Our Team

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Leadership

Bentley Smith

Chief Executive Officer

Bentley Smith is the Chief Executive Officer for Support, Inc. and joined the organization in 2013.  Bentley has an Undergraduate Degree in Accounting from the University of Central Florida and a Master of Business Administration from Regis University.  He is also a Certified Public Accountant.

Bentley’s early career was concentrated in finance and accounting oriented functions, which ultimately evolved into more operational and management roles over time.  With over 20 years of experience in the behavioral health field, he is passionate about providing solutions for people to achieve their greatest potential, and brings that passion to Support, Inc.

When you don’t see Bentley at Support, Inc., you will find him spending time with his wife and two dogs, hiking in the mountains, or doing just about anything else that Colorado has to offer.

Brian Farestad

Vice President of Operations

Brian Farestad is the Director of Operations for Support, Inc. and joined the organization in 2017. Brian has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania.

Brian began his career as a Direct Support Professional, working with adolescents who experienced severe emotional and behavioral challenges. Brian quickly found his niche in this environment as he not only found meaning and enjoyment working with the clients themselves, but also in being part of a treatment team of professionals. This drew Brian towards the operations side of management, and as his career progressed, he found himself overseeing larger groups of people and serving more diverse populations. Twenty years later Brian still gets a kick out of watching people get the help they need, the pride in the eyes of people and teams who provide that help, and ultimately watching people work together to grow and succeed.

Outside of work, Brian enjoys spending time with his friends and family, at home or outdoors, in his preferred tri-state area of Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska. Brian is also a rabid Philadelphia sports fan and enjoys catching his favorite teams when they come to town or traveling to see them play in other cities throughout the country with his Pennsylvania high school buddies.

Matt Kelso

Chief Financial Officer

Matt joined Support Inc. as the Chief Financial Officer in August 2023. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Molecular Biology from the University of Texas at Dallas and an MBA with concentrations in corporate finance and strategy from the Southern Methodist University. 

Prior to joining Support, Inc., Matt served as CFO at HealthSmart, a Third-Party Administrator (TPA) based in Irving, Texas. He joined HealthSmart in September 2013 as VP of Finance reporting directly to the CFO. At that time, his focus was on creating a finance function within the organization. The main objective was to get quality information in the hands of the operators and let them drive the business.  This turned out to be a success – the company went from losing a significant amount of money each month to being cash positive within 24 months. He was elevated to the CFO position in 2019.

Matt’s traditional focus has been on healthcare and IT services, primarily on large, multi-site organizations. He did have a stop at 7Bar Aviation, located in Dallas, Texas, which was a medical aviation program. This company focused on flying very sick children from rural areas to premium health systems (Children’s in Dallas, Cook’s in Ft. Worth) where they can get the intensive care they require. Matt was brought into this organization to build a finance department, update the IT infrastructure, and create a rotor wing billing delivery model as the company was moving into the helicopter delivery business.

In his spare time, he chauffeurs his 10-year-old to soccer and football practice as well as his 14-year-old high school cheerleader. When he actually does get alone time, you’ll usually find him at his grill cooking steaks and seafood while watching Dallas area sports teams.

Nicholas Manning

Director of People Operations

Nicholas earned his undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Northern Colorado, and a Master of Business Administration degree from Ashford University. Nicholas also earned his Doctorate of Business Administration from Northcentral University.

Nicholas came to Support Inc. in May of 2015 as an Associate Director of Residential Services. His passion for the Support Inc. community and professional/scholastic direction has lead Nicholas to a role in leading the company’s Human Resources department. Nicholas’ career in human services began in 2004, as he took a position as a direct service provider working with adolescents. With over 12 years of experience leading teams within the human service industry, he developed a passion to lead teams to positive outcomes.

When Nicholas is not at the office, he is spending time with his wife and 4 children. He is also an avid sports fan, and enjoys coaching his children in their own sporting activities.

Cindy Cridlebaugh

Director of Intake

Cindy is a Colorado native who grew up with her twin sister in Arvada. Her education included Metro State with a focus on business management – however, she soon found that her passion for individuals with IDD (like her sweet son, Chad), was her lifelong career. She has worked as a case manager, SLS marketing consultant, sales for Colgate-Palmolive, property manager, and now as Intake Director. With 20 plus years with Support, Inc. she has built the Intake team and has met so many great families and their loved ones – some who she has stayed connected for 20 years!

In Cindy’s free time she is a real estate agent for HomeSmart and enjoys get-togethers with family and friends.

Erik Nielsen

Director of Residential Services

Erik Nielsen is the Director of Residential Services for Support, Inc. and joined the organization in 2015. Erik has an Undergraduate Degree from California Lutheran University.

Prior to Support, Inc. Erik was the Director of Operations for an Arkansas-based youth soccer program and worked as an automotive claims adjuster in Southern California.

At Support, Inc., Erik has served in several roles in both the day and residential services. As the Director of Residential Services Erik is responsible for the day-to-day operations of all residential services. He works closely with Residential Associate Directors to ensure that service delivery is timely, person-centered, and above reproach.

Outside of Support, Inc., Erik serves in the United States Army Reserve, training regularly with his Aurora-based psychological operations unit. Erik enjoys spending downtime with his wife and daughter. They enjoy traveling together, attending community events, and staying active.

Laura Viers

Associate Director of Quality Assurance

Laura Viers is the Associate Director of Quality Assurance and joined the organization in 2016. Laura earned her undergraduate degree in Social Work from Colorado State University.

Laura began her career in the filed as a program coordinator for adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities eventually moving into management roles. She found that her true calling was in quality and compliance. Laura is passionate about improving the quality of life for individuals with IDD through proactive and data driven approaches to evaluate the quality-of-care waiver participants receive and using continuous quality improvement to evaluate services, systems, and processes to identify opportunities for improvement.

Outside of work you can find Laura hiking or camping with her dogs and boyfriend. Laura also loves to cook, bake and tend to her vegetable garden in the summer.

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Management

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