Rick graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and has been the City Manager of La Junta since 1999. He has been with the City since 1990 where he served as City Engineer and Assistant City Manager as well as the Executive Director of the La Junta Urban Renewal. Rick has served on the La Junta Tourism Board and the Otero Museum Foundation Board.  Rick was instrumental in creating the Southwest Chief Coalition, which is a three-state rail effort to save Amtrak’s Southwest Chief passenger train in Colorado, Kansas, and New Mexico.  Rick was elected in December 2017 as Vice Chairman of Action 22 and still serves in that position.