Tennyson Center's Executive Team

Robert M. Cooper, MSW

Executive Director, 1993 – January 2004
Chief Executive Officer, October 2004 - Present
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Mr. Cooper is responsible for the overall administration of the agency, its staff, program components, institutional advancementand  fiscal management. Mr. Cooper received a Master of Social Work from the University of Denver in 1976. He also received a Practicum Instructorship Appointment from the University of Nebraska School of Social Work. Mr. Cooper started at Tennyson Center in 1976 as a Social Worker. He then became the Coordinator of the Family Therapy Program of the Meyer Children’s Rehabilitation Institute at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in 1978. He was a private practitioner in Psychotherapy for children and families and a social work consultant for Restorative Health Services in Omaha until 1985 when he returned to Tennyson Center as Program Director and then Chief Operating Officer before becoming Executive Director.

His community involvement over the years includes the Board of Directors of the Child Welfare League of America, past President of the Colorado Association of Family and Children’s Agencies and past Policy Committee Chair of the Colorado Coalition for the Protection of Children.

Richard Thorgren, J.D.

Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, October 1998-January 2004; October 2004 to Present
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Mr. Thorgren manages the operational and support departments for the agency, is the Corporate Secretary,  and serves on both the Executive and Management Teams.  He has been a licensed attorney for over 30 years, and was a litigation partner in two Denver law firms and a senior assistant city attorney for Denver in the employment law division prior to joining the agency.  In his role as General Counsel Mr. Thorgren provides a wide range of legal services, including contract review, counsel on employment and personnel matters and policies, and monitoring all licensing and corporate requirements.  Mr. Thorgren has served as a board member for over ten years on two other local non-profits, in both cases serving as an original board member and as Corporate Secretary.

 

Pamela Hricik, MSSW, LCSW

Chief Program Officer, 2008 to Present
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Ms. Hricik earned her Master of Science in Social Work at Columbia University, NY, and her undergraduate Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Miami University, in Oxford, Ohio.  Before entering the social work arena, Ms. Hricik spent time working in the early childhood education field and one year as an instructor in regional special education services on the East Coast. Prior to joining the team at Tennyson Center for Children, she spent over 12 years at Shiloh Home, first as a direct therapist, specializing in offense specific treatment and family therapy, followed by management positions such as Clinical Director and Chief of Direct Services.  She has been a Full Operating Level Treatment Provider with Colorado's Sex Offender Management Board since 2003.  She continues to participate in several work groups for the Board, and historically assisted with the development of the Standards and Management Guidelines for the juvenile population. Ms. Hricik currently serves as a Core Services Commissioner for Jefferson County Division of Children, Youth, and Families.

 

Eric Martin, J.D.

Chief Financial Officer, 2009 to Present
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Eric Martin is the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer for Tennyson Center for Children at Colorado Christian Home and is responsible for all of the financial operations and reporting for the agency.  He joined Tennyson after spending several years working in a variety of capacities across different industries.  In many ways, joining Tennyson was a ‘coming home’ for Mr. Martin, as the agency has been a significant part of his family for over 60 years.

Mr. Martin’s 17 years of professional history includes roles across many functional areas.  Responsibilities included positions in finance, accounting, operations, marketing, real estate and law.  Most of his career has been spent working with smaller organizations – he has a particular passion for small business and thoroughly enjoys the unique challenges and opportunities that come from working with them.

Mr. Martin graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.  He also holds a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Colorado at Denver and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Denver School of Law.

Eric is a Colorado native and spends his non-Tennyson time supporting his two girls’ gymnastics endeavors, cycling with his wife and running with his dog.  He also teaches a nonprofit financial management course to graduate students at Regis University and manages a small financial literacy Web site.

 

Kathy Parker

Senior Development Officer, May 2009 – October 2011
Chief Development Officer, October 2011 – Present
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Ms. Parker is responsible for the overall planning and management of the development department, including fundraising, planned giving, special events, marketing, community relations, and church relations at Tennyson Center for Children at Colorado Christian Home.  She has spent all of her career as a fundraising professional beginning with a summer job in fundraising for the Urban League in Harlem, NYC following college.  Most recently and before coming to Tennyson Center, she was Senior Director of Development at the University of Colorado College of Arts and Sciences for eight years.  Prior to that, she was Executive Director of Development and Alumni Relations for the School of Journalism at Indiana University for 16½ years.  Ms. Parker attended the University of South Dakota and took graduate courses at Christian Theological Seminary and Butler University.

Her community involvement over the years includes serving as a board member at Kennedy Home, Martinsville, Indiana; Boys and Girls Club, Bloomington, Indiana; and Common Global Ministries Board of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ.  She has also done private consulting and led numerous workshops on fundraising