Carter Johnson, MIS/Circuit Rider. Carter has worked as a technology assistance provider for non-profit organizations since 1997, when he served two terms as a VISTA with the IBM / United Way Team Tech project. Carter joined CEC in 1999 where he has worked to bring our organizational members up-to-date with their technology planning and implementation. After growing up in the natural beauty of Boulder, he operated a video production business, worked as a local campaign manager and reviewed computer hardware for several national tech publications. CEC is excited to have Carter on board during this unique era of growth in our technology capacity building program. Currently Carter's goal is to expand CEC and our partners' abilities to communicate using digital media tools to protect Colorado's rich environmental resources.

Chad Kennard, West Slope Field Organizer. Chad grew up in a small town in northern Ohio. After earning a BA in English Literature & Technical Writing from Bowling Green State University in 1998, Chad moved to Colorado. He has lived in downtown Grand Junction since the summer of 2002. During that time, he worked for a local nonprofit human service company, and developed strong ties to Grand Junction’s community. As with many of our organizers, Chad had previously volunteered at CEC and been participating in local conservation events for the past couple of years. Some of his strengths are in communicating with people, bringing structure to chaos, working well under pressure, and maintaining a sincere dedication to making the world a better place.

Courtney Krause, Volunteer/Outreach Coordinator. Courtney comes to CEC having just graduated Phi Beta Kappa from CU as a Norlin Scholar with a BA in environmental studies and a minor in geography. Throughout her time at CU she was a board member of the CU Environmental Center where she was a part of a variety of grassroots student campaigns including Dandelion Days, an effort to raise awareness and eliminate pesticide use for weeds on the campus. Courtney also worked on campus as a volunteer teacher for the CU Earth Education program and as a recruiting assistant for the football program at CU. And, last but not least, she is an avid skier and outdoors person; she's ready for the summer outreach season and lots of camping!

Joe Neuhof, West Slope Field Director. Joe comes to CEC with a passion for working to solve tough environmental issues. After finishing his Masters in environmental leadership at Naropa in Boulder, Joe moved to Grand Junction to start working with CEC. Before moving to Colorado, Joe was both acting executive director and deputy director of Save Our Streams in Maryland, where he led various types of coalition and canvassing projects to protect the watersheds in and around the Chesapeake Bay. He has a BA in environmental policy and geography from the University of Maine.

Jolynne Woodcock, Administrative Director. Born and raised in Denver, Jolynne's experience includes office administration and early childhood education. She worked for many years as a preschool teacher for Headstart. Jolynne is of American Indian (Lakota and Cherokee) heritage and fully shares the values for which CEC stands and strives. "The Coalition believes as my ancestors believed: showing respect and taking responsibility for the earth is a matter of serious importance and survival." Jolynne brings to the Coalition a commitment and passion for the well being of Colorado and CEC is delighted to have her on board.

Kurt Kunkle, Field Inventory Director/Public Lands Organizer. Kurt is a Colorado native and loves to be outside. He has been doing fieldwork for conservation campaigns since his days with the Wilderness Study Group at the University of Colorado in Boulder, where he earned his BA in Environmental Studies. Kurt heads up CEC's Mapping Project, training volunteers to visit Canyon Country and photograph and document the wild characteristics that make these proposed wilderness areas unique. Through his work, Kurt plays a key role in turning CEC volunteers into activists for Colorado's wild places. He has a special knack for leading hikes with just the right rare mammal sighting; volunteers at the Menfee training day caught a glimpse of a mountain lion and came back inspired to save wilderness. Join Kurt for a hike into Colorado's Canyon Country and help save it!

Lisa Smith, Public Lands Organizer. Public Lands Organizer. While Lisa originates from the Great Lakes State (Michigan), she has lived in Colorado for over 14 years, in the state where she swears she should have been born. She has a deep commitment to protecting Colorado's wild places. Lisa brings a diverse and somewhat eclectic background with her which helps in several aspects of her current position. Prior to joining CEC, Lisa worked for three years as a wilderness ranger for the U.S. Forest Service in Colorado. She has a graduate degree in natural resources from Colorado State University and a bachelor's in business administration from the University of Michigan. She has also served as Peace Corps volunteer in El Salvador, worked as a financial analyst, recruited for the Peace Corps, and took a year to travel around the world. When Lisa is not out exploring Colorado's backcountry she enjoys traveling, biking, skiing, hiking, and competing in triathlons.

Luke Schafer, Northwest Organizer. From wandering through Michigan's farm country and the state's Upper Peninsula's swamps to cicumambulating Colorado's canyon country, conservation and the natural world have always been a passion of Luke's. Luke joined CEC in the summer of 2004 after graduating from Central Michigan University and has remained in CEC's Craig Field Office ever since. During that time he has been busy working on protecting the Vermillion Basin from oil and gas development as well as working on a myriad of other BLM issues. Luke is an avid sportsman who takes advantage of Northwest Colorado's abundant hunting and fishing opportunities.

Matthew Null, Membership Coordinator. Matthew brings to CEC a love for working in the conservation community and building membership programs. Recently Matthew has worked with the database and membership/major donor programs at the United Way of Missoula County in Missoula, Montana; has run the youth technology lab at the Univ. of Montana as an Americorps volunteer; and has served as the Membership Chair for the Sierra Club Chapter in Missoula. He was an intern at CEC while a student at Ft. Lewis College in Durango where he received a BA in Environmental Policy and Studies. Matthew and his wife are excited to relocate back to Colorado and hike in their favorite mountains.

Rebecca Olchawa Barker, Development Coordinator. Rebecca joined Colorado Environmental Coalition in June 2007. Rebecca comes to us by way of Chicago where she worked at Children’s Memorial Hospital in the donor relations and event planning departments for three years, and volunteered with Rainbow Dogs, an in-patient therapy program. Rebecca brings with her a passion for fundraising, and is eager to develop relationships with concerned citizens across the state to help CEC continue working to sustain and protect all the things we all love and appreciate about Colorado. Rebecca also brings valuable skills and experience in public relations from her work at Edelman, a leading Chicago PR agency, where she worked on accounts including, Dove Hair Care and Illinois Tourism. Rebecca attended Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan where she earned a BA in environmental studies and communications. Rebecca, along with her husband, Brent, and their pooch, Zoey, relocated to Denver to pursue their life-long dream of living close to the mountains where they can bike, hike, backpack, climb, ski, snowshoe, and make their friends back in the Midwest jealous.

Sarah Gorecki, Deputy Director. Prior to joining CEC in August 2007, Sarah was the Associate Director of the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative. Sarah has a background in public land issues, fundraising, and cross-sector partnerships. She has worked as a backcountry ranger in Alaska and Leadville, Colorado, has done GIS and land use planning, and was the chief copy editor for an English-language newspaper in Taipei, Taiwan. Sarah earned her bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Colorado College in 1995, and has a masters degree in nonprofit management from Regis University.

Sasha Nelson, Northwest Organizer. A native of Northwest Colorado, Sasha joined CEC in November 2007. Sasha is well used to organizing in her community were before the age of 26 she had held the positions of Fair Superintendent, Director of the Center of Craig and Director of the Northwest Colorado Museum Foundation. Sasha is a qualified animal behavioral scientist and holds a BS and BA from Colorado State University, and received her Master of Science from The Australian National University, the Harvard of the Southern Hemisphere, in mid-2002. She has spent most of the last 8 years in Australia where she worked as a Development and Membership Officer for Environment Victoria, one of the largest and most influential environmental organizations in that country. Until recently, she had been a PhD candidate working on a dissertation to improve the communication of environmental science to wider communities. She intends finish her degree in 2009, but for now is enjoying the opportunity to use her knowledge and skills to help keep some of the Wild West Wild by preserving important places in her beloved Northwest Colorado. When not working Sasha can be found enjoying time with her family, in her studio creating elaborate works of textile art or out hiking, horseback riding or fishing.

Stephanie Thomas, Smart Growth Campaign Coordinator. Stephanie loves to be outside, hiking, camping or running with her favorite furry and, sometimes, human companions. She comes to CEC from Environment Colorado, where she worked on protecting and improving Colorado's water quality Stephanie originally came to Colorado from Maryland in 1997 to attend law school at the University of Colorado. Along the way she has worked with the Land and Water Fund of the Rockies (now Western Resource Advocates), Earthjustice, the federal government, and a few private law firms. In addition to her law degree, Stephanie has a B.S. in International Environmental Studies from Rutgers University. She is excited to join CEC in protecting Colorado's resources and open spaces in the face of rapid growth and sprawl.