Our Team

Garrett joined the JCD team in May 2014 as a Conservation Forester, and became the Director in 2017. He's had a variety of work experiences in the Midwest and Western states in back-country leadership and natural resource management. He earned a BS in environmental biology from Greenville College in 2008 and a MS in ecology from Colorado State University in 2014. Along with his wife Lindsey, Garrett spends time outside of work raising three daughters and enjoying Colorado's beautiful landscapes with them. He originally moved to Colorado for a career restoring Western landscapes and to enjoy all the recreational hobbies available in this state -- to date, he has mastered none of them.

Originally from Southern California, Kim made her way to Colorado and ultimately chose to make the west side of the Denver area home. She built a career in residential new home construction. Kim enjoys the progression of watching a conceptual idea realized into a hands-on task. Personally, she enjoys being outside in any capacity. A perfect day includes her dog, a paddleboard, and calm mountain waters. Kim also enjoys spending time with family and friends, and if there is live music in an outdoor setting, she'll be there! When not at work, Kim and her husband are running from one activity to another with their four daughters.

Matt joined the JCD team as a Conservation Forester in June of 2019. Prior to joining JCD Matt was a Natural Resource Specialist in Forestry for Jefferson County Open Space. He has a bachelor of environmental science degree with a concentration in ecological restoration from Metropolitan State University of Denver. Outside of work, Matt likes to spend time with his wife, Julia, and two sons, George and James. They enjoy hiking, mountain biking, reading, swimming, and especially exploring the many playgrounds that the Front Range has to offer.

Margo grew up in Denver and earned her BS in Environmental and Organismic Biology from Fort Lewis College in Durango, followed by an MS in Integrated Biology from the University of Colorado, Denver. She spent the last seven years managing natural history collections and leading ecological assessments, restoration projects, and community engagement initiatives. Outside of work, Margo enjoys climbing, biking, baking, and exploring trails with her husband, where they search for wildflowers and mushrooms together.

Bridgette joined the JCD team in 2023 as a conservation forester. She is originally from Grand Junction, Colorado and went to Colorado College, where she earned a bachelor's degree in environmental science. She then went to Colorado State University and got a master's degree in natural resource management. The things Bridgette loves most about conservation work is getting to be outside and noticing small details about projects. One of her favorite places in Colorado is the San Juan Mountains, and she is partial to many of the flowering species found in the high desert, like the various Penstemon and Castilleja species. Outside of work Bridgette likes to spend time with her family and friends, and do typical Colorado outdoor activities like camping, skiing, and biking.

Cragen joined the JCD team as a seasonal vegetation technician in 2023 and transitioned to the natural resource specialist position. She earned a BS degree in environmental studies & sustainability with a minor in sustainable agriculture and food systems from Michigan State University. Her favorite part about working in conservation is being outside, and understanding the ecology of a place while making a positive impact with her work. Outside of work, Cragen enjoys painting, camping, reading, and hiking.

Kyle joined the JCD team in May of 2022 as the Forest Biomass Coordinator. Prior to joining JCD Kyle worked in several forest management and utility forestry positions. He has his BS in environmental science from Truman State University. Outside of work, Kyle likes to ski, climb 13ers and 14ers, mountain bike, and read. His favorite place in Colorado is Crested Butte.

Jake joined the JCD team in 2023 as the vegetation management specialist. He has many years of experience in noxious weed management and has a BS degree in environmental science from the Metropolitan State University of Denver. Helping to improve, preserve and maintain some of Colorado's beautiful natural environments motivates his work in conservation, and his favorite CO plant is the plains cottonwood. Outside of work, you can find Jake spending time with his three children, who love the outdoors, just like him.

Meagan Bragg started at JCD as a Community Forestry Technician and joined full-time as the Forest Biomass Coordinator in 2024. Meagan is originally from Virginia and studied environmental science at Virginia Tech. One thing she loves about conservation is being able to feel like she is making a positive impact on the environment. When she's not working, she's hiking, camping, and playing video games.

Garrick grew up in Fort Collins, CO, and studied environmental studies and english in Spokane, WA at Gonzaga University. His favorite part of working in the world of conservation is watching restoration areas grow and come alive. His favorite CO plants are bristlecone pines. For fun Garrick climbs and reads extensively.

Alison joined the JCD team in 2023. She earned a degree in art history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a degree in graphic design from Parsons The New School for Design. Outside of work, Alison likes to visit museums and paint.

Lorrie has been on the JCD board since 2020. Lorrie has a background in employment law and enjoys using her experience to assist JCD and its board in creating a solid foundation for the employees, so that they can do the important work that they do to protect the environment including the soil, air, and water of the Jefferson Soil Conservation District. On a personal note, she has lived in Colorado for most of her life, and brings that passion to preserving the beauty Jefferson County and its open space that Lorrie has been enjoying for the last 30 years.

Gayle has served on the Board since July of 2011. Gayle is retired from the Bureau of Land Management. She lives in Conifer. Most of Gayle’s professional career was with the Federal government in the Department of the Interior. Gayle finished her career working on western issues for the Western Governors’ Association. Since retiring she has been actively involved with her homeowners association working on wildfire mitigation and noxious weeds. She and her husband have a cabin in remote Alaska where they spend several months a year. Gayle has a Masters in Technology Management and a Doctorate in Public administration.

Don has served on the Board since September of 2009. Don is the State Recovery Liaison with the Colorado Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management.

John Fosholt is a retired TV journalist and journalism instructor. He photographed and produced reports for 9News in Denver for 33 years, including many dealing with natural resource issues. He was an adjunct journalism teacher at the University of Denver for 37 years. John lives in Ken-Caryl Ranch in southern Jefferson County, where he volunteers with the FireWise Committee and the community weed control program. He serves as a community representative on the Jeffco Wildfire Commission and on the Board of Supervisors of the Jefferson County Conservation District.

Bill has served on the Board since May of 2020. Bill is a retired Conifer school teacher and has had a forestry project conducted on his property in Conifer.

Deb Ryon graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in Forest Management.  She had a 37 year career with the U.S. Forest Service initially working in timber management, but focused the majority of her career working in Non-Recreation Special Uses (authorizing the use of National Forest System Lands for uses such as transportation, water development, energy development and transport, communication infrastructure).  She worked primarily in the Colorado and Wyoming region and finished her career working for the Washington Office on special projects.  She is a 30+ year resident of Evergreen and is involved with a number of volunteer organizations since she retired in 2019.

As a youth in Colorado, Aaron worked summers for Jefferson County’s Trail Stewardship Team and for Ken-Caryl Ranch Open Space.  These experiences inspired Aaron to graduate with a degree focused on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) from the University of Colorado, Boulder and participate in a GIS internship at Jefferson County Open Space.  His career has focused on business development across three Fortune 500 companies.  Aaron has summited half of Colorado’s 14ers, worked as a History teacher at a high school in Bolivia, and lived on three continents.  He is passionate about athletics and music… and has recently had a forestry project conclude on his property near Bailey, CO.