Our Team

Sue’s Gift Board of Directors

Brandy Nunes

PRESIDENT

Community-focused, small business advocate, Brandy owns and operates Nunes Partners - a local insurance agency specializing in innovative healthcare solutions. She believes in helping people with an authentic, affordable, no gimmicks approach. Brandy joined the Sue’s Gift Board after experiencing a cervical cancer scare herself that also resulted in her mother and grandmother having hysterectomies at age 36 for the same reason. Originally from Dallas, Brandy graduated from California State University and worked in advertising prior to relocating to Colorado. She has served the Colorado Springs community since 2017.

In her off time, Brandy enjoys hiking, disc golf, road trips, camping, spending time with her husband and dogs, and volunteering at various nonprofits and community organizations.

Caryn Becker

VICE PRESIDENT

In 2011, I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. It was important to me to find survivors and those that supported survivors. Thankfully I found Sue’s Gift right away. I’ve been volunTEALing for them ever since. I became a board member because I know how important this organization is to the community. It’s been so rewarding to watch the organization grow from a $25,000 a year budget to what it is today.

In my spare time I love to read, hike and camp with my dog Coco. I am a Realtor serving the Pikes Peak Region.

Tarah Dierdorff

TREASURER

Diagnosed with stage 4b uterine cancer in 2021, I am passionate about advocacy and dedicated to making a difference in the lives of others facing similar challenges. As CFO of Amnet, a local IT consulting company, I bring financial expertise and leadership to the board.

I enjoy hiking, cooking, reading, and spending time with my husband, Trevor, and our family.

Julie Peterson

AT LARGE

I am an attorney at a local law firm. After starting my career in St. Louis doing civil litigation, I transitioned my practice to primarily representing schools when I moved to Colorado Springs.

Outside of work, I’m kept busy with two young children and trying to renovate our fixer upper with my husband. My grandmother and great-grandmother both passed from ovarian cancer so Sue’s Gift’s mission holds a special place in my heart.

Nathalie Breland

AT LARGE

Nathalie Breland is the CEO of Direct Pay Healthcare, Executive Director of St. Michael’s Shield, Executive Director of the American Academy of Wellness, and the CEO of Sozo Scientific. Previous to becoming a serial entrepreneur, she was responsible for the experimental design for capturing the genetic material of seasonal infectious diseases in near space for NASA. She has presented at the European Congress of Pathology and been published in the Central European Journal of Paediatrics for research on pathological genetic duplications. She has spent time serving in third-world nations creating medical business systems to decrease diabetic amputations, where thousands of limbs have been saved due to these preventative measures. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she helped with the integrity of the water system infrastructure for orphanages in Zambia, Africa due to being simultaneously ravaged by a cholera outbreak. She has taught classrooms of 200 students at the collegiate level in human genomics. She has volunteered in oncology, as a tutor for children in homeless shelters, and as a science fair judge. Nathalie has been a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), Do No Harm Medicine, American Medical Women’s Association, American Academy of Family Physicians, Society of Medicine and Surgery, and the American Society of Microbiology. She is honored to serve as a member of the Board of Directors for Sue’s Gift. May God protect every woman who finds herself facing a gynecologic cancer diagnosis and may he make a survivor out of you.

Karen Egan

AT LARGE

Karen Egan, is a Colorado native and mom to 5 children and 3 grandchildren.  Karen, worked in the hospitality industry and later started her own company, Egan Administrative Services. She has also been an avid volunteer for Special Olympics Colorado for the last 20 plus years. Diagnosed July 2017 with Stage 1C Ovarian Cancer, Karen was blessed to have received financial assistance from Sue’s Gift, which afforded her alternative treatments to her cancer.  She was touched by Sue’s Gift and its mission.  Through the process, Karen, learned she is BRCA1 positive and four of her 5 children are as well.  Karen brings the expertise of managing volunteers, fundraising and event planning. Karen values the opportunity to give back to an organization that has given her so much. She is honored and proud to contribute to the Sue’s Gift Board of Directors.

Crystle McGuinness

AT LARGE

Crystle McGuinness is the owner of Diamond Hail and Dent, a leading paintless dent repair service in Colorado Springs. With a strong focus on quality and customer satisfaction, Crystle has established her business as a trusted choice for auto repair in the community. Her entrepreneurial spirit is matched by her commitment to giving back, particularly to causes that resonate with her personally.

Crystle Moved to Colorado Springs in 2018, originally from Arizona she grew up with her family riding dirt bikes and camping. Once moving to Colorado she joined an all ladies dirt bike group and started racing enduro. The camaraderie she found in the sport with other like-minded women is parallel to nun.

Crystle's decision to join the board of Sues Gift is rooted in her desire to make a positive difference in the lives of those affected by this disease. Having witnessed the challenges faced by women battling cancer, Crystle is passionate about providing resources, support, and hope to those in need. By contributing her time and expertise to Sues Gift, she aims to empower women and help create a supportive community that fosters healing and strength during difficult times.

Sue’s Gift Staff

Selma Cruz

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

I was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer in 2021. As a former educator, it is important to be able to educate others on the signs and symptoms of Ovarian Cancer, as well as learning to advocate for your own health journey. In my free time I enjoy being with friends and family, and traveling.

I look forward to helping Sue’s Gift meet its mission of helping the women of southern Colorado.

Sherry Martin, LCSW

PATIENT SERVICES DIRECTOR

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with over thirty years of experience in the field of oncology social work, working with cancer patients and their caregivers in hospitals, cancer centers, behavioral health, and oncology-focused non-profit organizations. Author of Beginning Again: Tools for the Journey through Grief, which serves as a step-by-step guide for facilitators of grief support groups, and Getting Through Tough Times: A Series of Inspiring Stories to Help Manage Cancer and Other Adversities, designed to help patients and others develop coping skills and encourage new ways of thinking during challenging times.

I live with my husband in Woodland Park, Colorado.