Bob Henson

Chair

Bob Henson is the President of HK & Associates, a Salt Lake City management consulting firm, and is the prior owner of OCM, an Intermountain area consulting firm. Bob discovered Utah on his Norton motorcycle in 1975 and then moved here from New York City to ski for a year. And like so many others, he never left!

With a Ph.D. in Business from the University of Utah, and a background in business graduate administration, mining machinery, and operations, Bob now enjoys giving back. His contributions include: serving as the Board Chair of the Salt Lake City Boys and Girls Club in the 1980s, providing pro-bono consulting for United Way, working with the Westminster Gore School of Business, and currently serving as the Board Chair of Splore. Bob enjoys gardening, reading everything under the sun, and spending time with his wife, Dr. Melissa Koerner, and his children and grandchildren.

Andy Yorkin

Vice Chair

Andy is an Account Director at BrandHive with over 20 years of marketing and communications experience. He earned his MBA from Westminster College and a BA in Marketing from the University of Connecticut.

Andy is an avid outdoorsman and met his wife Sheila on the slopes of Alta. Together they have effectively brainwashed their three children in becoming Altaholics. When the snow is gone, you can find Andy searching for trout in the many Utah streams and rivers as well as mountain biking and climbing in the nearby Wasatch Mountains.

Lynn Dixon

Treasurer

Lynn grew up in Northeast Pennsylvania and moved to Utah after graduating from Clarion University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Statistics. She expected to stay a year or two and then return East but was immediately hooked on the hiking, biking, snowboarding, fly fishing and other outdoor activities that Utah offers. She has an MBA from the University of Utah and spent the last few years as Director of Accounting for Volunteers of America, Utah. She recently took a job as financial manager of the Continuing Education department at the University of Utah.

Lynn loves playing sports (you name it, she has at least tried it) and loves any time spent outdoors, especially with her family (husband Anthony, two children Aiden and Sydney, and dog, Oliver). Her first experience with Splore was cross country skiing with her “little brother” from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah in 1999.

Jason Nichols

Secretary

Jason Nichols is a shareholder at Parsons Behle & Latimer, where his practice focuses on the real estate and mining industries. Jason earned a B.A. in Accounting from the University of Utah and a J.D. from the Brigham Young University – J. Reuben  Clark Law School. He is the proud father of four boys, enjoys spending time with his better half, Pamela, and running along the back roads and foothills of Davis County.

Steve Newton

Past Chair

Steve and his wife Marie began volunteering for Splore in 2003 and Steve joined the Board in 2006. Steve has a Bachelors and Masters of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Michigan Technological University and has been managing engineering and construction projects for 30 years. Steve has been an avid outdoorsman his entire life and particularly enjoys sailing, hiking, camping, skiing and mountain biking. Steve and Marie volunteer because of the great satisfaction they get in sharing outdoor experiences with people with special needs.

Hugh Ferguson

Hugh grew up in Massachusetts, and came west for one year after getting his BA at Bowdoin College in Maine. He has lived in Colorado and Utah for the past 22 years. He previously lived in Breckenridge, CO skiing and working in the construction industry. For 10 years, he spent his summers as a guide for Holiday River Expeditions and first bumped into Splore on the river in the ’80s. He now owns his own construction company in Salt Lake City, and is a step-dad to two boys and daddy to his daughter, Lily.

Sam Falsone

Sam is the Sales Director at Spectrum Brands and has been a long-time supporter and advocate of Splore, past board member, river guide, and member of the Disgusting Brothers rock and roll band.

Lesly Allen

Lesly Allen is the Director of the South Salt Lake Arts Council. She has a Masters degree in Community Leadership with an emphasis in Arts Administration from Westminster College. Lesly has been involved in service for individuals with disabilities for 24 years. She has served on Utah School for the Deaf and Blind’s Parent Advisory Board for over 15 years, as well as 3 years serving on the Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities. Lesly also serves on the Board of Directors for Utah Arts Alliance, and is the Artist Marketplace Coordinator for the Urban Arts Festival. Lesly has a passion for community engagement, public art, and using art as a way to unite and revitalize communities. Lesly is a native of Salt Lake City, has four beautiful daughters, and enjoys skiing, cycling, and riding her motorcycle.

James Forwood

James has served in the United States Army and Army Reserve since 2002, climbing the ranks from entry-level Soldier to military Officer. After multiple “beach vacations without the ocean” to Afghanistan and Iraq, James left active duty to attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University where he obtained a BS in Aeronautics while concurrently become a Black Hawk helicopter pilot for the Army.

James joined Goldman Sachs in 2014 and relocated to Salt Lake City with his wife, Carol. James continues to serve the Army in a reserve capacity and is pursuing an MBA in Leadership from The George Washington University. In what free time remains, he and Carol enjoy fixing their hundred-year-old house and playing with their two pugs.

Charles Ralston, MD

Dr. Ralston grew up in North Carolina where he attended UNC medical school; he then came to Utah to do his residency. He completed a child development fellowship at UCLA before returning to Salt Lake City. He joined the Splore Board of Directors in 2015.

Dr. Ralston enjoys fly-fishing, golf, woodworking, basketball, and cooking (eating too!) His golden retriever Maggie, who is devoted but not too bright, keeps him company when his son and daughter are not around. Dr. Ralston chose to go into medicine to continue an interest in science without having to give up the rewarding interaction with families.

Chris Adams

Chris Adams is an attorney with 20 years of legal, business development, sales and marketing experience with extensive expertise in the eCommerce industry. He moved to Utah from Portland, Maine in 1997 and has not considered leaving since his arrival. When he’s not working, you can find him telemark and nordic skiing in the winter, and enjoying the trails, desert, rivers and mountains in the summer with his wife and two daughters. He is a die hard Boston Red Sox fan.

Susan J. Neff

Susan is a native Utahn who was raised running rivers and hiking in southern Utah and skiing in the Cottonwood Canyons. She spent time as a member of the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team and has traveled extensively throughout the world. She has a BA in Cultural Anthropology and an MS in Health Promotion and Education, both from the University of Utah.  She is currently the Hereditary Cancer Marketing Coordinator at Myriad Genetic Laboratories in Salt Lake City.

Susan, along with her husband, Chris, attend the ‘Church’ of Alta on Sundays with their two children, Eva and Harrison (especially on bluebird days) and make outdoor recreation with close friends and family a priority.