About River Deep

History

Formation of the River Deep Foundation started more than 20 years ago, when small business owner and outdoorsman Bob Adwar, in his role as chairman of the Humanitarian Outreach initiative of the Denver chapter of Safari Club International, organized hunting and fishing outings for patients of Craig Hospital, the nation’s premier medical center for spinal cord injury rehabilitation. The goal was to provide a relaxing day in the outdoors to help patients understand what they could accomplish, despite their new limitations.
The program quickly expanded to include veterans’ groups as injured and traumatized American soldiers returned from war zones in need of physical, psychological and emotional healing. With their participation, the number of outings and events also increased — and so did support from generous nonprofits and companies. It became vital to solidify a shared mission and to create a new organization for easier communication and outreach. The River Deep Foundation launched in 2017.

Mission

The River Deep Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to helping military veterans and other individuals who have experienced physical, emotional or psychological trauma — and those who assist them — heal and re-engage in life through adventure, recreation and a network of support.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

We understand that if an individual is in crisis, the family is in crisis.
We incorporate participation of families in our programs wherever possible.
We believe in consistency. 
We provide diverse, year-around opportunities for participation to help people avoid returning to a state of crisis and despair.
We believe in providing an instructional foundation.
Our goal is to enable our participants to explore new interests, start a new hobby and have the confidence to build on their experiences.
We believe in the power of cooperation.
The collaboration within our alliance allows us to offer more resources to our mutual client base and to provide a sense of community.
We believe in positive and inclusive experiences.
Each individual is treated with dignity and encouraged to enjoy each experience without pressure.

Contact Info

Bob Adwar, Executive Director

303-881-0400
bob@riverdeepfoundation.org

River Deep Foundation
Board of Directors

Bob Adwar

Executive Director
bob@riverdeepfoundation.org or 303-881-0400
Bob Adwar is an avid outdoorsman and small business owner. More than 20 years ago, in his volunteer role as Humanitarian Outreach Chairman for the Denver Chapter of Safari Club International (SCI), he began organizing hunting and fishing outings for patients of Craig Hospital. The goal was to provide a relaxing day in the outdoors and show patients what they could accomplish, despite their new limitations. As injured and traumatized soldiers began to return from war zones in need of physical, psychological and emotional healing, the program expanded and started reaching out to veteran groups. As the number of outings, participants and partner nonprofits increased, it became vital to solidify the mission and to brand the organization for easier communication and outreach. Thus, the River Deep Foundation was born.

Chris Dundas

President / Treasurer
Born and raised in Colorado, Chris has enjoyed a life-long love of athletics and outdoor adventures. While growing up, his father led family camping and fishing excursions and encouraged Chris’ pursuit of athletics, which continues today in a competitive men’s hockey league. He also enjoys golfing; bird hunting; and cheering on the Denver Broncos, Colorado Avalanche and Montreal Canadiens NHL teams. Chris started his first business in the natural stone industry at the age of 21, and since has owned and operated multiple companies within the restoration and construction industries. His 35 -year career as an entrepreneur and business owner lends to his keen sense of organizational management and procurement of talented and caring individuals. Chris has been active with The River Deep Foundation since its beginning. He is hands-on in the financial operations of the organization and loves to interact with our participants, vendors and partners. He is an integral part of the foundation’s growth and evolution. Chris and his wife Melissa live in Denver with their furry family member, Rex — a non-hunting CKC Spaniel.

Russel MacLennan

Vice President
Russell was just 5 years old when his father gave him his first BB gun and introduced him to the world of hunting. He grew up exploring the ranch, tracking game, and learning about nature — eventually turning his love for the outdoors and hunting into a career. Along with his family, Russell runs Colorado’s premier dog training facility and upland bird club. He is also a licensed outfitter and spends his falls guiding big game hunts in eastern Colorado. While hunting is his livelihood, Russell is passionate about educating and encouraging new hunters. He teaches hunter safety for the State of Colorado and has sponsored youth hunting events for several organizations. He believes today’s modern sportsman needs to be an advocate for hunters’ rights and conservation and involved in education that promotes and preserves our nation’s hunting heritage.

Corinna Peters

Secretary
By day, Corinna is an IT software professional. When she’s not at her desk, her passion lies in the outdoors, guiding hunts, fishing, traveling, spending time with her dogs, and volunteering to help others. After meeting the River Deep Foundation team at a sporting clays shoot in eastern Colorado, Corinna — who has immediate and extended family members serving in the military — decided to get involved. She has volunteered to support Anglers of Honor and the River Deep Foundation since 2018.

Susan Williamson

Board Member

Susan Williamson became involved with River Deep in 2013. The organization had a profoundly positive impact on her life because it recognized that when a soldier is in crisis, the whole family is in crisis. While attending various River Deep programs with her husband — fellow Board Member Chuck Williamson — Susan learned new things and eventually embraced being pushed out of her comfort zone because that ended up building her confidence. After being involved as a client for a few years and doing some healing, Susan started volunteering with River Deep in 2018 because she wanted to help others through the same programs that had helped her and her family. Susan has a master’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Colorado State University and a bachelor’s degree from Colorado College. She has always loved horses and being outdoors — and now, thanks to River Deep, she enjoys fly fishing and clays shooting.

John Jugl

Board Member
John Jugl is vice chairman of Newmark Knight Frank Capital Markets’ Western Region, and he serves as a regional lead for Newmark Knight Frank’s Denver institutional investment sales platform. An integral part of the firm’s Western Region Capital Market Group, John leads a team focused on the disposition and acquisition of investment properties on behalf of clients throughout the western United States. With more than two decades of experience in the commercial real estate and finance industry, John has completed investment sales transactions valued at more than $4.5 billion and has provided strategic advisory services on more than 20 million square feet of corporate real estate assets. When he’s not in the office — and even when he is — John is a passionate supporter of Anglers of Honor and the River Deep Foundation, often attending events, developing fundraisers and seeking to bring even more volunteers into the fold.

Chuck Williamson

Board Member
Chuck Williamson served 17 years in the U.S. Army and was medically retired as a Sergeant First Class. For the first nine years of his service, which included deployment during Operation Desert Storm, Chuck was an Armor Crewman and held every position on a tank: loader, driver, gunner and tank commander. He also held several leadership positions, including Head Cadre – Instructor for Individual Readiness Training for Bosnia rotations and Platoon Sergeant, overseeing 15 soldiers. Chuck eventually became an Army Recruiting Station Commander, supervising recruiters. He is the recipient of many awards, badges and ribbons, including: Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal (2), Army Achievement Medal (4), Army Superior Unit Award, Army Good Conduct Medal (5), National Defense Service Medal (2), South West Asia Service Medal with Bronze Service Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, and Army Recruiter Badge – gold with 3 Sapphire Achievement Stars and Recruiter of Excellence Award from the Army’s Chief of Staff. He also achieved the Recruiter Ring and the Glenn E. Morrell Medallion.
Chuck is deeply committed to helping fellow veterans overcome physical and mental injuries and has supported various organizations and initiatives aligned with that mission. Since 2013, he has helped coordinate events for Denver SCI Humanitarian Outreach Program (SCIHop). He also has volunteered with Rocky Mountain Hyperbaric Institute, helping vets complete therapy programs. In 2017, Chuck again raised his hand in volunteer service, this time for the River Deep Foundation, where he has served as a lead point person and development coordinator of River Deep’s Vet-to-Vet Mentor Program.

Dave Loucks

Board Member
Dave has more than 30 years of business experience in public accounting, consulting, and private enterprise — and expertise in the oil and gas and tech industries. In his 14 years of public accounting, Dave managed audit engagements in energy and technology. He also has worked as chief financial officer of an INC. 500 international software company. In 2007, Dave co-founded the Assent brand of specialty accounting solutions for the oil and gas industry. The company sold to Opportune, where Dave now works in business development. Dave is a graduate of the University of Denver and is a Certified Public Accountant in Colorado. He is also on the Board of Directors at the Rocky Mountain Victim Law Center and the Colorado Society of CPAs.

Neil Maday

Board Member
Growing up in Michigan, Neil was fortunate to enjoy fishing, camping and the outdoors with his family. After graduating from Northwood University in Midland, Mich., he moved to Glenwood Springs, Colo., where he designed custom cabinetry and millwork for residential and commercial ski town developments. In 2009, Neil opened Greenwood Cabinets & Stone, a full-service kitchen and bathroom showroom in Littleton. He and his staff work with builders, contractors and homeowners, completing projects in metro Denver and throughout the state. The company also is involved with the Denver Rescue Mission and Habitat for Humanity. Neil lives in Castle Pines with wife Wendy, son Nicholas and daughter Sophia, and they enjoy the the outdoors together. Neil and his family are proud to help enrich the lives of wounded veterans and those with physical challenges by making ways for them to experience Colorado’s great outdoors with River Deep Foundation and Anglers of Honor.

Gary Verrazono

Board Member
I am thrilled at the opportunity to introduce myself to you. My name
is Gary Verrazono. I am a USMC veteran from the East Coast who
moved to Denver from Las Vegas, Nevada, at the end of 2013. I got
involved with River Deep as a participant in 2014, started
volunteering around 2020, and continued to get more involved as
time went on. In 2024, I was asked if I would join the board and try
to make a difference as a Board member for River Deep.

My connection to the causes I support is profound. I was a board
member for a non-profit group, Adaptive Adventure, from 2021-
I started as a participant and continue to volunteer there.
Adaptive Adventure focuses on helping Veterans and civilians,
including children with a physical disability.

As the Vice President and event coordinator for Lim359, a non-
profit that focuses on individuals with missing limbs, including
young kids, I have been instrumental in organizing and executing
various events and programs that have positively impacted the
lives of our beneficiaries.

J.R. Lapierre

Managing Director, Lincoln Hills Cares
J.R. enjoys skiing, camping, fishing, hiking — and breaking down barriers and increasing opportunities for everyone to enjoy the outdoors. He has worked with an array of nonprofit organizations to build capacity for participants and develop programming. He also has extensive experience working with schools to provide sports and recreation and other outdoor education programs. Through his work as Managing Director of Lincoln Hills Cares, J.R. helps make some of Colorado’s most prestigious and pristine Colorado fly-fishing waters available to River Deep participants. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut and a Master’s degree in Sports & Recreation Management from Northeastern University.

Robert F. Smith

Co-founder of Anglers of Honor and Primary River Deep Foundation Donor

Philanthropist, businessman and investor Robert F. Smith is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners (Vista), a leading global investment firm that exclusively invests in enterprise software, data and technology-enabled businesses. Since Vista’s founding in 2000, Smith has helped the firm develop an industry-leading approach to enterprise software investing, which has led to Vista being recognized as the 2023 Global Technology Private Equity Firm of the Year by Private Equity International (PEI). In addition, Smith serves as Chairman of Carnegie Hall and was named by Forbes as one of the 100 Greatest Living Business Minds in 2017.

Smith’s work is not limited to Vista or Carnegie Hall. He also has helped to inspire and create opportunities for Black communities and others who lack access to resources and opportunities through his philanthropic efforts. In 2019, Smith made one of his most well-known philanthropic acts to date by eliminating the student loan debt of the Morehouse College graduating class and the student loans held by their guardians on their behalf. To reach more students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), Smith helped to create Student Freedom Initiative (SFI), where he serves as Chairman. Smith also co-leads Southern Communities Initiative (SCI), a catalytic program for accelerating racial equity across six Southern communities that represent more than 50% of the Black population in the U.S.

In 2008, Smith partnered with entrepreneur Matthew Burkett to co-found Anglers of Honor, an alliance managed by the River Deep Foundation. Anglers of Honor is a Colorado-based charity organization that provides fly fishing opportunities to current and former members of the U.S. military and individuals who have experienced brain and spinal cord injuries. Through his work with Anglers of Honor, Smith made a generous donation to establish the River Deep Foundation.

Smith developed a deep love for fly fishing and the environment throughout his childhood in Denver, CO. Environmental conservation and access for all are core tenets of Smith’s philanthropic work. For example, in 2014, Smith became the founding director and President of Fund II Foundation. Fund II Foundation works to help preserve the environment and promote the benefits of the outdoors, especially for those who may otherwise have limited opportunities to do so, among many efforts focused on communities that lack access to opportunities.

Learn more about Smith by following him on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and (X) and subscribing to his YouTube channel.

Robert F. Smith outdoors by a river wearing sunglasses and smiling while he holds a fish in his hands