Meet our Board of Volunteers!

President: Pat Demarest is our founder. She is a retired registered nurse (RN), an RN Case Manager, and a quality professional whose husband has early-onset Alzheimer’s. In 2022, she founded DDC based on her challenging experiences navigating the healthcare system. 

Vice President: Kimberly (Kim) Schooley is an early-retired lawyer and teacher who cared for her husband, Dr. Alan Schooley, who had young onset Alzheimer’s  Disease/Posterior Cortical Atrophy. Kim Schooley's husband is a retired pediatrician, who passed away in December 2024.  

Secretary/Treasurer: Susan Hicks, an accountant and retired mathematics teacher, was her husband Donn's caregiver, following his Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Donn passed away in 2024. 

Director of Social Media: Stacey Zwirn founded Southwest Colorado Respite Resources (SCoRR970) and owned an adult day program. Stacey merged her organization with the DDC in 2024.

Co- Director of Community Relations: Kim Martin is a retired instructor of Asian studies at Fort Lewis College. Kim has been volunteering with us ever since she was diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment in 2022. 

Co-Director of Community Relations: Karen McManus served as the Deputy State Director for U. S. Senator Chris Van Hollen from Maryland before retiring to Durango. She has been volunteering with DDC for many years.