SLV GO! Board of Directors 2024

Adam Moore – President

Supervisory Forester
Colorado State Forest Service
adam.moore@colostate.edu
719-587-0915
Alamosa County

Adam Moore joined the SLV GO! board in 2018 and has been an active member of SLV GO! since 2013. Currently he is the Supervisory Forester of Communications and Communities for the Alamosa and Salida Field Offices for the Colorado State Forest Service. CSFS is a service and outreach agency of the Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University. He has been with CSFS in Alamosa, CO since 2010. He oversees the daily operations of providing technical forestry services to private landowners, community forests in municipal settings, wildfire preparedness and projects with partners. Previously he worked as a Park Ranger for Virginia State Parks, environmental educator for residential
YMCA camps in Alabama and North Carolina as well as a crew leader for the Utah Conservation Corps. He has a BS in Forestry with an emphasis in Recreation Resources from Utah State University. His outdoor pursuits include biking across the United States, thru-hiking the Appalachian and Long Trail, skiing and trail running. He is also on the San Juan Nordic Club Board, Alamosa Tree Board, Colorado Tree Farm Committee and a volunteer Visiting Forester at Philmont Scout Ranch. These experiences translate into bringing a diverse natural resources and recreation experience to the SLV GO! Board.

Community Navigator Program Director
Coalitions & Collaboratives 

therese.ryley@co-co.org

Therese “Tess” joined the SLV GO! Board of Directors in 2023 and became the Board Secretary in January 2024. Tess is the Community Navigator Program Director at Coalitions & Collaboratives, a national program designed to support historically underserved communities in gaining resources from the USDA Forest Service. She is dedicated to a restorative justice approach to climate resiliency and is passionate about designing equitable programs, training, and tools. Prior to this role, Tess served as Program Director for the Southwest Conservation Corps, Los Valles in Salida, CO where she collaborated with staff to develop the Leaders of Color Program. Previously, Tess worked for PowerCorpsPHL, applying the corps model to reduce gun violence and foster resilient communities, and healthy urban forests. Tess also worked for Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security (CCAFS) as part of an interdisciplinary team to develop long-term, climate-adaptive strategies and short-term emergency responses for food producers throughout Senegal. In her free time, Tess enjoys trail running and reading fiction.  

Don Thompson – Treasurer 

UUDon@netzero.net

Alamosa County 

Don has lived in the San Luis Valley for the past 20 years after retiring from Denver. He has bicycled daily for the past 50+ years. Don has hiked extensively and completed the 14teen’ers and all the segments of the Colorado Trail and Continental Divide Scenic Trail in Colorado. In retirement, Don is the treasurer for 7 different nonprofit organizations and continues to take items off his “bucket list”. 

Sean Noonan

Outdoor Recreation Planner
San Luis Valley Field Office
Bureau of Land Management
snoonan@blm.gov
719-849-3149
Rio Grande County

Sean Noonan is an Outdoor Recreation Planner for the Bureau of Land Management’s San Luis Valley Field Office, and the agency’s liaison to the SLV GO! Board of Directors.

He is committed to connecting people and communities to their public lands for the benefit of each, and he is proud to be associated with the impressive number and diversity of partners that comprise the coalition – all of whom are devoted to the long-term stewardship and prosperity of the San Luis Valley’s incredible natural and cultural resources. 

He is married with two children and enjoys many outdoor pursuits with his family in the great San Luis Valley of southern Colorado. 

Tyler Keck

Financial Advisor
Edward Jones
tyler.keck@edwardjones.com
719-852-4761
Rio Grande County

Tyler grew up in Monte Vista, Colorado and spent much of his time as a child enjoying the beautiful outdoor recreation of the San Luis Valley. At an early age he discovered his passion for environmental conservation while conducting research and studying new methods of mine wastewater reclamation at the Summitville Mine EPA Superfund Site. This early education in the sciences and outdoors led him to pursue a degree in Geology from Colorado State University, Fort Collins. In his early career, Tyler worked as a Project Geologist overseeing numerous geologic investigations, reclamation and conservation projects at over 50 sites across the United States. Later he transitioned to a role as Environmental Manager at one of the largest underground trona mines in the world. There he gathered invaluable experience not only in partnering with Local, State, and Federal Agencies, but building meaningful long-lasting relationships focused on collaboration between the private and public sectors. This experience gave him the opportunity to build from the ground up, the Sustainability Program for the trona mine where he had the ability to focus specifically on the mitigation of long-term environmental impacts, habitat conservation and restoration, Corporate social responsibility, community outreach, and public relations on the Local, State, National, and International levels. In 2015, Tyler became the founding Chairman of the Wyoming Mining Natural Resource Foundation whose mission recognizes the critical role that Wyoming’s mining industries play in providing for the health and well-being of human and natural environments. The Foundation’s goals are species conservation and sustainability of mining operations. Through continued pursuit of his passions, Tyler now serves individuals and businesses in the San Luis Valley, partnering with them to define, plan, and achieve their financial dreams. This culmination of experience has led him to believe that often the biggest impact we can have on our communities is through direct interaction with the individuals who make up that community. SLV GO! gives him that opportunity to partner with individuals who are passionate and support the health and wellbeing of the SLV community through access to the great outdoors. Tyler enjoys trail running, mountain biking, rock climbing, and most anything outside.

 Jessica Chacon

 Nathan Fey

Mighty Arrow Family Foundation, Program Director
fey.nathan@gmail.com 

Nathan joined the Board of SLV GO! in early 2022. He is a sixth-generation Coloradan and lives along the northern front range with his wife and young daughter and spends as much time on the western slope as possible – particularly the Yampa River Valley, San Juan Mountains, and the San Luis Valley where his family has deep history. Nathan is the Program Director at the Mighty Arrow Family Foundation where he works at the intersection of Land & Water Conservation, Climate, Food Systems, and Social Justice. Prior to joining the Foundation, Nathan served the State of Colorado as the Director of the Outdoor Recreation Industry Division within the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade. In this role, Nathan led the cultivation of Colorado’s $62.5 Billion Outdoor Recreation Economy and partnered directly with the Governor’s office to create policies that promote business recovery and growth, the conservation and stewardship of Colorado’s public lands and waters, advance the state’s education and workforce development programs, and improve public health and wellness through outdoor participation. Nathan has been active in the non-profit conservation and outdoor recreation advocacy community for over 20 years working with federal and state agencies, national and statewide non-profits, and local community groups across the Southern Rockies and intermountain West. Nathan’s family settled in the San Luis Valley and Alamosa in the late 1890s and played various roles in community development, which Nathan hopes to continue through his support of SLV GO!.

Pamela Cisneros

Pamela joined the SLV GO! Board of Directors in 2024 after being an active part of SLV GO!’s Generation Wild Coalition for the past year. Pamela is the Youth Program Manager at Southwest Conservation Corps, Los Valles in Salida, CO where she focuses on connecting communities to their environment via conservation projects and community-based service. She is passionate about getting BIPOC communities engaged with the outdoors, whether it be through recreation or conservation. Previously, Pamela worked in Operations for Austin Rowing Club, a local non-profit rowing club engaged in community outreach and youth development. Prior to that role, she served as General Manager for Congress Avenue Kayaks, a kayak rental in the heart of downtown Austin dedicated to fun, education, and conservation. Outside of work, you can find Pamerla cycling, hiking, or hanging out with her dog, Telma. 

Dr. Nick Saenz

Alamosa County

Nick started as a professor at Adams State University in 2013 and spent a decade in the classroom before transitioning into his role of an administrator. A former president of the governing board of the Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area, he is the co-editor of “The Geology, Ecology, and Human History of the San Luis Valley (2020)”. He was appointed by Colorado Governor Jared Polis to the Colorado Historic Preservation Review Board and the Colorado Historical Records Advisory Board. Nick has been a frequent contributor to the “Borderlands of Southern Colorado” initiative, organized by History Colorado, and has shared the rich history and culture of the region on Colorado Public Radio and Rocky Mountain PBS. In his free time, you’ll find him skiing, backpacking, and fly fishing. 

Joel Nystrom

Colorado Open Lands
jnystrom@coloradoopenlands.org 
Alamosa County

Joel is a Conservation Project Manager for Colorado Open Lands where he focuses on the acequia communities in the San Luis Valley, and on expanding public recreation opportunities for Valley residents and visitors. Joel has worked for the Nature Conservancy and Colorado Parks & Wildlife and holds a Master of Environmental Management from Duke University and a B.A. in Sociology from Texas A&M University. After 10 years on the front range, Joel and his family made their escape and moved to the SLV in 2022. When he isn’t running after his two young children, you can find Joel mountain biking, backpacking and fly fishing. 

Tom Tichy

Katina Widmer

Bethany Howell

Bethany is the Director of Strategic Outreach & Engagement for the Colorado Department of Agriculture. In this role, she works closely with the Commissioner of Agriculture, CDA staff in all divisions, other state agencies, and external agriculture organizations to support, increase understanding of, and engage with the agricultural community across Colorado. Before her state service, Bethany led the Rio Grande Watershed Conservation & Education Initiative for five years as Executive Director. This non-profit offers K-12 education programming on watershed and soil health issues with a focus on agriculture. In this role, she spent a lot of time driving across the San Luis Valley getting to know the producers and community members in every SLV county. She also previously served as the Rio Grande Basin Roundtable’s Public Education Participation  & Outreach liaison and as the education chair from 2016-2021. Bethany was born in Hugo, Colorado but raised in Central Texas on her family’s heritage ranch. She is a graduate of Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene where she received a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts degree in English. She has lived in the San Luis Valley since 2013 and in Del Norte since 2016 with her husband, children, chickens, cats, and Siberian husky. Since moving to Colorado, she has spent a lot of time running on trails, rafting and kayaking, hiking, and camping with her family. She is passionate about making connections and facilitating conversations between all public land users who care about land and water stewardship.