Colorado Parks and Wildlife Director
Jeff Davis
Jeff Davis joined Colorado Parks and Wildlife as Director in May 2023. Prior to leading CPW, Jeff had a nearly 23-year career with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, serving as an Area Habitat Biologist, a Forest and Fish Section Manager, the Deputy Assistant Director and the Assistant Director of WDFW’s Habitat Program.
In his role as Director of Conservation Policy, Jeff led salmon recovery, served on the Forest Practices Board, and coordinated interdisciplinary internal teams on a variety of conservation initiatives. Jeff brings extensive experience working with leadership, legislators, Tribal Nations, the hunting and fishing community, conservation groups, and other constituencies to CPW. He has crafted legislation and regulatory approaches to habitat and biodiversity conservation, and engaged in climate resiliency, sustainability and land use/management issues similar to those facing Colorado. Jeff also led efforts to reform and improve agency engagement with a diverse public, championed internal diversity and equity priorities and successfully navigated complex budget and personnel issues.
Jeff received his BS in Biology, Wildlife Management from Central Washington University. He also attended the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, where he studied Wildlife Management. Jeff has a deep passion for the outdoors. He is an avid outdoor recreationist and strongly believes in conserving nature for future generations to enjoy.
Heather Disney Dugan, Deputy Director
During her 30-year career, she has had the good fortune to serve in several roles, including acting director, as a ranger, training officer, park manager, assistant region manager, region manager, and most recently in her role as the Assistant Region Manager for Field Services and Chief of Law Enforcement. Born in Colorado, she grew up as a free-range outdoor kid. Heather earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Biology in 1992. She has served as a member of the National Association of Conservation Law Enforcement Chiefs Executive Board since 2017 and is currently its president. Heather and her husband have three active children. Heather and her family enjoy the diverse outdoor experiences Colorado has to offer, including hunting, fishing, hiking, paddleboarding, camping, mountain biking and skiing.
Kelly Kaemerer, Assistant Director, Information & Education
Kelly is a fourth generation Coloradan who hails from a long line of farmers and small business owners. She grew up outside in Northwest Colorado – fishing, camping, and hunting with her family. Kelly then moved to Washington, D.C. and graduated from The American University with a degree in Communications and a minor in International Studies. She held various positions with newspapers, magazines, and tech companies early in her career.
Kelly then began her 13+ year career with Jeppesen, a subsidiary of The Boeing Company, first as a marketing and communications executive and then ultimately building and leading a global sales operations team. She left Boeing to work in the world of tech startups, most recently directing sales operations for a leading provider of digital employee engagement solutions. She joined Colorado Parks & Wildlife as Assistant Director of Information & Education in July of 2023.
Kelly lives in Littleton, CO and has two adult children who proudly represent the fifth generation of Coloradans in the family as avid outdoor enthusiasts and Denver Nuggets fans.
Reid DeWalt, Assistant Director for Aquatic, Terrestrial and Natural Resources
Reid DeWalt is the Assistant Director for the Aquatic, Terrestrial, and Natural Resources branch for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Reid oversees the Terrestrial, Aquatic, and Water sections within the agency. He is a graduate of Colorado State University with a degree in Fish Biology. He began his career as a District Wildlife Manager in 1998 and served in the Colorado Springs NE district for 8 years. He was promoted to Area Wildlife Manager in 2006 and oversaw area field operations in Park, Clear Creek, Gilpin, and Jefferson Counties. Reid also served as Acting Chief of Hatcheries for a six month period in 2012. Reid is a Colorado native having been born and raised in the Buena Vista area. In his spare time, Reid enjoys hunting, fishing, woodworking, studying western history, as well as being a dad. Reid was honored in 2013 with the Jim Jones Outstanding Employee of the Year award. He was also a 2017 fellow of the National Conservation Leadership Institute.
Justin Rutter, Assistant Director for Financial Services
Justin Rutter is the assistant director for Financial Services and oversees the accounting, budgeting, procurement, and grant processes for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. He joined the agency as the Deputy Chief Financial Officer in January 2016. He was selected to lead the financial services group as Chief Financial Officer in June 2016. Justin loves the outdoors and is, more often than not, likely to be found outdoors with his wife. They enjoy camping, fishing, boating, hiking, gardening, and otherwise enjoying the outdoors. Justin moved to Colorado at the age of eight and considers himself a native, even if he isn't allowed to buy the bumper sticker. Prior to joining Colorado Parks and Wildlife he graduated with a bachelors of finance degree from Metropolitan State University of Denver and served as a budget and policy analyst in the Executive Director's Office of the Department of Natural Resources for 10 years. In his role in the Executive Director's Office he had a broad portfolio of responsibilities that spanned across many natural resource issues.
Katie Lanter, Policy and Planning Supervisor
Katie Lanter manages Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Policy and Planning section, which supports agency decision making through policy and regulatory analysis, social science research, planning and public engagement. She is also currently the Acting Assistant Director for Research, Policy & Planning. Prior to joining CPW, Katie was a policy advisor on wildlife and invasive species at the Western Governors’ Association. As a certified Project Management Professional and trained facilitator, Katie led collaborative processes at the National Academies, Renewable Northwest and RESOLVE. She also served as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in North Macedonia. Katie holds a master’s degree in Economics from North Carolina State University and a B.S. in Natural Resources from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She lives in Denver, CO with her husband and two young children. In her free time, she enjoys running, hiking, and traveling.
Frank McGee, Southeast Region Manager
Frank was born and raised in Northeast Ohio. He moved to Colorado to attend Regis University in Denver, where he earned a bachelor's degree in biology and environmental science. In 2004 he was selected for CPW's wildlife officer academy, and at the conclusion of training served as a district wildlife manager in the Palisade district. In 2014 he was selected to serve as the Area Wildlife Manager in Colorado Springs. In 2021 he accepted a new role as the Law Enforcement Training Manager at CPW's Denver Headquarters responsible for hiring and training CPW's new Park Rangers and District Wildlife Managers. In June of 2023 Frank was selected to serve as the Southeast Region Manager in Colorado Springs. Frank lives in Colorado Springs with his wife and two children, and tries to spend as much of his free time as possible enjoying the outdoors.
Cory Chick, Southwest Region Manager
After working for nearly 20 years at a variety of positions for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Cory Chick was named Southwest Region Manager in February 2019. A native of Texas, Cory served six years in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining CPW in the late 1990s. He started his career working as a technician in the aquatics section in the San Luis Valley. While working for CPW he earned a bachelor’s degree in biology with an emphasis on wildlife from Adams State University in Alamosa. Following college graduation in 2004, he was selected for CPW’s wildlife officer academy. In 2005, he started working in Kit Carson on the eastern plains as a district wildlife officer. After six years he was promoted to Area Wildlife Manager in Colorado Springs where he served for more than three years. He was then promoted and served as Manager for the Licenses, Passes and Reservations section for three years. “I’ve been fortunate to work at a range of positions for CPW to learn all aspects of the agency. I’m happy to be working again with field staff in the beautiful Southwest Region.”
Travis Black, Northwest Region Manager
Travis went into the US Army right out of high school and served four years of active duty. He then returned home to Texas where he worked on a farm and ranch for six years. He moved to Colorado in 1994 to attend college. Travis started work for the agency part-time while attending college at Gunnison, Colorado in various positions (Pitkin Hatchery, Snowshoe hare surveys for lynx reintroduction, etc.). He graduated with a degree in biology in December 1998. He was hired full-time as a District Wildlife Manager in 1999 in the Kit Carson district. Travis was promoted to Area Wildlife Manager in 2004 in Area 12/Lamar where he served for 15 years. In 2019, Travis was promoted to the Deputy Regional Manager position in the Southeast Region.
Mark Leslie, Northeast Region Manager
Mark is a Colorado native, born in Boulder and raised in Fruita. Mark holds degrees in Geology and Wildlife Biology and was hired by the Division of Wildlife in 1986 as a District Wildlife Manager. His first assignment was the La Junta District, followed by Fort Collins. In 1998, Mark promoted to the Statewide Game Damage/Commercial Park Coordinator position. In 2002, he promoted to the Area Wildlife Manager position in the Loveland/Boulder area, followed again by Fort Collins in 2008. In 2015, Mark promoted to the Deputy Regional Manager for the Northeast Region managing the capital and trails program. In May of 2016, he promoted to the Northeast Regional Manager position in Denver. When he is not working, Mark enjoys hiking, hunting, fishing, camping and playing music.
Ty Petersburg, Assistant Director for Field Services
After receiving a bachelor's degree in Wildlife Biology from Colorado State University, Ty joined the Colorado Division of Wildlife in 2002 as a Wildlife Officer and District Wildlife Manager. While in the field, he held districts in Conifer and later, Clear Creek County, until late in 2015. In 2016, he began serving as the Area Wildlife Manager in Area 4, supervising CPW's Northern Colorado office in Fort Collins, covering most of Larimer and Weld counties along the Wyoming border. In 2020, he moved into the Assistant Chief of Law Enforcement role based out of Denver, where he managed CPW's Investigations Unit, Operation Game Thief and other Law Enforcement Programs in the Field Services Branch. Ty was promoted to Assistant Director of Field Services and Chief of Law Enforcement in August 2023, covering training, investigations, registrations, records and trails. A native of Rio Blanco County, Ty is a lifelong Colorado resident and sneaks into the backcountry with his family to hunt, fish and camp at every opportunity- rain or shine.
