RUGBY COLORADO
About Rugby Colorado
Rugby Colorado is committed to fostering a community dedicated to growing the sport at all levels through innovative programing, community engagement, and support for our players, coaches, and volunteers. We aim to inspire and develop athletes of all ages through the values of respect, community, and passion.
BOARD MEMBERS
BOARD PRESIDENT
SHANE DOYON
Shane has over 20 years of experience in the fire service and is a battalion chief for a fire department in Northern Colorado. He is also a successful entrepreneur, having owned multiple small businesses throughout his career. Shane is currently enrolled in a Master of Science program in Leadership and Human Resource Development at Louisiana State University. Before this, he completed his B.S. in Fire and Emergency Services Administration at Colorado State University in 2013. He is certified as a Tactical Strength and Conditioning Facilitator (TSAC-F) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). Shane also runs the health and fitness program at the fire department.
Shane participated in football, baseball, and wrestling in his youth. He became engaged in rugby when his sons started playing in 2015, and he has since become a level 200 coach that has helped with the Larimer Knights and now Fort Collins Hammers. He loves the culture around rugby and how inclusive of a sport it is.
Shane is married to his wonderful wife, Katie, and very proud of his three sons, Blake, Cole, and Gavin. All three play rugby at the TRY and HS levels. He enjoys spending time with them and staying active.
VICE CHAIR
COLIN O'BRIEN
Colin O’Brien is a senior product management professional, with 20 years working in a variety of business roles at Boeing (and subsidiaries), and retired loose-head prop with many stories about times he “took three against the head”.
An alumni of the University of Plymouth (UK), Colin has a background in engineering and I.T., but has been working in the aviation sector for the last 25 years. He is currently responsible for overall product strategy for Boeing’s next generation flight planning and operations solutions.
Colin has been involved in rugby in Colorado since 2016, both as a coach and administrator for the “Try” club Parker Wolfhounds, and also as an assistant coach with Titans (Legend) High School boys.
SECRETARY
KELLY ABBOTT
Kelly has spent over 30 years working with at-risk youth in the behavioral health and juvenile justice systems. She is currently working in public safety engaging in system improvement and policy work to improve outcomes for the youth of Colorado.
In addition, she works to administer grant funding to local law enforcement and community-based organizations to support public safety initiatives.
Kelly grew up in the northeast and moved to Colorado in the early 90’s. She was initially introduced to rugby during college and enjoyed watching her friends play. Her two sons started playing rugby at five years old. Her youngest plays for the Glendale Youth Rugby Team and will soon transition to high school rugby.
While her children participated in “TRY” she appreciated the positive culture and grew a connection to the rugby community. Kelly joined the Rugby Colorado Board to become more involved with growing youth rugby and creating more rugby opportunities across the state. She brings her knowledge of organizational structure, strategic planning, grant funding, and building community partnerships to the organization.
TREASURER
CHAD MANN
Chad is a Level 3 certified Coach, and was on the staff of the Monarch High School Girls program from 2018 through 2022. Chad has recently become Head Coach of the Boulder Rugby Football Club High School Girls Team. In addition to coaching high school, Chad has coached Try, summer camps, been on the Staff of an international high school match against New Zealand, and has led teams in national 7s tournaments. He has coached players who have signed rugby scholarship offers from Brown, Lindenwood, Lander, and Central Washington.
Chad has been on the Board of Rugby Colorado since 2020. He developed a love for rugby while living in Australia, and was lured into coaching by his two daughters. His Wife, his Son live in Erie, Colorado. Professionally, Chad works in pricing for Oracle.
LEGACY DIRECTOR
HUGH MILLER
Hugh began his rugby career in 1990 at the University of Rhode Island. He continued to play at Arizona State University from 1992-1995, then at Grad School at University of Northern Colorado from 1995-96. In 1997 he formed the Highplains Scorpion Men's Club in Greeley and also Slaughterhouse Youth Rugby team that began his coaching career.
In 1999 Hugh moved to the Evergreen area and began teaching at Platte Canyon High school and formed Bailey Youth Rugby/PAC girls and boys teams. He also continues his playing with the Denver Harlequins, Gentlemen of the Blue Goose Rugby Club of Breckenridge, Classic Eagles and Misfits travel team. In 2010 he along with two other rugby dads created Mountain Youth Rugby TRY program for 5-15 years olds in the Evergreen/Conifer area.
Hugh joined the Rugby Colorado Executive Team in 2013 and became President of the Board in 2014-18 and continues on Rugby Colorado's Executive Board. He has a wife and two boys that have been playing rugby since they were 4 years old. Professionally Hugh has been a high school social studies teacher since 1997.
AT-LARGE MEMBER
DARBY SARASON
Darby grew up in the mountains of Colorado and has lived here her whole life. She loves the state and all that it has to offer. Darby found the rugby community through work in the mental health field and was drawn to the positive and connected community environment.
Over the last 20 years Darby has worked in the mental health field with at-risk youth, adults, and organizations. She currently runs a private mental health practice specializing in trauma and suicide prevention. She has spent much of her career working with organizations to design and implement mental health support systems and programming.
Initially, Darby worked with Rugby Colorado to implement programming and provide administrative support. During the pandemic, she transitioned to the Board of Directors to remain involved with the organization. She enjoys the challenges of a non-profit organization and believes that the rugby community is worth investing in.
Girls Rugby Development Committee
JEN SCHWAB
Jen started playing rugby when she was 15 years old with the first Fort Collins Youth Rugby Girls Team in 2000. With FCYR she had the honor of winning two Colorado State Championships and two National Championships! Jen played rugby in college with Baylor University and then the University of Colorado at Boulder after transferring her sophomore year. She was a member of the Eastern Rockies Rugby Union select side team my last two years of college, and a captain her senior year. Jen was also a member of West Regional Select Side Team her last year of college.
At CU Boulder she was nominated as Club Sports Female Athlete of the Year and selected as a USA Rugby Second Team All American. After college she played for the Glendale Raptors and eventually had to retire from playing rugby.
Years later once of her students was playing rugby for the Fort Collins Hammers and she convinced Jen to come out and start helping. She has been helping with the Hammers High School Girls Team since 2017, and became head coach in Spring of 2020.
She has three young children who participate in TRY Rugby and she helps out with their teams. Jen says "I am proud that the Hammers High School Girls programs is one of the longest running girls programs in the state with a rich history of success. We have been at the forefront of bringing 15s rugby back to Colorado for the ladies for the past two years and I am excited to see rugby grow for young women in Colorado!"
Community Development Committee
ROB QUICKFALL
Rob was born and raised in South Africa where he played rugby from a young age through to high school and then on to club rugby with Villagers Rugby Club. He also played briefly in Dubai for the Dubai Exiles and in Florida for the Boca Raton "Buccaneers" Rugby Club. He moved to the UK in 2005, where he coached youth rugby at Rutlishians Rugby Club. Here his daughter also play and has recently relocated to Colorado with this family. Rob is currently coaching for Glendale Youth Rugby.
Rob has over 17 years of experience in hospitality operations. He started a hospitality consultancy and procurement company in the UK. After the Covid 19 pandemic, Rob diversified and entered into the realm of waste management and environmental solutions. He looks forward to helping grow youth rugby in Colorado and building a greater sense of community.
STAFF
Executive Director
Chris Phelen
From the first time Chris stepped on a rugby pitch as a freshman at Princeton University, rugby became a distinct part of his life. Since college, he has played for Second City Troop in Bryn Mawr, PA, the Washington Irish in Washington, DC, and now the Denver Highlanders Old Boys in Denver. He has also coached youth rugby and is the parent of two rugby
players.
In his professional life, Chris is a founding partner of Art & Science Collaborative, where he leverages his government, political, legal, and business experience to develop venture and advisory projects across the for-profit, nonprofit, and government sectors. In this role, he advises partner and portfolio companies, serves in c-level positions, and sits on the advisory and governance boards for both internal and external companies. In early 2024, Chris briefly ran in the primary for the U.S. House of Representatives in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District.
Previously, he was chief of staff to a Member of Congress from Colorado and co-founded and served as general manager of a Club Z! In-home Tutoring franchise while attending law school.
Chris volunteers – often in a board capacity – for a host of nonprofits and is a past member of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Regulatory Fairness Board. He is also a coach with Team Summit’s Alpine Race Program and the Landsharks Running Club. Chris received his Juris Doctor from Villanova University School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts from Princeton University. He currently resides in Castle Rock, CO, and when he is not playing or watching rugby, he enjoys skiing, mountain biking, hiking, rafting, climbing, and everything Colorado with his wife and two sons.
cphelen@rugbycolorado.com
MARKETING DIRECTOR
Lucy Barksdale
Lucy was born and raised in Colorado and has her degree in Public Relations and Marketing from the University of Northern Colorado. She has worked in rugby for over 15 years. After eight years with USA Rugby running the Membership Department reach more than 100,000 members, she moved on to work independently for college rugby programs eligibility, events, marketing and membership.
Now, Lucy is dedicated to promoting youth rugby with Atlanta, New Mexico and Colorado. She lives in Colorado with her family and enjoys all the outdoor adventures available here.
High School Director
Bret Hann
Bret started playing rugby in 1986 at age 22. He played club rugby with The Denver Barbarians for most of his career but also had stints with Santa Fe Santos, Des Moines RFC, and George Mason University. He finally retired from rugby, winning both the O55s and O60s Championships at Ruggerfest with The Kansas City Blues Brothers in 2024.
Bret has coached for the Denver Lions TRY team, SWARM/Westside/Arapahoe girls team, and North High School Boys in Denver.
Bret's overarching interest for rugby in Colorado is to build structural relationships between clubs: youth, high school, college, adult, to better use our scarce resources through cooperative relationships.
bret@rugbycolorado.com
TRY League Director
Nikki Dallocchio
Nicole Dallocchio is a recently retired U.S. Army Officer with 24 years of distinguished service, bringing extensive leadership, organizational, and talent-development experience to Rugby Colorado. A former elite rugby player and long-time advocate for the sport, Nicole has represented the All-Army Women’s Rugby Team and competed at the national level with the Glendale Raptors WRFC and Rocky Mountain Women’s 7s.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education from Eastern Michigan University and a Master of Science in Exercise Science from Pennsylvania Western University. Nicole is both a USA Rugby L200-certified coach and a Level 100-certified referee, reflecting her all-around understanding of the game.
Mentored by former USAWNT Eagle Kittery Ruiz—current head coach of the Boston Banshees and Brown University Women’s Rugby—Nicole continues to draw inspiration from that example of excellence and service. Passionate about mentorship and community engagement, she is dedicated to growing youth rugby across Colorado and creating inclusive pathways for young athletes to learn, compete, and thrive.
