PRESIDENT
CONTACT: president@bnadgo.org

Karen Brucoli Anesi is a charter member and one of the founders of the Boulevard Neighborhood Association, having lived on the north end of the Boulevard since 1979. Karen has served on the City of Durango’s Planning Commission and Historic Preservation Board and remains committed to preserving East Third Avenue as a Historic Residential District on the National Register of Historic Places. Originally from the Buckeye state, Anesi completed both her undergraduate and graduate degrees at The Ohio State University. For several decades Anesi free-lanced for newspapers, including the Durango Herald where she was a special assignment reporter, columnist and food and nutrition writer. Additionally, Anesi taught at Fort Lewis College and later restored a small family recreational resort on a Nationally Designated Wild and Scenic River in Lisbon, Ohio. She and her husband, Frank, have two grown sons, both of whom attended Durango schools and graduated from Colorado public universities. Now retired, Karen spends most days outdoors in her garden with her two dogs, where she perseveres in an uphill fight to grow a flavorful tomato despite a summer season too short and an altitude too high.

VICE PRESIDENT
CONTACT: vicepresident@bnadgo.org

Kristen Bushnell Phillips moved to East Third Avenue with her family as an infant in 1970. She grew up playing in the shade of median trees and trick-or-treating the length of the Boulevard. Her parents were instrumental in the push for neighborhood recognition on the National Register of Historic Places. Kristen’s father, FLC professor, Don Bushnell, was a charter member of the first BNA Board of Directors. Kristen was a member of the BNA board during her early 20’s while a student at FLC and before a career in the airline industry took her away from Durango for two decades. But her family continues ownership of their home on the Boulevard and Kristen’s interest in Durango remains strong. Returning in the time of Covid, she was again elected to the Board. Together with her husband Joe she is raising a son who loves the neighborhood and dreams of one day driving the Durango train that serenades residents each day. She currently divides her time between Durango and Brooklyn, NY.

BOARD MEMBER
CONTACT: BoardMember1@bnadgo.org

Tom Darnell reigns from the “Show Me State” and as a native Missourian, there’s no fooling this Midwestern transplant, who has lived in Durango since 1986. Tom has taken an active role in local politics, often weighing in on local issues and also helping candidates seeking political office secure wins . An Unaffiliated, unabashed Libertarian, Tom suggests all candidates knock on doors, get in the trenches and, most of all, tell the truth. He has a diverse and rich past as a former City Councilmen elected in Rock Island, Illinois, a parole officer in South Chicago, an elementary school guidance counselor, a welfare caseworker in St. Louis, a title examiner in Denver and a small business owner having invested in Durango real estate back in the Middle Ages. Now retired, Tom volunteers with local non-profits which address addiction. A graduate of the University of Missouri, and Loyola University of Chicago, Tom has extensive post doctoral research in good garage sale practices and hoarding recovery.

BOARD MEMBER
CONTACT: BoardMember2@bnadgo.org

In the summer of 1971, Russ made his first trip to Durango and spent 3 weeks backpacking in the Weminuche starting at Elk Park making a long loop through the peaks and coming out at the Chicago Basin. After a motorcycle trip through Colorado in 2009, he visited Durango again and was still in awe of the natural beauty and the charm of the city. When Russ retired from his environmental career in Austin, Texas he first had to get a childhood dream of living on a boat out of his system, but after a few years in Florida, and throwing money at a hole in the water, he and his wife Nancy moved to the area, first living in Durango Hills and later moving to The Boulevard. He enjoys playing one of his many guitars, photography, gardening, and traveling with Nancy.

TREASURER
CONTACT: treasurer@bnadgo.org

Within 5 days of a post-camping trip to Yosemite, Mike Todt and his wife, Tammy Hoier made an offer on a home on East Third Avenue. It was love at first sight with Durango and just a matter of months before the couple became members of the BNA. In his third term as a Board member, Mike has seen many changes to Old Durango, including the approval for a large hotel on bordering Second Avenue. Mike has worked to limit the number of vacation rentals on the Boulevard and has advocated for quality of life issues including ensuring that retail marijuana stores remain in the commercial district rather than in Durango’s neighborhoods. Todt volunteers in the community to address hunger, homelessness, and government ethics. Prior to enjoying Durango’s great outdoors, Todt was a hospital CEO, history professor, executive coach and management consultant. Todt has a Ph.D. in U.S. modern history from West Virginia University, and Ph.D./MA in organizational psychology from the University of Chicago. Outdoor activity is a cornerstone of Mike’s lifestyle.