Creed H. Spillane
President
Creed Spillane is the Founder and Managing Broker of Quantum Residential Group, LLC, a one-stop brokerage solution for buyers, sellers, builders, and investors. After three years in Sales & Marketing with The Broadmoor Hotel, Creed volunteered for two years of missionary work in Albania for his church. During this time, he also assisted with their land development needs.
Creed participated in the creation of Flying Horse Realty in January 2007 and managed their marketing needs until July 2016, exclusively marketing the developments of Flying Horse and Forest Lakes. Additional projects have included Hilltop Pines, Latigo Creek, Yorkshire Commons, Spring Creek, Villas at Mountain Shadows, Springs at Waterview, Positano at Flying Horse, and the Canyon Creek Townhomes within the Ivywild Urban Renewal.
Creed and his wife are raising their five children in the city they love, Colorado Springs.
Rabbi Jay Ross Sherwood
Vice President
Rabbi Jay Sherwood has been the spiritual leader of Temple Shalom since July 2017. He previously served as Rabbi of Congregation Emanu El in Redlands, California, the oldest Jewish community in Southern California, and as the Founding Rabbi of Adat Re’im in Rancho Cucamonga, California, leading that congregation for ten years. Rabbi Jay received his Rabbinic Ordination and Master of Rabbinic Studies degree from the Academy for Jewish Religion, California, in Los Angeles. He also holds a Master of Arts in Religious Education degree from the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in New York.
He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Jewish Studies at UCLA. Rabbi Jay currently serves on the Va’ad (Executive Board) of the Rocky Mountain Rabbis & Cantors, the Board of Rabbis for the State of Colorado. He is also involved in the greater Colorado Springs community. He is a Founding Member of the Pikes Peak Interfaith Coalition and serves on the Executive Board of Bakhita Mountain Home, a rehabilitation home for women who are survivors of human trafficking.
Maria Wolfe
Treasurer
Maria is a seasoned accountant with over 40 years of experience in accounting and financial analysis. She has served in Controllership and Director of Finance positions for large real estate enterprises as well as non-profit organizations. Her final position was as the Director of Finance for a large New Mexico non-profit serving children. During her career at NDI New Mexico, Maria served on the Senior Management Team, helping to shape the organization from a grass roots organization to one with a Balance Sheet of over $50 million. Under her leadership, the organization consistently earned the coveted 4-Star Charity Navigator rating, with financial integrity and transparency being rated very highly. After 11 years of working full-time for NDI New Mexico, she retired in 2019. Since then, she has continued to provide consulting services to the organization, at times in a full-time capacity.
Maria has also served as the treasurer for various Boards of Directors, including the Lake Heights Family YMCA in Bellevue, WA and the Family YMCA of Los Alamos, the NJROTC Booster Club of Los Alamos, and Victoria Crossing HOA in Aurora, CO.
Barbara Neilon
Treasurer
Barbara grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, where her family has deep roots in northeast Texas, with at least four generations of ancestors from rural Texas. Today, her three sisters, nine nieces and nephews, and their 19 children are scattered across Toronto, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Colorado. In college, Barbara majored in history and political science at the University of Dallas. Later, while working at the Colorado College library in Special Collections, she earned a master’s degree in library science, specializing in the preservation of archives. Barbara is a life-long Catholic. She became an oblate of Benet Hill, an associate who strives to live a Benedictine life outside the monastery, and volunteered in the monastery library.
She became an oblate of Benet Hill, an associate who strives to live a Benedictine life outside the monastery, and volunteered in the monastery library.
Michael T. deBettencourt
Recording Secretary
Michael deBettencourt is a retired US Coast Guard officer who spent his career in maritime safety and law enforcement. Following his military service, he worked for over 20 years with a multinational construction firm in worker safety and health. Michael has traveled extensively in Europe, Asia, and the Southern Hemisphere for both work and pleasure. Michael and his late wife, Lia, were married for over 42 years and raised three children. He has two grandchildren. For over 24 years, Michael has lived in Colorado. He is a published author, holds a Master of Science degree in Foresight, is a board-certified safety professional, and is a licensed pilot. Michael enjoys the outdoors and is certified as a master SCUBA diver.
Since 2019, Michael has volunteered with Bakhita Mountain Home and has served on the Board since 2020. He has contributed to development, administration, and safety and security for the home.
Dr. Stephanie Norris
Psych Candidate, LPC, LAC
I am an experienced forensic therapist working with children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families. I earned a PhD in Clinical Psychology, specializing in Forensic Psychology. I conduct psychological, autism, and neuropsychological evaluations. I also conduct Parental Responsibility Evaluations (PRE) and provide expert testimony, parenting time supervision and reunification therapy. I am passionate about effecting change and changing generational patterns. Being a part of Bakhita Mountain Home is an opportunity for me to share my expertise to help victims of abuse and encourage change in our society and community!
Cecilia Peat
BSM, PHR
Cecilia Peat, BSM, PHR, joined the board of Bakhita Mountain Home in 2021. She has 35 years of HR experience, including 12 years as the Director of Human Resources, Education, Occupational Health, and the John Zay Guest House for Penrose-St. Francis Health Services. Currently, she serves as Manager of Guest House Ministry, overseeing the John Zay Guest House and the Ingram Guest House for CommonSpirit. Cecilia has previously volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for abused and neglected children and as an employment coach for Goodwill Industries. She has been married for 36 years and has three boys, seven grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Cecilia enjoys the outdoors, gardening, baking, and spending time with family and friends.
Dorothy Schlaeger
Board Member
Sister Dorothy Schlaeger, a native of Illinois, is a member of the Sisters of Saint Francis of Colorado Springs. She holds a Master’s and Doctorate in biology from the University of Notre Dame and taught molecular biology and biochemistry for over twenty years. From 1999 to 2005, she served as executive director of the Pikes Peak Justice and Peace Commission in Colorado Springs. She served on the provincial leadership team of her religious community from 2006 to 2014.
Sister Dorothy currently serves as Co-Chair of the Sisters of St. Francis Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Commission. In 2018, she learned of a group of local women interested in actively combating human trafficking and immediately felt called to join this effort. Together with the other founding members, she worked tirelessly to establish what is now proudly recognized as Bakhita Mountain Home. Sister Dorothy became a member of Bakhita Mountain Home’s Legal Board in the spring of 2021.
Judith Ann Schaeffer
Board Member
Sister Judith Ann Schaeffer is a Franciscan Sister and former member of the Founding Board of Bakhita Mountain Home (BMH) as well as its Legal Board of Directors. She currently volunteers by serving on the Legal Board of Directors with the hope of contributing to the functioning of the residents of the Home in the light of her education and experience in mental health. After earning a doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Loyola University of Chicago, she provided psychotherapy and assessment to those requesting it for over 40 years. She believes her experience gives her insight into how she can further the healing and well-being of woman who have suffered debilitating experiences of being trafficked. Sister Judith’s interests include developmental stages and processes of psychological growth as well as transference phenomena. Her publications include several peer-reviewed articles, four continuing courses, and a book entitled Transference and Countertransference in Non-Analytic Therapy.