Executive Leadership Team
Kelly Nordini
Chief Executive Officer - Denver
Kelly has been at the forefront of Colorado politics and conservation policy for over two decades. She has played a pivotal role in the conservation movement by leading efforts to advance clean energy, transform our transportation sector and elect environmental champions to office. In her previous roles as a campaign strategist, chief of staff to the speaker of the Colorado state house and deputy chief of staff to Governor Ritter she has played a role in some of Colorado’s largest environmental successes including the voter approval and development of the light rail system, increased renewable energy standards and various nationally-leading clean energy policies. She lives in Denver with her husband and two daughters.
Jessica Goad
Vice President of Programs and Deputy Director - Denver
Jessica joined our team in 2016 and is from Golden. Before coming here, Jessica worked at the Center for Western Priorities, Center for American Progress, and The Wilderness Society. Favorite spot in Colorado: The deserts of Western Colorado
Hablo Español
Advocacy Team
Katie Belgard
Senior Director of Government Affairs - Denver
From New Hampshire, Katie has spent the last 10 years working in the labor movement in Boston. She joined the team in 2019 and is excited to bridge her experience in labor and social justice organizing with the environmental movement here in Colorado. Favorite spot in Colorado: Mountains outside of Redstone, preferably on horseback.
Luke Schafer
West Slope Director - Craig
Hailing from Michigan, Luke started working with us in 2004 and previously worked for Colorado Environmental Coalition. Favorite spot in Colorado: Anywhere on the “Best Slope”.
Josh Kuhn
Water Advocate - Denver
Originally from Nashville, Tennessee, Josh started his work with us in 2015. Josh worked as a consultant for The Wilderness Society and as Conservation Fellow at the Colorado Mountain Club before joining our team. Favorite spot in Colorado: A tent under the stars, near a river, and far away from any roads.
Beau Kiklis
Public Lands Advocate - Denver
Originally from Westerly, Rhode Island, Beau joined our team in 2017. He previously worked at the Wyss Foundation as a Program Assistant. Favorite spot in Colorado: Tim’s Lane, San Juan Mountains.
Jenny Gaeng
Transportation Advocate - Denver
Jenny joined Conservation Colorado in 2018 as a field organizer. Previously, she worked for Big City Mountaineers and the Continental Divide Trail Coalition. She believes that the best adventures are the ones that change the world. Favorite spot in Colorado: High in the Sangre de Cristo range
Lorena Gonzalez
Climate Advocate - Denver
Originally from the south side of Chicago, Illinois, Lorena started her work with us in 2021. Before joining our team, Lorena worked as a co-chair of the Southwest Environmental Alliance–a direct action, environmental justice group in her former Chicago neighborhood–and on the national media team at the Natural Resources Defense Council. Favorite place in Colorado: Strawberry Park Natural Hot Springs
Hablo Español
Misha White
Senior Program Associate - Denver
A Colorado native, Misha joined our team in 2019. Misha received her degree in Nonprofit Leadership and Management and her certificate in Social Transformation in 2017. Favorite Spot in Colorado: Standley Lake.
Jared Bynum
Communities & Justice Advocate - Denver
A Denver native with roots in Montana, Jared joined Conservation Colorado in 2019. His love for the Rocky Mountain West led him to become a Protégete Promotor and a Legislative Aide at the Colorado General Assembly. Favorite spot in Colorado: Black Canyon
Communications Team
Sara Fleming
Communications & Storytelling Coordinator - Denver
Sara grew up in Glenwood Springs and loves hearing and sharing stories about the diverse communities of her home state. Before joining Conservation Colorado in September 2021, she worked in journalism and affordable housing advocacy. Favorite spot in Colorado: in the Roaring Fork Valley, with a view of Mt. Sopris.
Hablo Español
Joe Cooper
Visual Content Coordinator - Denver
Originally from Boulder, Colorado, Joe joined our team in 2021. He received his degree and previously worked for Colorado State University.
Favorite spot in Colorado: Devil’s Thumb in Boulder
Development Team
Leslie Allen
Vice President of Fundraising - Denver
Leslie has been working in social change for three decades. After receiving an MBA in Public and Nonprofit Management from Boston University, Leslie spent 14 years leading the fundraising team at Greenpeace US. She moved to Colorado in 2006 to be the Director of Development and Communications at Global Greengrants Fund in Boulder. Over the last decade, Leslie co-founded a fundraising consulting firm that continues to serve clients of all sizes from all over the world. Favorite place in Colorado: Black Canyon of the Gunnison
Julia Liao
Deputy Director of Development - Denver
Julia joined our team in 2019 after the mountains called her back to Colorado. She was previously an environmental psychologist who studied the human factor in sustainability and conservation. Favorite spot in Colorado: Great Sand Dunes National Park
Ana Duque
Major Gifts Manager - Denver
Ana is passionate about building community with purpose. She has led diverse fundraising initiatives with great success supporting programs to promote social change. Originally from Colombia, she moved from Miami to Colorado, as she is called to advocate for environmental justice, and sustainability. Favorite spot in Colorado: Red Rocks.
Hablo Español
Desiree Madrid
Community Fundraiser - Denver
From El Paso TX, Desiree joined the Conservation Colorado team in 2019. Previously, she worked in finance. Favorite spot in Colorado: the Arkansas River Valley.
Marisol Ibarra
Development Associate and Database Analyst - Denver
Marisol joined Conservation Colorado in July 2021. A Colorado native, she was inspired to join in the movement to help protect her beautiful home state and the wonderful communities that make it home. Previously, she worked at a nonprofit that focused on providing nutritious meals to individuals experiencing illness. Favorite spot in Colorado: Parents’ beautiful backyard
Hablo Español
Digital Team
Lilly Zoller
Digital Director - Denver
Lilly hails from Michigan and joined our team in 2013. Lilly started her career in the conservation voter movement as an intern at the League of Conservation Voters during graduate school. Favorite spot in Colorado: Crested Butte.
Katie Kirdahy
Data Administrator and Analyst - Denver
Katie joined our team in 2017, and is originally from Seattle, Washington. Before starting with us, Katie worked with the City of Spokane’s Environmental Programs Department, served two AmeriCorps terms, and most recently worked as Volunteer Coordinator at the Nisqually Land Trust in Washington. Favorite spot in Colorado: Garden of the Gods.
Rebecca Vigil
Digital Engagement Coordinator - Pueblo
Born and raised in Colorado, Rebecca worked on environmental issues for six years prior to joining the team in 2019. She’s also a professional mushroom hunter. Favorite place in Colorado: Anywhere in the mountains with good mushroom honey holes!
Operations and Finance Team
Nikki Riedt
Vice President of Operations & Finance - Denver
Originally from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Nikki started working at Conservation Colorado in 2013. She previously worked as the Director of State Administration for the Public Interest Network. Favorite place in Colorado: Red Rocks.
Rafael Veintimilla
Finance & HR Administrator - Denver
Rafa joined our team on the first business day of 2021 and grew up in Lakewood, CO but was born in Quito, Ecuador. His credentials include using chainsaws for river-system rehabilitation, saving ~5MM gallons of water annually after replacing more than 1,000 inefficient toilets, and taking care of people-centered operations after many years in tech, finance, and public service. Favorite place in Colorado: Golden Gate Canyon State Park
Cara DePan
Executive Team and Human Resources Coordinator - Denver
Before joining the team in 2022, Cara previously worked for Uncommon Schools and Elon University’s Sustainability Office. Originally from upstate New York, she received her degree in Environmental Studies and minors in Human Services & Environmental Education.
Favorite place in Colorado: Brown’s Canyon (rafting down the Arkansas River)
Oliver Abdulrahim
Office and Hiring Administrator - Denver
Oliver joined our team in the summer of 2021. Having previously lived in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Bahrain, and Texas, he is excited to have finally made it to the Colorado mountains. Favorite place in Colorado: Arapaho National Forest
Organizing Team
Caroline Casteel
Organizing Director - Denver
Caroline joined Conservation Colorado in May of 2020 and has been organizing in Colorado for eight years. She previously worked at Colorado Progressive Coalition, Front Range Economic Strategy Center, and Colorado Jobs with Justice. Favorite spot in Colorado: Wet Mountains of Beulah.
Renée Larrarte
Front Range Field Manager - Denver
Renée is from Fort Collins and started here in 2014. Renée previously worked for the Obama Presidential Reelection Campaign as a Campaign Field Organizer for Larimer County. She is also the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Women’s Lobby of CO. Favorite spot in Colorado: Pingree Park.
Ian Roche
West Slope Field Manager and COBA Program Lead - Grand Junction
Growing up in Evergreen, Colorado, Ian joined Conservation Colorado in 2018. He has worked in veterinary clinics, on ranches, and for Colorado Parks and Wildlife while always holding the natural world in the highest regard. Favorite spot in Colorado: Flattops Wilderness Area.
Emma Ragona
Front Range Field Organizer - Jefferson County
Emma is originally from Louisville, Colorado but is an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe (Sicangu Lakota Oyate) and a descendent of the Matinecock Indian Tribe of New York. Prior to working at Conservation Colorado, Emma has worked as a Legislative Aide in the Colorado House of Representatives during the 2021 Legislative session. She has also interned both in the State of Colorado Governor and Treasurer’s office.
Favorite spot in Colorado: St Mary’s Glacier
Jesús Castro
Senior Organizer - Fort Collins
Jesús began working for us in 2019 and is originally from Los Mochis Sinaloa, Mexico. He is involved in his community and is on the steering committee of Fuerza Latina. Favorite place in Colorado: Estes Park
Hablo Español
Nathan Goodman
Southwest Field Organizer - Durango
Nathan joined our team in 2019 and calls Albuquerque, NM home. He previously worked with the State of the Rockies Project and grounds his love of the outdoors with the belief that struggles for peace, social justice, and the environment are intimately connected. Favorite spot in Colorado: San Juan Mountains.
Chris Norton
West Slope Field Organizer - Glenwood Springs
Chris joined the Organizing team in 2022 after finishing his AmeriCorps VISTA year with the Chaffee Housing Trust. He previously served as Peace Corps volunteer in Paraguay where he worked as a community environmental promoter.
Favorite spot in Colorado: Black Canyon of the Gunnison
Hablo Español
Protégete Team
Beatriz Soto
Protégete Director - Carbondale
Beatriz has been at the intersection of community building, social justice and working towards a stable climate for the past two decades. She is a LEED certified architect that worked on a variety of energy related projects, from Net-Zero affordable housing to high performance straw bale homes, sustainable developments in the pacific coast of Mexico, as well as providing professional trainings with the US and the Mexican Green Building Councils. She is former Director of Defiende Nuestra Tierra for The Wilderness Workshop, also a co-founding member of Voces Unidas de las Montañas, first non-profit organization in the central mountain region, made up of Latinx leaders that helps create opportunities for Latinos to speak and advocate for themselves.
Favorite place in Colorado: Rifle Mountain Park and the White River National Forest
Hablo Español
Patricia Ferrero
Protégete Content Manager - Denver
Hailing from Los Angeles, California, Patricia joined us in 2015. She previously worked as a Family Aid Coordinator for Mayan Families. Favorite spot in Colorado: Mesa Verde.
Hablo Español
Political Team
Patrick Massaro
Political Director - Denver
From Denver, Colorado, Patrick joined our team in 2011. He previously worked at Colorado Environmental Coalition, Colorado Conservation Voters, and the League of Conservation Voters. Favorite spot in Colorado: Mile High Stadium.
Aly Ferrufino-Coqueugniot
Deputy Political Director - Denver
Aly started her work with us in 2017 as a Protégete Community Organizer and is from Denver. Before joining us, she worked for Workplace Resource as a Project Coordinator. Favorite spot in Colorado: The Great Sand Dunes.
Hablo Español
We Are Hiring!
Board of Directors
Helen Gemmill
Board Chair
Consultant and Farmer - Unincorporated Boulder County
Maria Handley
Vice Chair
Community Leader, Former Executive Director of Generation Latino - Eldorado Springs
Dana Bryson
Senior Vice President, Social Impact - Study.com, Denver
Angela Giron
President/CEO of Boys and Girls Club of Pueblo County, Pueblo
J.W. Postal
CEO/Founder Nikola Power - Denver
Ning Mosberger-Tang
Innovo Foundation, President - Boulder
Sue Anderson
Community Leader - Boulder
Tamra DeBrady
Account Executive, Cigna Corporation
President, Colorado Black Women for Political Action
Katherine Archuleta
Nonprofit Founder/Former Obama Administration Official - Denver
Jay Fetcher
Rancher - Steamboat Springs
Nicole Melaku
Executive Director, National Partnership for New Americans - Denver
Steve Kaplan
Partner, Kaplan Kirsch and Rockwell LLP - Denver
Heidi McIntosh
Earthjustice Rocky Mountain, Managing Attorney - Denver
Office Contact Info
Denver Office
1536 Wynkoop Street, Suite 510
Denver, CO 80202
(303) 333-7846
Durango Office
1309 East 3rd Ave, Suite 110
Durango, CO 81301
(970) 335-8191
Grand Junction Office
546 Main Street, #404
Grand Junction, CO 81501
(970) 243-0002
Carbondale Office
Third Street Center, Suite 17
520 S. Third Street
Carbondale, CO 81623
(720) 470-7580
