Jerry Ambrose Veterans Council Board of Directors

Our Directors are comprised of Military Veterans and Civilians who have dedicated themselves to helping our Homeless and At-Risk Veterans.

2020 Board of Directors:

Dorn “Pat” Farrell – Executive Director/President:  

A US Navy Veteran, Pat has spearheaded the first ever and ongoing At-risk Veterans Stand Downs for the past four years. The 2015 Stand Down included 78 service providers and 130 volunteers. Pat has organized agencies as varied as the Veterans Administration, Arizona State agencies, Mohave County agencies, private companies and various organizations and individuals that provide services to our veteran population. Pat has been the major fund raiser for these Stand Downs collecting over $750,000 in cash donations, In-kind donations and volunteer donations.  Pat is also a member of the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame, President of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter #975, AZ State VVA Vice-President, Incarcerated Veterans Program Coordinator, Chapter Service Officer for the Disabled American Veterans, and belongs to the VFW, American Legion and Elks.

Robert E. Chrimes – Vice President:

Bob is a US Navy Vietnam War Veteran serving on the USS Ticonderoga for 6 years. He is a Life-time Member of the JAVC and is strongly committed to its mission and goals. Bob is also a lifetime member of the VFW and current member of the American Legion and the Kingman Elks. Since 2013, Bob has served the Kingman Elks Lodge No. 468 as Secretary, Chairman of Cooking Events, and Member of the House Committee, Membership Committee, and Veterans Services Committee. He has represented JAVC at Stand Downs, Town Hall meetings, and Elks Lodge gatherings. He has served as a volunteer driver for the JAVC Tiny Home project and other transportation needs for our Veterans in the Operation 6 Program. He brings his skills as a full-time RVer to assist JAVC in securing permanent housing for our Veterans. His strong work ethic and social network have been instrumental in promoting fundraising efforts and to gain in-kind donations for our Veterans.  

Doreen O’Banion – Treasurer:   

Employed as a Case Manager for Kingman Aid to Abused People. She has a degree in Accounting from UNLV and has participated in many local social service events. She also represents the JAVC on the River Cities United Way group.

Margaret Witt – Secretary: 

Retired: July 2000   from Clark County School District, Cimarron High School,  Las Vegas, Nevada for 18 years.  Secretary in Attendance, Registration, Dean’s Office and various offices.  Las Vegas Autorama, Show Chairman 20 years (this event is once a year) 1978 to 1998. Working  for Mohave County Voter Registration: 2014  to present 2022  Early Voting and Elections for 8 years, Kingman, AZ.  Volunteered:  Lake Mead National Recreation:  Boulder City, Nv. 2002, About 2 years, outside landscaping and maintenance; National Park Service,  Kaibab Lake, Williams, AZ,   2005-2006, 2 years, Upkeep of Kaibab Lake Campground in Winter months; Arizona State Parks:  Lake Havasu City, AZ, 2008 – 2012 4 years Gardens upkeep & worked as Park Ranger in summer; Mohave County:   Sheriff Posse, 4 years, 2014 -2018;  Secretary of the Elks Lodge #468, Veterans Committee, Kingman, Arizona for 6 years spanning  2016-2022.

Nani Chrimes – Director of Membership and Volunteers:  

Married for 50 years to a US Navy Vietnam Veteran, Nani has been a member of JAVC since 2014. The same year, Nani joined the Kingman Elks Lodge 468 specifically to work with the veterans’ programs. She combined the Elks’ Adopt-A-Vet program with JAVC’s activities to form a strong partnership with a mutual goal of supporting our veterans. She has served in a variety of positions at the Elks Lodge including Chaplain, Chairman of the Trustees, and Co-Chairman of their Veterans Committee. Nani has worked for AZ DES in Vocational Rehabilitation and DDD Residential Network assisting those with disabilities. She has obtained grants from the Elks Foundation to the betterment of military veterans including housing, move in assistance, educational materials, and promoting Buddies for our veterans. Her organizational and administrative skills have helped grow the Village of people that truly care about giving our veterans a “hand-up” not a “hand-out.” Nani is a relentless volunteer looking for others to give back to those who have sacrificed for all of us. 

Kim Casey – Director – Donor Financial Management

Kim comes to us with a sound background in Mohave County administration, civil engineering, transitional housing for the working homeless, State of Arizona project management, commercial construction project management, commercial airline facilities management.

Chris Molnar and Larry Imus – Directors of Spiritual Services

 Stephen Christopher Molnar “Chris” is a veteran of the U.S. Army first with enlisted service as a Russian linguist in Europe. After obtaining a B.A. in History, his first Theology Degree from his denomination’s Seminary in St. Louis, MO and later a second Theology Degree from The Divinity School, Yale University, New Haven, CT, he was commissioned as a U.S. Army Chaplain. He has received hundreds of hours of continuing education in counseling, drug and alcohol intervention,
critical incident stress interventions, among other areas. He has served with the Army Reserve, the California Army National Guard, and the active Army in many assignments in the U.S. and overseas in peace and war. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel with twenty years of service and receives a pension. He was injured in the Gulf War for which he has a VA disability and makes use of VA Health services. He most recently served before retirement as Senior Pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in San Luis
Obispo, CA. Chris and his wife Cathy, a professional musician, moved to Kingman in 2015. Chris volunteers as a Mentor at the Kingman Veterans Treatment Court, and at the Mohave County Library Kingman Branch. Chris has two grown children not living at home.

Heather Young – Peer Support Specialist for Operation 6

Heather Young is a peer support specialist for Operation 6, a veterans transitional housing program under the Jerry Ambrose Veterans Council (JAVC). Born and reared in Pennsylvania until 1987 when she enlisted in the United States Navy, she serviced as a mine man until her discharge in 1990. Heather attended Virginia Community College where she was pursuing a degree in Business Administration until she realized her passion was in helping others. In 2021, Heather decided to pursue a career as a Peer Support Specialist due to her passion for helping others and her first-hand experience of seeing how peer support has helped her life, Heather believes that to be a good peer, one must have lived experience coupled with compassion, humility and authenticity to be at the foundation of all that she does. Heather’s next step is to become trained as a S.M.A.R.T. Recovery Facilitator. Heather and her husband and daughter enjoy helping others within the community. They have resided in Arizona since 2016 and plan on making this their forever home.