Rocky Mountain Rural Health Staff

Rocky Mountain Rural Health is governed by a 6 member Board of Directors.  These volunteers are community members from throughout Park County and other Colorado communities.


Dale Fitting, PhD — President

Dale Fitting has been a board member of Rocky Mountain Rural Health since 2004.  Currently he is serving as Board President.

Dale is a physicist and engineer as well as a small business owner in Fairplay.  The business and industry acumen he brings to RMRH is invaluable to the vision, outreach and effectiveness of the organization.  His career in science and industry brought him in contact with government and granting agencies which gives him unique insight into operating effectively within the scope of regulatory agencies and grant making.




Susan Canterbury — Vice President

Susan Canterbury joined the RMRH Board in 2016 and is now serving as Vice President.  She graduated from Beth El School of Nursing in Colorado Springs in 1993 and she has been in nursing ever since.  She is currently the Head Nurse at Park County Detentions.  Susan is a long-time resident of Park County — over 30 years in Fairplay and has raised all of her children here.  Susan is very well aware of the challenges of South Park and is always ready and willing to help.




Jane Newman — Secretary

Jane has been on the RMRH board since 2017.  She has a bachelors degree and a masters degree in Special Education from the University of Central Arkansas.  She founded and was the Executive Director of a non-profit for helping individuals with significant disabilities find jobs — H.I.R.E.  After 10 years with H.I.R.E. she and her husband moved to Colorado.  The mountains were calling them, and they were excited for what was to come.

After a brief time as a special education teacher with Park County Schools, she became the principal of South Park Middle and High School.  She retired after 16 years.

Her desire to be on the board of RMRH is a continuation of her personal goals to help people in need and to help them meet their maximum potential.  She is also the executive director of the South Park Food Bank.  Hunger and health go hand in hand and Jane is encouraged by the services RMRH offers and the dedication of the staff.




Kathy Fitting, MD, FACP — Treasurer

Katherine Fitting joined the board of directors of Rocky Mountain Rural Health in 2013 but has had an ongoing relationship with the organization since 2004.  She currently serves RMRH as Treasurer and Board-Staff Liaison.

Katherine is a medical doctor retired from clinical practice.  For seventeen years she was a kidney specialist in Denver.  In 2004 she took up practice in Fairplay as a primary care doctor where she served the community until her retirement in 2013.  Her calling as a doctor and her experience in a medically underserved area have created a foundation for the board to realize the vision of improving access to health care in Park County.




Julie Mower — Member at Large

Julie Mower was appointed to the RMRH Board in 2021.  She holds a BSN from the University of Northern Colorado and an MSN (Clinical Nurse Specialist) from the University of CO Health Sciences Center.  She has worked in perioperative nursing for over 40 years.  She recently retired from the Competency and Credentialing Institute (CCI), where she worked as a nurse manager and educator for over 13 years designing programs and resources for OR nurses to aid them in the provision of safe patient care.

Julie is excited about this opportunity to devote her organizational skills and healthcare knowledge towards assisting Rocky Mountain Rural Health to provide timely, effective, and affordable health care resources to Park County residents.




Cathie Groome — Member at Large

Catherine Groome was appointed to the Board in 2017.  She shares the passion for Park County residents and meeting their needs with RMRH.  Cathie has been a Park County resident for a total of 19 years.  Graduating with a Bachelor of Science in accounting, Cathie is currently a substitute teacher for Park County RE-2 Schools.




Julie Thornton — Member at Large

Julie Thornton was appointed to the Board in 2018.  She has her Masters in Physician Assistant Studies and has been practicing for over fourteen years.  Her love for the mountains and outdoors brought her to Colorado where she has been practicing as a Family Practice/Urgent Care Provider for 5 years.  The mission of a physician assistant is to enhance public health and improve access to health care.  She has a strong passion to improve access to medical services in Park county and joined the board to fulfill these ambitions.