Evergreen Park & Recreation District maintains a neutral position on all candidates. These bios have been written and submitted by the individual candidates themselves.

Betsy Hays

Betsy Hays, a 25-year resident, has served the public as a leader in everything from scouts to sports to PTA and nonprofits to the being the President of the Chamber of Commerce. She received the 2020 Leader of the Year Award from Leadership Evergreen, the 2020 Leadership Impact Award from the Rotary Club of Evergreen and was inducted into the Mountain Area Women in Business Hall of Fame in 2021. 

Betsy was elected to the Board in May 2022. As current Board President she leads EPRD to take care of what it has, rebuild and expand recreation and provide the community what is asked for. On plan, on budget, implemented over time. The strategic plan is in place and she is excited to work with Board and Staff to execute the plan over the next 4 years. 

Betsy and her husband John have three children that grew up in Evergreen and worked for EPRD. On serving on the EPRD Board of Directors she says, “I am honored to serve my local community by connecting the public with EPRD, the businesses, Jefferson County government, and others about how the Rec District serves us all and contributes to our way of life.” 

Learn more about Betsy by contacting her at bhays@eprdco.gov.

Ally Hilgefort

Ally Hilgefort is a mom who believes EPRD will benefit from varied Board perspectives. 

Since embracing the mom role with her 7-and-3yo girls, Ally frequents local events, knows play spots, enrolls in activities, and understands the tricky logistics and planning often required to make all that fun happen. Her day-to-day as a mom has led to spinoff volunteer gigs throughout the community. She has a Bachelor's degree in Integrated Strategic Communications with a minor in Philosophy. 

With dedicated groups like EPRD existing in Evergreen, encouraging a community environment alongside a surreal natural environment, Ally and her husband know this is 

the perfect place for their family. The Hilgeforts love to camp with their teardrop, hike, ski, bike, backpack, play disc golf, and take advantage of town festivals and other fun local opportunities. 

Ally is excited to join the EPRD board to enhance and increase those opportunities for everyone in Evergreen by keeping all community members in mind when contemplating projects, programming, events, and other offerings. Bringing various perspectives to the decision-making table creates the best versions of the current Improvement Projects and Plans, which are important and impactful additions to Evergreen for years to come. 

Learn more about Ally at http://eprdally.com/.

Peter Eggers

I have long been part of a group of citizen leaders dedicated to making Evergreen a better place to live. EPRD has given me that opportunity. As a lifelong woodworker, designer, and small business owner, I believe my skills will benefit EPRD in the years ahead. 

With the Board’s Strategic Plan now underway, I am running for the Board to help guide these projects to completion and support EPRD’s staff. 

The vision for Buchanan Park has been years in the making — from EPRD’s first land purchase in 1994 to the 2008 Master Plan and today’s Strategic Plan. I want to help bring that vision to life while remaining focused on the broader mission of the District — listening and responding to the needs of all patrons. 

I also believe the Arts play a vital role in our community. As a Board member, I will encourage EPRD to partner with the Arts whenever possible to strengthen our cultural offerings. 

It’s an honor to serve this community, and I hope to continue contributing my experience and passion to EPRD’s future. 

Learn more by contacting me at peggers@eprdco.gov

Geoffrey Erdahl 

Mr. Erdahl and his wife Kerry have lived in Evergreen since 2006 and have 2 Huskies. Geoffrey’s domain is in digital content creation mainly involved with graphics, 

photography, video, and music. Previously an Accounting/Payroll Analyst for several years and having worked in building maintenance and construction through his life, he obtained his B.S. Technical Communications degree in 2014. 

His main interest in running is to examine priorities and satisfy his need to validate the integrity of EPRD’s fiscal status for Evergreen’s constituents. His objective is “trust but verify”. 

He also wants EPRD to consider expanding its role as a partner and intermediary between Jeffco, Denver Mountain Parks, and the State of Colorado, as Evergreen is not an incorporated town (Home Rule). Thus, we have limited means of feedback on issues like wildfire preparation, street maintenance, and public land use. 

Evergreen has been without an off-leash dog park since the old one was abruptly closed in 2017. Over 30% of our residents are over 60/retired and many of those have dogs that need a safe place to walk off-leash as the owners are more susceptible to injury. Dog owners pay taxes and many wish to see action on this issue. 

Learn more about Geoffrey here: https://www.theevergreenobserver.org/geoffrey-erdahl-bio-submission

Mary McGhee 

Mary has been actively involved with EPRD for 30 years as a patron, volunteer, District taxpayer, and athletics employee on-site 4 days every week. She has a comprehensive view of EPRD from the board room to the broom closet. 

In her free time, Mary volunteers with the Evergreen Rodeo, organizes sports leagues and runs the DAR college scholarship for 4 area high schools. Mary completed the NYC Marathon twice, is a local trail runner, 1st place overall winner in the EPRD Elk Meadow trail race, a lifeguard for 7 years, volleyball player & referee, certified Scuba diver, dressage horseback rider who has jumped the US Equestrian Team Gladstone NJ cross-country course. 

Mary earned a Masters in Computer Science and has a BS in Mathematics from Vanderbilt University. She has an expansive work history in electronic data systems engineering since 1983 and has written business software for numerous Fortune 100 companies. With her current job at the State of Colorado, she works with casino operators to enact and enforce casino regulations, software field trials, and responsible gaming. 

Goal of Mary’s 2nd term is to implement project priorities from the 2024 district-wide citizen survey. 

Learn more about Mary by contacting her at mmcghee@eprdco.gov

Erin Graham 

Erin is thrilled for the opportunity to join Evergreen Park and Recreation District’s Board of Directors. She has been a resident of Indian Hills and Evergreen since 2020 and became a homeowner in Evergreen early 2024. She is running for the Board to be part of what makes our District thrive: community connection to support stewardship of our history, evaluation of present needs, and planning for future generations. 

Erin offers over a decade of specialized financial industry experience, most of which has been within the Government Banking space. She obtained the Certified Treasury Professional (CTP) designation in 2021 and FINRA Municipal Securities Representative designation in 2022. Erin is eager to contribute her time, gather input from our community, and share industry knowledge with EPRD to support relevant and fiscally responsible decisions. 

Outside of work, Erin serves as the Treasurer for a local Not-for-Profit, Rocky Mountain Weavers Guild, a fiber arts community. In her free time, she enjoys exploring Evergreen, weaving, hiking, snowboarding, traveling and reading. She is also working toward her Private Pilot License (PPL). 

Get to know Erin! Please reach out to erinforevergreen@gmail.com.

• January 1: First day to file Self-Nomination and Acceptance Forms with the DEO
• January 26 - February 20: Publication of the Call for Nominations (Notice advising of election and calling for nominees)
• February 28: Last day to file Self-Nomination and Acceptance Forms with DEO, no later than 4:00 PM.  A Self-Nomination and Acceptance Form that is not sufficient may be amended once at any time before 4:00 PM on February 28th. The DEO's office is closed on Fridays, so forms submitted on February 28th must be submitted via email. 
• March 4: Cancellation of the election if there are not more than two candidates for the election. 
• March 6: Board Candidate Orientation
• The second week of March: Bios requested from candidates. Bios will be posted on our website for the public. 
• April 16: EPRD Board of Directors Candidate Forum, 5:30 PM at Buchanan Park Recreation Center 
• May 6: Election Day – Polls open 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Voter Information

• April 7 – April 29: Absentee ballots mailed to eligible electors of the District. Application for Absentee Ballot
• April 29: Last day for voters to request an absentee ballot.
• May 6: Election Day – Polls open 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM
• May 27: Following the election and posted results, EPRD will conduct their regular Board meeting and the new Directors will be sworn in at the beginning of the meeting; official capacity as a Board member begins after required filings are complete.

On May 6, 2025, three seats on EPRD’s Board of Directors will be up for election. The three positions will be for a four-year term. If you are interested in running, please reach out to Maddy Evans at mevans@eprdco.gov to learn about Board responsibilities and eligibility.

Candidate Eligibility:

All candidates must first be a registered elector in the State of Colorado, AND be a:

• Current resident of the District within the boundary named above; OR
• The owner (or the spouse or the civil union partner of the owner) of taxable real or personal property situated within the boundaries of the District; OR
• A person who is obligated to pay taxes under a contract to purchase taxable property within the District named above.
• Information regarding voter registration can be found through the office of the Secretary of State: https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/.

To run for the Board of Directors, you must submit the Self-Nomination and Acceptance Form to the DEO by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, February 28, 2025. The form can be emailed to the DEO at mevans@eprdco.gov. A Self-Nomination and Acceptance Form that is not sufficient may be amended once at any time before 4:00 PM on February 28th. The DEO's office is closed on Fridays, so forms submitted on February 28th must be submitted via email.

Download the Absentee Ballot Application Here

Maddy Evans
Designated Election Official
Email: mevans@eprdco.gov
Phone: 720-880-1020
1521 Bergen Parkway
Evergreen, CO 80439

Cory Vander Veen
Executive Director
Email: cvanderveen@eprdco.gov
Phone: 720-880-1011
1521 Bergen Parkway
Evergreen, CO 80439