Our Team

Our Staff
Laura Quattrini - Director

Laura brings over 20 years of experience working for conservation non-profits and  an educational background in Wildlife Biology. During this time, she has focused on applying science to natural resource management and engaging in collaborative conservation efforts with a wide range of stakeholders, partners, and landowners. Through this work, she has become deeply embedded in many conservation initiatives in Colorado and acutely familiar with the watershed and forestry issues facing western communities. She is excited to work on these issues at a more localized level in the Big Thompson watershed.

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Will Davis - Communications & Outreach Manager

Will brings his background in collaborative conservation, community engagement, event planning, and an M.S. in Conservation Leadership from Colorado State University to the BTWC team. Will has worked on conservation projects around the Western U.S. and co-led an ethical research and community development project in Eastern Kenya. Throughout this work, he found a passion for involving and engaging communities to increase community connections and autonomy and to advance and raise awareness about conservation initiatives. Will began as BTWC’s Project Coordinator and became the Communications & Outreach Manager in 2022 with the goal of increasing BTWC’s outreach efforts with Big T communities and the organization’s visibility in the watershed.

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Zoe Schapira - Forestry Project Manager

Zoe Schapira is BTWC’s new Forestry Project Manager! Zoe comes from a background of disturbance ecology in the context of wildfire, conservation work with nonprofit organizations, and community engagement during disaster recovery. Originally from New York, Zoe graduated with a Master of Science degree in Forest Sciences from CSU and her thesis focused on post-disturbance forest recovery in subalpine forests of the Rocky Mountains. Prior to that Zoe also served in AmeriCorps for two years leading forest conservation work in Montana and disaster recovery efforts in Texas, and also worked with one of our close partners, The Ember Alliance. Zoe’s passions in her career are assisting communities and ecosystems in post-fire restoration and promoting forest health. Outside of work, she enjoys recreating in the Colorado outdoors climbing, hiking, camping, snowboarding, in addition to yoga and baking! She is eager to help lead Cameron Peak recovery efforts and enhance community resilience to potential wildfire risk.

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Brenan Bloyd - Stream Restoration Project Manager

Brenan brings his background in water management, wetland and river restoration, and nonprofit work to this role. He grew up in Colorado Springs and later moved to Grand Junction to pursue a Bachelor’s in Biology. There he found the perfect intersection of his passion for science and his love for Colorado’s natural spaces, leading him to seek a career in conservation. He recently completed his Master of Environmental Management degree from Western Colorado University, where he worked with the Coldharbour Institute to conceptualize wetland and river restoration on a private ranch. His project strived to strike a balance between ecosystem services and regenerative agriculture practices. While pursuing his Masters, Brenan volunteered with USAID’s Farmer to Farmer program in Colombia, focusing on creating safe drinking water management plans through the implementation of water filtration systems and educational outreach.

Beyond work, Brenan finds joy in outdoor activities like fishing, backpacking, and skiing. His personal interests align with his professional pursuits, fueling his enthusiasm for advancing BTWC’s mission. He is eager to contribute to the organization’s efforts in stream restoration and to take actions that protect and restore the health and vitality of the Big Thompson watershed.

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Our Board of Directors

Richard Alper, President of the Board

Mr. Alper is an attorney with experience in environmental law. He serves on various Larimer County boards and commissions and is an instructor at the University of Northern Colorado.

Larry Rogstad, Vice-President of the Board
Larry spent 37 years as a Wildlife Manager for Colorado Parks & Wildlife. Larry has been involved with varied work along the Big Thompson and lower South Platte Rivers for many, many years. He looks forward to appreciating and being more involved with this stunning watershed and those who love it now, and in the future.
Gordon Gilstrap, Treasurer of the Board
Gordon Gilstrap is a retired Hewlett-Packard executive who personally organized the Little Thompson Watershed Coalition (LTWC) and during 2015, was the chairman for both the LTWC and Big Thompson Watershed Coalition. Gordon is very active in supporting all the business functions of a children’s therapy clinic in Loveland and has helped Larimer County develop their Comprehensive Plan for the future of the County.
Lauren Hillmer, Secretary of the Board
Lauren is the Stormwater Quality Administrator at the City of Greeley and has over 10 years’ experience in the environmental and natural resources field. She holds a Master of Science Degree in Environmental Science and Land Management from Montana State University-Bozeman and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She is passionate about surface water protection, watershed management, forest health, and post-fire recovery. Lauren lives in Berthoud with her husband and rough collie and in her free time she enjoys skiing, mountain biking, hiking, and fly fishing in the Big Thompson Watershed.
Jerry Gibbens, Board Director
Jerry is Director of Operations for Northern Water in Berthoud, Colorado, where he oversees operation and maintenance of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project, Windy Gap Project and other water storage, conveyance and hydropower facilities that deliver supplemental water supplies to more than 1,000,000 people and 615,000 acres of irrigated land in Northeastern Colorado. He also serves as Treasurer for both the Northern Water and Municipal Sub-District boards. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from Colorado State University and is a registered professional engineer in Colorado and Wyoming. Jerry lives in Loveland with his wife, Shelli, and enjoys everything that his native Colorado and surrounding states have to offer, including vacationing, chasing his adult kids and extended family from place-to-place, outdoor activities, and home improvement.
Mary McInnis, Board Director
Mary serves as the Chief of Staff to Dr. Bryan Willson, Executive Director of the Colorado State University Energy Institute. Mary has spent over 20 years in lead administrative roles at several well-known climate and energy scientific institutes throughout Colorado. Prior to joining EI in 2019, she worked at Rocky Mountain Institute in a support role to the CEO, the National Center for Atmospheric Research as a Lead Administrator, and as the Assistant Director of the CSU Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere. Mary earned her master’s degree from CSU and has a bachelor’s from Mary Washington College.
Sharlynn Wamsley, Board Director

Ms. Wamsley is retired after many years of being a newspaper publisher and editor. She is very active in community organizations and lives on the Big Thompson River. Shar edited a book about the 1976 Big Thompson Flood.

Chris Carlson, Board Director
Raina Clingan, Board Director
Raina Clingan is an Instructional Designer and writer, as well as co-owner of Kokopelli Mountain Ranch, located in the Buckhorn Canyon, where she and her husband raise yaks. She has also served on the Larimer County Rural Land Use Advisory Board and the Rist Canyon Volunteer Fire Department (RCVFD) board.
Phil Cavendor, Board Director
Philip Cavendor has over 38 years of experience as a professional geologist, environmental hydrogeologist, program manager, FEMA project specialist, and Superfund and RCRA construction manager. His extensive professional environmental experience includes conducting environmental groundwater and surface water investigations as well as soil and groundwater remediation in over 24 states. He has helped manage successful hydrologic environmental restoration and permitting applications that met site closure approvals of clients, and both State and Federal Environmental agencies. He has lived on the Front Range (Longmont and Loveland) and has enjoyed fly fishing the various Front Range streams for over 32 years. His previous volunteer activities for the City of Longmont, Colorado include being a former Chairman/Member of Board of Environmental Affairs, and a board member on their Solid Waste Task Force. He has also been involved with volunteer actions with the ST Vrain Trout Unlimited (TU) Chapter, and more recent the TU Rocky Mountain Flycasters Chapter.

Our Advisory Committee

Andy Fayram, Advisor

Mr. Fayram is the Monitoring Program Manager for the Big Thompson Watershed Forum, coordinating the monitoring and assessment programs, data analysis, and reporting strategies for that organization.

Mickey McGuire, Advisor
David Jessup, Advisor
Mr. Jessup is co-owner a large guest ranch along the Big Thompson River where he raises grass-fed beef. He is a board member of several Northern Colorado non-profit organizations concerned with water quality and education. He authored a prize-winning historical novel.
David Lipinski, Advisor
Tim Sendelbach, Advisor
Jane Lopez, Advisor

Ms. Lopez is a resident of Larimer County, employed as an on-call Wildfire Aviation Manager in the Rocky Mountain region, responding to wildfire incidents nationwide.

Andrew Nave, Advisor
Troy Jones, Advisor
Arnfinn Austefjord, Advisor
Adam Beh, Advisor
Our Story
Our Approach
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