School Board Biographies

Tom Mingen, President (2013)
Tom Mingen was elected to the Board in 2011. Tom grew up in Hotchkiss and graduated from Hotchkiss High School. After college, he worked for a healthcare system, first as a hospital administrator and then as a division senior vice president. After 30 years, he retired from that position and moved back to Delta County in 1999. Since 2002, he was employed as the administrator of Delta County Memorial Hospital. He is currently retired from Delta County Memorial Hospital.

Tom believes that the role of a board is to challenge everyone in the school system to be the very best in educating the youth of the county.

Phone: 970-527-2440
E-mail: tommingen [at] tds.net

Tammy Smith, Vice President (2013)
Tammy Smith was elected to the Delta County School Board in November 2009. Tammy was born in Delta and raised in Somerset, Paonia, Carbondale and Cedaredge. She attended Mesa College on a basketball scholarship. For the last 30 years, she has been in Hotchkiss with her husband, Mark Smith, who has worked in agriculture his whole life. Together they own a small business in Hotchkiss. They have three successful children who went through the Delta County School District before going on to become a doctor, an engineer, and a Peace Corps volunteer.

Tammy has spent 20 years working in Delta County, first at Round House Books in Delta before it closed, then at Mountain West Communication in Hotchkiss. Ever since my children were born, I have dedicated my time and energy to the Delta County School District, particularly in Hotchkiss. I have volunteered in the district for over 22 years and sat on the District Accountability for 15 years, the last 7 of which I have served as President. I have also coached at Hotchkiss High School athletics for 6 years. I believe that our future lies in the children of today and my experience within the district confirms as much. My time as president of the District Accountability Board, combined with all the hours spent volunteering in the school district has made me an excellent candidate for the school board. Together, with Delta County, I will help put children first!

Phone: 970-872-2196
E-mail: tmsmes [at] gmail.com

Pete Blair, Treasurer (2015)
Pete Blair was elected to the Board in 2011. As a resident of Delta County for over 30 years, Pete and his wife have three children that graduated from our local schools. He said their children received an excellent education and had opportunities for growth that are unique to a rural community. Pete’s experience as a CPA, owner of a business, and as an auditor working with governmental entities, has prepared him to make the difficult decisions that will have to be made over the next several years for our children and schools to thrive.

Phone: 970-856-7550
E-mail: peteblaircpa [at] yahoo.com

Cheryl Hines (2013)
Cheryl Hines was elected to the Board in 2009. Cheryl was raised and attended schools in Delta and graduated from Delta High School. She attended Mesa State College.

Cheryl currently owns and operates in partnership with her husband, Randy, a farming operation. Cheryl and Randy are also sales reps for Pioneer Hi-Bred and are CCAs. They are active in farming organizations and agencies and also in their church. They have two sons that graduated from Delta High School. Cheryl is a very interested and active Board member in supporting all students in meeting their full potential and to develop a love of learning that will last a lifetime.

Phone: 970-874-4234
E-mail: rchines [at] agscoop.com

Kathy Svenson (2015)
Kathy Svenson was elected to the Board in 2011 from Delta District 1 for a 4-year term. Kathy has been widowed twice (both from cancer) and feels that she has perhaps acquired enough wisdom in her 71 years to help guide the community. After three years at the University of Colorado, she was excused after having lost interest when an Education professor agreed with her that the course he was teaching - Psychology of Education - "went against all common sense!"

From that time on, she let life educate her. She had already entered the workforce at age 16 as a trained Nurse Aide. After university, she learned several other technical skills - welding, care for mentally challenged, billboard sign painting and horsemanship. But it was during waitressing where she met her husband (a WWII P-40 pilot, self-taught from 5th Grade). He taught her to fly and build light aircraft. In 40 years together, they designed and built several experimental aircrafts, eight homes and an Olympic-sized covered riding arena with their own hands. They incorporated both solar and wind power, animal husbandry, gardening, etc., while living off-the-land.

At the same time, Kathy home-schooled their only daughter seven of her first eight years. Leanna became an acclaimed artist, horse riding/training champion and has gone on to be awarded both Master's and Doctorate degrees. Fifteen years ago, she founded and now directs an ongoing Christian ministry in North India (TellASIA) where she established a 30-child children's home while also teaching leadership skills to indigenous Christians who have planted thousands of village churches! She is currently funding education to 23,000 children and has purchased acreage to build 100-child children’s home and a school for 400!

Kathy enjoys volunteer teaching in the Delta community - Basic Plumbing to House of Promise girls, Royal Rangers at church, Reality Ranch Bible Camp, Vacation Liberty School, a substitute for Sunday School classes, helped at the Dream Catchers Handicapped Riding facility, Vision approved for Beginning Riding and now also teaches sewing.

Kathy is proud of the influence that she had on her daughter's life and education, and looks forward to begin enabling other children to become leaders.

Phone: 970-874-1617
E-mail: kathy [at] tellASIA.org