Linda Childears has served on the Firefly Board for just over a year. Linda retired from the Daniels Fund on April 30, 2020, after serving as President and CEO for 15 years. Under Linda’s leadership, the organization grew from an endowment of $1 billion to $1.5 billion, after distributing approximately $1 billion in grants and scholarships. Firefly Autism has been a recipient of Daniels Fund gifts, which is how she became familiar with the organization. Linda had many offers to serve on Boards and only so much time and energy to devote and chose Firefly Autism because of the important work we do as well as the severe need for this work to grow.

Linda says, “watching Firefly adapt to the pandemic was pretty impressive. It was a difficult thing for everyone and I was very impressed with the way Firefly adapted to a telehealth approach and was able to continue to support families.”

Moving forward, Linda looks forward to watching Firefly continue to grow into our new facility and then further expand. She is passionate about addressing the needs of people on the spectrum who have been taken care of by their parents and ensuring a continuity of support upon their eventual passing. She sees Firefly playing a role in this important and real need.

In addition to serving with Firefly Autism, Linda has served on over 25 state/local boards and five national boards and chaired nine of them. She has received several honors including most recently the Outstanding Women in Business Lifetime Achievement Award from the Denver Business Journal. Linda has received honorary doctorate degrees from Johnson & Wales University and the University of Denver.

When Linda is not working she enjoys spending time with her 16 adopted children and her 11 grandchildren. You might also find Linda cooking, gardening, behind a piano or traveling.

Jim Tolliver is Vice President and National Practice Leader of Woodruff Sawyer - Private Client Group. Jim’s insurance career spans 25 years of providing highly successful individuals, family offices and mid-sized commercial businesses with specialized risk advisory services. He was introduced to Firefly while consulting on insurance needs for the organization and has been on the board for 2 years. Jim says he chose to be on the Firefly Board because “I am driven to helping people and causes that really make a difference (particularly those that in no way are related to me). In this case, the opportunity came and the timing was perfect when Jesse asked me to be a part of the movement. I did not truly know how it would work out or if it would be a fit, it just felt right. I am so happy I did, it has been a life changing experience and given me incredible perspective around the challenges people face in this world, the strength they have to overcome and prevail.”

Jim wants Firefly to be known as the best in the field of Autism support. He desires to see our reputation strengthened and brand awareness increased so people will have a connection to Firefly in the future of all the excellent work that is done here.

In addition to serving on Firefly's Board of Directors, Jim served on the Steering Committee of the Private Client Practice Group of Assurex Global from 2015-2018. He is a two-year term appointed Executive Sponsor of the Woodruff Sawyer DEI movement – Women’s Employee Resource Group. Jim graduated from University of Louisville, with a bachelor’s Degrees in Communications.

In his spare time, he is frequently found spending time with his family, at his kids’ sports programs with his wonderful wife, playing pickleball, traveling, floating rivers and casting flies to wild trout. Jim says, “I have always heard and continue to validate as being a fact that there is not an ugly trout stream anywhere on the planet.”