On Sunday August 29, 2021, the Carson community elected a new CCA Board of Directors, pictured above. The new board members tell you about themselves below.
Art Wilbur, President
I have been a resident of Carson since 2006. I had been coming to Carson to visit my in-laws, Joe and Wanda Schwilling, since 1985. I was born in Chicago and attended Holton Military Academy in Watertown, N.Y. and later studied political science at Univ. of Maryland. I retired from U.S. Army Special Forces after serving in Germany, Laos, and Vietnam. I owned a petroleum trucking business while living in Bakersfield, Calif. I am married to Sharon Wilbur. I earlier served as president of the CCA from 2010 to 2015 and I was instrumental in starting the Carson Fire Department.
Scott Freeman, Vice President
I was born and raised in Oregon, and graduated from Oregon State University in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science emphasis in Architecture. In Architecture class at OSU is where I met Traci, my future wife. Traci and I started Freeman and McCall Construction LLC in a small town on Mt. Hood in Oregon. In 1999 I became a firefighter EMT with a passion for Urban Interface Protection. I graduated from the National Fire Academy in Fire Investigation, Plans Review and Urban Interface. I retired this last May of 2021. Traci and I are remodeling our house on S. Carson Road. I am the current Fire Chief of Carson NM and a member of the Carson Firewise Committee.
Jeremy Paine, Treasurer
Before moving to Carson, I spent most of my life in Virginia and Illinois and attended the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources. I worked for thirty years as a controls and instrumentation engineer for Goodyear. My wife Janie and I ran a basement recording studio. I play several instruments, but not well. After moving to Carson in 2006, I worked at the Springs at Ojo Caliente for nine years as operator of their water and wastewater systems and pools. Now that I am a retired widower, I’m remodeling my house on Ravensdance Road, cleaning up the yard and entertaining my indoor cats. I also serve on the Carson Firewise Committee.
Paul Green, Secretary
I grew up in Cambridge, England, and did doctoral and post-doctoral research in zoology/ornithology at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. I taught at universities in the UK and in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where I met my future wife, Eng-Li, on my first day in the country. On our return to the UK in 1988 I took a course to learn the skills needed to work for non-profit organizations, and went on to work for non-profits for the rest of my career, focusing on bird conservation and natural environment issues. We moved from England to southern Colorado in 1996. I worked as the CEO of two non-profits for a total of 13 years until I took early retirement in 2015 so we could move full time to the house we had bought in Carson in 2010. We lived in Bucks County PA and Tucson AZ in the interim. I have served on a number of boards, including one term as Secretary on the CCA from 2016-18 before stepping down, and I also serve on the Carson Firewise Committee.
Vonnie Zepeda
I was born and raised in Los Angeles California by two precious and young parents who instilled in me the simple values of hard-work, family and community. We had many adventures camping when I was young, and one of our favorites were the desert and mountains. My Nana and Great Nana are from the mountains in Las Cruses, NM, and I started to visit here in 1991. It was my dream to one day live here and with that set out into the world to make that dream come true. I started working with a small retail chain and was able to help grow that business tenfold as a Store Opening Coordinator, and finally Visual Coordinator. I was able to travel the States with my job, but none pulled on my heart like New Mexico. I moved here full time in summer of 2004, and never looked back. I lived in an Earthship my first 10 years and, worked at Poco Loco and the Carson Post Office for most of those years, enjoying my small-town life and community. I left NM after my divorce in 2015, for what I thought would be a small vacation, and 6 years later I returned! In my absence I worked as an Area Retail manager in the states of Texas and Washington managing operations, and personnel for 23 stores. Man am I glad to be back home! I now spend my time building my own simple home and running the Carson Cafe. I look forward to settling back into our community!
Rob Hughes
I was born in Columbus, Ohio and our family moved to Los Angeles when I was 14. After high school I was in the school of architecture for four years at University of Southern California (no degree), then two years in the Navy on an aircraft carrier during Viet Nam as a postal clerk. Then on to northwestern Ontario for five years, building houses, operating a leather craft shop, and being part of a communal farm, where I met my future wife, Barbara. In 1974 we settled in Taos, raising our family, living in several places in the area, before building our house in Carson in 1999-2000. I have worked as a carpenter-builder until recently, and also as a designer-draftsman which I am still doing.
Jerry Boxberger
I was born in Wyoming and my folks moved to Carson in 1940. I grew up here and graduated from Ojo Caliente High School (now Mesa Vista). Then I went to Adams State College (now University) in Colorado where I met my future wife, Karen, who grew up there. We moved to Santa Fe, NM, where we lived for 28 1/2 years. Karen taught Kindergarten and I worked as a Senior Engineering Technician for the State Highway Department in the Materials and Research Testing Lab until retirement. Then we moved back to the Ranch in Carson where I grew up. My folks were still planting pinto beans, dry land corn and grass, and they were running cattle too. I am also a retired Army Major.
We held our first board meeting on Friday September 3, and we aim to keep the community posted on decisions and actions we take. Let us know what you would like to see your CCA doing. Email us at CCA@CarsonNM.org.