Cochise Family Advocacy Center Lori's Place Board of Directors
Mike Rutherford - President
Mike Rutherford is the President of Rutherford Diversified Industries, Inc., a General Engineering Contractor currently engaged in fiber optic and outside plant construction in seven western states. Mike is also a partner in Groth, Rutherford & Scott, LLC, which has several office buildings in Sierra Vista. In 2015, he built the Cochise Family Advocacy Center Lori's Place in Sierra Vista. He is the Past President of the Southeastern Arizona Contractors Association and is currently Treasurer. He is also the President of the Arizona Folklore Preserve Board of Directors, located in Ramsey Canyon in the Huachuca Mountains, which provides live music 40+ weekends a year.
In 2009, The American Business Defense and Advisory Council, by Newt Gingrich, awarded Mike the Entrepreneur of the Year award for the State of Arizona.
In 2015, The Arizona Hall of Fame Society awarded Mike the Copper Eagle Award for "outstanding patriotism and a unique combination of leadership and compassion whose actions warrant high recognition for services rendered to the Arizona veteran's community."
His company built the Historical Soldier Relocation Project. This is a "period" cemetery within the Southern Arizona Veterans Memorial Cemetery where victims of the Civil War battle at Picacho Peak, Arizona, are interred.
In 2019, his company built the Gold Star Mothers monument in the Southern Arizona Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Sierra Vista.
William Owens - Vice President
William Owens is a rare blend of senior leadership from within the military as a former U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, and corporate America officer. Throughout his 28-year military career and being a civilian manager, he has proven his ability to build productive teams, apply a direct communication style, advise senior leaders and stakeholders, and make recommendations and issue guidance for leader's plans and programs, as well as building sustainable programs delivering replicable results for the community.
He holds degrees in Communications and Electronic Technology supported in areas of total quality management, physical security, risk management, and leadership training, and serves as a Terrorism Liaison Officer for the state of AZ.
As a Cochise Family Advocacy Center Lori's Place representative, he is comfortable speaking to all echelons and responding to questions concerning the staff's readiness to support the community.
William excels at developing and implementing policies, negotiating challenging issues with leaders, and delivering positive results.
He leads a men's bible study and Christian Foundations intending to better a person's relationship with God. Completed School of Ministry through Calvary Chapel Sierra Vista (AZ). Teach His truth, and all will have Him in their lives.
He has deployed to Afghanistan and parts of Asia and Europe, being boots-on-ground as a Senior MP Officer and providing guidance, recommendations, and approaches for the mission's success.
William has been awarded the following: Defense Meritorious Service Medal, NATO Medal, Afghanistan Medal, Defense Achievement Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and Humanitarian Service Medal, to name a few. Additionally, as a former military officer, he seeks to continue to support the community through Lori's Place, ensuring their clients are prepared to handle and recover from any crisis that may come.
Loraine Rutherford - Secretary
Loraine "Lori" Rutherford is the founder and current acting secretary for Cochise Family Advocacy Center, which was founded in 2015. Lori is a Registered Nurse, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner for Adults, Adolescents, and Children. She is also a Certified Nurse Coder/Auditor. She was employed at Sierra Vista Community Hospital for over 35 years, working in almost every capacity, including nursing supervisory responsibilities for the hospital after regular work hours.
As a nurse in the Emergency Department, Lori identified the need for a better way to care for and treat victims of violent crime away from the hospital. She and her husband, Mike, bought the current home of Lori's Place. After much sweat and tears, the doors opened to serve our community in 2016. We work closely with law enforcement to provide the best care in the crisis and provide follow-up advocacy and counseling free of charge for our victims.
Lori has been a resident of Sierra Vista since 1976, when she and Mike came here for their work and decided to stay put and raise their 2 children here. Lori is active with 1200 Club, Veritas Christian Community School, and The Arizona Folklore Preserve and attends Calvary Chapel. She and Mike have been married for 56 years and love Sierra Vista.
Dr. Randall H. Groth - Treasurer
Dr. Groth owns Groth Development Services, a real estate development company, and Economic Technologies, a real estate holding company. He is also Co-Owner of Groth Rutherford Properties, an investment firm owning Commercial Office Parks, Ranching, and Aerospace Engineering.
Dr. Groth formerly served as the Chief Executive Officer of a Defense Contracting Company, Associate Vice President at the University of Arizona, and Founding Dean at the University of Arizona South. He served as the Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army for Arizona under three Presidents and seven Secretaries. Dr. Groth taught Accounting, Business, and Economics at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and is published; he and his wife, Jan, have two children.
EDUCATION:
Ph.D., University of Arizona, 1990
Master of Arts, University of Northern Colorado, 1981 Bachelor of Science, Missouri State University, 1974 MILITARY SERVICE:
1975 - 1977 Officer, U.S. Army Signal Corps 1977-1981 U.S. Army Reserves.
Cochise Family Advocacy Center Lori's Place Board of Directors cont'd
Marco Madrid - Board Member
Marco Madrid is an analyst for a local Sierra Vista law enforcement federal agency and has been a resident of Sierra Vista since 2001.
Marco served the community of Cochise County from December 2001 to 2021 as a Sierra Vista Police Department Police Officer. During his 20-year law enforcement career, Marco served in different capacities, including patrol, Narcotics Detective, Patrol Corporal, Public Information Officer, and Narcotics Detective Sergeant. He has taught hundreds of public school staff members classes ranging from narcotics prevention to active killer courses. He and his beautiful wife, Grizelda, have two children.
EDUCATION:
Bachelor of Science in Occupational Education, Wayland Baptist University, 2007. Associates in Law Enforcement, Central Texas College, 2001
MILITARY SERVICE:
Sgt, U.S. Army, Field Artillery Airborne, 1995-2001 Sgt, U.S. Army Reserves, 2001-2007
Michelle Rutherford Absalon - Board Member/Marketing Director
Michelle Rutherford Absalon is the Community Outreach Coordinator and Marketing Director at Cochise Family Advocacy Center Lori's Place. As well as working at Lori's Place, Michelle is the Office Administrator and Marketing Director for the Southeastern Arizona Contractors Association. Previously, she worked as a Registered Nurse for 15 years and has 26 years of experience in the medical field.
She has organized several industry events, including the Lori's Place Annual Golf Classic, the SACA Annual Charity Golf Classic, and monthly Speaker Series Luncheons. She has done interviews on KWCD, Cool FM Online, and KOLD News. She also assists in fundraising events and is on the Board of Directors for Lori's Place.
Michelle is native to Arizona and grew up in Sierra Vista, graduating from Buena High School in 1995. She then moved to Flagstaff to attend NAU for a year and a half before deciding to move to Peoria, AZ, for 12 years. While living in Peoria, she worked in dialysis for multiple years and attended Mesa Community College at their Boswell Campus, where she graduated with her Nursing Degree in 2005. Michelle moved to Las Vegas, NV, for a year for work, where, in 2009, her daughter Ryley was born. She moved back to Sierra Vista in March 2009 and has been between Sierra Vista and Peoria ever since.
In her spare time, Michelle loves riding horses, working in the yard, hiking in the canyons, fishing, and rock hounding. She also helps organize and maintain the yard at Lori's Place and a few properties for her dad.