Committee

Core Committee MeMBERS

Mike Hurd — Mike was raised in a small town in Vermont, then migrated to the San Francisco Bay area. He fell in love with the ocean and spent 10 years as an engineer on board Navy nuclear powered fast attack submarines.  His knowledge of engineering and project management enabled him to solve many large problems for the Navy, Bechtel Power Corporation, TRW Space Systems, and NASSCO.

Mike honed his project management skills as the manager of business development and marketing with Laurel Engineering, a small export company in San Diego. He helped develop and complete projects in Africa, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, South America, and the U.S.

Mike and his wife of 20 years, Linda, have been residents of Woodmen Hills since 2005.  They have two children and four grandchildren.

Today, Mike is the principal of a boutique consulting company in Falcon where he works with companies, municipalities, and individuals to bring their projects to life. Several of Mike’s client projects are Green, LEED or sustainable developments, such as the Olney Springs Child Development Center.

As the Project Manager for Olney Springs, Mike works closely with the town’s representatives, stakeholders in Crowley and Otero Counties, as well as State agencies.

“Olney Springs as a community has served Colorado over the years as part of the rural backbone of this great state.  Now, like most of rural Colorado, they need help growing and thriving.  As far as I can, I’m going to help that happen.”

That is also Mike’s conviction for the incorporation.

“Being a ‘revenue option’ for Colorado Springs or the bottom of the list for county services is just not acceptable to me,” he says. “I’d rather be a fish in the Falcon pond than plankton in Colorado Springs’ ocean.”

Mike serves as the Chairman of the committee, Citizens For a Better Falcon, which is the official issue committee striving to place the incorporation questions on the 2011 November ballot.  Mike’s practical function is as the group’s Project Facilitator.  In this role he acts as a central point for coordinating all the efforts and keeping them in line with the code of ethics and plan developed by the committee.

Mike is a member of the Falcon Area Business Alliance, American Legion of Falcon, Disabled American Veterans, Project Management Institute, and National Defense Industry Association.

Brian Swanson – Brian comes from northern Indiana.  However, this was only a beginning because his family moved between four states during his childhood.  Within these states (Indiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Ohio) numerous towns and cities added to Brian’s experiences.

Brian began his adult life by joining the Army National Guard in Ohio. Here he spent four years working as a clerk for the 612th Engineering Battalion. His daily civilian life consisted of college at Bowling Green State University and working as a welder. After realizing this was not his destiny he joined the Air Force.

For 20 years Brian spent his time in the military as an engineer within various construction disciplines. This time led him to many different countries and cities around the world, both to live and visit. One of these countries was Japan, and it was here he met his wife Julie.

Julie and Brian have been married now for 20 years. Julie works downtown for a highly regarded non-profit. They have two children, both of which were born in North Dakota. After a time in Tucson, AZ and South Korea the family chose to make Falcon their home in 2006. Both children attend Falcon High School.

Brian operates his financial services business around the region and is the Chairman of the Leadership Group for the Falcon Area Business Alliance (FABA). He has a bachelor’s degree from Colorado Christian University in Computer Information Systems Management along with an Associate’s degree in Construction Engineering. Public speaking has been a passion which Brian has done for the past 20 Years. He and Julie have retired from the Air Force.

Domenic Zambrano — Domenic is a Colorado native born in Grand Junction. After graduating from Palisade High School, he moved to Durango. There Domenic attended Fort Lewis College and received his degree in accounting. While at Fort Lewis, he served on the Student Senate for two years and acted as the Budget Committee Chairperson.  In 1999, Domenic relocated to Colorado Springs to work for Compaq Computer Corporation.  In the past 12 years Domenic as worked in a sales and management capacity for HP, Ricoh Americas Corporation, and Apple, Inc.

Domenic brings to the committee his attention to detail from accounting and skills from management.  It is a combination of those two skill sets that have given him the judgment to look at all things, from every angle possible, to help the committee and community make the soundest decisions.  As a concerned citizen, it is his role to look at all sides of the issues, ask the tough “what if” questions of the committee and ensure all citizens’ questions are answered.

“It’s important to both Heather and I that as Falcon develops, the citizens have a voice in how this area grows and how our taxes are spent,” he says.

Domenic and his wife of 10 years, Heather, have lived in Meridian Ranch for over six years and are the proud parents of three children.  They are also the owners of the local franchise of gift basket company “THE original basket boutique,” which they opened last year.  They are active in the community as volunteers at Meridian Ranch Elementary, Eastern Plains Chamber of Commerce, and the Falcon Area Business Alliance where Domenic serves as the Finance Committee Chairperson.

Frank J. Gonzalez — Frank was raised in San Antonio, Texas and graduated from the University of Texas – Austin with a degree in Aerospace Engineering. His career path led him to computer science, software engineering, and working with aerospace contractors such as Kaman, Boeing, Martin-Marietta, and ITT. He moved to Colorado in 1978. He has lived in El Paso county for over 20 years and in Woodmen Hills for six years. He regularly attends meetings of the Woodmen Hills Metropolitan District and sits on the board of the High Plains Utility Assistance Board, a not-for-profit organization that strives to provide funds for Woodmen Hills residents who are unable to pay their water bill. He and his wife Lynne Bliss own Franklyn Properties, a residential real estate partnership. In his free time he enjoys virtual (computer) flying, skiing, traveling, RVing and spending time with family.

“Living in Woodmen Hills has fostered my appreciation for a small community,” he says. “I think our quality of life here will be better served by local control.”

Frank brings his engineering skills to the committee to analyze options and courses of action.

Lynne Bliss — Originally from Wisconsin, Lynne moved to Colorado in 1982 where she found work with State Farm and then GTE. After receiving her B.S.B.A from Regis University and a Master of Arts in Communication from the University of Northern Colorado, she worked in marketing, public relations, and freelance writing.  She served as past president of the Pikes Peak Public Relations Society and published articles in several law enforcement, true crime, construction, education, and business publications. Lynne spent five years as a reserve officer with the Colorado Springs Police Department. She also wrote “Become a PR Consultant,” for Fabjob.com, an e-book publisher. In 2007, she chaired the Falcon-Peyton Small Area Master Plan Committee.

Lynne provides communication and media expertise for the Citizens for a Better Falcon issue committee. She is also concerned about public safety.

“I think the El Paso County deputies are very capable, but their ranks are just stretched too thin to provide adequate service to the Falcon area,” she says. “I’d like to see our own law enforcement here.”

She and her husband, Frank J. Gonzalez, moved to Woodmen Hills almost seven years ago. Lynne is a member of the Falcon Area Business Alliance. She continues to write freelance articles and owns the Falconlady.com blog. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, skiing, RVing, and tracing her family tree. She has two daughters and seven grandchildren, all in Colorado. Three grandchildren attend Falcon D49 schools.