Our Board
Ajay Bajaj
Board ChairAjay Bajaj has been on the Bridge of Hope Board since June 2015. Ajay is a Director with Summit Investment Management’s acquisition group where he has worked for over 7 years. Ajay has over 18 years of experience in real estate and corporate finance. Ajay’s education includes a MBA from the Anderson School of Business at UCLA and a Bachelor of Arts from Wichita State University.
He enjoys spending time with family and hobbies include golf, cycling, skiing, and other outdoor sports. Ajay lives in Highlands Ranch, Colorado with his wife of 21 years and his son and daughter.
Linda Hammond
Board Vice Chair & SecretaryLinda relocated to Colorado from northern Indiana in 2019. Linda was involved in our Bridge of Hope Affiliate in Indiana as Board President of the organization. Linda joined the Greater Denver board in September 2020 as Secretary. Linda has over 25 years experience in human resources, primarily consulting for small businesses and not-for-profits. Linda has her Master’s in Administration from Notre Dame, and undergraduate in Personnel Management from University of MO-Columbia.
Linda and her husband, Don have been married for 35 years and have three children. They live in Lakewood, CO and enjoy traveling, the outdoors, and the Colorado sunshine!
Laura Asbell
Board TreasurerLaura was one of the mentors for the first Denver BOH family in December 2015 and is still in touch with the family today. She joined the Board in August 2019 and was asked to be the Treasurer in 2020. Laura has over 40 years of accounting experience as a Controller, small business owner, and public accountant. She got her CPA 30 years ago when she moved to the Denver area from the East Coast. Currently she is a Senior Tax Manager at CBIZ, a publicly traded corporation. She has a Master’s of Taxation (University of Denver), MBA (Loyola College Baltimore) and BA (Duke University).
Laura has been married for 29 years and has a blended family of four sons and seven grandchildren. She loves to travel with her husband, children ,and grandchildren. Other interests include swimming, Zumba classes, and plans to take up quilting again upon retirement.
Marie Myhr
Board MemberMarie started volunteering with Bridge of Hope in July 2014. She serves on the program committee and has had the blessing of interviewing many of the women that Bridge of Hope has been privileged to serve. In January 2019, she joined the board. Marie works in the mortgage industry. She has four adult children and four grand children. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, hiking, biking and playing pickleball.
Nate Melchior
Board MemberAdele Funk
Board MemberAdele’s bio is forthcoming.
Shane Phillips
Board MemberShane started with TBK Bank in June of 2020 and is currently the Senior Commercial Relationship Manager. Shane has nearly 25 years of experience in banking and financial services. Prior to his time with TBK Bank, Shane worked for Colorado Business Bank, First Western Trust Bank, and J.P. Morgan Chase. Shane is a Graduate of the ABA Graduate School of Banking at the University Of Pennsylvania Wharton School Of Business and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business from the University of Denver Daniels College of Business.
Outside of business, Shane has been very active in the Colorado community. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors of Bridge of Hope, he is also a member of the Finance Committee for St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Castle Rock, CO. In 2004, Shane founded The Children’s Grief Education Association (CGEA). In 2011, he merged the CGEA into the HeartLight Center, a community based grief support and education non-profit. He served as the Board Chair from 2011 until 2014. He is also the author of First Steps: A Comprehensive Guide to Financial Matters After a Death. He served as the Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 645 for three years and on the Executive Board of the Pikes Peak Boy Scout Council.
Shane and his wife, Valerie, live in Castle Rock with their five children, where he coaches youth football and serves as the Capital Campaign Chairman for the Douglas County High School Football Program.
Ric Lukasiewicz
Board MemberRic’s bio is forthcoming.