Board & Trustees
The CCT Board of Directors and Trustees are comprised of the state’s top community, business and conservation leaders. The Board of Directors sets the vision and direction of our mission, objectives and tactics. They give generously of their time and resources to ensure CCT has the most positive conservation impact possible.
Colorado Conservation Trust Board
Boulder, Colorado / Argosy Foundation
Denver, Colorado / Physician
Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado / Hill & Robbins
Denver, Colorado / Ryley, Carlock & Applewhite
Linda Campbell Chairperson of the Board
Denver, Colorado / Community Volunteer
Denver, Colorado / LAARK Foundation
Denver, Colorado / Stapleton Foundation for Sustainable Urban Communities
Creede, Colorado / 4UR Ranch
Boulder, Colorado / Sonen Capital
Denver, Colorado / Cirila Fund
Westminster, Colorado
Westcliffe, Colorado
Denver, Colorado / Colorado Coalition of Land Trusts
Denver, Colorado / U.S. Attorney’s Office
Westcliffe, Colorado
Colorado Conservation Trust Trustees
Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
Beaver Creek, Colorado
Michael P. Dowling Immediate Past Chair
Denver, Colorado / Dowling Foundation
Denver, Colorado / Etkin Johnson Group
Denver, Colorado / L.C. Fulenwider, Inc.
Denver, Colorado / Specialty Sports Venture
Kittridge, Colorado
Howard, Colorado
Boulder, Colorado / Holland & Hart
Denver, Colorado / Vestar Capital Partners, Inc.
Denver, Colorado / Merril Lynch
Westcliffe, Colorado
Parker, Colorado / Former Lieutenant Governor and Treasurer, State of Colorado
Snowmass, Colorado / Kandu Media
New York, New York / Goldman Sachs & Co.
Denver, Colorado / Gates Capital Management, LLC
Evergreen, Colorado / Mountain States Bank
Santa Barbara, California
* denotes National Trustees
Jeneye Abele (Director)
Boulder, Colorado
Jeneye is the vice president and a trustee for the Argosy Foundation. She also appropriates the majority of the foundation’s environmental grants and helps manage those partnerships. She has previously sat on the boards of Thorne Ecological Institute, Concord Academy and the Watershed School and on the advisory board of the Center for Energy and Environmental Security at the University of Colorado Law School. She has also served on the program committee of the Environmental Grantmakers Association for two years and has chaired the trustee track committee. She has Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Colorado. She has lived in Boulder for most of the last nineteen years and has and continues to thoroughly enjoy Colorado’s public lands whether through running, hiking, mountain biking,skiing or just being. Back to top
Donald Aptekar (Director)
Denver, Colorado
Mr. Aptekar has a Denver area private practice in obstetrics and gynecology, as well as a long history of community service in the Denver area. His interests include skiing, biking, ecotravel, art, and fly fishing. Back to top
Rye Austin (Director)
Denver, Colorado
Rye Austin grew up in Colorado with a passion for the outdoors. He is currently with ProLogis, a Denver headquartered real estate investment trust and an industry leader in environmental stewardship. Mr. Austin previously worked as a ranch broker with a focus on land conservation and transactions in the Rocky Mountain region. Mr. Austin is an Executive Board member of the Denver Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and his interests include fly fishing, bicycling, and telemark skiing.
Denver, Colorado Back to top
Carolyn Burr (Director)
Denver, Colorado
Ms. Burr is a shareholder with Denver law firm Ryley Carolock and Applewhite’s Water, Natural Resources and Environmental practice group, practicing primarily in the water law and water quality arenas. She represents clients throughout the state, including the Colorado, Gunnison, Arkansas, and South Platte river
basins, and has worked extensively for large industrial clients, agricultural water users, a number of municipalities, and developers.
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Linda Campbell (Director)
Denver, Colorado
Linda Campbell is a community volunteer. She devotes most of her time to environmental, educational and arts-orientated non-profits. She is a trustee at the Denver Foundation; the Board chair of Project VOYCE, an organization that works with youth to build leadership skills and partnerships in education reform; and is in the process of starting a new educational program called E.P.I.C. Arts at Redline, an arts incubator where she was an artist in residence. Linda was a founder of P.S. 1 Charter School, the Denver Preschool Program and Bread for the Journey of Denver. She has particular expertise with non-profits in start-up or transition stages. Back to top
Wendell Fleming (Director)
Denver, Colorado
Ms. Fleming has long been active in Denver’s nonprofit community. She is the executive director of the LARRK Foundation, whose mission is to improve the lives of at risk youth in Colorado. Previously, Ms. Fleming practiced law at Holland & Hart with a focus on intellectual property and commercial litigation, and later with the Klapper Firm in Denver. Ms. Fleming has also previously served as Chairwoman of the Women’s Wilderness Institute, a Boulder-based organization that provides girls and women with extended experiences in the wilderness, as well as the Middlebury College alumni board. She is an avid skier and hiker, and has climbed over 30 of the Colorado fourteeners. Back to top
Beverly Haddon (Director)
Denver, Colorado
Beverly Haddon manages the four programs that drive the mission of the Stapleton Foundation for Sustainable Urban Communities : the Life Long Learning initiative for the schools at Stapleton and the surrounding neighborhoods, the Neighborhood Connections program that promotes interconnectivity among the new Stapleton neighborhood and the existing neighborhoods around the old airport, the Sustainable Development initiative for the new Stapleton community and the Parks and Open Space program for the new Stapleton community.
First as a partner at CRL Associates and then at her own firm, The Haddon Firm, Ms. Haddon acted as a political consultant for businesses and associations. She assisted businesses and non-profits in their development of strategic plans and working relationships on business issues that pertained to city, county, and special district governments. While at United Banks of Colorado (now Wells Fargo Bank), Ms. Haddon held a number of positions including Executive Vice-president, and Vice President, Marketing. When she left the bank it had assets of $6 billion and served over 500,000 customers through 40 branches around the state.
Ms. Haddon holds bachelor’s degree in business and journalism from Iowa State University and graduated from the Executive’s Marketing Management Program at the University of Denver . Back to top
Pete Leavell (Director)
Creede, Colorado
Mr. Leavell owns and operates the 4UR Ranch, a 3000 acre luxury dude ranch. Leavell is the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Renaissance Entertainment Corporation (REC). He has also served as President and Chairman of the Board of Leavell Management Group, for which he acquired, developed, and managed numerous ventures including South Meadow, a 96 unit single family development in Boulder County, and acted as managing partner in the planning of a 300 acre development at the base of Wolf Creek Pass Ski Area. Back to top
Will Morgan (Director)
Boulder, Colorado
Will Morgan is currently Director of Impact Evaluation at Sonen Capital. He also is an independent consultant to private foundations and impact investors, advising on strategies for impact investing and grant making. Will is helping lead the effort to integrate the Impact Reporting and Investment Standards into some of the country’s largest private foundations and impact investors.
Will previously served as Senior Associate at Virtue Ventures, a small consulting firm that provides management consulting to social enterprises overseas and in the U.S. Prior to becoming a Virtue Ventures associate, Will was the International Director for Social-Impact, a professional development program for social entrepreneurs in Hyderabad, India, and a program officer at the Skoll Foundation. Other work experiences includes program officer at International Development Enterprises (IDE) in Golden, Colorado and Chemonics International.
Will earned a bachelor of arts in Latin American Economic Development from Franklin and Marshall College, in Lancaster, PA. He completed his international master’s of business administration with a specialization in finance at the University of Denver.
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Tricia Nichols (Director)
Denver, Colorado
Ms. Nichols serves as president of the Cirila Fund, a foundation directing its support to environment and population issues. Her personal interest in the environment has been largely, though not exclusively, focused on water issues. She strongly believes in the value of enlightening our adult population in Colorado about the environment in a manner that stimulates a sense of wonder and awareness about the interconnectivity of all species from the microbial level to the mega-fauna. Back to top
Willi Schmidt (Director)
Westminster, Colorado
A community banker with Mountain States Bank from 1994-2006when as its President, it was acquired by UMB Bank in September 2006. Schmidt stayed with UMB Bank of Colorado as a Regional President until November 2007 when he decided to pursue other lifelong passions. In addition to his small business ventures,he is president of his family’s foundation and manages two recreational properties, one of which recently became protected under conservation easement with Ducks Unlimited. He is an avid outdoorsman and has been co-host and guest for several outdoor television shows on the Versus Network. In addition to CCT, he is involved with Colorado Ducks Unlimited and is Chairman of Leader’s Challenge, a Denver Metro area high school leadership program. Willi received his BS in Economics from Arizona State University and lives in Westminster with his wife, Sherry, daughter, Samantha and son, Triston. Back to top
Richard Stermer (Director)
Westcliffe, Colorado Back to top
John Swartout (Director)
Denver, Colorado
Before joining CCLT as executive director, Swartout was the executive director of the Lottery-funded Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) Trust. During his tenure at GOCO, Swartout worked with the GOCO Board to award $297 million in Lottery funds to projects throughout the state. Of that total, $140.1 million is helping to protect 339,107 acres of open space across Colorado.
Previous to his seven years at GOCO, Swartout worked extensively on numerous land preservation, wildlife and outdoor recreation projects in his capacity as a senior policy advisor to Governor Bill Owens and U.S. Senator Wayne Allard. Those efforts included creation of the Rocky Flats Wildlife Refuge, the legislation to create the Great Sand Dunes National Park, designation of the Spanish Peaks and James Peak Wilderness Areas, the opening of three new State Parks, creating new incentives for conservation easements and obtaining bonding authority for GOCO.
In his capacity in the Governor’s Office, Swartout was responsible for environmental, energy, natural resource and agriculture issues. He was also the Governor’s liaison to a number of state agencies including the departments of Natural Resources and Agriculture. He worked closely with the U.S. Department of Interior, the Western Governor’s Association and the National Governor’s Association. Swartout and his wife, Jan, have two young children. They enjoy a variety of outdoor activities including hiking, biking, and skiing. Back to top
Bob Troyer (Director)
Denver, Colorado
Troyer has been recently named to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He was previously a Partner at Hogan Lovells in Denver, where he chaired the litigation department. His areas of focus include class action defense, environmental litigation, commercial litigation, white collar defense, and internal investigations. He has litigated cases in more than 10 federal jurisdictions and argued numerous appeals before the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. Back to top
Roland Williams (Director)
Westcliffe, Colorado
Roland attended Central State College in Ohio as a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, providing student tutoring, adult job skill training, and entrepreneur coaching. After college he married, and lived and worked in Dayton, Ohio. Roland also served as a local and regional officer of United States Junior Chamber (Jaycees), as well as serving as a scout master for a local troop for six years.
Roland pursued his engineering career in Ohio, New Jersey, Colorado and finally California. During this time he served on a number of boards and organizations, from local community based groups, to small business incubators, to an appointment by the Governor of Colorado to the Minority Business Advisory Council.
In 2008, after 19 years, he retired from Harris & Associates, Inc of Concord, CA as a Vice President and Partner. His responsibilities focused on the management of complex projects from concept to fully operational status. He also managed Business Development, Marketing and Operations for internal activities. Back to top
Lee Ambrose (Trustee)
Grand Junction, Colorado
Mr. Ambrose, a native of Denver, graduated from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire before returning to Colorado. After a career with a commercial property management firm and later with a firm that specialized in the development of shopping centers, Mr. Ambrose relocated to Mesa County. Currently, he continues to work as a private investor and a real estate developer. He and his wife Kay also recently owned and operated a 10,000 tree peach orchard in Palisade. Back to top
Sue Anschutz-Rodgers (Trustee)
Denver, Colorado Back to top
Tilman Bishop (Trustee)
Grand Junction, Colorado
Tilman Bishop, affectionately known as “Tillie,” is a life long resident of Colorado, born (January 1, 1933) in Colorado Springs. He graduated from Colorado Springs High School in 1952. He was an El Pomar Foundation Scholarship recipient while earning his B.A. Degree (1954) and M.A. Degree (1955) in Education at the University of Northern Colorado. After seven years of teaching in the public schools and 31 years as a college administrator at Mesa State College, Tillie retired in May of 1994. The University of Northern Colorado conferred an Honorary Doctorate Degree upon Tillie in May of 1999.
In 1970, Tillie was elected to the Colorado General Assembly and served two terms in the House of Representatives. He was elected State Senator in 1974 and served six 4-year terms, only to be forced out by terms limits in 1998. His 28 years of service in the Colorado General Assembly ranks him fourth in the State’s history for continuous service and the longest serving Senator from Western Colorado.Back to top
Jon-Erik Borgen (Trustee)
Denver, Colorado
Kelly Bronfman (Trustee)
Beaver Creek, Colorado
Splitting her time between Beaver Creek and Atherton, California, Kelly sees the impact of growth on the environment on both the west coast and in the Vail Valley . Kelly is also a member of the Board of Directors of Gore Range Natural Science School and the Eagle Valley Land Trust.
Michael P. Dowling (Trustee)
Denver, Colorado
Founder and president of The Dowling Foundation and founding partner of Western Ranchland Investors, a conservation real estate firm. Mr. Dowling is also a member of the Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission, a trustee of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, former chairman of the Colorado Wildlife Federation, and a former board member of the Colorado Coalition of Land Trusts. Mr. Dowling has worked as an energy and environmental consultant, as a management consultant with the international firm of McKinsey & Company, and as an entrepreneur and private equity manager in the oil and gas industry. Mr. Dowling has a BS (with honors) from Yale College, an MFS degree from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and an MPPM degree from the Yale School of Management. Back to top
Bruce Etkin (Trustee)
Denver, Colorado
As a founding Member of Etkin Johnson Group, a company formed originally in 1982, Mr. Etkin has guided the development and acquisition of more than 7.5 million square feet of commercial/industrial/retail space. He is a frequent conference and seminar speaker at the ULI – the Urban Land Institute, NAIOP – National Association of Industrial and Office Parks, and BOMA – Building and Owner Management Association. He has been awarded many awards including Office Developer of the Year by the Builders’ Association; BOMA’s Suburban Office Development North American Award, and the 2000 Owner/Developer of the Year award from the Colorado chapter of NAIOP. Mr. Etkin is a board member for the Food Bank of the Rockies, Aspen Country Day School, and is a lifetime member of The Nature Conservatory. Mr. Etkin received his B.S. in Architectural Engineering from the University of Colorado in 1973. Back to top
Brad Feld (Trustee)
Boulder, Colorado
Managing Director at Mobius Venture Capital (now dba Foundry Group) and has been with the firm since 1996. Prior to Mobius, Mr. Feld founded Feld Technologies, which was sold to AmeriData Technologies in 1993, where he became Chief Technology Officer. He currently serves on the boards of a number of private companies, including Commerce5, ePartners, Feedburner, Gold Systems, Newmerix, NewsGator, Quova, Rally Software, StillSecure, and Xaffire. In addition, he is on the board of three non-profit organizations – National Center for Women & Information Technology, The Colorado Conservation Trust, and The Watershed School. Mr. Feld has previously been a member of the board of directors of the Young Entrepreneurs Organization and founded the Boston and Colorado chapters. He holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Management Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.Back to top
Cal Fulenwider, III (Trustee)
Denver, Colorado
Cal Fulenwider III has been the President of LCF Inc. for more than 20 years. Mr. Fulenwider has had the key role in the strategic planning, development and management of the approximately 7,500 acres surrounding DIA and owned by LCF Inc. Prior to developing projects in the DIA area, Fulenwider was the Venture Manager for the 500,000 square foot Bank One building in downtown Denver and has overseen the development and management of numerous high-end residential projects, including Polo Club North, Polo Club North Homes and Polo Field West, and Larimer Place Condominiums (a downtown Denver high-rise). Mr. Fulenwider is also a founding member of the CU Real Estate Council and the DIA Business Partnership. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in Real Estate from the University of Colorado . Back to top
Ken Gart (Trustee)
Denver, Colorado
President of Specialty Sports Venture, a unique, highly decentralized retail group of over 80 stores focusing on the outdoor industry, downhill skiing, snowboarding, golf, bicycles, and the ski resort business. Current Board member of the Denver Area Council Boy Scouts of America and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce. Former Board and Executive Committee member of the Denver Metro Boys & Girls Clubs and the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau. Previously, Mr. Gart was President of Gart Bros. Sporting Goods Company. Back to top
Pat Grant (Trustee)
Englewood, Colorado
President of The National Western Stock Show – Denver’s largest annual event. Mr. Grant was previously a Colorado State Representative, served as chairman of the National Western 2000 Campaign bond initiative, director and shareholder of the Grant-McHendrie law firm, and law clerk for Judge Donald P. Smith, Jr. of the Colorado Court of Appeals in Denver. Mr. Grant is President-Emeritus of the Colorado Medical Society Foundation. He currently serves on the board of the Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce. He is currently a member of the CSU System Board of Governors Executive Committee and a member of the Executive Board of the Boy Scouts. Back to top
Gary Hart (Trustee)
Kettering, Colorado
Former United States Senator, Wirth Chair Professor at University of Colorado Denver. Back to top
Don Hopkins (Trustee)
Howard, Colorado
Retired partner of the Denver law firm of Holme Roberts & Owen LLP. Former trustee of The Nature Conservancy, Colorado Chapter and former director of Colorado Open Lands. Back to top
Laura Hundley (Trustee)
Boulder, Colorado
Partner in the law firm of Holland & Hart LLP, with a practice focused on tax, estate and wealth transfer planning. Most recently she was a principal at Crestone Capital Advisors LLC; previously, she was a tax and estate planning attorney at Ropes & Gray, in Boston. Current board and professional affiliations include Social Venture Partners Boulder County, PhilanthroPiece Foundation Advisory Board, Colorado Council of the Nature Conservancy, President’s Council of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Former Board Chair for the Community Foundation Serving Boulder County, member of the Colorado Music Festival Board, member of Esprit Entrepreneur Steering Committee and member of the Community Foundation Legal Committee. She holds a BA degree from Harvard College and a JD from Cornell Law School. Back to top
Elizabeth Jacques (Trustee)
Boulder, Colorado
Liz Jacques is current with Diamond G Management. She has over 19 years of experience providing affluent clients personal financial services. Liz served as the Principal and Founder of Juno Advisors , a boutique family office located in Boulder , CO which merged with WealthTouch on October 1, 2001.
Prior to founding Juno Advisors , she worked as a Private Banker with the Citibank Private Bank in Denver . Liz provided solutions to the complex problems and needs of elite clients. Before Citibank, Liz was a Commercial Real Estate Lender with Norwest Bank of Denver . Ms Jacques also served in the capacity of securities analyst and trader while employed with Crestar bank in Richmond, Virginia.
Liz has a B.S. from Madison University and an M.B.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University. She is actively involved as volunteer in community affairs. She serves on the board of Peak Arts in Boulderand is a member of the National Ski Patrol. Back to top
Tom Keller (Trustee)
Boulder, Colorado
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Jim Kelley (Trustee)
Denver, Colorado
Jimis the President and a co-founder of Vestar Capital Partners, a New York based private equity firm with offices in Denver, Boston, Paris, Milan, Munich and Tokyo. Mr. Kelley is a Trustee of the Colorado Conservation Trust, the Denver Foundation and The Denver Art Museum. He also serves on the Board of Yale University School of Management and is a former Chairman of the Board of Great Outdoors Colorado. Back to top
Gail Klapper (Trustee)
Denver, Colorado
Member/Director of the Colorado Forum, a statewide, bipartisan organization of professionals who work on public policy issues related to Colorado, and Managing Attorney of The Klapper Firm, a law firm emphasizing real estate, administrative law and public policy advocacy. Current Board member of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Wellesley College, and Orchard Trust. Former Chair of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Denver Partnership, and the Women’s Forum Boards. Previous Founder of the Public Education of Business Coalition, Vice Chair of the National Jewish Medical and Research Center, and member of the Regional and National Selection Panels for the White House Fellowship Program. Back to top
Walter A. “Buz” Koelbel, Jr. (Trustee)
Denver, Colorado
President of Koelbel & Company, one of Colorado’s oldest real estate companies with a focus on the development of office parks and large-scale residential projects, residential construction, and real estate investment. Mr. Koelbel’s professional memberships include Young Presidents’ Organization, Urban Land Institute Trustees and Recreational Development Council and the Southeast Business Partnership Board of Governors. He serves as Chairman of the Southeast Transportation Management Organization and Co-Chairman of the Southeast Corridor Mobility Coalition. Back to top
Jim Lochhead (Trustee)
Glenwood Springs, Colorado
Partner in the Law Firm of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, with a practice emphasis in water rights, land use, real estate, municipal and special district, federal administrative and permitting, and legislative law. Board and Commission affiliations include The Nature Conservancy, Colorado Open Lands, the Colorado Water Trust, Great Outdoors Colorado, Advisory Board of the Environment and Natural Resources Policy Institute at Colorado State University and the Natural Resources Law Center at the University of Colorado School of Law, Colorado Water Conservation Board, Upper Colorado River Basin Commission, and the University of Colorado School of Law Alumni Board of Directors. Previously, Mr. Lochhead was Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, which includes the Colorado Water Conservation Board, State Land Board, Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, Soil Conservation Board, and the divisions of Minerals and Geology, Water Resources, Parks and Outdoor Recreation, and Wildlife. Back to top
Brent Mello (Trustee)
Denver, ColoradoBack to top
Peggy E. Montano (Trustee)
Denver, Colorado
Attorney in the Trout, Witwer & Freeman, P.C. law firm. Previously the first Assistant Attorney General of Colorado. Currently the Federal Representative by Presidential Appointment of the Louisiana/Texas Sabine River Commission and Advisor to the University of Colorado Natural Resources Law Center. Ms. Montano was a former Chair of the Colorado State Parks Board. Back to top
Rob Perlman (Trustee)
Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Steamboat Ski and Resort Co. Back to top
Tom Petrie (Trustee)
Denver, Colorado
Before join Merrill Lynch, Thomas A. Petrie was a co-founder of Petrie Parkman & Co., a Denver and Houston based energy investment banking firm that merged with Merrill Lynch in December 2006. With this transaction, he became a Vice Chairman of Merrill Lynch and a member of its Executive Client Coverage Group. He was a former Managing Director and Senior Oil Analyst of The First Boston Corporation.
Mr. Petrie has a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and received his Master of Science in Business Administration from Boston University . In December 2005, Mr. Petrie received an Honorary Doctorate of Engineering degree from the Colorado School of Mines. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst. An active member of several industry associations, Mr. Petrie is a past President and member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Petroleum Investment Analysts. He has also served on the Securities and Exchange Commission Advisory Board on Oil and Gas Accounting. Mr. Petrie served for six years as a Trustee of the Association of Graduates of the United States Military Academy at West Point. Currently, he is a Trustee of the Denver Art Museum , The Colorado Conservation Trust, and serves on the National Advisory Board of the C.M. Russell Museum as well as the Board of Directors of The Gettysburg Foundation.Back to top
Scott Raderstorf (Trustee)
Boulder, Colorado Back to top
Randy Rusk (Trustee)
Westcliffe, Colorado Back to top
Gail Schoettler (Trustee)
Parker, Colorado
Professional speaker and advisor to corporations on globalization and political strategies for business. Current board member of two biotech companies – Aspen Bio, Inc. and CancerVax Corp. – the National Jewish Center for Immunology and Respiratory Medicine, Gunnison Ranchland Conservation Legacy and Facing History Project. Former president of the Douglas County Board of Education, the International Women’s Forum and Women Executives in State Government. Former trustee of the University of Northern Colorado. Previously, Dr. Schoettler served as Colorado’s two-term State Treasurer and Lieutenant Governor, a United States Ambassador, and as founder and director of two Colorado banks. Back to top
Alan Schwartz (Trustee)
Aspen, Colorado
Kandu Media. Current board trustee of the Aspen Music Festival, National Governing Board of Common Cause, and Rocky Mountain Board of Environmental Defense, Inc. Mr. Schwartz previously served as an attorney in Boulder, Colorado, and co-authored the Danish Plan – one of the first growth management plans adopted in the country. He also served as special counsel to the City of Aspen, Town of Snowmass Village, Pitkin County, and other Colorado municipalities in the creation, implementation and successful defense of some of the country’s most innovative land use planning regulations. Back to top
Cody J. Smith (National Trustee)
New York, New York
Born and raised in Colorado, Mr. Smith received degrees in engineering from both Claremont McKenna College and Stanford University. He also obtained an MBA from Harvard University. Mr. Smith has been with Goldman, Sachs & Co. since 1984, advising clients on mergers and acquisitions. He is an avid mountaineer and he enjoys fly-fishing. Back to top
Thomas Stokes (Trustee)
Denver, Colorado
President of Gates Capital Management, LLC. Current Chairman of the Board of the Denver Urban Renewal Authority, director of 1st National Bank of Colorado, former chair of the Downtown Denver Partnership and current Board trustee of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, The Clayton Foundation, The Colorado Forum, and Colorado Public Radio. Former Executive Director of the Gates Family Foundation. Back to top
Thomas W. Swanson (Trustee)
Evergreen, Colorado
Chairman of the Board of Mountain States Bank. Current board trustee of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and the Silver Trout Foundation, former President of the Board of the Colorado Board of Land Commissioners, former Chairman of the Board of the Colorado Nature Conservancy, and former board member of the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation, Mountain Area Land Trust and the Enterprise Foundation. Prior to retiring, Mr. Swanson worked as Executive Vice President at United Banks of Colorado/Norwest Bank of Colorado, and was the Interior CEO of the Mile High United Way. Back to top
Douglas Wheeler (National Trustee)
Washington, District of Columbia
A partner in the Environmental Practice Group at the Washington Office of Hogan & Hartson, LLP, Mr. Wheeler has worked exclusively with natural resource and environmental issues since joining the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1969, where he served for seven years as assistant legislative counsel and deputy assistant secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks. He has also served as a senior executive of many nonprofit environmental and conservation organizations. Including the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the American Farmland Trust, the Sierra Club, and the World Wildlife Fund. Mr. Wheeler served as California’s Secretary for Resources from 1991-1999 and he is an honorary life member of the Board of Visitors of the Duke University School of Law, and Chair of Dean’s Advisory Committee of the Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Mr. Wheeler is Chair of the National Park System Advisory Board, a United States member of the Biodiversity Working Group of the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation, and Chair of the Board of the American Farmland Trust. Mr. Wheeler received his LL.B. from the Duke University School of Law and his A.B. from Hamilton College. He is a member of the North Carolina and District of Columbia Bars. Back to top
George S. “Geoie” Writer Jr. (Trustee)
Littleton , Colorado/ Santa Barbra, California
Retired founder, Chairman, CEO of the Writer Corporation. Mr. Writer built the first Planned Unit Development in Colorado in 1968 and has since built over 35 open space communities including Writer Square in Downtown Denver. He currently serves on the board of the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum. Past board service includes The Colorado Forum, Swedish Medical Center, Health One, the Intra West Financial Corporation, United Banks of Colorado, Colorado Open Lands, The Denver Partnership, Denver Cure Ventures, The Denver Chamber of Commerce, and the Presidents Advising Council of the University of Colorado. Mr. Writer is a graduate of the University of Colorado and served as an officer in the US Navy. He and his wife Judy have five children and six grandchildren.