Western Resource Advocates Board
Western Resource Advocates has benefited greatly from the commitment of strong and diverse board leaders. The following are brief bios of each of the current board members.
WRA's Board of Directors. Back row, from left: David Robertson, John Taylor, Paul Komor, Ken Ransford, Robert Martin, Patrick de Freitas, Christopher Wirth
Front row seated, from left: AJ Grant, Sarah Krakoff, Heidi McIntosh
Not pictured: Merritt Frey, Donna House, Bryan Morgan
Patrick de Freitas
Mr. de Freitas has a background in management, with organizational and entrepreneurial experience with profit and nonprofit groups. He was the chair of the boards of directors of both the Institute for Conservation Leadership in Washington D.C. and the Laird Norton Family Foundation in Seattle. Mr. de Freitas was born and raised in England, lives in Salt Lake City, and holds a Masters degree in Public Administration from the University of Utah.
Merritt Frey
Ms. Frey is the Habitat Program Director for River Network in Salt Lake City, and joined the WRA board in 2010. Prior to this, she was Executive Director for Utah Rivers Council, a Watershed Restoration Program Director for the Clean Water Network, and a Feedlot Policy Analyst for the Natural Resources Defense Council. Ms. Frey has worked for other conservation organizations in the Washington, DC area and has published numerous articles regarding water conservation and quality. She has a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource and Environmental Policy Studies from Michigan State University, and is an avid fly-fisherman, backpacker, and canoeist.
Andrea J. Grant
AJ Grant is president of Environmental Communication Associates, Inc. (ECA), a national consulting firm located in Boulder, Colorado that specializes in social marketing and communicating complex environmental issues to the public. Ms. Grant is a founding partner and Chief Green Officer of The Big Green Company, Inc., a multimedia children’s education/entertainment company. Their Emmy Award-winning PBS children's show, Big Green Rabbit, brings environmental and health topics to audiences around the world.
Donna House
Ms. House is a botanical consultant and researcher for Indigenous Peoples’ environmental issues and policies, and is a consultant to the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. She is a member of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Recovery Team for Endangered Plant Species, and has worked for the Nature Conservancy’s Indigenous Lands Program. Ms. House is a tribal member of the Navajo Nation, and lives in San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico.
Paul Komor
Mr. Komor is an instructor in the Environmental Studies Program and a Director at the Energy Institute at the University of Colorado in Boulder. He has been a visiting professor of energy and environment at Stanford University, and a visiting academic at Imperial College in London, England. Mr. Komor was a research director at E Source in Boulder, and a project director at the U.S. Congress’ Office of Technology Assessment. As a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, he shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore in 2007. Mr. Komor has a B.S. from Cornell University, and an M.S. and a Ph.D. from Stanford University.
Sarah Krakoff
Ms. Krakoff is an associate professor at the University of Colorado School of Law in Boulder. She has been the director of the Indian Law Clinic there and the Youth Law Project Director at the DNA-People’s Legal Services in Tuba City, Arizona. Ms. Krakoff has clerked for the Honorable Warren J. Ferguson of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, has published numerous articles concerning the environment and Indian law, and has presented at many conferences and panels. Ms. Krakoff serves on the boards and volunteers for environmental and other non-profit organizations. She has a J.D. from the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California at Berkeley, and a B.A. in Literature from Yale University.
Robert Martin
Mr. Martin is an enrolled member of the Makah Tribe in the State of Washington. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Tartoosh Environmental LLC. The vision of the firm is to strengthen tribal sovereignty by protecting tribal environments, improving tribal infrastructure and developing tribal renewable energy. As the former National Ombudsman of the United States Environmental Protection Agency in Washington D.C., Mr. Martin is a nationally recognized expert on hazardous and solid waste laws and programs. He also serves as a Pro Tem Judge for the Makah Tribal Court hearing both civil and criminal matters.
Heidi McIntosh
Since 1991, Ms. McIntosh has been the Conservation Director and attorney for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance in Salt Lake City. Ms. McIntosh directs the conservation efforts of that organization, whose primary mission is the protection of lands in America's Redrock Wilderness. She also pursues litigation in administrative venues and federal court pertaining to public lands management and endangered species, monitors agency activities, and, negotiates resolution of disputes prior to litigation. Ms. McIntosh has been an adjunct professor at the University of Utah School of Law, and an attorney in private practice. She has a Masters of Law from the University of Utah School of Law, her J.D. from Georgetown University, and a B.A. from the University of Arizona in Tucson.
Bryan Morgan
Mr. Morgan has been a trial lawyer in the Denver Public Defender’s Office and a partner in his law firm for forty years. He also worked at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research and researched legal issues for the Department of Health, Education and Welfare concerning delivery of federal services to Native American tribes. Mr. Morgan has been a staff lawyer in the Denver office of the Environmental Defense Fund, and on the boards of directors of Audubon Colorado, the Yellowstone Association, and the Sonoran Institute. He has a B.A. in Economics from Stanford University and a JD from the University of Colorado School of Law.
Ken Ransford
Mr. Ransford is an attorney, investment advisor, and CPA specializing in income and estate tax law for small businesses, individuals, and non-profit organizations. He has served on the boards of the Environmental Center of the Rockies, the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, the Aspen Valley Land Trust, American Whitewater, and the Colorado Chapter of Associated Fundraising Professionals. Mr. Ransford has presented at the Land Trust Alliance national conference and the Colorado Bar Association Continuing Legal Education meeting. He graduated from the University of Colorado School of Law in Boulder and from the University of California at Davis.
David Robertson
Mr. Robertson is a retired software designer, and has also been involved in mining history. He has been a long-time member of the Colorado Mountain Club, and served on the Boulder County Parks and Open Space Advisory Committee. He has been very involved in conservation issues and the preservation of the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, and serves on the board of the Alaska Conservation Foundation.
John Taylor
Mr. Taylor retired after 20 years as a teacher in a variety of early childhood education settings, and previously worked as an attorney for the National Labor Relations Board in Washington, D.C., for the Colorado Rural Legal Services, and the Colorado Clean Water Action Project. He currently serves on the Board of American Rivers. Mr. Taylor is an avid white- and flat-water rafter and traveler.
Christopher Wirth
Mr. Wirth is the founder of Liberty Puzzles in Boulder, Colorado. He has worked as a financial analyst, and is a member of the Colorado Bar Association. Mr. Wirth has an M.B.A. in Finance, a J.D. in Business and Natural Resource Law from the University of Colorado in Boulder, and a B.A. in Political Science from Stanford