San Juan Regional Council

Matt Carpenter is Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Corporate Secretary for El Pomar Foundation. He joined El Pomar in 1999 as a participant in the Fellowship program and now oversees grant and program operations. He currently serves on the boards of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Colorado Springs Sports Corporation and Empty Stocking Fund Advisory Board. Matt is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy with a bachelor's degree in political science, and earned a master's degree in public administration from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, with an emphasis on nonprofit management.

“Including my time at the Air Force Academy, I have been in Colorado for more than 25 years. I appreciate the outdoors and as a member of a soccer family, the variety of soccer fields and parks around the state of Colorado.”

As a lifelong resident of Delta County, Doug has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of people in his community. He worked for 36 years in the banking industry working up the ranks to president and eventually supervisor over five banks. He currently serves on the boards of the Uncompahgre Development Company Incorporated and Delta County Memorial Hospital Foundation. He has served previously on the Board of Directors for Colorado Counties Incorporated and the Bureau of Land Management’s Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area Advisory Council. Finally, from 2011-2019, Doug served as a Delta County Commissioner. Doug attended Colorado State University graduating with a bachelor's degree in agricultural industries management.

Born and raised in Montrose County on a family farm/ranch operation, Don Coram has a background in ranching, mining, environmental relations and business. Don assumed the office of Colorado State Senator in 2017 for the 6th District, where he serves on the Agriculture, Livestock, & Natural Resources Committee, Water Resources Review Committee, as well as the Judiciary Committee. Prior to joining the Senate, Don served as a state legislator for six years, Director and Treasurer of School District RE-1J, and as Treasurer and President of the Delta-Montrose Vocational Center. He also served as Second Vice Chairman of the Montrose County Central Committee and was selected by CRC Chairman Dick Wadhams to serve on the Colorado Republican Committee Executive Committee.

Linda Gann is a western Colorado native, growing up in Glenwood Springs, Grand Junction and Redstone. She has lived in Montrose since 1978. Linda was co-owner and operator of family farms and ranches in the Montrose area for over 20 years. After a successful career in the Montrose and Olathe school district, including raising over $10 million in grants for capital projects and two school-based health centers, Linda retired in September 2010 as the district’s Communications and Special Project Coordinator. She also retired as Senior Manager, Outreach & Community Engagement on the Western Slope for Connect for Health Colorado.

Betsy Marston, a resident of Paonia, Colorado since 1974, works as the editor of Writers on the Range, a nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West. She also writes Heard Around the West, a column for High Country News, which covers public land issues in 10 western states.

Dee Williams’ long list of service activities includes two years on the Ouray City Council and two years as Co-President of Women in Support of Education and three-time member of the Ouray Chamber Board. Dee helped launch a ski program for children in Telluride. She has driven the successful campaign to purchase and preserve Ouray’s historic Wright Opera House. She is a founding member of the Ouray County Nordic Council. A longtime member of Ouray’s Community Development Committee, she helped implement the city’s economic development plan. Dee served on Ouray’s Home Rule Charter Commission. From 2003 to 2015, she served as the School to Work Alliance Programmer, which helps high school students with special needs prepare for graduation and transition to the workplace, and continues to be involved in helping youth transition from high school. For 28 years, she and her husband operated a beloved Main Street establishment, V&S Variety Store.

Mike Buth began working at El Pomar Foundation in 1999. He currently serves as Vice President and Director of Historic Properties and also serves as El Pomar’s senior staff member for the San Juan and Northeast regions.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Mike served in the United States Coast Guard. He currently serves on the Board of the Colorado Springs Youth Sports Park.

Mike earned his bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts from Regis University and his master’s degree in public administration from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

Contact Mike:
719-577-7026

Ashley Bryant joined El Pomar Foundation as a member of the 2022 Fellowship class. As a 2nd Year Fellow, Ashley serves as a Senior Program Associate for Pikes Peak Heritage Series, Investment Challenge, Fellowship Recruiting, Penrose Organizational and Professional Leadership Experience, Julie Penrose Award, and Fellowship Strategic Planning. She also supports the San Juan Region.

Ashley is from Parker, Colorado. She graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in December 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs and minors in Business and Spanish. During college, Ashley volunteered and interned with multiple nonprofits focusing on cross-cultural communication and exchange where she not only met emerging foreign leaders, but also various business, government, and nonprofit leaders throughout Denver and Boulder. In addition, she studied abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina where she practiced her Spanish, traveled all over the country, and immersed herself in the culture for a semester. After graduating from CU, she began her year of service as an AmeriCorps VISTA at Amigos de las Américas, a youth leadership nonprofit. At AMIGOS, she developed and launched the organization’s first U.S.-based program centered around conservation and environmental stewardship in Colorado. In her free time, Ashley loves discovering new coffee shops, listening to podcasts, and spending time outdoors hiking, camping, climbing, skiing, and more.

Contact Ashley:
719-577-7030

Amy Weisensee joined El Pomar Foundation as a member of the Fellowship class of 2023. As a 1st Year Fellow, Amy serves as a Program Associate for Communications, Fellowship Recruiting, Penrose Organizational and Professional Leadership Experience, and Julie Penrose Award. She also supports the San Juan and Southeast Regions.

Amy is from Limon, Colorado. She graduated from the University of Northern Colorado in May 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and minors in Psychology, American Sign Language, and Special Education. During college, Amy was a Student Ambassador in the Office of Admissions, leading guests on tours, assisting during campus event days, and creating team bonding events. Amy was a representative for the JED Foundation Campus Committee that strategically developed a plan to provide mental health resources for college students. During the summer of 2022, Amy worked in Washington D.C. for National FFA as a facilitator for the Washington Leadership Conference. Amy continued facilitating with National FFA during her last year of college for the Membership Leadership Series. Amy enjoys reading, being active, game nights, and trying new coffee shops in her free time.

Contact Amy:
719-577-7031