After the events of 9/11, Kris answered his calling to serve, following in a family legacy of combat veterans — including his grandfather, who landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day and endured ten months as a prisoner of war. Kris served eight years in the U.S. Army as an Infantryman and Sniper. He deployed with the 4th Infantry Division during the Iraq invasion and later redeployed as a sniper team leader before being medically retired.
Following his military service, Kris continued supporting soldiers and training operations with the U.S. Army at Fort Carson’s Range Control in Colorado Springs. After relocating to Wyoming with his family, he transitioned to the private sector as an automation technician in the natural gas industry and later founded his own logging and carpentry business.
Kris’s commitment to service extended into emergency response as a long-standing member and leader of Tip Top Search and Rescue in western Wyoming, where he served as a swift-water and ice rescue instructor and team leader. During more than a decade on the team, he participated in numerous life-saving missions, including high-angle rope rescue, helicopter short haul, avalanche response, swiftwater, backcountry medicine, and other rescue operations.
Like many veterans, Kris faced personal challenges stemming from unresolved trauma following his service. Recognizing the need for healing and transformation, he stepped into his own recovery journey, completed intensive treatment with the Marcus Institute for Brain Health and emerged with a renewed purpose. Drawing from his lived experience, he became a trauma-informed coach and current leads weekly support meetings for veterans and first responders nationwide, fostering connection, growth, and resilience.
Kris’s dedication to service, advocacy, and community impact brought him into partnership with Boulder Crest Foundation and its mission to train those who serve to thrive in the aftermath of trauma. Working alongside local and state leadership, he helped bring Boulder Crest’s transformative Posttraumatic Growth programs to Wyoming. Today, as Executive Director, Kris leads with compassion, courage, and an unwavering commitment to empowering veterans, first responders, and their families to find purpose, hope, and lifelong growth.
Kris lives with his wife of 21 years and their seven-year-old twins. His journey exemplifies the Boulder Crest belief that transformation is possible — even in the wake of struggle.
