Board of Directors
Tom Allender
President
Tom Allender likes to fish, kayak, raft, paddle board, ski and golf. Now retired, he was Senior Director of Mountain Planning at Vail Resorts and worked with SE Group. Tom has experience serving as a board member of Eagle River Water & Sanitation District, Upper Eagle Regional Water Authority, Eagle Park Reservoir Company, and Clinton Ditch and Reservoir Company.
Tom Boyd
Vice President
Tom Boyd was born and raised in Eagle County, learning to fish and kayak at a young age. He was editor of the Vail Trail Newspaper before entering into media services at Olympic and other international sporting events worldwide. He is now Director of PR and Communications for the nonprofit Vail Valley Foundation.
Tania Landauer
Treasurer
Tania Landauer loves to sail, raft, canoe, swim, ski, hike and adventure in the outdoors. She specialized in wilderness therapy as a mental health counselor, and studied Visual and Environmental Studies at Harvard University. An involved community member, Tania has also worked as a retail and restaurant manager, construction office instructor, and has served various volunteer roles whole providing support for young people in the Eagle River Valley.
Kristin Yantis
Secretary
Kristin Yantis is principal and founder of Malin Yantis Public Relations, a boutique marketing communications firm. As the in-house pr director for Keystone and Vail ski resort, she opened The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch and was the assistant vice president of corporate communications for Destination Hotels & Resorts. She was a founding board member of First Descents, a kayak camp for young adults with cancer started by pro kayaker Brad Ludden. Kristin graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and lives in Edwards, Colorado. Kristin is an avid hiker and loves to camp, but is happiest on a river.
Rose Delles
Director
Rose Delles is a Senior Manager at Walking Mountains Science Center. She has worked for a variety of nonprofits, foundations and outdoor education centers throughout Washington and Montana. Happy to be settled in her home state of Colorado you can find her fly fishing, hiking in the high alpine, skiing with friends or adventuring with her pup.
Jessica DiToro
Director
Born and raised in Vermont, Jessica moved to Colorado in 2013 to pursue her graduate degree in environmental engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. After graduating she began working at LRE Water. At LRE, Jessica manages projects that encompass a broad range of topics related to environmental compliance and permitting including Colorado Water Quality Control Commission rulemaking hearings, wastewater treatment discharge permits, National Environmental Policy Act, CERCLA (superfund), 303(d) Listings, water quality sampling and data analysis, and water supply resource planning. Jessica and her partner moved to the Town of Eagle in 2020, where she works remotely when not commuting to the LRE office in Glenwood Springs. Jessica is an avid hiker, backcountry and alpine skier, biker, CrossFitter, reader, and dog mom.
Claudia Bryan
Director
Claudia Bryan moved to the United States from Argentina in 1997 and opened The Boardroom, a skateboard and snowboard shop in Avon, with her husband. From 2003-2008, this gave them the opportunity to help young kids and local athletes pursue adventure in the outdoors. The Colorado and Eagle rivers have been very important to her as she loves to paddle board, fly fish and raft during the summer.
Kate Burchenal
Director
Kate grew up in Denver but spent weekends skiing and hiking with her family in Vail. After venturing to Vermont for college, she made her way back to Colorado where she began her working with the Watershed Council as Education & Outreach Coordinator. Then after two stints in California (first ski patrolling, then grad school), Kate found her way back to Minturn. She is a Program Officer at Catena Foundation and a Director for the Eagle River Water & Sanitation District.
Fritz Ganz
Director
Fritz Ganz is a Managing Member with Ganz Legal Counsel Ltd. and is an environmental and natural resources attorney. His expertise is in abandoned mine sites, Superfund litigation and water quality compliance. Fritz is a volunteer adaptive sit-ski instructor with the National Sports Center for the Disabled and is an avid backcountry skier.
Bret Hooper
Director
Bret Hooper is a financial advisor with Edward Jones Investments. Previously, Bret served as President & Treasurer of Habitat for Humanity Vail Valley; he is also a former President, Treasurer, and Campaign Chairperson for United Way of Eagle River Valley; and former board member of Eagle Valley Chamber of Commerce. Telemark skiing, mountain biking, camping and rafting with his wife and three children are Bret’s favorite activities.
Josh Stepanek
Director
Josh is an associate professor of Biology and Ecosystem Science and Stewardship at the Colorado Mountain College Vail Valley campus. A central theme throughout Josh’s career has been utilizing basic research in evolution and diversity to approach applied problems in aquatic biology from novel perspectives. This has included research on the impact of estrogenic compounds on our waterways, nutrient pollution and harmful algal blooms, the role of algal communities on stream and lake ecology, and the diversity present in aquatic habitats unique to the Colorado high-country. When not tromping around in streams or wetlands, Josh spends his time enjoying all that our mountain communities have to offer.
Pete Wadden
Director
Pete is the Watershed Education Coordinator for Town of Vail. Previously, he was Stewardship Coordinator at Walking Mountains Science Center and an Environmental Science instructor at Colorado Mountain College. Pete is a graduate of Prescott College (MA) and Bowdoin College (BA). He’s an avid rafter, kayaker, angler, hunter, backcountry skier, dog dad and lover of water in all its forms.
Woody Woodruff
Director
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STAFF
James Dilzell
Executive Director
James grew up in Cleveland, OH – a city nestled along a Great Lake. He spent much of his time exploring the local parks, and took a Field Ecology class his freshman year of high school that impacted the course of his life more than he thought. Fast forward a few years, he received a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering from The University of Alabama and spent summers working in Montana. Rather than attending graduation, he packed up his station wagon and drove west to Colorado. James lives in Eagle, and while not talking about water, he can be found cooking, biking, hiking, skiing, camping and drinking as much coffee as he can.
Seth Mason
Contractor for Water Resource Programs
Hydrologist; Environmental Data Manager; Principal, Lotic Hydrological, LLC; M.S. in Land Resources & Environmental Sciences. Expertise in physical hydrology, hydrologic modeling, solute transport, GIS, environmental data management, remote environmental data collection system deployment and maintenance.
Anna Nakae
Projects Coordinator
Anna moved to Colorado in 2017 from her home state of Washington. Growing up, she found a love for the outdoors, and while at Western Washington University she channeled that love into a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Science and a certificate in GIS. After graduating, Anna has held a variety of natural resource jobs, including working for the US Forest Service, Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the City of Boulder’s Open Space and Mountain Parks department. Outside of work, Anna enjoys biking, climbing, skiing, birding, stand up paddle boarding and exploring all the Eagle Valley has to offer.
Melanie Smith
Development & Communications Manager
Melanie was raised on a lake in Minnesota, and after graduating from Luther College in Decorah, IA, with a degree in political science and environmental studies, she moved to the Eagle Valley, a dream of hers since the age of four. Though she grew up in the land of lakes, she’s enjoyed learning about rivers and streams from her fishing guide husband and as the development and communications manager at Eagle River Watershed Council. Melanie rents a house in Minturn with her husband and cat Marvin and loves to garden, read, write and explore the trails of this valley.
Sue Nikolai
Land & Rivers Fund Program Director
Sue is a shared employee of Eagle River Watershed Council and Eagle Valley Land Trust, tasked with directing the shared Land & Rivers Fund.
Natural Resources and Psychology, University of WI Stevens Point; Colorado Outward Bound School; Director of Ski Patrol at Eldora Resort and Hidden Valley Ski Area near Estes Park; part time ski patroller at Beaver Creek; likes to raft and take river trips, mountain bike, hike, work in her garden, practice yoga, ski, cook, read and have adventures with her husband and 2 almost grown daughters.
Kate Berg
Contractor: Eagle River Fund Manager
Kate is a land use and environmental planning consultant based in Frisco, CO. She has been contracted to help facilitate the development and implementation of an Eagle River Fund through summer/fall 2022. Kate has a BA in Political Science and Environmental Studies from University of Vermont and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from CU Denver. She has 18 years of experience working on a full spectrum of local land use planning activities for Summit County Government, and now splits her time working as the Eagle River Fund Manager and as a part-time Planner for Norris Design in Frisco, CO. She is passionate about facilitating collaborative community projects to protect our natural resources and make communities healthier, more sustainable and more enjoyable places to be.
Brittany Parker
Clean & Flowing Rivers Program Seasonal Staff
Brittany is assisting with the development of the Clean & Flowing Rivers program and providing support for restoration projects this summer.
She says, “The past decade and a half of my life has revolved around rivers. I was born and raised in Rifle, CO and I started as a raft guide when I was 19 and then found stand up paddling. I began competing in and teaching whitewater stand up paddling and river surfing around the country. This pursuit has taken me all over the world, introduced me to some of my now closest friends, curated a sense of community, and provided me with a source of income doing something I love. The river has given me the life of my dreams and it is now time for me to give back and do my best to conserve, preserve, and restore it.”
Rose Sandell
Education & Outreach Coordinator
Rose grew up in Eagle, CO, with fond memories of exploring the mountains and waters through rafting, hiking, running and skiing. She attended St Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota where she majored in Environmental Studies and Political Science. During her years at St Olaf she solidified her passion for preserving natural landscapes and during an experiential study abroad trip in New Zealand/Australia she found a love for education through outdoor exploration and education. Shortly after graduation, she became a Lead Instructor for Montana Outdoor Science School, before deciding that Colorado was where she was meant to be. She is excited to continue to work with the local community to educate and advocate for the Eagle River Watershed.
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Emeritus Board Members
Cliff Simonton
Gary Brooks
Pete Denise
Kathy Chandler-Henry
Arlene S. Quenon
Josiah “Joe” Macy
Susan G. Pollack
In memory and appreciation of Dr. Thomas “Tom” Steinberg (1924-2017)
Larissa Read
Advisory Board
Keith Kepler
Dr. Joseph “Joe” E. LeBeau
Melissa Macdonald
Greg Espegren
Timm Paxson
Carlos Garcia
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