Tom's fondness for astronomy started at a young age while watching Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" with his family. After receiving his first telescope as a gift from his loving family in 2013, he caught the astrophotography and amateur astronomy bug in full force. Tom's images have been published around the internet and in print, most notably on NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD), BBC Sky at Night, Universe Today, museum exhibits, print calendars, and others. He is also the Mountain Operations Manager at Mount Wilson Observatory, located in the mountains above Los Angeles, California.

Serving as the Director of Telescope Operations at Grand Mesa Observatory, Tom focuses on making sure the observatory is operational and functional so we can continue to offer world-class telescope systems for research and astrophotography. He is dedicated to our mission of increasing education, awareness, and understanding of the cosmos for all who are involved with Grand Mesa Observatory, and for the general public who may come across our images or astronomical research.

When not under the stars or staring at a computer screen processing astrophotos, Tom enjoys spending time with his Maine Coon cat, Karl, making sure he gets all the pets, brushes, and treats (within reason) he needs. He also likes listening to music, going to concerts, occasionally DJing, surfing, snowboarding, ceramics, and reading/watching science fiction. You can find out more about Tom and take a look at his images on his website: transientastronomer.com.

Garrison Turner is a Lecturer of Physics at Colorado Mesa University. His interest in astronomy started as a child living in Indiana. On clear nights, the glistening stars were simply captivating. This led to a life-long passion which led to pursuing education and a career in physics and astronomy. Having attended Ball State University for his B.S. And M.S. In physics, he spent four years learning photometry with applications to binary stars, pulsating variables, and exoplanets. After graduation, he started his teaching career in physics at various institutions in Kentucky 2013. In 2017, he started work toward his Ph.D. in physics and became a candidate in 2021 through the University of Louisville. His dissertation is focused on variable stars, including pulsating variables, eclipsing binaries. Other research interests include exoplanets, optimizing photometric techniques, and camera characterization for astronomical applications. In 2023, he was welcomed by Colorado Mesa University as a visiting instructor, where being under the dark skies of western Colorado reignited a passion for astrophotography. Invited back as a visiting instructor again for the fall of 2025, he was then offered the position of Lecturer. In the spring of '26, Garrison was appointed as the Assistant Director of the Grand Mesa Observatory. In addition to teaching and research, Garrison is an avid hiker, frequenting hikes at 12,000 ft and above in Colorado's high country, as well as a hobbyist musician and landscape photographer. 

Catherine's passion for astronomy started from stargazing at a very young age, developing into a fascination of black holes and cosmology in middle school.  She then pursued astronomy and physics for a career.  As a student at the University of Iowa she studied magnetic fields in the universe using radio waves until receiving an M.S. in astronomy.  Along the way, she did Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs) at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's Very Large Array and the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii.  After taking a General Relativity course in graduate school, she fell under the spell of theoretical physics and received a Ph.D. in string theory.  Continuing this adventure as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, she realized that teaching and education is incredibly important in this world and an area in which she could have a true impact and returned to the U.S. with that goal in mind.  One of the reasons she came to Colorado Mesa University as a professor was to return to her initial passion for astronomy.  The unique connection between the Grand Mesa Observatory, the Air Force Academy's Falcon Telescope Network, and Colorado Mesa University was what drew her to the area, and of course the amazingly gorgeous scenery of Western Colorado.  She now uses the Grand Mesa Observatory's telescopes with her students to help discover exoplanets and measure their properties.  Her other addictions include, but are not limited to CrossFit, cooking, trail running, crafting cocktails, and dog petting.

John grew up in Grand Junction, Colorado, graduating from Grand Junction High School in 1958. He received his Bachelor of Science degree
in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Colorado in 1963 and his Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the United States Air Force Institute of Technology in 1975. He served twenty-four years on active duty in the United States Air Force. His USAF awards include three Silver Stars, two Legion of Merits, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Purple Heart, and 16 Air Medals. He retired in 1987 as a commander of the Eastern Space and Missile Center. In 1989, he became one of the founders, the CEO, and later Chairman of the Board of AirScan, Inc., an
airborne security and surveillance company that has operated domestically and internationally, including 8 years in Iraq under contract to the United States Army. Under his leadership, AirScan, Inc. grew to 300+ employees, 30+ aircraft, and a $100 Million annual revenue. He sold his interest in the company and retired in 2011.

Victoria Rae Brouse-Mansur (Vicki) is a 4th generation Coloradoan. Two sets of great grandparents settled in Mesa County in the late 1800’s, and she was raised on the ranch where the Grand Mesa Observatory is located. She attended the Purdy Mesa community one-room country school , about 5 miles away on Divide Road. She graduated from Grand Junction High School and attended the University of Colorado, where she majored in elementary education. She and John Mansur were married in 1959 and she spent 24 years as an Air Force wife, caring for two daughters, and maintaining the sanity of a family that moved 15 times in that 24 years. After the Air Force, Vicki served first as comptroller, then member the Board of Directors of AirScan, Inc. a company that she and John, along with Walter and Chris Holloway, founded in 1989. Vicki has taught special education in public schools, taught music privately, as well as Sunday school, and served as a leader in both 4-H and Girl Scouts. She is an artist and one of her oil paintings is in the Air Force Art Collection and hangs in the Old Executive Office Building in Washington DC. She is a musician, being an accomplished harpist, piano and keyboard player, and she has recently taken up making serious music on the ukulele. She is proud to be a founder of the Grand Mesa Observatory and serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Observatory.

Quinton has lived in Mesa County since 1979 and has family ties to the area that go back over 100 years.  He currently serves as President Elect on the Mesa State Alumni Board, and is a member of the Redlands Rotary Club. He also serves on the Mesa County Search and Rescue Team.  He has previously served on the boards of Grand Valley Transit, Redlands Rotary, Western Colorado Boy Scouts, Western Colorado Credit Union Association as well as several committees for The Credit Union Association of Colorado. Quinton is also the President of Shear Inc., a 27-year-old family owned company in the energy industry involved in exploration, land services, and oil and gas investments. He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in finance and management from Colorado Mesa University in 1987 and is a 1999 graduate of Western CUNA Management School.