Western Resource Advocates Staff
Karin P. Sheldon: President
Ms. Sheldon became Executive Director of WRA in 2007. For fourteen years prior, she was Professor of Law, Associate Dean for the Environmental Law Program, and Director of the Environmental Law Center at Vermont Law School. Her areas of specialty are natural resources and environmental law, in particular federal land management, wildlife conservation, water resources allocation, and watershed management and protection.
Before joining the faculty at Vermont Law School, Ms. Sheldon was President of the Wilderness Society in Washington, D.C., a staff attorney with EarthJustice in Colorado, a partner in a public interest law firm in Washington, D.C., and one of Ralph Nader’s original “raiders.” Her work included efforts on behalf of environmental organizations and Native American tribes on issues of mining and oil and gas development, endangered species protection, and federal reserved water rights.
Ms. Sheldon serves on the Board of Directors of Defenders of Wildlife, EarthWorks, and the Natural Resources Law Center of the University of Colorado School of Law. She has also been a member of the Board of Directors of the Environmental Law Institute, and the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation.
Ms. Sheldon received her AB in Political Science from Vassar College and her J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law.
Watch Karin's presentation to the Crested Butte Community Forum speak about mining law and plans to open the Red Lady molybdenum mine on Mt. Emmons just outside of the town of Crested Butte.
Boulder ext. 214
Western Resource Advocates Staff
Penny Anderson: Energy Program Assistant and IT Coordinator
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Jason Bane: Communications Manager
Drew Beckwith: Water Policy Manager
Laura Belanger: Water Resources & Environmental Engineer
David Berry: Energy Program Chief of Policy Analysis
Andria Bronsten: Office and Human Resource Manager
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Michael Chiropolos: Chief Counsel, Lands Program
John Curl: Energy Program Senior Policy Analyst
Richard Dougherty: Information Technology Manager
Rob Dubuc: Staff Attorney, Utah Office
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Gwen Farnsworth: Senior Energy Policy Advisor
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Jorge Figueroa: Water Policy Analyst
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Gary Graham: Lands Program Director
Robert Harris: Staff Attorney
Michael Helmstetter: Individual Giving Officer
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Kathryn Holm: Vice President of Finance and Administration
Nancy Kelly: Senior Policy Advisor
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Jeremy Lewis: Transmission Policy Analyst
Victoria Mandell: Senior Staff Attorney
Steven Michel: Chief Counsel, Energy Program
Bart Miller: Water Program Director
Regina M. Nichols: Office Administrator/Legal Assistant - Nevada Office
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John Nielsen: Energy Program Director
Amelia Nuding: Water/Energy Analyst
Christine Quenroe: Bookkeeper, Accounting Assistant
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Anita Schwartz: Vice President of Development, Communications & Program Administration
Linda Stitzer: Arizona Senior Water Policy Advisor
Stacy Tellinghuisen: Senior Energy/Water Policy Analyst
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Madeleine Tengler: Development Associate
Nicole Theerasatiankul: Development and Communications Coordinator
Joro Walker: Senior Attorney and Utah Office Director
Phil Williamson: Senior Policy Advisor
Ms. Anderson is the Energy Project Assistant and Information Technology Coordinator for WRA and has been with the organization since 1998. Ms. Anderson was a volunteer with The Nature Conservancy and Thorne Ecological Institute, and for ten years was at the Texas State Historical Association as an editor and network administrator. She has a B.A. in humanities and music from Augustana College.
Boulder ext. 231
Mr. Bane joined WRA's Communications Department in October 2011. Previous to that he was a Program Manager at Western Conservation Foundation and a Senior Communications Specialist at SEIU International, both based in Denver. Mr. Bane is an award-winning journalist who has worked in every news medium, from newspapers and magazines to radio and television, and he has also directed the creation of several successful online news ventures. After 10 years as a journalist, Mr. Bane moved into the public policy realm and oversaw campaigns for a variety of politicians. He has a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Missouri.
Boulder ext. 221
As WRA's water policy manager, Mr. Beckwith works closely with water utilities, state officials, and partner organizations around the region to find sustainable ways to meet human water needs. He is responsible for the Water Program's research, legislative, and policy initiatives that aim to advance water conservation efforts and non-traditional water supplies across the Interior West. Prior to joining WRA in 2009, Mr. Beckwith worked in the private sector, performing water supply reliability analyses for utilities in Southern California, and for the University of California Cooperative Extension, helping agricultural growers reduce nutrient and pesticide loading into local waterways. Mr. Beckwith holds a Master of Environmental Science and Management degree from UC Santa Barbara and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geology from Colorado College.
Boulder ext. 226
Laura Belanger is a water resources and environmental engineer who joined WRA in May 2011. Ms. Belanger is a licensed professional engineer in the State of Colorado and brings her extensive professional and research experience to bear on a wide range of issues for WRA. Ms. Belanger focuses on evaluating proposed water supply projects for environmental and related impacts and developing alternative supply options that balance human needs while protecting healthy aquatic ecosystems. Prior to WRA, Ms. Belanger worked as a water resources and environmental engineering consultant. Most recently, she worked for the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program, advancing water projects that provide flows to create and maintain habitat for threatened and endangered species. She also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala. Her areas of expertise include hydrologic investigations, surface water modeling, water quality and biological monitoring, environmental and regulatory permitting, and water conservation planning and implementation. Ms. Belanger holds a M.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Colorado where she was a graduate research assistant at the Institute of Artic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR) and the Center for Advanced Decision Support for Water and Environmental Systems (CADSWES), and a B.A. in Social Thought and Political Economy from the University of Massachusetts.
Boulder ext. 218
Mr. Berry is an economist and planner specializing in natural resources, including land use, energy, outdoor recreation, and water policy. He joined WRA in 2001. Mr. Berry served as Chief of Economics and Research at the Arizona Corporation Commission for eleven years. In addition, he taught urban and regional planning at the University of Illinois and Boston University, and was an adjunct professor of geography at Arizona State University. Mr. Berry has a B.A. in geography from Syracuse University and a Ph.D. in regional science from the University of Pennsylvania.
Prior to coming to WRA in 2000, Ms. Bronsten worked for a mediation firm in Boulder, and brings with her a foundation in the fine art of conflict resolution. A dual Canadian-American citizen, she has extensive non-profit experience in health care and food banking, as well as a background in the arts, food, newspaper journalism, market research consulting, and bookkeeping. Ms. Bronsten attended Goddard College and the Rhode Island School of Design.
Boulder ext. 222
Mr. Chiropolos joined WRA in 2001. His work focuses on challenging environmentally unsound oil and gas development on public lands and helping promote solutions grounded in conservation, efficiency, and renewables. Mr. Chiropolos earned his J.D. from the University of Colorado and a B.A. in Political Science and Economics from Northwestern University. Before joining WRA, Mr. Chiropolos practiced federal Indian law, which included advising Wyoming's Wind River tribes on oil and gas issues. He also worked as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the African Sahel (Chad and Mali), as a wilderness ranger in the Arapaho National Forest, and as an organizer for the Western Colorado Congress.
Boulder ext. 217
Mr. Curl joined WRA’s New Mexico office of WRA in 2009. For over 26 years, he worked with the New Mexico Public Utility Commission and the Public Regulation Commission as an economist and served as the utility division director. He has a Master of Business Administration with a finance concentration from the Robert O. Anderson Graduate School of Management at the University of New Mexico, and a Bachelor of Arts with a sociology major and biology minor from the University of California, San Diego.
Mr. Dougherty became WRA’s Information Technology Manager in September 2010. He owns his own consulting firm, R & R Strategies, Inc., specializing in computer support for the small business and non-profit community in Denver. Previously, he worked as a Senior Member of the Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico, and as a consultant for the U.S. Department of Energy, managing the day to day operations of a large computer support organization. Earlier in his career, he was the Senior Technical lead for a large PC Support group for Atlantic Richfield Company in Dallas, TX. Rich has an MBA in Engineering and Total Quality Management from the University of Dallas Graduate School of Management, a Master of Science in Computer Science/Meteorology from the University of Maryland Institute of Fluid Dynamics and Applied Mathematics, and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science/Meteorology from Rutgers University.
Boulder ext. 236
Mr. Dubuc joined WRA’s Salt Lake City office in August, 2009. Most recently, he was President/CEO of Aspen Homes Development, and a partner in Aspen Homes Real Estate. Mr. Dubuc had a distinguished career in the military, including several years as a Minuteman Missile combat crew commander and a Russian cryptologic linguist. He was also responsible for monitoring nuclear weapons production in the former Soviet Union to ensure compliance with arms reductions treaties. He completed his military service at the rank of major. Mr. Dubuc has a B.A. in Business Management from the University of Maryland, a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Montana, and his Juris Doctorate, Certificate in Environmental & Natural Resource Law, from the University of Utah, College of Law, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Ms. Farnsworth joined WRA in March 2011. She was most recently an associate research director at E Source in Boulder, Colorado, where her research focused on energy efficiency program design, marketing, implementation, and evaluation. She previously worked at Russian Petroleum Investor in Los Angeles as an editorial director and research manager, and was a research fellow at the RAND Corporation in California and a research intern at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Austria. Ms. Farnsworth is active as a volunteer and community organizer promoting energy conservation in Boulder, and has served on Boulder city Climate Action Plan technical committees. She has a BA in Political Science and a BA in Russian Civilization from the University of California, Los Angeles; an Advanced Russian Language Program certificate from St. Petersburg State University in Russia; and a Masters of Philosophy from the RAND Graduate School in Santa Monica, California.
Boulder ext. 238
Mr. Figueroa joined WRA in 2010 and has local and international project management and organizing experience in the United States, Central and South America, and India. He served as a Project Associate/Research Faculty Member for the Governors’ Climate and Forests (GCF) Task Force at the University of Colorado Law School in Boulder. He was a Fulbright Scholar in India where he worked on wildlife, community governance systems, and climate change innovation with the Centre for Ecological Sciences of the India Institute of Science-Bengaluru. He was also an American Bar Association Environmental Law Fellow with the Urban Program of the National Resources Defense Council.
Mr. Figueroa holds a Master's Degree in Forestry from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Science, and a Juris Doctor with certificates in environmental law and international law from Pace University School of Law.
Boulder ext. 247
Mr. Graham joined WRA in November 2009. He has been the Executive Director of Audubon Colorado, Director as well as Chief of the Endangered Resources Branch of the Wildlife Division of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Mr. Graham was a project manager of the Texas Watchable Wildlife Project for Defenders of Wildlife and an associate science director at Bat Conservation International. He is the author of Golden Guide to Bats of the World. Mr. Graham has a Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico, an M.S. and B.S. from Louisiana State University, and has taken Executive leadership training at the Center for Creative Leadership.
Boulder ext. 244
Mr. Harris joined WRA in 2008. He started as a legal intern at WRA, at the Environmental Litigation Clinic of the Pace University School of Law, at the Connecticut Fund for the Environment, and at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC. He has a B.A. from Valparaiso University in Indiana, and his JD from Pace University School of Law. Mr. Harris is a member of the Colorado Bar, and is working on oil and gas law and policy, and the connection to water issues.
Boulder ext. 213
Michael joined WRA's Development Department in June 2011. He brings with him fundraising experience as Development Director at the Longmont Humane Society, where he led a successful $8.2 million capital campaign for facility expansion. He also served as Assistant Director of Development at Community Food Share, the food bank serving Boulder and Broomfield counties. In the private sector, Michael has extensive experience in business development and customer relations, and founded Colorado Premier Properties, a firm focused on the creation of urban residences in downtown Longmont. His environmental background includes volunteer work for the Nature Conservancy, the Izaak Walton League, and NJPIRG, as well as academic study in the areas of public land use and wilderness preservation. Michael has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Kenyon College in Ohio.
Boulder ext. 215
Ms. Holm joined WRA in 2008. Most recently, she was chief operating officer for a group of foundations in Denver with under one billion in assets. Previously, Ms. Holm was the Chief of Operations for a healthcare foundation and COO of a non-profit social service agency, both in Columbus, Ohio. She has an MBA in finance from Franklin University, and BS in Business from Regis University. Ms. Holm has participated in the Shambhala Authentic Leadership Program in Nova Scotia, the Commonfund Endowment Institute at the Yale School of Management, and Portfolio Management at the University of Chicago Graduate Business School. Her professional development includes membership in the Foundation Financial Officers’ Group and the Council on Foundations.
Boulder ext. 230
Ms. Kelly joined WRA in 2008, bringing with her significant advocacy and policy experience in energy-related matters. As a consultant, technical consultant, and utility economist with the Committee of Consumer Services (the group representing Utah small customer interests in energy and utility matters), Ms. Kelly focused primarily on regional electricity issues. In that capacity she was elected to the Western Electricity Coordinating Council Board of Directors in 2002 and continues to serve in that role. Prior to working on energy-related issues, Ms. Kelly was the staff economist for the Center for Business Research and Services at Idaho State University (ISU) and taught a number of courses at ISU, Westminster College, and the University of Utah. Ms. Kelly has a B.S. in economics from Idaho State University and an ABD from the University of Utah Department of Economics.
Mr. Lewis joined the WRA Energy Program in October 2011. Most recently, he has been a clean energy specialist at the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resource Department's Energy Conservation and Management Division in Santa Fe. Mr. Lewis developed the Sustainable Communities Corps at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque and was the corpsmember development coordinator of the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps in Taos. He was a natural resource specialist for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in Austin, Texas and an agroforestry extension agent with the Peace Corps in Cameroon, Africa. Mr. Lewis has a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource Studies from the University of Massachusetts and a Master of Community and Regional Planning from the University of New Mexico.
Ms. Mandell joined WRA in 2008 to focus on energy law, practicing before state public utility commissions. Prior to this, she was in-house regulatory counsel for Level 3 Communications for four years, and was a consultant in the energy industry with Platts Research and Consulting. Ms. Mandell served in the Regulatory Department of the Colorado Attorney General’s office for ten years, representing a variety of boards and commissions, including the trial staff of the Colorado Public Utility Commission on energy and telecommunications matters. She has a B.S. in international political science from Georgetown University, and an MBA, with an emphasis in finance, and JD from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Boulder ext. 224
Mr. Michel joined WRA in 2007, bringing with him 25 years of experience in the energy industry. For 17 years, he served as general counsel for the New Mexico Industrial Energy Consumers, and before that, worked five years as Assistant Attorney General in the New Mexico Attorney General’s Consumer Division Energy Unit. Mr. Michel has donated countless hours of pro bono work and, as counsel for a coalition of Indian tribes and environmental groups in the 1990s, was instrumental in stopping the construction of a major utility transmission line through New Mexico’s Jemez Mountains. In 1995, Mr. Michel was awarded the New Mexico State Bar’s Robert H. LaFollette Pro Bono Award. He has served on many governmental task forces dealing with energy issues, and has helped develop and draft energy-related legislation in New Mexico. Mr. Michel received a B.A. degree in History and Economics from Northwestern University and received M.B.A. and J.D. degrees from Vanderbilt University.
Mr. Miller is Water Program Director at Western Resource Advocates. He manages a team of staff and contractors who protect river flows, recover endangered species, improve the efficient use of water, and make the connection between water use, energy production, and climate change. In a multi-year effort, Bart crafted litigation and settlement negotiations that resulted in a new water right for Black Canyon National Park on the Gunnison River. Prior to joining WRA in 2000, Bart spent 4 years in the Solicitor’s Office in Washington, DC, on the legal staff that advises the many agencies within the U. S. Department of the Interior; there he focused on natural resource issues in the Division of Indian Affairs. Mr. Miller is a graduate of the University of Colorado Law School and Dartmouth College.
Boulder ext. 219
Ms. Nichols joined WRA in 2006, to assist on electrical energy issues in Nevada. She worked as a Legal Research Assistant for the Public Utility Commission of Nevada and a paralegal/legal assistant with two private law firms in the areas of corporate law, probate, and estate planning. Ms. Nichols has an AA in Business and is a Certified Legal Assistant and certified Professional Legal Secretary..
Mr. Nielsen has worked at WRA as an economist and policy advisor since 1995, and has been the Energy Program Director since 2000. He is a leader in the western environmental community on the relationship between energy policy and air quality, and has served as an expert witness in regulatory proceedings around the region involving utility resource planning, electric industry restructuring, renewable energy, energy conservation, and green marketing. Mr. Nielsen holds a B.A in mathematics and economics from the University of Colorado at Boulder and M.A. and M. Philosophy degrees in economics from Yale University.
Boulder ext. 232
Ms. Nuding joined WRA's Water Program in November 2010. She has worked at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) researching forest pest management, at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in the Air and Energy program, and was a physics and chemistry teacher in New York City. She has also worked with Patagonia to develop a product-level water footprint, and with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to measure atmospheric gas content. She has a Master of Environmental Science and Management from the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at the University of California at Santa Barbara with specialization in water resources management, and a BA in physics from Vassar College.
Boulder ext. 249
Prior to joining the WRA staff in 2002, Ms. Quenroe served for 12 years as the office manager and bookkeeper for a design and architecture company. She also has worked in secondary education and academic librarianship. Ms. Quenroe received her undergraduate degree from Augustana College in Sioux Falls and her Masters from the University of Maryland.
Boulder ext. 223
Before joining WRA in 2004, Ms. Schwartz worked at Environmental Defense where she managed fundraising efforts in a seven-state region. She also worked at The Dairy Center for the Arts in Boulder to transform an abandoned 40,000 square-foot dairy building into a multi-disciplinary community arts center, where she led a capital campaign. Ms. Schwartz started her non-profit career at Conservation International in Washington, D.C. in 1990. Ms. Schwartz serves on the Board of Directors of The Dairy Center for the Arts and the First Congregational Church and its foundation. Ms. Schwartz also owns a small business that is ranked among the top 25 woman-owned businesses in Boulder County, and one of the top 50 minority-owned businesses in Colorado. She has a B.A. from American University in Washington, D.C., with a double major in literature and American studies. She is a Certified Fund Raising Executive, having secured an internationally-recognized professional credential for philanthropic fundraising executives.
Boulder ext. 227
Ms. Stitzer joined WRA's Water Program team in 2011 to lead our Arizona efforts that aim to sustainably meet human water needs while also protecting healthy aquatic ecosystems. She works with local and regional water providers, governments, and policymakers to advance water planning, conservation, and efficiency programs across Arizona. Previously, Ms. Stitzer worked for the Arizona Department of Water Resources for 25 years as a Regional Planner focusing on statewide water resources assessment and rural water initiatives and as Director, Water Resource Planning Supervisor, and Municipal Water Planner for the Department's Tucson Active Management Area. Her background includes water policy and conservation program development, working with water managers and stakeholders to address statewide and local water issues, and publication of reports including the Arizona Water Atlas. Ms. Stitzer has a M.S. in Soil and Water Science from the University of Arizona and a B.S. in Biology/Environmental Science from Northern Arizona University.
Ms. Tellinghuisen joined WRA in 2008 to focus on the energy/water nexus. Before coming to Colorado, she was an energy/water analyst for the California Sustainability Alliance, where she researched the energy intensity of Southern California's water supplies. Ms. Tellinghuisen has also researched the energy, water, and greenhouse gas emissions of different landscapes, and worked on various water resources projects for the City of Moab, Utah. She has taught natural history to school groups in parks throughout California and Utah. Ms. Tellinghuisen has a Bachelor of Arts in Geology from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, and a Master of Environmental Science and Management from the Donald Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Boulder ext. 216
Ms. Tengler joined WRA in February 2010. Before this, she was the assistant membership coordinator at the YMCA of Boulder Valley, and a special events, fundraising, and development intern at the Denver Center for International Studies Foundation. Ms. Tengler was also a volunteer coordinator at the Conference on World Affairs. She has a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs from the University of Colorado at Boulder, with a strong Spanish language component and a focus on community-based solutions to social and economic challenges.
Boulder ext. 246
Ms. Theerasatiankul started with WRA in 2007 to assist the Development and Communications Director. She has been a graduate teaching assistant and instructor at the University of Colorado, and taught English as a second language in Korea. Ms. Theerasatiankul has a B.A. in Economics and a B.S. in Business Administration from Colorado State University, and a Masters in Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of Colorado in Boulder.
Boulder ext. 211
Before joining WRA’s Salt Lake City office in 1999, Ms. Walker worked at a private civil rights law firm specializing in inmate and First Amendment rights litigation in federal court, and Utah constitutional and civil rights law before the state courts. She was associate director of the Wallace Stegner Center at the University of Utah College of Law. Ms. Walker was the 2005 U.S. winner of the Yves Rocher Foundation’s “Women of the Earth” award. She attended Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania and graduated from the University of Utah with Bachelor of Science and Masters of Arts degrees in philosophy, and received her law degree from the University of Utah.
Mr. Williamson joined the Nevada office of WRA in January, 2010. He has 30 years of experience in public utility regulation in Nevada, and worked for the Nevada Public Utility Commission for 21 years as a senior auditor, manager of rates and tariff, and audit division manager. Phil also worked for 9 years at the Nevada Bureau of Consumer Protection as a senior analyst and manager of technical staff. He has an accounting degree from the University of Nevada in Reno.