The Estes Valley Voice writers, editors, and creatives are filling a void and providing in-depth news and features coverage in the Estes Valley. The EVV team is committed to the importance of story – your story, our story, the Estes Valley story.
Click here to read Part I, which was published on Sunday, Nov. 30.
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Patti Brown, Editor and Publisher
Patti Brown doesn’t have an unwritten thought. She is a passionate journalist and editor who believes in the power of story, the importance of transparency and accountability in government, and the Oxford comma. Her mantra to the Estes Valley Voice writing team: “the public’s business must be done publicly.”
Many years ago, she was a dues-paying member of the Brownies and the Girl Scouts of America. Patti was born in Japan on a U.S. Air Force base. When her dad returned to civilian life, her family lived in Chicago and the New York metro, where her dad sold advertising for the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, and the National Observer, and her mom wrote a local advertising shoppers’ column. Patti has fond childhood memories of learning to fold a printer’s head on the knee of ink-stained pressmen at the Dow Jones printing plant in Chicago. “Printer’s ink is in my blood.”
Patti has a master’s degree in journalism from the Greenlee School of Journalism at Iowa State University and a master’s in social work from the University of Iowa. She holds accreditation with the Academy of Clinical Social Workers and the National Association of Social Workers, has held licensure in both Colorado and Iowa as a licensed clinical social worker, and is ABD/PhD in rhetoric and professional communication at Iowa State University. She is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, the National Federation of Press Women, and the Colorado Press Association.
Patti wrote for many years for the Des Moines Register, covering business, features, and faith and values beats, as well as for the Catholic Mirror, the newspaper of the Diocese of Des Moines, both as a reporter and columnist, in addition to numerous other publications.
For “better or worse,” she has been married for 50 years to the same man. She is the mother of five adults and has four grandchildren, ranging in age from 5 to almost 17 years old. She is proud of her family’s long-standing roots in the East Valley, which date back to the early 1960s. After serving as the editor of the Estes Park Trail Gazette, she founded the Estes Valley Voice with friend and colleague Suzy Blackhurst in 2024.
Cathy Creagh, Features Writer
Cathy Creagh is 68 years old and only 5’1”, but she warns, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
Cathy’s journey to Estes began in Oklahoma and passed through the Windy City before she arrived here. She is a former car repossessor and a retired high school English teacher from the Chicago suburbs, where 73% of her students spoke one of 53 languages other than English at home.
Moving from Shawnee, Oklahoma, to Chicago was intimidating, and her job repossessing cars from delinquent customers – “in a surprise sabotage where I cut my own keys for the vehicles and snatched them from homes and places of employment with no warning” – scared her mother.
“I have some great stories about inadvertently repossessing a dog that was left in the van I took, facing angry customers who threatened me, knocking out a fire hydrant and flooding a customer’s yard as I maneuvered his Cadillac down the driveway, and fleeing in a repossessed car after the owner jumped off his second-floor balcony to pursue me,” said Cathy.
In junior high, she wrote for her school newspaper, and then served as an editor for her high school paper. In college, she took journalism courses and then taught high school journalism classes.
“My features writing at The Estes Valley Voice so far has been along a common thread, as I have been incredibly impressed with people here who are very physically active in their 60s, 70s, 80s, and beyond,” said Cathy.
“I see seniors working at local gyms with oxygen tanks, walking the circuit at the rec center with their walkers, and running up mountains in the Estes Park Marathon, and I want to tell their stories,” she said.
Her first EVV article was an interview with author Ron Pevny, who writes about “conscious eldering” – growing, connecting, learning, and inspiring others in retirement rather than becoming isolated and irrelevant. “I took his philosophy to heart,” said Cathy.
Cathy participated in the Bolder Boulder 10K for two years and, this past spring, wrote a three-part series about septuagenarians and an octogenarian in Estes who continue to compete in that iconic race.
In September, she wrote an article about a 69-year-old Estes woman who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro this summer after recovering from knee replacements just last year, and she is working on an article about an 85-year-old Estes woman who is still competing in triathlons.
“I’m older and a little more wrinkly, but I have added some physical feats to my resume in the past two years and am quite surprised by my strength and endurance,” she said.
“I don’t run regularly, but I’ll run a 5k for charity any day, like Toys for Tots just last week,” said Cathy.
Cathy credits Jazzercise and Pilates for changing her physically and mentally. “I continue with those classes because they’re fun and because I am so much stronger. It feels great to feel great.”
Ashlyn Giroux, Political and Civic Affairs Reporter
Ashlyn Giroux is a journalist and writer with a background rooted in community reporting, political coverage, and media research. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English/Journalism from the University of New Hampshire, where she worked for the student newspaper covering local politics, elections, and civic issues.
That early reporting experience taught her the value of clear, accessible journalism and the importance of keeping communities informed on the decisions that shape their daily lives.
After attending UNH, Ashlyn interned at a local news station, where she expanded her understanding of newsroom operations and learned how to translate complex topics into engaging, accurate stories for broad audiences. She later completed a Master of Science in Journalism and Media Communication at Colorado State University. Her graduate research focused on how right-wing media frames climate change misinformation and how that framing influences public perceptions of science, trust in institutions, and susceptibility to public health misinformation. That work continues to guide her commitment to factual integrity and evidence-based storytelling.
Her writing today is driven by a conviction that journalism is a public service, one that demands curiosity, transparency, and a profound respect for readers. “Being part of the Estes Valley Voice allows me to stay connected to community-centered reporting and to contribute thoughtful, grounded coverage that helps people better understand the issues around them.”
David Hernández, Spanish-language Podcaster and Assignment Photographer
David Hernández is a consultant, attorney, and marketing specialist with over 13 years of experience helping entrepreneurs, local businesses, and organizations grow. He leads North Peak Media, Estes Park Posts, and several community-focused projects built on creative strategies, high-impact content, and accessible solutions. His mission is to empower Latinos and business owners with practical tools to build strong, sustainable, and future-ready ventures. David is the voice behind the Estes Valley Voice Spanish language podcasts and also provides event photography coverage for the EVV.
Website: www.northpeakmedia.com/
Tomorrow’s bios: Cameryn Montgomery, Dick Mulhern, and Samantha Nordstrom
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