The regional team members have over 200 years of collective local government experience, are your first point of contact in the Department of Local Affairs. They are your peers, serving you as trusted advisors and consultants to bring you the latest data, state services, and funding programs. They are there to guide, coach, mentor, and lead you through the best and most challenging times in local government management, through natural disasters, loss of tax revenues, and transitioning economies. They are there to support your strategic visioning, prioritization and budgeting processes. They are there to assist you in your capital planning, project development and infrastructure. View their contact information.
Regional Manager Greg Etl
Greg is the Northeast Regional Manager for the Department of Local Affairs. Prior to joining Department of Local Affairs in 2007, Greg served as Logan County Commissioner for two terms. Greg served on many boards and commissions during the two terms, including on the Colorado Counties, Inc. board, Colorado Counties, Inc. Eastern district chair, State Board of Human Services and 11 county/multi-county boards. Prior to government work including working for the Road and Bridge department, Greg spent his career in retail business management.
Greg owns and operates a dryland farm in Logan County with his wife of 33 years where they grow wheat, corn and millet along with his two adult sons.
Regional Manager Dana Hlavac
Dana is the Northwest Regional Manger and has received an undergraduate degree in social geography from Syracuse University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Denver. He has also attended advanced certification programs at Arizona State University, the University of Arizona and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He has over 40 years of government experience having served as a Captain in the United States Army, a Deputy and Assistant District Attorney, a Chief Public Defender, a Deputy County Manager, City Manager, Interim Finance Director and an Interim Budget Manager, a Court Administrator and a Development Services Administrator.
Dana has served as an Advisory Council Regional Representative for the National Criminal Justice Association, is a Credentialed Manager with the International City/County Management Association as well as a Certified Public Manager and has served on several statewide legislative joint study committees in addition to being an authorized government lobbyist for a decade.
He is married with three adult children, one granddaughter, and too many cats! He enjoys golfing, hiking and home improvement projects. He resides in Grand Junction with his wife of 25 years, Patty.
Regional Manager Chris La May
Chris is the North Central Regional Manager and has over 20 years of local government experience serving as the Town Manager of Bayfield, Colorado, Town Administrator of Elizabeth, Colorado, Senior Budget Analyst for Adams County, Colorado and Special Project Coordinator for the Town of Mt. Crested Butte, Colorado. Chris has a Bachelor’s Degree from Colorado State University and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Arizona.
Regional Manager Todd Leopold
Todd is the Central Regional Manager and has over 28 years of local government experience working for cities, counties, regional governments throughout Colorado, New Mexico and California. Prior to coming to the Department of Local Affairs in 2022, Todd served as a County Manager in California and Colorado. He has also served in various administrative and finance roles throughout the Denver metropolitan area throughout his professional public service career. Todd obtained his Bachelor’s of Science degree from Eastern New Mexico University and a Master’s of Public Administration degree from the University of Colorado at Denver.
Regional Manager Tara Marshall
Tara is the Southeast Regional Manager from the Department of Local Affairs. Prior to coming to the Department of Local Affairs, Tara worked in the City of Trinidad serving in multiple positions including the Development Services Director. Tara has served on the Colorado Economic Development Commission, the Executive Board of Downtown Colorado Inc., Startup Colorado, Colorado Tourism’s Destination Development Committee and the Colorado State Historical Fund Advisory Committee. Prior to working in local government, Tara worked for many years in the wine industry. Tara is a graduate of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX.
Regional Manager Kate McIntire
Prior to joining the Department of Local Affairs as the Northern Mountains Regional Manager, Kate served as the County Manager of Grand County, leading the community through the Covid pandemic and two wildfires including the historic East Troublesome Fire. She was also employed with the Colorado Division of Homeland Security Office of Emergency Management as the Deputy Director of the State of Colorado Joint Vaccination Task Force, helping to get the operation going alongside members of the Colorado National Guard. Prior to relocating to Grand County, Kate was the Public Affairs Director and Acting County Manager for Jefferson County. Before that she led outreach across the state for the Colorado Water Conservation Board during development of Colorado’s Water Plan. She also held positions with Ouray County, Colorado, was the Director of the Telluride Institute's Watershed Education Project, and traveled internationally promoting geoscience research for a nonprofit called UNAVCO that is funded by the National Science Foundation. Kate began her career in natural resources 20 years ago as a wilderness ranger with the US Forest Service hiking the trails in southwest CO before serving in the Peace Corps in Mongolia.
Kate lives on Lake Granby, just south of Grand Lake and the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park with her daughter, Wrenna, and son, Clay. Kate has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Michigan State University, and Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Environmental Policy, Management, and Law from the University of Colorado Denver.
Regional Manager Patrick Rondinelli
Patrick is the Southwest Regional Manager from the Department of Local Affairs. Prior to serving in this position, Patrick was the City Administrator for the City of Ouray for 13 years. Patrick also served four years on the Executive Board of the Colorado Municipal League, helping to develop strong municipal relationships throughout the southwest part of the State. Patrick has served on the Ouray Volunteer Fire Department for the past 17 years and is currently the Battalion Chief for the Department. Patrick is a graduate from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Regional Manager Randi Snead
Randi is the South Central Regional Manager and a proud multigenerational Southern Colorado native. After spending seven years in local government, Randi joined the Department of Local Affairs field team as a Regional Assistant, where she was able to work with local governments all across Southern Colorado. Her region included 18 counties, and her work included learning from amazing mentors, seeing hundreds of projects through, and a wide experience serving Colorado communities. She has a Bachelor of Arts from Colorado State University, and an MPA from Adams State University.
Regional Assistant Ted Gantzer
With almost 20 years in Public Sector service (both State and Federal), Ted has enjoyed a rewarding career in Government Finance and Program Management; previously leading a Firefighting mission for the Department of Fire Prevention and Control here in Colorado, and a training mission in Afghanistan for the Air Force. Ted holds a Bachelor's degree from Augustana College and a Master's degree from the University of Colorado-Denver. He currently supports the Northwestern (Delta, Gunnison, Hinsdale) and Southwestern (Archuleta, Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma, Montrose, Ouray, San Juan, San Miguel) regions.
The Superbowl marks the end of a long fantasy football season much to the delight of Ted's wife, Sasha. The pair enjoy traversing the Front Range with their three dogs.
Regional Assistant Gheda Gayou
Gheda has over 24 years of experience in grant management with the State. She has considerable expertise in Historic Preservation from her previous position as Deputy Director of the State Historic Fund. Gheda has a BA in History from Colorado College, a MA in Historic Preservation and a MS in Construction Management, both from Colorado State University. Her territory covers the eight counties of the Central region, the six counties of the North Central region and the nine counties of the Northeastern Region.
Regional Assistant Nichole Robillard
With over two decades supporting grantees and grant-funded projects in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, Nichole brings experience in grant and program management, contract administration, and impact reporting to the DOLA team. In prior roles, she has served on advisory boards guiding community health, education, and food systems programs. Nichole holds a B.S. in Business Administration from University of Colorado. Her territory covers the seven counties of the Northern Mountains region as well as Garfield, Mesa, Moffat and Rio Blanco counties in the Northwestern region.
Regional Assistant Desiree Sandoval
Desiree is a seasoned professional with over 12 years of experience working in local and county government. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Colorado-Denver, and has built a career focused on public service. Passionate about family, football, and food, Desiree brings a well-rounded approach to both her professional and personal life, valuing meaning connections and a strong sense of purpose. Desiree is the regional assistant for southern Colorado, which covers the nine counties of the Southeastern region as well as the ten counties of the South Central region.