ACERCA DE | River Center Of New

STAFF

Executive Director

Gina Long

Thank you for this opportunity to share about myself and the things I hold dear to my heart. First, my love for God and what He's done in my life, and especially my family. My husband Kevin & I have been married for over 25 years and have 5 children and 13 grandchildren ranging from 18 years old to 4 months old. God has also blessed us with a church body called the Gathering that meets at the River Center every Sunday. I have been involved with the River Center since it's inception (over 15 years), and I have a heart for the mission & vision of the Center!

Director of Operations

Liz Gabuardi

Liz moved to Colorado from California in 2001 and has resided in the valley ever since. She served as Committee Chairman for the New Castle Cub Scouts for four years starting in 2012 before she started volunteering at the River Center in 2016. In January 2018, Liz became a part of the River Center team as an Administrative Assistant and currently manages the volunteers and outreach programs in the role of Director of Operations.

Financial Assistance Manager

Carol Wolff

Mrs. Wolff has been involved with non-profits for 27 years, first as a volunteer and then on staff. She was the Executive Director of a live professional theatre (Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre) in Grand Lake, CO for 11 year and Executive Director for the Colorado Honor Band Association, an instrumental music education program based in the Denver-Metro area, for 4 years. Most recently, Carol retired from YouthZone where she was their Development Director for 3 years. Carol and her husband have resided in the New Castle area since 2015 where Carol discovered The River Center and began volunteering to assist with the Totes of Hope and Angel Tree programs. Looking for “a little something” to occupy her time since retirement, Carol joined The River Center staff in January of 2024.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President

Kayla Toews

Kayla has been a resident of New Castle since 2015. She has been a Registered Dental Hygienist since 2012 and is currently working at New Castle Dental. She enjoys running and spending time outside with her husband and her children. The River Center allows her to give back to the community they have made home.

Treasurer

Laura Barbieur

Laura has been a resident of New Castle since 2007, and has lived in the area since 2001. She works as a Client Accounting Specialist for Reese Henry & Company, Inc. since 2013, and brings a wide range of financial knowledge to the table. She has been looking for a way to give back to the community, and the River Center is a perfect fit!

Secretary

Angela Meraz

Angela spent some of her childhood in New Castle and returned with her family in 2005. Angela was looking for a way to get involved in the community and decided to join the River Center board in 2017, and is currently the Secretary. Angela has 3 children and has worked for Alpine Bank for over 25 years.

Member

Ana Gaytan

Ana moved to Colorado in 2002. She attended Glenwood Springs Middle School through High school. Graduated from Colorado Mountain College in 2014. She started working for Garfield County Public Library in 2014. In 2016 she was transferred to the New Castle library where she has served the New Castle Community. Ana has joined the River Center to learn from our community.

Member

Emily Jack-Scott

Emily joined the board in 2019. She co-leads the River Center's community gardens, harvesting fresh produce every week for local food pantries. Emily's professional background is in forest science, including urban community forestry, forest management, and arboriculture. She currently works as the Program Director at the Aspen Global Change Institute, where she facilitates an interdisciplinary workshop series. In her spare minutes, she enjoys baking and hiking (or rather, chasing after her two small children up and down mountains).

Member

Larry Metzger

My name is Larry Metzger. My wife and I moved to New Castle in 1996 from Glenwood Springs. Mary very soon after our move she saw a seat in city council was available and
she got that appointment. About that time she met up with Lee Price who was in need of some help from the city. They soon became very good friends as I did with him and his
family. As Lee was remodeling the River Center building along with many other volunteers, I became involved in that work as well. Mary was very instrumental with Lee and his programs along with setting up the Volunteer New Castle program. When I heard they were in need of board members I decided to join the board to continue the work Lee and Mary did together for many years. It is a real honor to continue the programs that were started.

Member

Ryan Feeney

Ryan has been a resident of Silt, Colorado since his family’s move from Tennessee in 2015.Trained as a criminal defense lawyer and having worked 15 years in the service of the citizenaccused, Ryan was looking for a different, more satisfying means of providing value to thefamily after the move. He found that in being a stay-at-home dad for his four children and acaretaker of the family pets and farm animals. Ryan enjoys building and racing remote controlcars with his sons in his spare time. Joining the River Center Board in 2022 has provided forsome of Ryan’s most rewarding experiences and has permitted him to exercise, in a meaningful way, his long-held belief that neighbors should indeed help neighbors. Ryan hopes to continue to serve in this and other capacities well into the future.

Member

Isaac Thompson

Isaac Thompson is a student at Coal Ridge High School, class of 2025. He enjoys soccer, basketball, track, and exploring the outdoors. He appreciates the support the people of New Castle have given to him growing up and joined the River Center board to help strengthen and
give back to the community.

Member

Nathan Newton

Nathan is a junior at Coal Ridge High School and is using this experience to further his knowledge of how a board is run and what takes place during a monthly meeting. He is also responsible for speaking with other high school students about taking his place in the future, training them and bringing them along in this process.