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State LTCOP Staff
Leah McMahon, MA
State Long-Term Care Ombudsman
Leah McMahon was named Colorado State Long-Term Care Ombudsman in September 2019, after launching the State PACE Ombudsman Program in 2017. Previously, she worked in the Single Entry Point managing the care management program for home community-based services. Leah has also been a local Ombudsman at the Denver Regional Council of Governments and supervised the assisted living team. Early in her career, she served as a counselor for children and adolescents who live with trauma and severe mental illness. Leah has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Regis University and a master’s degree in sociology from Northern Arizona University. As the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman, Leah is committed to a resident-directed and strength-based approach to advocacy.
Saori Kimura
Deputy State Long-Term Care Ombudsman
Saori joined the State Long Term Care Ombudsman office in July 2021. She has worked in the variety of settings serving vulnerable populations. She has experience in managing programs that offer assistance to older adults and support their caregivers. Saori also has experience in governmental settings providing monitoring, interpreting policies and managing contracts. She holds bachelor’s degree in Gerontology from Metropolitan State University of Denver.
René Hickman
Quality Assurance Manager
René Hickman started working in senior services 25 years ago when he became a Certified Nursing Assistant and made the decision to dedicate his work and education to advocating for older adults. He worked in skilled nursing facilities as a Certified Nursing Assistant preceptor and admissions and activities coordinator while earning an undergraduate degree in healthcare management. René went on to earn a master’s degree in social work. He continued to work as an advocate as a long-term care case manager for the Weld County Area Agency on Aging and as a skilled nursing facility social services director. After two years as a Health Compliance Inspector with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Assisted Living team, he moved into the role of a long-term care ombudsman with the Denver Regional Council of Governments. For fun, René is an adjunct professor with the University of Denver’s graduate school of social work, an avid bicycle rider, and a friend to his dog Finn.
Jesse Bond
Volunteer Coordinator
Jesse Bond is currently a certified long-term care ombudsman with experience providing ombudsman services in nursing homes and assisted living facilities in three Colorado counties. He has a background working in child welfare as a placement resource manager for foster and kinship homes. He also has been a past webmaster for Colorado Mesa University. He is currently the director of a nonprofit organization that carries out educational, volunteer, social and recreational activities on a regular basis. He hopes to bring his passion for helping others, skills in recognizing and preventing abuse and neglect, experience working with volunteers and diverse populations, and past successes in building programs to both aid his team and to benefit communities throughout the state.
