Who We Are
CCA is a ‘Friends Group’ of the 3 National Conservation Areas in Western Colorado. WE work In partnership with the BUREAU OF Land Management to increase Funding, education, and Outreach efforts in the communities across the western slope.
Our core Values:
Education. Connection. COLLABORATION. Inclusion. Stewardship of the National Conservation Lands.
Staff
Nick is a graduate of Prescott College and Cleveland State University. He has spent the last two decades working to support educational initiatives, especially those which make outdoor experiences more accessible. Nick and his family spend most of their free-time hiking, biking, rafting, and fishing in the NCAs. He is excited to share his passion for wild places with the CCA community.
A teacher by trade, Lisa grew up in Pennsylvania but fell in love with Colorado when she worked at an adventure summer camp backpacking through the Collegiate Peaks with middle schoolers. Passionate about the outdoors, she dreamed of living out west, eventually taking a job as a middle and high school music teacher in Olathe. As someone who loves whitewater, it only made sense for Lisa to pair her teaching career with river guiding in the summers. After seven years in education, Lisa fell into guiding full time where she has spent the past few years working in both Western Colorado and Costa Rica managing logistics, helping train young guides, and advocating for a Costa Rican national river guide standard. She loves sharing rivers with people of all ages, especially youth, and has loved learning more about sustainable tourism and river law.
A Cleveland native, Annie began her career in environmental education teaching about native Ohio wildlife before majoring in Biopsychology and Environmental Science at Tufts University. She developed a passion for connecting people to the natural world and promoting active stewardship through community outreach and outdoor education experience across multiple states. Annie first joined CCA in 2020, serving as the AmeriCorps VISTA in Montrose for a year. Before returning to CCA, she facilitated social-emotional learning curriculum and outdoor programming with at-risk youth in the local community. After a long day in the field, Annie loves coming home to her cat, Tofu. She also enjoys reading, climbing, hiking, and cooking elaborate meals with friends.
Morgan grew up in the Midwest, and after seeing her first mountain at 19, she knew she belonged out West. After “retiring” from her career as a flight attendant of 5 years, she completed her BA in Anthropology with a concentration in Environmental Sustainability. She and her husband recently moved to the Western Slope from Arizona in 2020 and are enthusiastic rock climbers, fly fishers, and adventurers. You can also find Morgan helping organize monthly public land clean-ups at the Nine Mile Hill area in Unaweep canyon with fellow members of the Western Colorado Climbers Coalition. She is excited to join the team here at CCA and share her passion for stewardship, conservation, and learning with residents and visitors alike, to these three beautiful National Conservation Areas we are so lucky to have in our backyard!
Bronwen’s love and appreciation for public outdoor spaces was fostered by growing up in Alaska and recreating in the abundance of its public lands. Her background is in communications and working with non-profits that assist our most vulnerable community members. Bronwen joins CCA with extensive management and outdoor recreation experience. Having moved from Alaska to the Western Slope in 2023, she has found great fulfillment and joy during her adventures within our National Conservation Areas. She is enthusiastic to continue learning and fostering stewardship and education for these beautiful spaces. You can often find Bronwen and her family hiking, floating, skiing and biking around the Western Slope.
Growing up in Colorado, Wendy always had a connection to nature, whether it was hiking around Colorado Springs or identifying plants and insects in the mountains. Time spent rock climbing, ski instructing, and connecting with the natural world inspired a growing curiosity and passion for the outdoors. As such, Wendy aims to share this connection with the environment with her community. Since being on the western slope, Wendy has worked facilitating outdoor programming and social emotional learning, doing field work, and participating in river cleanups and restoration measures. She hopes to bring measures of inclusiveness and equity to the beautiful desert we call home.
Board
Kate attended undergraduate and law school in New England before moving to Colorado to obtain an LL.M in Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Policy from the University of Denver.Kate is passionate about helping people connect with public lands and spends her free time hiking, camping, and exploring with her fiancé and dog.
MacKenzie, a native Texan, has been living on the Western Slope for over 8 years now and considers the desert to be her true home. She is currently working as the Coordinator of Colorado Mesa University’s Outdoor Program and is passionate about education, stewardship and our public lands. She believes the NCA's and outdoor spaces that surround Grand Junction create the perfect stage to educate youth and adults alike on the importance of caring for and protecting our natural spaces and ourselves. In her free time, you can find Mackenzie with her husband and pups rafting, mountain biking, gardening and playing outside.
As a native Coloradoan, Andrea grew up loving the beauty of our State and the great outdoors. She has spent many days and weeks backpacking, hiking and rafting in Colorado. She has run her own raft down the Grand Canyon six times, and never tires of the beauty. Andrea is an advocate for getting our children outside and learning about responsible use and stewardship of our public lands. The experience of spending time in the outdoors was pivotal to her present appreciation of our public lands. Andrea believes it is essential that children also learn to love and appreciate the wealth of opportunities we have living on the Western Slope.
Curtis grew up along the "wild and scenic" Clarion River in northwestern Pennsylvania and found his way to the Gunnison River by way of Western State College. After 10 years of guiding anglers in the Gunnison area, he settled in downstream with his wife Leah, a Montrose-native. Curtis stumbled into the non-profit world in 2013 with an interest in seeing underserved youth having access to the adventures and beautiful landscapes of the area. Since 2015 he has been the executive director of Partners Mentoring of Delta, Montrose and Ouray Counties. He now balances his time between fulfilling the mission of Partners Mentoring, his two young boys and any opportunity offered for hunting, fishing and running rivers.
Hali was born in Grand Junction and grew up in Telluride before moving to Northern Arizona. As a kid, Hali grew up skiing, camping, hiking, and rafting. On a summer break from getting her undergraduate degree in Sociology from the University of Arizona, she spent a summer guiding in Dinosaur National Monument, which solidified her love for both rivers and canyons. Hali has served as the Executive Director of the Counseling and Education Center (CEC) since 2021 and as a counselor at CEC since 2018. With a degree in International Disaster Psychology from the University of Denver she brings more than a decade of nonprofit and clinical mental health experience. Hali is excited about supporting CCA's work to ensure that our beautiful National Conservation Areas are stewarded for her son, and all youth, to continue to enjoy into the future. When she is not working, she enjoys time spent with her family and friends, enjoying the local wine, camping and rafting, and traveling whenever possible.
DeVerna grew up in Cortez, CO exploring the mesas and creeks in the area, before moving to Fort Collins for school. She recently relocated to Montrose and has a long track record of working with environmental organizations to support volunteerism, conservation, and education. DeVerna is an avid hiker and enjoys exploring new trails, as well as taking scenic drives throughout Colorado.