Boys and Girls Club

Board of Directors

Our Club Board of Directors creates clubs vision, plans programs, develops funding, and more. We are looking for experienced people who are invested in this community’s youth and are excited about being a key component of this organization. If you are interested in becoming a board member please fill out an application and email it to Bruce LeClaire at bleclaire@southernute-nsn.gov.

Our Board


Edward Box III- President

“Maykh, tʉʉ’ayaqh ‘ʉmʉy pʉnikyaku̠.  Nʉnay nia Edward Burch Box III.  Greetings, it is good to see you.  My name is Edward Burch Box, III.  I was raised here in Ignacio, CO and am a Southern Ute Tribal Member.  I am the grandson of the Late Eddie Box, Sr., and Dorothy Burch Box.  I am the son of Eddie and Betty Box.  I was raised in our Ute Traditions and Culture.  I am currently employed with the Tribe as the Food Distribution Specialist. I am a former BGC Board Member and have returned to serve again. 

I strongly believe that our youth are our future, and I want to be there to support their growth into adult hood in a positive way.”

 

 

 


Jason Hotchkiss

Jason Hotchkiss is a long-time resident of La Plata County.  He is Currently the Director of Development for the Tribal Adaptive Organization whose mission is to use sports as a tool to improve the health and wellness of Native Americans with disabilities.  Jason has been involved with numerous nonprofit projects in Indian Country.  His children were participants in the Southern Ute Boys and Girls Club since its inception.  Jason hopes to help SUBGC continue to grow and thrive in its mission through organizational structuring and fundraising.

 

 

 

 


Hilda Burch

“Having been raised on the Southern Ute Reservation and off the reservation during my younger years, I have a strong relationship with my culture when it comes to teaching who I am. Upon my return home in 1995, I have worked for the Southern Ute Tribe, starting at the old Sky Ute Casino for 10 yrs. in various positions and currently with Southern Ute Tribe’s TERO Division. I am a former BGC Board member when it was first being developed and have returned to be of service to the Southern Ute Boys and Girls Club. I have seen many family members children proceed thru the club, growing and thriving as the Mission states.

Growing up we didn’t have a BGC, we had summer school programs and those were what kept us outside, learning and understanding our selves and our social skills while our families worked. My contribution to BGC is to see the children enjoy what is offered by the program, the community to flourish in harmony and with my hindsight to assist the BGC program, community and children.”

 


Amy Barry

Southern Ute Tribal Member, resident of Ignacio, Colorado, and Ignacio High School Alumni. Amy has been involved in the Tribal Government including a 3-year term on the Southern Ute Tribal Council, and Executive Officer for the Tribe’s Permanent Fund under the Late Chairman Jimmy Newton Jr. for a three-year term managing the tribal government and professional portfolio. She continues to work for the Southern Ute Tribe in collaboration with its entities for over 20 years in various tribal departments, providing services to the Southern Ute tribal membership and tribal community. Currently serving as the Tribal Information Services Director.

Amy also serves as the PIO, for the Southern Ute Incident Management Team, who is tasked with managing the COVID-19 pandemic for the health and safety of the Southern Ute Tribe and its membership.

Her youth focused activities include volunteering as a coach for Ignacio High School Volleyball team and for the Southern Ute tribal community; and being highly involved with her three children and two granddaughters.


Raymond Baker

A member of the Sothern Ute Indian Tribe, Mr. Baker grew up in the Durango, CO area and enlisted into the Navy in 1985, commissioned as a Naval Officer by the President of the U.S. in 2004 and is a graduate from Mustang University. He severed our Country for over 30 years as a Deep-Sea Diver and led/managed over twelve forward deployed missions worldwide for numerous national security line items and joint NATO operations worldwide. Twelve years of his time in the Navy was working for the Chief of Naval Operations for Special Projects, where he was the Officer-in-Charge of the most decorated diving command in U.S. military history, which is the same command he received his commission from.

After the Navy, he was employed with the Southern Ute Growth Fund as a Safety Officer and also served as the Executive Director. Raymond is now currently retired and spends his off-time volunteering as the Vice-Commander of the Southern Ute Veterans Association, Southern Ute Indian Tribe’s Board of Ethics Board Member, Adaptive Sports Association, Veteran of Foreign Wars, American Legion and an active Elks Club member. For his leisure time activities, he enjoys the outdoors (hiking/camping/fly fishing/hunting) and re-designs/fabricates historical diving equipment that has been sold throughout the world.


Crystal Kelly

In 2015, Crystal started working for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and became a resident of Ignacio. Crystal graduated from Fort Lewis College with an environmental studies degree in 2012 and obtained a graduate degree in climate science from Northern Arizona University in 2014. Crystal currently works as a Remediation Scientist for the SUIT’s Brownfields Program. Before that Crystal worked in the SUIT’s Air Quality Division for 7 years in compliance and enforcement.

In her spare time Crystal enjoys visiting the Navajo Nation with her two sons, who have been active members of the SUIT’s Boys and Girls Club since 2020.

Crystal is Navajo and her Navajo clans are listed below.

“Tóstohnii nishłí, Tł’ízí łání báshishchíín, Tł’ízí łání dashicheii, Tsé deeshgiizhnii dashinálí. I am Big Water and born for the Manygoats clan. My maternal grandfather is the Manygoats clan. My paternal father’s clan is the Rock Gap clan.”