Chris has a long history with the organization. He was a Board member in 2010-11 when Colorado Canyons Association was born from the expansion of Friends of McInnis Canyons, with a new mission to steward all three western Colorado National Conservation Areas. Chris then served as Board chair in 2012-13. After rotating off the Board in 2014, he facilitated the organization’s strategic planning processes in 2015 and 2018.

Chris has 35 years of experience leading conservation non-profit organizations at the local, state-wide and national levels and has worked as a consultant for foundations and a variety of conservation initiatives. He is well versed in fundraising and organizational development and has advised clients on grant-making, strategic restructuring and staff development. Chris enjoys flyfishing, mountain biking, cross country skiing and river rafting. He has made his home in Grand Junction since 1998.

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!

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.