These Peaks
September 2, 2025
- (970) 414-0148
- info@hutsforvets.org
- P.O. Box 1780 Carbondale, CO 81623
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Our Board of Directors is made up of passionate advocates, veterans, and community leaders who steward the vision and values of Huts for Vets. Their leadership helps us grow with integrity while staying true to those we serve.
Skip is the Senior Director of Development and Alumni Engagement at the Fletcher School at Tufts University. Prior to joining Fletcher, he was at the Harvard Business School for twelve years, most recently serving as Philanthropic Advisor, Principal Gifts and International Strategy. He has also served as Senior Director, Principal Gifts at Mass General Hospital and was previously a Senior Major Gift Officer at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In addition to his 20 years of higher education fundraising experience, Skip retired as a Colonel in the United States Marine Corps after completing 28 years of active and reserve service. Skip received his B.A. from Denison University, and his M.A. from the Catholic University of America. He is also a graduate of several military schools including Naval Flight School, Army Airborne School, the Marine Corps Command and Staff College and the Joint Forces Staff College. His personal awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal. Combat Action Ribbon, Iraq Campaign Medal and Afghanistan Campaign Medal.
Chris was born in San Diego and raised in Denver. He served in the Marine Corps between 2007-2011 as a Radio Operator with VMU-3 and 1st ANGLICO. Upon leaving the service Chris obtained a BS in Sociology and began a career in finance. He married in 2019 and spends his time sharing his story, hiking and camping, or with family. He believes you should see as much as you can while you can.
Since getting sober in 2016, Chris has sought ways to help and connect with the veteran community. He continues his efforts to advocate for veterans and raise mental health awareness. Chris relies heavily on a holistic healing approach for his own sobriety and believes we can all retrain our brains on how to think and overcome our battles.
Don Stuber believed he could fly. Given his background in aviation, his Marine Corps recruiter seemed to agree. Don soon found himself in the air. Not in the cockpit, but in the air; a Marine Infantryman, jumping out of the open doors and ramps of perfectly good aircraft and landing, with luck, boots first on a hot L.Z. or forlorn O.P. during the opening salvos of Vietnam’s 1968 Tet Offensive. Later, Don attended the University of Minnesota studying Studio Art and South Asian Studies. In 1975, on a walk-about, tracing the spine of the Rocky Mountains north to south, Don stumbled into the Roaring Fork Valley and found, among the hills, streams, and wilderness, a community that felt like home. A recovering adrenaline junky, Don has worked as an artist, photojournalist, furniture maker and building contractor and volunteers with arts and veterans organizations. Don looks forward to his time spent with fellow veterans and welcomes the opportunity to share stories and solace among returning brother and sister warriors.
Westley Crouch’s connection to the landscapes of Western Colorado runs deep, shaped by a lifelong passion for the outdoors and a profound appreciation for the stories of those who came before him. Growing up surrounded by the state’s rugged beauty, he developed an enduring love for adventure and the shared experiences that define life in the mountains.
His sense of duty led him to serve as a Combat Medic in the Army National Guard, an experience that instilled resilience, discipline, and an unwavering commitment to helping others. Building on that foundation, he pursued higher education at Colorado Mesa University before pursuing a graduate degree from the University of Denver, where he focused on Environmental Science, Policy, Law, and Management.
Now based in the Roaring Fork Valley, Westley has found both purpose and belonging as a journalist with The Aspen Times. The relationships he has built in Aspen reflect the town’s philanthropic spirit and the generosity of those who call it home. To him, the people of Aspen and the greater Roaring Fork Valley are as integral to its identity as the surrounding peaks and forests.
His deep connection to the region and its community aligns seamlessly with the mission of Huts for Vets. He sees his role on the board as an opportunity to support the organization’s vision, ensuring that those who attend its programs can experience the same sense of renewal and connection that the mountains have long provided him.
Cristin is a former Army Aviator, having served as a UH-60 Platoon Leader and Assault Company Commander during subsequent deployments to Afghanistan. Originally from the Jersey Shore, Cristin discovered while stationed in Colorado that the Rocky Mountains is where her soul truly comes alive. She now spends much of her free time on the Front Range skiing, hiking, cycling, and bonding with family and friends. She enjoys performing improv comedy at her community theater and is passionate about mentoring veterans through their transition to civilian life. She holds a B.S. from the United States Military Academy at West Point and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Paul Andersen, HFV Founder, is a journalist, book author, historian and wilderness guide in Aspen. He has been a professional writer for 40 years and has written fifteen books, hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles, and numerous television and film scripts. He has led multi-day seminar programs on nature and society for the Aspen Institute and the Colorado Mountain Club. He founded Huts For Vets in January 2013 and works with the board in an advisory capacity.
Ryan Del Grosso is a veteran Special Tactics Officer in Air Force Special Operations Command, with deployments to Afghanistan, Eastern Europe, and Southeast Asia. Ryan graduated from the US Air Force Academy and earned his MBA from Harvard Business School. He was also a strategy fellow at the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee. A passionate adventurer, Ryan spends his free time paragliding and speed-flying off mountains across the United States. Ryan is eager to share the beauty of Colorado’s wilderness with fellow veterans while continuing his work in destigmatizing and advocating for mental health.
Huts for Vets was founded in Aspen, Colorado in January 2013 to provide, at no cost to participants, wilderness and communal experiences as therapeutic healing for U.S. veterans and active-duty service members.