Staff
Brian Ross, Executive Director
Brian moved to CCT following a 27 year career with Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), one of the world’s preeminent real estate advisory organizations. Brian, an International Director with JLL, was President of the firm’s Leasing and Management division in the United States. He led the development of repositioning strategies for some of the country’s most notable office towers including the City Center complex in downtown Denver, Fox Plaza in Los Angeles, The Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco and US Bank Tower in Seattle. Prior to joining JLL, Brian worked for United States Senator Gary Hart concentrating on natural resource matters. He was directly involved in the negotiations of the 1980 amendment to the Wilderness Act which dramatically expanded federally protected wilderness acreage in Colorado. Brian is a Colorado native. He attended the University of New Mexico for his undergraduate degree and attended graduate school at the University of Colorado’s school of environmental design.
Jordan Vana, Program Director
Prior to joining CCT, Jordan spent 7 years as Director of Conservation for the Wyoming Land Trust, where he worked with landowners to conserve and steward more than 30,000 acres of working ranchland, wildlife habitat and open space around the Cowboy State. Before the Wyoming Land Trust, Jordan worked as an attorney in Billings, Montana, where his practice focused on real estate, commercial transactions and estate planning. Jordan and his family enjoy volunteering, skiing, and hunting, and enjoy calling Colorado home.
Bethany Gravell, Development Director
Bethany Gravell brings nine years of complementary experience in fundraising, non-profit management and political consulting to the position of Development Director. Prior to joining Colorado Conservation Trust, she served as Executive Director of Rocky Mountain Wild, a conservation organization responsible for protecting 1.7 million acres of wildlife habitat in the Greater Southern Rocky Mountains. Before her non-profit career, Bethany was an Account Executive with the consulting firm CRL Associates Inc. where she represented corporations, state agencies, public utilities, and cultural institutions and helped secure voter approval for a $60 million bond to restore and expand the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. She managed the successful campaign of Denver City Councilwoman Peggy Lehmann in 2003 and has helped lead federal, state and municipal campaigns. Bethany earned an undergraduate degree from Providence College in Rhode Island and a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the University of Colorado.
Leslie Volkar, Communications Director
Volkar has a B.A. in Advertising and an M.A. in Media Studies from Pennsylvania State University, with a research specialization in nontraditional marketing strategies. Prior to joining CCT, she worked for five years at a Denver-based urban design firm, coordinating marketing, promotion, and event planning efforts.
Lori Mellon, Finance Coordinator and Office Manager
Lori Mellon has been a writer, manager, and fundraiser in the nonprofit sector serving the fine arts, cultural history, and historic preservation field for over 25 years. A native Coloradoan, she holds a bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University and a master’s degree in art history and arts administration from Temple University in Philadelphia. She has been affiliated as executive director, fundraiser, consultant, and volunteer with the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the American Swedish Historical Museum, the Denver Art Museum, DU’s Rocky Mountain Conservation Center, Mesa Verde Foundation, and the Colorado Horse Park. Lori has served on several boards, the most rewarding of which has been the Douglas County Cultural Council of Denver’s Scientific and Cultural Facilities District. She is a professional chef who still loves to cook. She looks forward to helping further the mission and goals of the Colorado Conservation Trust.