WEHA BOD ELECTION 2024 & CANDIDATE BIOS

Greetings WEHA Members!

The WEHA Board of Directors election is quickly approaching and we’re hoping for as much participation as possible. Please review the following information, as this year’s election is different than previous years:

-              The election will take place electronically. The Community Foundation of the Gunnison Valley will be administering the election and counting all of the votes.

-              On June 6^th, members will receive an email with a link to vote. Voting will be open from June 6^th - June 14^th. 

-              There are 4 open seats, and more information about the candidates is attached. 

Per the WEHA Bylaws, all active members are eligible to vote in the election. An active member is any one of the following: A designated parent, stepparent, guardian, or other person who pays the participant fee for each registered player in the youth hockey programs; Coaches; active Board Members; and Adult league players. This means that you may be eligible to vote more than once and may receive more than one email; and therefore, more than one ballot. If this applies to you, please be sure to cast each ballot that you receive!

*In case you find this confusing, here’s an example: Family X has two youth players and one parent that played in adult league. They will receive 3 ballots, two designated parent votes, and one for the adult league registration. 

Results will be announced at the Annual Meeting on Wednesday, June 19^th. Thank you in advance for participating! 

Justin Biehl

Justin Biehl has been a dedicated hockey coach since 2002, amassing over two decades of experience across various levels of the sport, including youth, AAA, and Junior A. His extensive coaching career has seen him nurture and develop talent, particularly in goaltending, leading many of his protégés to excel in junior hockey leagues such as the USHL, NAHL, USPHL, and EHL, as well as NCAA Division I and Division III hockey.

Before moving to the Gunnison Valley and coaching for the West Elk Program, Biehl served as the Assistant Coach, Goaltending Coach, and Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Idaho Falls Spud Kings Organization. Prior to the Spud Kings, Biehl was the Goaltending Director for the Arvada Hockey Association in Arvada, Colorado. His coaching journey also includes significant contributions to the Boulder Hockey Club, the Boulder Bison Junior A Team, the Superior RoughRiders AAA Program, and Aspen Junior Hockey. In addition to his coaching responsibilities, Biehl has served as a Colorado state evaluator for USA Hockey Development Camps and has presented coaching materials and instruction at USA Hockey Coaching Education Program (CEP) Levels 1-3.

To date, Biehl’s coaching accolades include numerous state championships at the youth hockey level, five Quebec International Peewee Tournament appearances, four USA Hockey National tournament appearances, six CHASSA State Championships, and two USPHL Playoff appearances. Additionally, Biehl has promoted numerous goalies to the AAA level and to the Junior A levels. Currently, Biehl has goalies playing at the NCAA D-1 and D-3 levels, ACHA D-1 and D-2, and professionally in both Sweden and Russia.

Biehl graduated from Colorado State University in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health and Wellness. During his time at CSU, he played three seasons for the Rams' ACHA team, showcasing his passion and skill for the game.

Outside the ice rink, Biehl works in the construction industry and enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife, Ashley, their daughter, Addilyn, and their two dogs. His commitment to both his family and his profession exemplifies his dedication and balanced approach to life.

Gary Huresky

Hi folks, my name is Gary Huresky and I am currently the West Elk Hockey Association Vice President. The last two years serving the membership has been filled with learning opportunities, meeting some great people in the hockey community, and assisting in navigating our group through the challenges of small-town hockey. My valley journey began in 1990 as a freshman attending Western State College, now Western Colorado University. My hockey journey started roughly 7 years ago when my son, JD, started playing. I cannot tell you how much fun it has been to watch him grow as a player, a goalie and most of all a human being. His love and passion for the sport has shown me how youth sports can really make the difference in a kid’s life. It took me a few years to jump in myself as a player and now currently enjoy playing in Gunnison and Crested Butte alike. I am here to support and assist our director as well provide a product that is safe, educational, and fun! Thank you for your time and consideration.

Scott Reamer

First and foremost, thanks for considering me for the Board of WEHA. I am grateful for the opportunity to assist WEHA’s mission and hope my skills, experience, and passion will be helpful to the Board and the larger WEHA community.

My background: have lived in CB since 2004, started Jackson’s Honest in 2012 with my wife Megan and four kids, have grown that business from our kitchen to a national scale. My entire professional career has actually been in finance. I currently work as a management consultant for RSM (a tax/audit, consulting firm). Prior to that was the chief macroeconomic strategist for a $6 billion hedge fund. Before that worked at several investment banks in NYC. Undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from Lafayette College.

As some of you may know, we lost our son Jackson in 2017 as a result of his rare disease. Losing Jackson is what partly animates my desire to give back to a community that has been so supportive to us. Our youngest, Charlie, has absolutely loved playing hockey since the 6^th grade. It has made him more disciplined, more athletic, and more focused; created enduring friendships for him outside of Gunnison Valley; and exposed him to challenges that no other sport has to date. In short, he is a better person for having discovered and pursued Hockey. My hope is simple: to give as many valley athletes as possible the same opportunity to benefit from the game of Hockey as my son Charlie has had.

My name is Hailee Stanley. Over 18 years ago, my husband, Mike, and I chose this beautiful place to call home, move our business, and start our family. We joined the WEHA adult hockey league shortly after relocating and have been a part of it since. With the birth of our son, Easton, in 2011, my own "on ice" time ceased, yet my involvement when he started playing hockey at the age of three grew. I have assisted WEHA in various ways, including volunteering as manager. Additionally, Easton has played for Mountain Select since their inaugural year. I appreciate Mountain Select for the additional advancement opportunities and ice time we are provided without having to move away, and I am motivated to improve our own WEHA program. I have decided to run for the WEHA Board in order to hopefully do just that. I have the energy and desire to help not only my son, but the entire hockey community, and hope to be nominated as a board member. 

Josh Townsend Hockey Bio

I have been in the Gunnison Valley since 1985 with lots of involvement in youth Hockey. I played for the Gunnison Blades program all the way through High School hockey. I started to help coach after High School and have continued to help with youth hockey in the valley. I am a registered USA Hockey and CHSAA ice official to give back to the game and let youth players develop their game skills. I have 2 boys in the WEHA program currently (Pee Wee and Squirt) and I look forward to continuing to grow youth hockey in the Gunnison/Crested Butte Valley. 

J Wenum Biography for WEHA Board of Directors

I skated a lot as a child (recreational, figure and speed skating) and played hockey in high school. I have played hockey every year since 1996 including the fall and winter seasons with WEHA since the indoor rink was built and helped as a volunteer with team roster development for the B Major, B Minor and C leagues.  I am a level 3 USA Hockey official, having been a referee since 2004, as well as a USA Hockey referee seminar instructor since 2012 with more than 2100 games officiated at the youth, high school, college, and adult levels.  I have a B.S. in Recreation Resource Management and a Masters degree in Organizational Management.

I was part of the volunteer effort that helped build the indoor rink, including volunteer labor for some of the ice making components.  I have helped Paul Morgan with the Never Ever program as an instructor.  I have 3 daughters, 2 of whom played hockey with WEHA programs, one who was part of the U-19 Girls championship team in 2008.  My wife and I have been hosts for several exchange students who have played high school hockey.

Simply put, I love the sport of ice hockey and have been an active participant for many years as a player, parent, spectator, instructor, scorekeeper, and referee.  I was asked by a former WEHA hockey Director to be a board member, serving since 2023.  My goal is to help guide, support, and grow the sport of ice hockey in the Gunnison Valley at all skill levels and ages, providing safe facilities, quality coaches, and an atmosphere of fun and sportsmanship.

To Whom It May Concern,

My name is Jennifer Willett and I am hoping to gain a position on the West Elk Hockey Association’s Board of Directors.

I have lived in Crested Butte since 2010 with my husband and three children. I have been an active WEHA community member since my son played his first season of hockey as a Mini Mite in 2016. I have served as a team manager for 8 years. My son played on the Mountain Select team this past spring which has given me additional awareness of peer hockey organizations.

In addition to being an active hockey mom, I have also been very involved as a volunteer member of the Crested Butte PTA for 12 years and am currently the PTA Vice President of the secondary school. My role with the PTA has given me insight to fundraising, community building, and staff retention.

My interest in joining the board is to help to make WEHA a more competitive organization within the WCHL for all West Elk youth teams, increase coaching incentives and pay, boost fundraising efforts, and to overall improve the hockey experience for all players of the West Elk hockey family. 

I hope to have the opportunity to work with the members of the WEHA board to continue to grow and enhance the hockey experience for in our valley. 

Sincerely,

Jennifer Willett