Dan Kimball
Chair of the board

Dan Kimball retired after a 30-year career with the National Park Service (NPS). From 2004 to 2014, Dan served as Superintendent of Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Parks. In that position, Dan led Everglades National Park’s involvement in restoration of the Everglades, the largest ecosystem restoration project in the history of the planet. His work in Everglades restoration focused on water quantity and quality; endangered species; non-native species; assuring compatibility with South Florida’s built environment; and building a coalition to sustain Everglades restoration. Dan previously served as Chief of NPS’s Water Resources Division. Dan also held positions with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Office of Surface Mining, and environmental consulting firms. He also served for 10 years on the Jefferson County Open Space Advisory Committee in Colorado. Dan is a recipient of many awards, including the Presidential Rank Award and the National Parks Conservation Association’s Stephen Tyng Mather Award. Dan also serves on the Board of Directors of Archaeology Southwest, Friends of Saguaro National Park, Western National Parks Association, and Western Art Patrons, a support group of the Tucson Museum of Art. Dan is a graduate of Denison University and the University of Arizona and resides in Tucson, Arizona

Joe Kalt
Vice Chair

Joe Kalt is the Ford Foundation Professor (Emeritus) of International Political Economy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He is also director of the Harvard Kennedy School Project on Indigenous Governance and Development (formerly the Project on American Indian Economic Development). Joe is a native of Tucson, Arizona and holds PhD and master’s degrees in economics from UCLA, and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Stanford University. He specializes in the economics of natural resources, economic development, antitrust, and regulation. At the Harvard Kennedy School, Joe served as vice-dean for research and PhD programs, faculty chair of the Environment and Natural Resources Program, and chair of the University’s Native American Program. From 1986 through 2018, he served as a senior economist with Compass Lexecon (and its predecessors), an FTI Consulting company. Joe serves on the boards of trustees/advisors of the National Institute for Civil Discourse and the Chickasaw Nation Community Development Endeavor, and as vice-chair of the board of the White Mountain Apache Tribe’s Fort Apache Heritage Foundation. He and his wife now reside in Tucson and the Pryor Mountains of Montana.

Matt Teeters
Treasurer

Matt Teeters works as the Regional President of Alpine Bank’s Denver region. Matt first joined the bank in January 2006, and began his career working the Avon branch in the Vail Valley. Over the past four years, Mr. Teeters has served an integral role of expanding the bank’s services across the Front Range. In doing so, the Union Station branch has grown to become the 2nd largest bank, measured by asset size, in the bank’s entire 38 branch footprint. Matt is a Colorado native and was born and raised in Denver. He attended Grinnell College, earning a bachelor’s degree in Economics and he completed his MBA from the University of Denver in 2013. Matt also serves as a board member for Roundup River Ranch, Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado, the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado, and the Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Governors. In acknowledgment for his leadership with these organizations, Matt was selected as one of Colorado Biz Magazines Top 25 Young Professionals in 2016. His hobbies include mountain biking, golfing, skiing, and spending time outdoors.

Laurinda Oswald
SECRETARY

Laurinda Oswald was born in Tucson, Arizona, but grew up in Italy, living in Florence for three years and Rome for nine. Her parents purchased the ranch in Amado, Arizona which she has now managed for 25 years. For the past ten years, she has raised cattle on an eight-pasture grazing rotation system enjoying the wonderful benefits of the watershed along four miles of the Santa Cruz River. Laurinda has two children, and when not at her ranch, she enjoys visiting her family both in New York City and Italy.

David Baumgarten
Board Member

David Baumgarten was the County Attorney for Gunnison County in rural western Colorado from 1989 through 2020, with responsibility to provide legal counsel to the Board of County Commissioners, all elected County officials and various County departments and boards. His responsibilities included judicial and administrative proceedings, and liaison and facilitation for the County with federal, state and local governments, the environmental community, extractive, recreation and development interests, and a diverse state and local population. In addition, David was a two-term member of the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission. He holds a bachelor’s degree in social sciences from the University of California, Berkeley, a Juris Doctor degree from Fleming Law School at the University of Colorado, and a Master’s in Education from Harvard University, He now does consulting – and all of the chores that have compiled over the past 30 plus years.

Alan Dennis Gracia
Board Member

Alan Dennis is the General Manager and Owner of Ingenieria Dennis, Inc., with more than 30 years of engineering and construction experience. He serves as owner, representative, and construction manager for large and medium-sized water and wastewater treatment plants, including pump stations, reservoirs, and pipeline projects. He has extensive experience in advance management and large-scale project administration, coordination, and design regarding infrastructure projects in the areas of energy, water, and urban developments. Alan holds a Civil Engineering Degree from ITESM (Instituto Tecnologico Y Des Estudios Superiores de Monterrey) Monterrey Campus, Mexico 1984.

Barbara JB Green
BOARD MEMBER

Barbara Green is a founding partner in the law firm Sullivan Green Seavy L.L.C. where she practices environmental law and land use law, focusing on local government management of the environmental impacts of land development. In addition to her law degree from the University of Colorado, Ms. Green holds a B.A. from Northwestern University and an M.P.A. and Masters in Humanities from the University of Colorado. Ms. Green serves as General Counsel to Northwest Colorado Council of Governments, General Counsel to Rocky Mountain Low-level Radioactive Waste Board, and as Town Attorney for the Towns of Silver Plume and Crested Butte, Colorado. She is a member of the University of Denver Water Law Review Advisory Council and a past member of the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board. Barbara is a contributing author of Colorado Land Planning and Development Law.

Allison Green
Board Member

Allison Green is Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, working on the region’s 2040 strategic plan for improved livability. She previously led cause marketing corporate partnerships at Habitat for Humanity International, as well as the Senior Director of Philanthropy for Insight Global, the nation’s 3rd largest IT staffing company. With a diverse background in Corporate Social Responsibility, fundraising, and brand planning, Allison has a passion for developing targeted, holistic campaigns for social good that generate ambitious results. Honing her craft at shopper marketing and branding agencies including The Integer Group, Linhart McClain Finlon, Two West, and Acumen London, she has guided numerous industry- and category- leading brands through segmentation research, brand identity explorations and cause marketing activations. A Colorado-native, she holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Advertising from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Anna Hill Price
Board Member

Anna Hill Price is currently the Director of Development for The Kildonan School in Amenia, New York where she manages fundraising with major donor development for the school which specifically addresses dyslexia and other language-based learning challenges. Ms. Price graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. in Psychology. In Public Service, she was a member of the planning and Zoning Commission in Garfield County, Colorado, 1996-2000 where she provided guidance to the Garfield County Supervisors regarding alignment between proposed projects and Garfield County Comprehensive Plan. Ms. Hill is skilled in creating and implementing effective approaches to development and sales and has a history of effective networking and connecting people to opportunities across multiple industries, including media, consulting, education and nonprofits.

Lee Leachman
Board Member

Lee is the CEO and owner of Leachman Cattle of Colorado. Leachman Cattle markets over 2,500 bulls per year and is currently one of the three largest beef seedstock breeders in the United States. Lee graduated from Harvard University with an Honors BA in Economics in 1988. Lee also completed graduate level work in animal breeding at Colorado State University. Lee’s passion is to help ranchers produce exceptional beef. This includes building sustainable family businesses, properly managing land and water resources, and having a positive impact on the environment. Leachman genetics are helping the beef industry reduce its carbon footprint. Lee frequently speaks to cattlemen both in United States and internationally. Lee, Lisa, and Graham Leachman reside in Fort Collins, Colorado. Together they enjoy a wide variety of family activities and also are active in their church community through small groups and marriage ministry.

Gabriela Luken Marce
Board Member

Gabriela was born and raised in the Imperial Valley-Mexicali border. She attended school in the USA and Mexico. She is bilingual and bi-cultural. Gabi has a BA in International Relations with a focus on International Policies from Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM), and a post graduate study in International Trade Law from University of California at San Diego. Gabi has work experience in compliance banking for several money transfer companies and has worked in public relations and fundraising for private and public institutions. She lived in Japan for two years with her husband Josep and their two sons, Patricio and Bernardo. While in Japan, Gabi learned different conservation and ecological practices and policies that her family still practice today. She supports several environmental projects and associations in Mexicali, Mexico.

Anna Murveit
Board Member

Anna Murveit is an independent mediator, facilitator, and consultant who focuses on water policy and climate adaptation. Her practice specializes in multi-stakeholder convening, strategic planning, policy analysis, and stakeholder engagement. Her passion is for rivers, and she has been fortunate to work on protecting the Klamath, Colorado, Lower Salt/Gila River, and now the Santa Cruz, as a member of the SI Board. Previously, Anna worked as a policy and management consultant at CEA Consulting. In this role, she worked with national-level environmental NGOs and a Fortune 500 energy company on policy research, political advocacy, and regulatory strategy. She also managed communications and outreach for the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, the responsible for implementing the largest dam removal project on Earth, so far. In 2020, she joined Southwest Decision Resources, a collective of natural resource facilitators. She holds a MS in Water, Society, and Policy from the University of Arizona. Her research focused on technology and stakeholder engagement on the Colorado River. Her articles have been published in several peer reviewed journals including Environment and Planning: F, Climatic Change, and Geofluids. She also holds a BA from Whitman College in Geology and Environmental Humanities.

Roberto F. Salmon Castelo
Board Member

Roberto F. Salmon Castelo served from April 2009 until May 2020 as the Mexican Commissioner for the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) and has a solid experience in the field of international negotiations related to water and boundary issues between Mexico and the United States. In this capacity, he led the Mexican team that accomplished the signing of 11 binational agreements (Minutes) with the United States, which are binding for both countries. Mr. Salmon has participated as a leading consultant in a large number of projects on a wide range of subjects, such as water resources, plant location, financial engineering, statistics, economic feasibility, agriculture, and strategic planning. And on the academic sector, he has also served as professor at the Instituto Tecnologico de Sonora, University of Sonora, Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey (Campus Guadalajara and Obregón), as well as teaching and research assistant at the University of Arizona in the departments of Agricultural Economics and Hydrology and Water Resources. He has authored or co-authored several articles related to water resources, and US-Mexico transboundary water management; and has been a speaker on several conferences both binationally and internationally.

Richard Schaefer
BOARD MEMBER

Richard Schaefer is the Senior Vice President and Branch Director for RBC Wealth Management. He has over 35 years of experience in the financial industry, specializing in individual portfolio development and management. He now specializes as a designated Accredited Wealth Manager. Richard graduated from the University of Arizona and holds a BS in Business Administration. Richard was named a recipient of the 2017 RBC Global Citizen Award which celebrates RBC colleagues who are leaders in their community, who are active volunteers both inside and outside of the firm. Richard also has a passion and devotion for improving the lives of children in his community through serving on eight different non-profit boards as examples of his dedication to improving his community.

Richard and his wife, Stella, are both third generation residents of Tucson and they have two sons and one grandson.

David Wegner
Board Member

David Wegner recently retired from a senior staff position on water, energy and transportation committees in the U.S. House of Representatives. In that position he worked on legislation that directly affected administration policy and federal agency actions related to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy. Prior to serving in Washington, D.C. he worked for over 20 years for the Department of the Interior managing water and science programs in the Colorado River basin and the Grand Canyon. Currently he works as a part-time senior scientist to Jacobs Engineering and continues to provide input and strategic counsel to the National Academy of Sciences, several Members of Congress and international organizations focused on water and climate issues. He currently splits his time between Tucson, AZ and Durango, CO and the Colorado River.

Advisory Council

Rowene Aguirre-Medina
Advisory Council Member

Rowene Aguirre-Medina was born in Calexico, California, on the California Mexican border, and spent her formative years living in both California and in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. Her families were early pioneers of both the Mexicali Valley and California’s Imperial Valley. She is a graduate of the University of Arizona, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, with a major in Speech Communication / Secondary Education. In 1981

Rowene became a founding partner of Polydrive Industries, Inc., a firm involved in the engineering and manufacturing of precision urethane products. She serves as the corporation’s financial officer. Other professional experiences have included marketing and sales. Her lifelong avocation has been working for equity and education for women and girls, as well as concerns for water conservation and cross border issues. To address these interests she currently serves on the University Of Arizona College Of Social and Behavioral Science Advisory Board and the UA Foundation National Leadership Council.

Mary Alexander
Advisory Council Member

Mary Alexander is the Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Phoenix, AZ-based DMB Development LLC. Among her diverse responsibilities, Ms. Alexander directs corporate governance and legal services for DMB, in addition to overseeing the Company’s talent resources, information governance, risk management and insurance programs. Mary Alexander’s background in real estate includes extensive planned community development and public homebuilder experience. Her accomplishments have included land acquisition and entitlement projects, infrastructure planning and finance, public lands transactions, community governance structuring and documentation, sales contracting and regulatory approvals, employment matters, litigation management, construction contracting and warranty enforcement. Ms. Alexander recently was named a Fellow in the American College of Real Estate Lawyers. She serves on the Association of Corporate Counsel, Arizona chapter, Board of Directors and Arizona Chamber of Commerce, Legal, Regulatory and Financial Services Committee. She is a member of Commercial One, an organization of women executives in commercial real estate. Ms. Alexander is a graduate of The Ohio State University with a BA in Journalism, and she received her J.D. from Arizona State University College of Law. Community Involvement: Valley of the Sun United Way Board of Directors; Community Impact Committee Chair; Tocqueville Society BUILD Arizona initiative task force for early childhood education.

Louise (Lollie) Benz Plank
Advisory Council Member

Louise (Lollie) Benz Plank divides her time between her Lek Ranch near Sheridan, Wyoming, family and business obligations in Minnesota, and her home in Tucson, Arizona. In addition to the Sonoran Institute, her board interests include the Wyoming Community Foundation, the Center for a Vital Community at Sheridan College in Wyoming, and the Wyoming Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. Past board tenures include the Animal Humane Society of Hennepin County (MN), the Science Museum of Minnesota, Pheasants Forever, the National Wildflower Research Center, the Yellowstone Art Center, and the Yellowstone Association.

Louise Glasser
Advisory Council Member

Louise Glasser is a dedicated conservation advocate, who with her husband Jim splits her time between Tucson, AZ, and the Chicago area. She served as President of the Women’s Board of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and continues to serve as a Director of the RIC Foundation. She served as Chair of the Lake Forest Library Board and Chair of the Women’s Board of the University of Chicago. She was Co-Chair and founder of the Cultural Collections Committee of the Field Museum as well as a long serving member of its Women’s Board. She serves as a Trustee of the Newberry Library, as a Board member of Know Your Chicago, a continuing education program, a member of the Women’s Board of the Art Institute of Chicago and a former officer of the Lake Forest Garden Club. In Arizona, she serves on the College of Fine Arts Board at the University of Arizona and serves on the Advisory Council of the Women’s Foundation of Southern Arizona.

Ann Hunter-Welborn
Advisory Council Member

Ann Hunter-Welborn started her career in teaching special education. She then joined the family business (Hunter Industries), acting as VP of Human Resources for many years and finally served as chair of the board. In the meantime, she carried on with her reputation as a perpetual student and completed a PhD in Mythological Studies at about the same time her youngest daughter graduated from high school. In 2015, she retired from all responsibilities with the company and is enjoying life as a board member of The Sonoran Institute, Rachel’s Network, and Nature and Culture International. For years her concerns have revolved around the environment and climate change to what kind of world we will be leaving to her seven grandchildren. Ann and her husband David live in Encinitas, California. When they are free from their non-profit responsibilities, they spend as much time as possible with the families of their 3 beautiful daughters. They enjoy traveling and almost everything outside.

Nyda Jones-Church
Advisory Council Member

Nyda is a San Diego native and graduate of Stanford University, Nyda Jones-Church is the former CEO and COO of Prudential California Realty in Southern California, for years one of the largest real estate brokerages in the United States and the largest in the Prudential network. Nyda and her partner grew the company from five people in one office in 1985 to over 6,000 people in four affiliated companies with over one hundred offices in Southern California by 2006. Since retiring from Prudential California in 2007, she has focused on consulting to brokerages across the country, developing a major residential project in Baja California and her work with the Sonoran Institute. Her civic commitments in San Diego have included the Junior League, the San Diego Chamber Orchestra, the Magdalena Ecke YMCA and the Scripps Hospital Foundation.

Kara Leppert Teising
Advisory Council Member

Kara Leppert Teising is a Managing Director with Koya Partners | Diversified Search Group, a leading executive search firm dedicated to placing exceptionally talented leadership at mission-driven organizations and institutions of higher education. Over a eighteen-year career, she has experience partnering with a broad range of clients and has earned the respect of numerous notable national and international organizations working to affect positive change. Prior to joining Koya, Teising served as a Partner with DHR International/Jobplex and ThinkingAhead Executive Search. Prior to ThinkingAhead, Teising spent six award-winning years as a salesperson and sales manager with their parent company, Southwestern. Teising is honors graduate from James Madison University with a B.S. in Speech Communication, concentrating in Conflict Resolution. Actively involved in her Nashville community, Teising is an alumnus of the Young Leaders Council and a past Board member of the Nashville Repertory Theatre (formerly theTennessee Repertory Theatre). When not blissfully busy serving the nonprofit sector, Teising loves spending time with her family, visiting iconic places in the Interior West, and immersing herself in a page-turning novel.

Gaston Luken Aguilar
Advisory Council Member

Born in Hermosillo, Sonora, Gaston Luken Aguilar is very active in numerous charitable organizations. He is a founder and honorary president, and board member of Pronatura Noroeste AC and Noroeste Sustentable, AC (Conservation and sustainable development, respectively, in the region of the Sea of Cortez), and a national board member of Pronatura, AC. He is a former president and board member of the Consejo Consultivo del Agua, AC, a counselor of the Colegio de la Frontera Norte, AC and an advisor to the Smart Border Coalition on the San Diego/Tijuana border area. He also sits on the board of Mexican retailer the Coppel, SA, and has served as president of GE Capital Bank Mexico (1995-2002), energy company Proxima Gas (1992-2002), financial services company Grupo OBSA (1990-1992) and the Northwest Regional Council of brokerage Operadora de Bolsa, SA (1985-1990). He studied accounting at the Monterrey Institute of Technology.

Dennis R. Minano
Advisory Council Member

Dennis R. Minano is a former senior automotive executive and current consultant in environmental, energy, governance, and transportation infrastructure strategies. He serves as a board member, trustee, executive leader and senior advisor to companies, non-profit organizations, economic development organizations and health care institutions. This follows a career at General Motors, where he served as Vice president of Public Policy, Chief Environmental Officer and Vice President of Communications. At GM, he implemented cutting edge environmental and energy policies for its products and plants. He was responsible for GM’s Public Policy Center, a consolidation of Environmental and Energy, Government Relations, Diversity, Corporate affairs, and the office of the Chief Economist. Earlier in his career, in GM’s Office of the General Counsel, he managed high-risk legal matters that impacted product decisions. Mr. Minano holds a Juris Doctor degree and is a member of various Federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, and was an adjunct Professor of Environmental Law at the University of Detroit Law School.

Minano is a member of the Southern Arizona Leadership Council, Tucson Airport Authority, former Vice-Chair Sonoran Institute, Board member 88-Crime (Crime stoppers), University of Arizona Health Network Board member and Chair of Strategic Planning Committee.

Chris Perez
Advisory Council Member

Chris Perez is the President of The Perez Group, a highly successful team of residential real estate agents specializing in Paradise Valley, Scottsdale, and the Northeast Maricopa County luxury home market. He is also co-owner and director of Global Sales Management, LLC, a company specializing in social media marketing and sales in the fitness industry. Chris graduated from Loyola Marymount University and worked as a CPA in Los Angeles for eight years before coaching high school and junior college basketball. He has served on numerous for-profit and nonprofit Boards of Directors over the past 30 years and specializes in finance and nominating/governance board participation. Chris has two wonderful daughters and enjoys CrossFit, golfing, and travel.

Buzz Thompson
Advisory Council Member

Buzz Thompson is the Perry L. McCarty Director and Senior Fellow of the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University, and the Robert E. Paradise Professor in Natural Resources Law at Stanford Law School. He holds J.D., M.B.A., and B.A. (Economics & Political Science) degrees from Stanford University. His scholarship and teaching focus on natural resource management, with a particular focus on western water. He is a California trustee of The Nature Conservancy and serves on the boards of the American Farmland Trust, Resources Legacy Fund, Santa Lucia Conservancy, and Resources Legacy Fund Foundation.

Emeritus
Ivan Aguirre
Maria Baier – Phoenix, Arizona
María Elena Barajas – Hermosillo, Sonora
Fred Borchardt – Bonita, Arizona
Kathy Borgen – Colorado
Donald Brackenbush
John Case
Walt Coward
Amy Slaven Crown
Andrew Downs – Chicago, Illinois
Chris Duerksen
Dr. Exequiel Ezcurra – La Mesa, California
John Fendenheim
Janet Gingold
Andrew Gordon – Tucson, Arizona
Susan Heyneman – Wyoming
Martha Hunter – Phoenix, Arizona
Jim Kaple – Tucson, Arizona
Robert Keiter – Salt Lake City, Utah
Nancy Laney
Darlene Lavender – Calgary, Alberta
Jane Learner – Bozeman, Montana
Suzanne Lewis
Gil Lusk
Bryan Morgan – Boulder, Colorado
Dennis Minano – Tucson, Arizona
Carlos Nagel – Tucson, Arizona
Alan Nicholson – Helena, Montana
David Parsons
Fred Pease – Tucson, Arizona
Jane Ragle – Tucson, Arizona
Richard Thweatt – Helena, Montana
Karen Wade – Montana
Nan Stockholm Walden – Sahuarita, Arizona
Thomas M. Grogan – Tucson, Arizona
In Memoriam

Patsy Batchelder – Snowmass, Colorado
Henri Bisson – Tucson, Arizona
Fred Bosselman – Chicago, Illinois
Donald Diamond – Tucson, Arizona
Frank Gregg – Tucson, Arizona
Bill Jack
Jake Kittle – Patagonia, Arizona
Bill Mitchell – Vashon Island, Washington
Donald Shropshire
Emily Stevens – Wilson, Wyoming
Ervin H. Zube – Tucson, Arizona