Thomas Kim, Chair
Founder and Managing Director of r2 advisors llc
Appointed December 31, 2022
Term expires December 31, 2026
J.D./M.B.A. Santa Clara University
Bachelor of Science University of Utah
Tom Kim is the founder and managing director of r2 advisors llc, a Denver-based business consulting firm. Trustee Kim has spent his career helping businesses improve their financial and operational performance. He and his colleagues develop and implement strategies for effecting change in urgent situations. These situations range from mild to severe and include services such as performance improvement, restructuring and turnarounds, mergers and acquisitions, and bankruptcy.
Trustee Kim understands the value of education. He is committed to ensuring that educational opportunities remain open and available for all Coloradans. In addition, Trustee Kim is passionate about closing the divide between urban and rural Colorado. He sees the value that these diverse communities bring to our State and the strength we derive by promoting all. Trustee Kim is a member of the Roundup Riders of the Rockies, a member of the Board of Directors for Denver Health and Hospital Authority and the Colorado State Fair. He was the President and then Chairman of the Turnaround Management Association beginning in 2013.
Trustee Kim has lived in the Denver metro area since 1996. He resides in Centennial with his wife, two of his three children, and their dogs, cats, and horses.
Jon Barba
Retired Colorado State Patrol
Lieutenant Colonel
Aurora, Colorado
Appointed January 1, 2026
Term expires December 31, 2029
Bachelor of Arts Adams State University
Jon Barba, of Henderson, CO, is a retired lieutenant colonel with the Colorado State Patrol. During his tenure as a captain, he served as Commander of the Colorado State Patrol Training Academy. While earning his degree in Sociology/Criminal Justice at Adams State, Turstee Barba was a four-year starter and letterman on the football team.
“Thanks to professors like Dr. Ted McNeilsmith (emeritus professor of sociology), Adams State provided me with the skills and academic background that laid the foundation for a successful career in law enforcement,” Trustee Barba said. “Attending Adams State was one of the best decisions I have ever made; those four years hold a very special place in my heart. I have always believed that ‘the big-time is wherever you are,’ and Adams State proved that by affording me the opportunity to receive an outstanding education while participating in NCAA intercollegiate athletics. It was there that I met my wife, Sarah (Class of 1997), and my best friend. I also formed lifelong relationships with mentors such as Dr. Jeff Geiser (emeritus professor of EPLS).”
Trustee Barba remains involved in his community through organizations such as the National Western Stock Show and 4-H—the largest U.S. youth development organization.
Duane Bussey
Retired President/CEO SLV Federal Bank
Alamosa, Colorado
Appointed December 31, 2022
Term expires December 31, 2025
Bachelor of Arts Adams State University
Duane Bussey, Class of 1982, worked at San Luis Valley Federal Bank for 39 years. He held a variety of positions in the Loan Department before becoming the Senior VP in 1999 and then served as President/CEO from 2004 until retiring in 2021.
Trustee Bussey has been involved with Adams State over the years. He served as president of the Alumni Association, the Grizzly Club Board, and the Adams State Foundation. He resigned from his position on the Foundation after 20+ years of service upon his appointment as a Trustee.
Trustee Bussey grew up in Colorado Springs and came to Adams State as a student-athlete in 1976. He felt fortunate to be a member of the Adams State basketball team for four years, learning so many life lessons from his time on the court. Trustee Bussey graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in business administration and psychology and continues to be thankful for small class sizes and outstanding professors who made themselves accessible.
Trustee Bussey has been involved in the San Luis Valley community and continues to serve on the Board of Directors of San Luis Valley Federal Bank and the San Luis Valley Trout Unlimited Board. He and his wife Lorey, Class of 1980, have three adult daughters, two of whom are Adams State alumni, and four grandchildren. He loves to follow Adams State athletics, enjoys fly fishing, and has been working to master golf and pickleball, with mixed results.
Placido Gomez
Attorney and Law Professor
Appointed December 31, 2024
Term expires December 31 2028
J.D. University of New Mexico
Master of Laws Yale Law School
Placido Gomez, Class of 1975 & 1976, completed both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Adams State, and through his career upheld the values and mission of our university, especially to serve underrepresented members of society.
Placido Gomez has been recognized for his dedication to the education of minority students, which included establishing the James Thomas Lecture Series, an annual program that brings young minority law professors to the Yale campus. The University of New Mexico School of Law honored him with the Fighting for Justice Award for his commitment to the legal education of minority students and his work with indigent and under-represented groups in the criminal justice system.
Attorney Gomez earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of New Mexico and Master of Laws degree from Yale Law School. He was a tenured Professor of Law and Associate Dean at the University of La Verne College of Law. He has also been a tenured faculty member at the Phoenix School of Law, St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio, and Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University in Houston. He also previously served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, New Mexico.
In addition, Placido Gomez taught for the American Indian Law Center at the University of New Mexico School of Law in Albuquerque, and served as an appellate judge on the Southwest Intertribal Court of Appeals and a Pro Tem Judge of the Yavapai-Apache Nation.
Karen Middleton
President of Cobalt
Appointed December 31, 2022
Term expires December 31, 2026
Master of Arts University of Colorado at Denver
Bachelor of Arts Mount Holyoke College
Karen Middleton is a longtime advocate for education and has served as an administrator, faculty member, and policy leader. Previously, Trustee Middleton served as the president of Emerge America, a national organization that trains women to run for elected office. Trustee Middleton served in the Colorado State Legislature from February 2008 through 2010, where she was the majority caucus chair and a member of the Education and Business Affairs and Labor Committees. From November 2004 until February 2008, she served on Colorado’s elected State Board of Education representing the 7th Congressional District.
Trustee Middleton’s experience includes teaching political science at the Community College of Aurora and the Metro State University of Denver. She worked for the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), eCollege, and as assistant dean of the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver. While at WICHE, she established the North American Council for On-Line Learning, an international association of online K-12 schools.
As a Colorado state legislator, Trustee Middleton continued her work in education and sought ways to create a strong bridge from high school to college. Key bipartisan policy successes include the Colorado School Counselor Corps grant program, the Office of Dropout Prevention and Student Re-engagement, and the master plan for Colorado’s post-secondary education system as well as aligning common core courses. These are lasting efforts that are serving Colorado’s students and building on years of strong public policy and implementation. Throughout her career, she has taken time to mentor the next generation of public servants, regardless of age. Trustee Middleton lives in Aurora, Colorado with her fiancé, Christian, and her daughter, Zoe. Her stepdaughters, Molly and Katie, live in New York.
Arthur M. Ortegon
Law Firm Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP (WBK) Partner
Castle Rock, Colorado
Appointed December 04, 2020
Term Expires December 31, 2024
J.D. Washington College of Law at American University
B.A. University of Pennsylvania
With a decade of public sector experience, Trustee Ortegon received professional political appointments in the Mayor’s Office for the City of Denver, Colorado General Assembly, Colorado Governor’s Office, and the White House.
Trustee Ortegon’s experience includes government relations, legal, regulatory, political, community investment, and external affairs operations within telecommunications, transportation, and mass media sectors.
Early in his career, Trustee Ortegon was a judicial law clerk for Justice Nathan “Ben” Coats of the Colorado Supreme Court and served as a Congressional Relations Assistant in the General Services Administration under President George W. Bush.
Karla Shriver
Farm & Ranch Owner
Appointed December 31, 2024
Term expires December 31 2028
Bachelor of Science Colorado State University
Karla Shriver, a Colorado native, earned her bachelor’s degree in agricultural business from Colorado State University and has extensive experience in agricultural finance, farm and ranch real estate, and crop production. Karla operates over 900 acres producing potatoes, small grains, and hay, and she manages a ranch along the Rio Grande. Trustee Shriver served two terms as a Rio Grande County Commissioner. She has served on numerous local and state boards, including Great Outdoors Colorado, San Luis Valley Federal Bank, the Outcalt Foundation, and multiple water-focused organizations such as the San Luis Valley Water Conservancy District, Rio Grande Headwaters Restoration Project, the Commonwealth Irrigation Board, and the Rio Grande Basin Roundtable, where she serves as legislative representative.
Anne Trujillo
Retired KMGH News Anchor
Littleton, Colorado
Appointed January 1, 2024
Term expires December 31, 2027
B.S. University of Colorado, Boulder
Trustee Trujillo sees Adams State as a perfect place for providing opportunities, which compliments her belief in opening doors for all Coloradans, especially those for whom higher education has not been a consideration or an option.
As a Latina and longtime Coloradan, Trustee Trujillo appreciates Adams State’s distinction as a Hispanic Serving Institution. She has experience working with urban and rural students through her volunteer work with the Denver Scholarship Foundation, providing scholarships to first generation families; and the Nathan Yip Foundation, focused on providing assistance to teachers in rural districts.
Trustee Trujillo’s career as a news anchor spanned over 40 years. She is a Latino Leadership Institute Legacy Award Recipient; and a 12-time National Association of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) Emmy winner for excellence in reporting, anchoring and breaking news coverage. She was inducted into the NATAS Silver Circle for service to journalism; and was named to the 2019 Denver Press Club Hall of Fame. She is co-founder of the Colorado Chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
Donna Wehe
Retired San Luis Valley Health
Director of Communication, Public Relations and Marketing
Alamosa, Colorado
Appointed January 1, 2026
Term expires December 31, 2029
MBA Adams State University 2012
Donna Wehe’s background includes experience as director of the Small Business Development Center and manager of Valley Educators Credit Union. She holds an M.B.A., Public Administration Emphasis, and completed the secondary education program/student teaching in mathematics from Adams State University, as well as a B.A. from St. Mary’s University.
“As a trustee, I feel that I can continue the collaborative spirit with our community that the current leaders emphasize,” Trustee Wehe said. “Adams State, along with agriculture, healthcare, tourism, and SLV businesses are interdependent. Economic development relies on the University’s workforce. The outlook for ASU is positive; even though there are many challenges ahead for higher ed, there are many opportunities as well.”
Trustee Wehe also represented SLV Health on the Grizzly Club Board for ten years, in addition to serving several other local non-profit organizations. “My husband and I have been supporters of Adams State for years. We especially love attending the music, theater, luncheons, stargazing, and athletic events.”
Zena Buser, Ph.D.
Faculty Trustee
Professor, School of Business
Elected by Adams State Faculty for term running 2025-2027
A daughter of an eastern New Mexico ranching family, Dr. Buser has spent her life and career in the agriculture industry. She earned a Bachelor of Science in agribusiness from Northwestern Oklahoma State University, a Master of Science in agribusiness and economics, and a Ph.D. in systems agriculture from West Texas A&M University.
Experiences as a research associate for WTAMU, a cattle clerk for Hitch Cattle Co., office manager for Hitch Commodities, and assistant safety director for Hitch Enterprises, Inc. prepared Dr. Buser for the classroom. “I enjoy teaching and being part of students’ undergraduate experience, that period in life where life-long friendships are forged, career paths are chosen, and students become professional agribusiness men and women.”
She joined Adams State in 2007 and continues to enjoy scholarly work and service opportunities with faculty and university colleagues in addition to teaching. Scholarly activity around issues and opportunities in the agriculture industry, business, economics, and student growth continue to inform Dr. Buser’s perspective and teaching.
Dr. Buser was inducted as a USDA E. Kika De La Garza Fellow in 2021 and continues to work with USDA partners. “Service work ensures my active involvement in divisional as well as institutional endeavors and serves as a valuable opportunity to connect with my colleagues.”
Dr. Buser has served on many committees in the division and across campus as well as at the institutional level. She earned tenure in 2012; served as the Faculty Senate President (2018 – 2021), as a Faculty Fellow (2025). “I am excited to represent my colleagues as a Faculty Trustee and bring the faculty voice into institutional decision-making conversations as well as be of service to Adams State leadership as paths forward are defined.”