Matt Barnes is a range scientist and wildlife conservationist. He works with landowners and managers to improve rangeland stewardship, and to coexist with large carnivores such as grizzly bears and wolves. His work has also focused on resolving the long-standing debate in range science over rotational grazing. He is owner of Shining Horizons Land Management and a research associate with the Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative. He previously worked with the nonprofit People and Carnivores in Montana and Wyoming. Matt ran a holistically managed custom cattle grazing operation in western Colorado; served as President of the Colorado Section Society for Range Management; and served as a rangeland management specialist in the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, a prescribed fire manager with the USDI Bureau of Indian Affairs Branch of Forestry, serving five tribes in northwest-central Arizona; and as a grizzly bear technician for Idaho Fish and Game. He holds an MS in Range Science from Utah State University and a BS in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Arizona. 

​Donald Broom is serving his first term as a Moffat County Commissioner.  Donald is the Commissioner Liaison to several county boards including the community Libraries, Fair Board, and the Moffat County Tourism Association.  Donald manages Sombrero Ranches where he oversees the nation’s largest herd of broke horses, supplying riding stables, movie scenes and outfitters with ridable livestock.  Donald has a strong background in agriculture, economic development, tourism, and has a broad understanding of the social and economic ties that comprise Moffat County, Colorado.

Bob Chastain became Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s President and CEO in 2005. However he has been on staff at the zoo since 1995, first serving as Curator of Horticulture, then Director of Horticulture and Construction, and Vice President and COO. He earned a B.S. degree in Public Horticulture from Purdue University and a M.S. degree in Environmental Education and Ecology from University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. He has been the project leader for many of the improvements at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo including the African Rift Valley exhibit, which was awarded the 2003 Colorado Springs Partnership in Community Design Award and the 2004 AZA Exhibit Award; Rocky Mountain Wild and Encounter Africa, Australia and most currently the recently completed Africa: Water’s Edge exhibit. Bob and his wife Antonia are residents of Penrose, Colorado and have two college-aged children. Among other pursuits, Bob has been a volunteer firefighter, a certified U.S. Forest Service Wildland firefighter and in his spare time enjoys hiking, mountain biking, and almost any outdoor activity.

Renee Deal is a fourth generation rancher from Somerset, Colorado. Her great-grandfather and grandfather ran cattle starting in the 1920s and her grandfather and father switched to sheep production in the 1970s. Deal's family has also been outfitting for big game since the 1940s and operate with an outfitting permit on the Gunnison National Forest. Deal left the ranch to pursue a degree in Chemical Engineering and worked as a biomedical engineer in Boulder and Arvada for 10 years before returning to the family sheep ranch with her husband and children in 2001, forming Sperry Livestock Corporation with her father. They feel very fortunate to have raised their family in rural Western Colorado with its strong agricultural roots and values. In addition to working on the ranch, she taught preschool and secondary math for 15 years but is now dedicated full-time to the ranching operation. Deal’s three grown children now live throughout Colorado in Meeker, Pagosa Springs and Boulder and she enjoys visiting them as often as she can. She is passionate about agriculture and recognizes the importance of bridging the gap between urban and rural communities through outreach and education. Deal recognizes that working with a diverse group of stakeholders is necessary to achieve the best possible outcome of wolf reintroduction to the western part of Colorado and would particularly like to represent the voices of those whose lives and livelihoods will be most directly affected by the effort.

Adam Gall lives in Hotchkiss, CO with his family.  He and his wife own and operate Timber to Table Guide Service and Dark Timber Outfitters, guiding elk hunts.  Adam is a partner in a small craft brewery in Paonia called Chrysalis Barrel Aged Beer.  He's been a long-time fishing guide in the Gunnison Gorge Wilderness with Black Canyon Anglers.  Prior to this, Adam was a high school science teacher at Hotchkiss High School, a wolf biologist with the Nez Perce Tribe in Idaho and a US Forest Service wildland firefighter on the Clearwater National Forest.  When he has a minute, he enjoys fly fishing, chasing elk with a bow, spending time outside with his wife and daughters and being in the high country as much as possible.

​A lifelong Sportsmen, Dan dedicates a tremendous amount of time to conservation and Wildlife Management efforts.  Sitting on National, Regional and State Boards along with being the Chair of the Colorado Habitat Stamp Committee, sitting on the Colorado Wildlife Council, the Colorado Outdoor Partnership Executive Council and many other working groups, he brings many different perspectives from diverse Stakeholders and many Wildlife related subjects and issues.

For over 3 decades he has assisted and consulted in addressing and solving a variety of  Wildlife concerns and conflicts with a family owned Business that works with many sectors including Public Utilities, Water Resources, Agricultural Production, Human Health & Safety, Defense Department, Transportation, Recreation, Aviation and other Commercial, Industrial, and Residential Customers.

John Howard is a lifetime sportsperson who fishes and hunts small game, waterfowl, and big game in Colorado. Former Chairman of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission for two terms, he served a total of almost five years on the Commission from 2014 to 2019. Having graduated from CU Law in 1987, he spent five years in private practice before turning to a corporate career that took him around the world working on media, technology, and industrial companies as an executive and director. Since 2011 he has operated Bounds Green Crisis Management and Mediation specializing in troubled companies, government agencies, and NGOs planning for and suffering through crisis as well as investing in troubled assets via Sleep Again Capital, LLC.​

Francie Jacober has lived in Colorado since 1965 when she first attended the University of Colorado. She has ranched with her family in Archuleta, Costilla, and Pitkin Counties. Francie taught middle school math, science, Spanish, and literature for over 30 years, including 5 years at Aspen Country Day and 22 years at Carbondale Community School. She worked at Colorado Outward Bound School while in college and was the first female instructor at Hurricane Island Outward Bound. In addition she founded and directed Colorado Wilderness Experience, an adventure program for teenagers. She led 25-day courses which included rafting, kayaking, mountaineering, rock climbing, and mountain biking. Francie is the general manager at Fatbelly Burgers in Carbondale. She has four children and nine grandchildren. Her passions are respecting the natural environment, gardening, anything math, river running, and her family.

​Lenny Klinglesmith is a second-generation rancher and landowner, born and raised in Northwestern Colorado. Lenny currently owns and operates LK Ranch with his wife, Jackie; and two daughters Lori Ann and Lila. The operation specializes in sustainably raising a commercial cow-calf herd with a grass-fed, stocker-yearling program. Along with raising cattle, Lenny has worked side-by-side with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Colorado Cattleman’s Ag Land Trust, Habitat Partnership Program, and others to conserve land for wildlife and agriculture. Lenny has also worked with CPW in establishing a well-running Ranching for Wildlife, a big-game hunting program that provides private client, public drawing, and youth hunting opportunities. Lenny is hopeful his knowledge and experience on the land will be an asset to the planning process.  In his spare time, he enjoys training horses and travel with his family.

Kobobel rescued a wolfdog in 1993 from a kill shelter in Colorado, and credits this as her inspiration for becoming a voice for wolves. She started a sanctuary in Lake George, CO, and was in that location for 10 years until being forced to evacuate due to the Hayman fire in 2002. Kobobel moved her sanctuary to Florissant and then made way to her final destination in Divide in 2006. This location is now the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center. This year marks 28 years of Kobobel living with wolves, teaching and being a voice for this iconic animal.

Tom Kourlis is a respected sheep and cattle rancher and statewide leader in Colorado.  Tom served as Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture under Governor Roy Romer for five years.  He has been at the forefront of numerous statewide collaborative planning efforts between governmental agencies, private landowners and interest groups, such as the CPW Habitat Partnership Program, the CDA Colorado Ag Council and the BLM Coordinated Resource Management Plan for NW Colorado.  Tom has been named Citizen of the West, Woolgrower of the Year, been inducted into the Colorado Agriculture Hall of Fame and received awards from the Colorado Society of Range Management, CSU Integrated Resource Management Program, Colorado Corn Growers and Colorado Wheat Growers. Tom believes we have a responsibility to manage natural resources in perpetuity for the benefit of the citizens of Colorado.

Brian Kurzel is the Rocky Mountain Regional Executive Director for the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), and has more than 25 years of experience developing conservation policy, leading on-the-ground conservation efforts and actively engaging adults and youth in outdoor stewardship and education. Through his roles at NWF, as Policy and Planning Supervisor at Colorado Parks & Wildlife and leading a statewide, science-driven natural areas program, Brian has worked effectively with ranchers, hunters, environmentalists, industry, land managers and others to find collaborative solutions that help wildlife and people thrive.

As programs director for the Western Landowners Alliance (WLA), a landowner-led non-profit advancing policies and practices to sustain working lands, connected landscapes and native species, Hallie manages people and strategy to support stewardship across the American West. At WLA, Hallie oversees the Working Wild Challenge program, a landowner-led effort that recognizes the challenge of ranching with wildlife, and facilitates constructive dialogue between wildlife managers and working land stewards to solve problems through peer learning, public policies and increasing access to technical and financial assistance. Hallie also serves on the steering committee of the Conflict Reduction Consortium, a group of landowners, NGO partners, agency staff and individuals focused on reducing the impacts of human-wildlife conflict and its impacts while supporting working landscapes. Previously, Hallie worked as an environmental professional at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where she handled compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Endangered Species Act (ESA). She holds a B.A. in Environmental Science and a M.A. in International Environmental Policy. Hallie currently serves on the advisory board of CSU’s Center for Collaborative Conservation and as vice president on the board of directors for the Central Colorado Conservancy. In her free time, she enjoys mountain biking, paddling and skiing with her husband and two children.

Jonathan Proctor is the Rockies and Plains Program Director for Defenders of Wildlife. He directs a staff of seven in Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming to improve policies and implement projects to conserve and restore imperiled wildlife across the Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains. Over his 30-year career in conservation across the Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, and Northwest, Jonathan has worked as a wilderness ranger with the U.S. Forest Service and as a wildlife advocate with two nonprofit organizations. This has included conservation of wolves, bison, grizzly bears, prairie dogs, black-footed ferrets, wolverines, lynx, swift fox, and beaver. This work often focuses on collaboration and conflict prevention measures with willing landowners and wildlife managers including tribal and state wildlife agencies, ranchers, rural homeowners, and land trusts. Jonathan is a co-founder of the Great Plains Conservation Network – a coalition working to restore the region’s natural heritage – and co-founder of the Prairie Dog Coalition. He is co-author of Ocean of Grass, an ecoregion assessment of the Northern Great Plains, and four publications on prairie dogs. Jonathan received a B.A. in Geography from Wittenberg University and a M.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana.

Gary grew up in western Pennsylvania, just north of Pittsburgh.  While eastern forests still hold a special place in his heart, the west is his home. He holds a B.S. in Wildlife Management from the University of New Hampshire (1978) and an M.S. in Wildlife Biology from Colorado State University (1981).  His master’s work focused on the bighorn sheep herd in Dinosaur National Monument in the northwest corner of Colorado.

Gary worked as a wildlife biologist for the Colorado Division of Wildlife for 25 years, focusing on threatened and endangered species management.  He retired from CDOW in 2010 and has since held positions with Great Old Broads for Wilderness, the La Plata County Humane Society, and New Mexico State Parks.  He is currently the Wildlife Program Manager for the San Juan Citizens Alliance, a Durango-based environmental advocacy organization. He lives east of Durango with his wife, Kate Pickford, 2 whippets, and expects to soon have a Labrador puppy that he hopes to turn into a top-notch duck hunter.

Gary is honored to serve on CPW’s wolf Stakeholder Advisory Group.

Steve Whiteman is in charge of wildlife resource management on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation in southwestern Colorado.  Originally from California, Steve received his Bachelor of Science degree in fish and wildlife biology from the University of California at Davis in 1993.  He worked briefly for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife out of Sacramento, as well as the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in western Alaska.  Most of his career – over 25 years – has been spent working for the Southern Ute Tribe, where he started as the Tribe’s first Fisheries Biologist in 1996.  In 2001 he moved into the Division Head position, where he has overseen the Tribe’s programs in game and non-game management, fisheries, and parks.  He has also served as the Tribe’s acting Director of Natural Resources for the past year and a half.  Steve has significant experience with threatened & endangered species policy and management, which includes participation on the Tribal Working Group for the federal Mexican Wolf Recovery Program.  He is also well-versed on Native American sovereignty, treaty-reserved off-reservation hunting rights, and Ute Indian history.

​Jennifer Burbey is the Colorado Outfitters Association President. With 30+ years of experience providing outfitting services in the backcountry of Southwestern corner of the state. When not in the backcountry she and her family raise hay, Quarter Horses and Draft crosses in Breen, CO.

As Executive Director, Dan Gibbs leads the development and execution of the Department’s initiatives for the balanced management of the state’s natural resources. Dan works on an array of issues pertaining to all of Colorado’s natural resources, including water, wildlife, state lands, oil and gas and mining.

Dan is a respected collaborator and a strong proponent of building partnerships across agencies, nonprofits and private-sector organizations to improve the productivity and success of government operations and services.

Prior to joining the Department of Natural Resources, Dan served as a Summit County Commissioner from 2010-2018. As County Commissioner, Dan successfully pushed for wildfire preparedness, affordable workforce housing, lower health insurance costs, and protection and improvements to transportation infrastructure.

Prior to his tenure as a Commissioner, Dan served in the Colorado House of Representatives and in the Colorado State Senate where he served on the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. His legislative accomplishments include securing funding for wildfire mitigation and forest health, creating the Colorado Kids Outdoors grant program, supporting watershed health initiatives, and increasing environmental protections for wildlife from oil and gas development.

Dan is a certified wildland firefighter and is affiliated with the ROSS system, through which he is on call to fight wildfires throughout the United States. He chaired the statewide Wildland Fire and Prescribed Fire Matters Advisory Council, and represented county governments on the Forest Health Advisory Committee. Dan has served on a variety of civic boards including: Search and Rescue Advisory, Legislative Sportsmen's Caucus, Tourism Office, Youth Corps Association, Friends of the Dillon Ranger District and the Keystone Science School.

Dan is a graduate of Western State Colorado University and completed the Harvard Kennedy School Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program. He is also a Marshall Memorial Fellow.

Dan enjoys all that living in the high country has to offer, including skiing, running, mountain biking, hunting and fishing. He is a resident of Breckenridge, Colorado, where he lives with his wife, Johanna; daughter, Grace; and son, Tate.

Kate Greenberg was appointed the Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture by Governor Jared Polis in December 2018. As commissioner, Greenberg will lead the department’s daily operations, direct its 300 employees, and oversee the agency’s seven divisions: Animal Health; Brand Inspection; Colorado State Fair; Conservation Services; Inspection and Consumer Services; Markets; and Plant Industry.

“For the last ten years, I have dedicated my work to those who work the land. Throughout that time, I have sat around dozens of kitchen tables, worked with hundreds of farmers and ranchers, and have been a fierce advocate for family agriculture and its essential role in what we value most about Colorado,” said Greenberg. “I have worked the land, and worked on behalf of those that work the land. I have no delusion that the challenges family agriculture faces in this state and nation are deeply complex, or that the responsibility to deliver smart, innovative, and bold ways forward for Colorado agriculture is urgent.”