HeartQuest Ministries
Board of Directors
& Members At-Large 2026-27
I am a semi-retired Special Education Teacher. I am a Wife, Mom and Nana. My hobbies include singing (I am part of a Sweet Adelines Barbershop Chorus), traveling, arts and crafts, decorating, and of course transformational work!
I have been doing this work for about 17 years, starting with Celebrate Recovery, then graduated to Living From the Heart, H.E.R. weekend, Woman Within, Next Step/Omega Project, Reinvent/Flourishing Life weekends, Landmark, Face to Face Ministries, and of course, HeartQuest Ministries (I was one of the founding members).
My mission is a work in progress, but I know for sure it involves loving myself and others with empathy and kindness. I am working towards having grace for myself and others as we navigate our way in life. I truly believe that, as stated in Corinthians, “love never fails”.
I am humbled to be the President of HeartQuest and will do my best to do a great job.
Julie Tilney-Varden
President
I have been doing this work for 20 years (both Christian and non-Christian trainings). I started off by attending Celebrate Recovery. I then started attending and staffing several Living From the Heart weekends (and other organization’s weekends), as well as serving as a board member for SCRS, helping people with disabilities find resources. I have been married for 15 years; we have 3 adult children and 2 grandchildren between us. We lived most of our adult lives in Southern California but moved to Las Vegas during the pandemic. I am legally blind.
I enjoy helping people and I believe my mission in life is to help them find healing. While I have limited physical vision, I can see with my heart.
I currently serve as Vice President of HeartQuest, and was president for seven years prior.
Bob Varden
Vice President
I have been doing transformational work for over 21 years. As a survivor of severe childhood trauma, this work has saved my life. By the Grace of God, He has seen me through what felt like insurmountable pain.
I trust Him fully and continue to do this work on a daily basis, letting God's Will for my life lead the way.
I have been and continue to be connected to many support organizations, especially HeartQuest, of which I've been the Treasurer for the past several years. I was a Member at Large for several years prior.
I also assist in operating and maintaining our website, working to make it an important resource for our guests.
With Jesus Christ by my side, my life journey continues. My life is His!
Michael Leon
Treasurer/Website Administration
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Colin Thorne
Secretary/Website Administration
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Don DeWald
Member At-Large
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Aubrey Chevalier
Member At-Large
Three of my most enjoyable jobs are being a mom, a grandma, and a professor. Four of my seven grandchildren live next door to me, so I get to spend lots of time with them.
I teach Mental Health to nursing students at Biola University. God led me to this job and has given me a passion for people’s mental health, those who have a mental illness, and those who have a loved one with a mental illness.
I have experienced 2 weekends with Living From the Heart and a Grief Recovery Workshop with HeartQuest. I am happy to be a Member-at-Large with HeartQuest and I look forward to seeing it grow and be able to help even more people on their journey to healing.
Deborah O'Dell
Member At-Large
