Executive Director
museum.manager@wmmi.org

Grant has lived in El Paso County since his father retired from the Air Force and moved his family here. Grant earned his first degree in Mining Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines. He was a production manager for American Strategic Metals then moved to Europe where he set up carbide recycling operations as the process engineer.

Grant returned to earn a second degree in Secondary Science Education from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Since then, Grant has taught science and mathematics in public, private and international schools. He has also been involved in small business development, corporate training, and property management in the Colorado Springs area. With Grant’s leadership, we are excited to expand our unique mining museum into a multi-faceted cultural campus for the community.

Fun Fact: Grant has been an educator and mountaineer on 6 of the 7 continents.

Operations Manager & Volunteer Coordinator
operations@wmmi.org
volunteer@wmmi.org

Allison grew up on the east coast in New York and New Jersey. After graduating from Rutgers with a degree in Biology, she completed an advanced degree in Information Technology. She worked in New York City at Blackrock before moving to Colorado. Allison worked for Douglas County in the I.T. department and Sheriff’s Office, managing technology projects. She had two kids and loves to cook, garden, and hike.

Fun Fact: Allison was a competitive figure skater through college.

Curator & Gift Shop Manager
Curator@wmmi.org
GiftShop@wmmi.org

Jaime Gorrell is the curator and gift shop manager at the Western Museum of Mining & Industry. Since joining the team in 2020 she has held various roles within the museum including rentals coordinator and assistant curator. She worked under the previous curator and historian, Dr. Richard Sauers, until his retirement in 2024. During her years at WMMI, she has contributed to numerous projects and events.
Jaime acquired her B.A. in Art History with a minor in Museum Studies from UCCS. While enrolled at UCCS, she held an internship at the Heller Center for the Arts and Humanities under Rhonda Goodman-Gaghan.
Jaime enjoys being part of the WMMI community and being involved in the continuation of its mission.

Fun Fact about Jaime: Jaime competed in Irish dancing throughout grade school and middle school. Now she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and knitting.

Education Coordinator
education@wmmi.org

Ryan was born in Chicago, Illinois, originally hailing from the Roseland area in the southside of Chicago and later moving to the northside of Chicago. After graduating from Theodore Roosevelt High School, he left Chicago and started working in the restaurant industry for a time, even working as an oyster shucker in St. Louis, Missouri. He later moved to Colorado Springs, where he transitioned from the restaurant industry to the technology and electronics industries working for places like Batteries Plus Bulbs and later Apple.

His passion has always been for the outdoors and resource interpretation which is why Ryan is currently completing his Associates of Applied Science degree in Park Ranger Technology as well as certification as a Park Ranger Specialist. His last position before joining the WMMI team was working as a Seasonal Park Ranger and Park Guide for the Helen Hunt Falls Nature Center at North Cheyenne Cañon Park for the City of Colorado Springs. Joining the WMMI team fits in perfectly with his life goal of being a great interpreter of cultural resources to the public and being able to properly care for cultural resources so they can stick around for future generations to enjoy!

Fun Fact: Ryan went to Southern Illinois University to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Robotics with the hopes of becoming a animatronics engineer. His goal was to potentially make real life robotic characters for movies, tv, and amusement parks like the T-Rex in the original Jurassic Park movies or the great white shark from the original JAWS movie

Memberships & Donations Coordinator
member@wmmi.org

Jeff joins the WMMI after working for Fundraising and Membership for the US Olympic/Paralympic Committee and The USAFA Associate of Graduates. Jeff graduated from the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO with a BS degree in Geography/General Engineering, and received his MS in Operations Management from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. In 2024 Jeff completed his doctorate in Management with an emphasis in Executive Leadership from Colorado Technical University. During his tenure with the US Air Force, Jeff served as the Director or Public Affairs with the HQ Ballistic Missile Organization at Norton AFB in California. He also served as Deputy Director of Public Affairs with the Tactical Fighter Weapons Center, and was the Thunderbirds Public Affairs Officer with USAFADS, both at Nellis Air Force base in Nevada.

Jeff donates his time and energy to many local organizations. He is an Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts of America, Former Executive Board Member, Nevada Council on Economic Education, Former Board Member and Vice-Chairman, USAF Thunderbird Alumni Association, a former member of the Colorado Planned Giving Roundtable, and past president of the Southern Colorado Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Fun Fact: In his spare time, he likes to ride his Harley-Davidson and as time permits, he travels to the motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota every year.

Marketing & Events Coordinator
marketing@wmmi.org
rentals@wmmi.org

Hunter is originally from Maryland but came to call Colorado home in 2016 where she completed both her BA and MA at the University of Denver. Before joining the WMMI team, she worked in sports, and nonprofit sectors, also finding herself in the restaurant industry as part of a new restaurant opening team. On her days off, Hunter can be found hiking, camping, and enjoying all that the Rocky Mountains have to offer. She also helps with rental coordination at WMMI.

Fun Fact: Hunter grew up on ice skates, playing hockey well into college.