generation ranch family. She embraces the strong spirit of the west and western agriculture. Julie is committed to improving behavioral resources in rural communities.
Financial Well-Being Leadership
Glenda Wentworth
Financial Well-Being Co-Lead
Glenda Wentworth is a Family and Consumer Science Specialist in Eagle County. Glenda currently provides resources and educational programming to help families and individuals better manage their financial resources, maintain healthier lifestyles, keep their food safe, connect to their communities and develop innovative leadership tools. Glenda earned her B.S. at Kansas State University in Home Economics Education and her M.Ed. in Adult Education & Training from Colorado State University. Glenda and her husband, Marc, enjoy spending time with their four grandchildren, hiking in the summer and snowshoeing in the winter.
Mary Snow
Financial Well-Being Co-Lead
Mary Snow is a Family & Consumer Sciences Extension County Specialist, located in Jefferson County where she provides education in family financial wellness, food safety, food preservation, meal planning. She co-leads the financial wellbeing work team and the cottage food safety training work team. She holds a BS in Family Resource Management & Family Financial Counseling and a Masters of Family & Consumer Sciences.
Food Safety, Prepartion & Preservation Leadership
Abby Weber
Food Safety, Preparation & Preservation Co-Lead
Abby Weber, is the Southeast Area Family and Consumer Science (FCS) Specialist serving the 7 counties in the Southeast corner of Colorado. Some of my favorite programming in the scope of my FCS work is food preservation and food preparation, artisan and sourdough bread making, and a variety of food safety education training. I love mentoring my peers and sharing programming with my colleagues to serve our communities through Extension work. In my free time, I love to read, travel, spend time with my family, and watch any competitive athletic event that is available.
Amber Webb
Food Safety, Preparation & Preservation Co-Lead
Amber Webb has a background in Nutrition, Sociology and Food Studies. She has been with CSU Extension for seven years as a Family Consumer Sciences Specialist in the Front Range. Her experience working in community nutrition and food systems has greatly shaped her passion to share that knowledge. She loves to engage people through culinary literacy and empower consumers to make educated choices about health and wellbeing that benefits themselves, their families, and communities.
Jaci Wagner
Food Safety, Preparation & Preservation Co-Lead
Jaci Wagner is the Logan County Family and Consumer Science and 4-H Youth Development Extension Specialist. While not working on programming with youth and adults through Extension, she enjoys living the country life with her two boys and husband in Northeastern Colorado. She enjoys helping manage their small cow/calf operation and helping our boys continue their passion of show sheep, chickens, horses, and welding. Some of her favorite hobbies are involving her boys in cooking and food preservation and being outdoors working on a farm project with the family.
Healthy Aging Leadership
Ginger Williams
Healthy Aging Co-Lead
Ginger Williams is based in Yuma County. She has a passion for helping individuals and families, especially older adults, live their best lives through advocacy, education, and access to fundamental health resources. She holds a master’s degree in healthcare administration, specializing in Strategic Innovation and Change Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Human Development and Education. Ginger’s favorite place in Colorado is everywhere the family camper can roam with her husband, two boys and two dogs.
Jim Kuemmerle
Healthy Aging Co-Lead
Jim Kuemmerle has a background in clinical social work, prominent in rural communities in several states including Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Wyoming and Colorado. Jim holds multiple master’s degrees, making him jack-of-all-trades: Master of Social Work, master’s in emergency management and a master’s in business administration. His favorite place in Colorado is any wilderness area where he can go backpacking with his boy Scouts and disappear off the grid for several days.
Nutrition, Disease Prevention & Management Leadership
Emma Dhimitri
Nutrition, Disease Prevention, & Management Co-Lead
Emma Dhimitri is the Community Health Specialist in Boulder County and focuses her work on increasing physical and mental well being in Boulder County through nutrition, cooking, and outdoor education experiences with underserved youth and their families. She holds a degree in Nutritional Science from Cornell University and is passionate about food insecurity and empowering individuals with science based nutrition information. She has also worked as a rock climbing instructor and firmly believes in the benefits of outdoor experiences for all ages. In her free time, Emma loves exploring Colorado’s mountains with her dog, Dempsey.
Christa Timmerman
Nutrition, Disease Prevention, & Management Co-Lead
Christa Timmerman has a Master’s in Public Health from the Colorado School of Public Health. She has experience in substance use prevention, mental health education, youth engagement, health coaching and public health policy. She is especially interested in nature based programs to enhance mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing. She currently oversees programs related to health aging and radon/healthy homes in Larimer County, but is hoping to implement new programs related to mental and physical health. She enjoys cooking, hiking, and skiing in her free time.
Rural Health Specialists
Ginger Williams
Regional Health Specialist, Eastern Region
Ginger Williams is based in Yuma County. She has a passion for helping individuals and families, especially older adults, live their best lives through advocacy, education, and access to fundamental health resources. She holds a master’s degree in healthcare administration, specializing in Strategic Innovation and Change Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Human Development and Education. Ginger’s favorite place in Colorado is everywhere the family camper can roam with her husband, two boys and two dogs.
Jennifer Aengst
Regional Health Specialist, Mountain Region
Jennifer Aengst is based in Fort Collins. She is passionate about improving healthcare for rural Coloradans through advocacy, building collaborations, and increasing access to resources. She holds a Ph.D. in Medical Anthropology from the University of California, Davis. Jen’s favorite place in Colorado is hiking around the Maroon Bells in the fall, or any mountain she can climb up or ski down!
Calandra Lindstadt
Regional Health Specialist, Western Region
Calandra Lindstadt is based in Grand Junction where she works to empower and engage rural communities. Her family members are fifth-generation farmers and ranchers on the plains in Northeastern Colorado. She holds a Ph.D. in Advertising with a specialization in Health Communication from the University of Texas at Austin. Calandra’s favorite place in Colorado is anywhere up the Cache la Poudre canyon, but she especially loves to hike up Greyrock with her family and dog, Bluebonnet.
