Under Executive Order A 311 09, Governor Ritter has appointed members to the Regional Air Quality Council.
Click here to download a PDF listing of members.
To view Board Member biographies, click on their name from the drop-down menu above.
Click here for a PDF version.
Andrew Spielman is a partner in the environmental law department at the Denver office of the international law firm Hogan & Hartson, LLP. Prior to private practice, he served in several senior positions at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, including Acting Associate Director of the Office of Sustainable Ecosystems and Communities in the EPA Policy Office. He has over 10 years of experience in the public sector including environmental protection and public lands management. Mr. Spielman is the Chairman of the Regional Air Quality Council board and serves as a member of the public to represent the broad public interest.
Debra Baskett is the Transportation Manager for the City and County of Broomfield, where she is responsible for development and administration of Broomfield’s transportation planning activities. Prior to her current position, Ms. Baskett founded the U.S. 36 Transportation Mobility Organization (TMO), where she currently sits on the Executive Committee. She has previously held positions with the City of Boulder, the Regional Air Quality Council, the Regional Transportation District (RTD), the City of Denver and the Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce. Her expertise includes integrating land use, air quality and transportation issues to support local and regional planning and implementation initiatives. She serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a representative of the region’s transit management agencies.
Melissa Chalona is an Engineer with CTL Thompson, a company that provides integrated geotechnical, materials, geo-structural and environmental services which identify potential design and construction-related issues in commercial, residential and industrial projects. Ms. Chalona is a project manager for environmental engineering design and consultation in Colorado and Wyoming. Ms Chalona chairs the Environmental Advisory Board for Larimer County. She serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a representative of the general business community.
The Honorable Eric Doering is the Mayor of the Town of Frederick. Prior to becoming Mayor he served as a Trustee. He is employed by St. Vrain Sanitation District as District Manager. Mayor Doering is member of the Department of Local Affair’s Energy Impact Advisory Committee, Chair of North Front Range Water Quality Planning Association and a member of various Colorado Municipal League committees. He is also a former Longmont City Council Member. Mayor Doering serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a local government representative from the Denver metropolitan region.
The Honorable Bob FitzGerald is the Mayor Pro Tem for the City of Aurora. In his nearly six years on the city council, he has served on the Water Policy Committee, the Management and Finance Committee and the Planning and the Economic Development Committee. He is also a Cherry Creek Basin Water Quality Authority Commissioner, Aurora Economic Development Council Board Member, Aurora Urban Renewal Commissioner, and National Renewable Energy Lab Leadership Program Member. Mr. FitzGerald serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a local government representative from the Denver metropolitan region.
The Honorable Rick Garcia is a Councilmember for the City and County of Denver. He is formerly a board member and served as Chair of DRCOG. Previously, he was an elected member of RTD’s Board of Directors, where he was instrumental in advancing transit in the Denver metro area. He has made economic revitalization, access to new transit and business development his policy priorities. Councilmember Garcia serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a local government representative from the Denver metropolitan region.
Russell George is the Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT.) Prior to his appointment to CDOT, Mr. George was the Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Director of the Colorado Division of Wildlife, and was a member of the Colorado House of Representatives, where he served as Speaker. Mr. George serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a representative for CDOT, where he is charged with leading the department in planning for, and addressing, Colorado’s transportation needs.
Darryl Jones is the Development Manager of Ridgegate for Coventry Development. For more than 21 years Mr. Jones has worked in the public and private sectors on a variety of mixed-use and new urbanism projects. As a former city planner, he has an extensive background in real estate development and regulation, urban design, planning processes and planning development. He is currently the President of the Home Builders Association of Metro Denver. Mr. Jones serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a representative of the general business community.
Elise Jones is the Executive Director for the Colorado Environmental Coalition. Ms. Jones manages a staff in three field offices and helps her staff to develop and implement policy and strategies for campaigns on wilderness, water, energy, and smart growth. She has also worked with the League of Conservation Voters Educational Fund, 1000 Friends of Oregon, and the National Wildlife Federation. Ms. Jones is the Co-Chair for Greenprint Denver Council and sits on the Boards of Colorado Conservation Voters, City of Boulder Planning Board, and the State Environmental Leadership Program. She serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a member of the public to represent the conservation community.
Susan Kirkpatrick is the Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA). Prior to her appointment in 2007, Ms. Kirkpatrick was the director of Institutional Advancement and chief executive officer for the Aims Community College Foundation. Dr. Kirkpatrick served as mayor of Fort Collins for four years and as a councilwoman for four years. She is a past board member of the Poudre Valley Health System and was a founding member and chair of Great Outdoors Colorado. Dr. Kirkpatrick serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a representative of DOLA, where she oversees numerous departments that address a wide range of essential services to citizens and local governments.
Richard Long worked at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for thirty-five years and was the Director of Air Programs for Region 8 for twelve years prior to his retirement. He worked closely with the six states in the Rocky Mountain region on a range of air quality issues. He was also active in many national EPA policies. Mr. Long’s EPA career also included experience in wastewater treatment, ground water and external affairs. He serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a citizen at large.
The Honorable Ben Manvel is a Councilmember for the City of Fort Collins. He is a member of the Larimer County Open Lands Board, North Front Range Transportation and Air Quality Planning Organization (MPO), Poudre Heritage Alliance, the North Front Range EIS Project Regional Coordination Committee, the Urban Renewal Authority and the Colorado Municipal League Policy Committee. Dr. Manvel is a former Professor of Mathematics at Colorado State University. Councilmember Manvel serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a local government representative from the North Front Range metropolitan area.
Linda Morton is a former Mayor of Lakewood, where she served for eight years as well as a Lakewood Councilwoman for ten years. Ms. Morton has been the Chair of the Denver Regional Council of Governments and DRCOG’s Regional Transportation Committee. She has sat on the Boards of the National Association of Regional Councils of Government, National League of Cities, Colorado Municipal League, Metro Mayors Caucus, The Transit Alliance and Metropolitan Air Quality Council. She serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a member of the public with appropriate transportation experience.
The Honorable Paul Natale is the Mayor of the Commerce City. He is the Vice Chair of the International Committee for the National League of Cities, a member of the Metro Mayors Executive Committee and an E-470 Board member. Prior to running for city council, he was on the Housing Board and the Planning Board for Commerce City. Mr. Natale also worked in the Motor Vehicle, Liquor and Tobacco section of the Colorado Department of Revenue. He serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a local government representative from the Denver metropolitan region.
John Putnam is an attorney with Kaplan Kirsch & Rockwell, LLP. Mr. Putnam represents primarily public entities in litigation, rulemaking and counseling regarding environmental and transportation law. He has represented public and private sector clients on a wide range of other litigation, regulatory and compliance matters associated with highway transportation, wetlands, airport compliance, land use natural gas processing, and large power generation facilities. Mr. Putnam is a past member of the City of Boulder’s Environmental Advisory Board, and Boulder Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Working Group. He serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a member of the public with appropriate transportation experience.
Martha Rudolph is the Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). Prior to her current appointment, Ms. Rudolph was the Director of Environmental Programs at CDPHE where she provided oversight to the air quality, hazardous materials and waste management, water quality and consumer protection divisions. She has twenty seven years experience as an environmental attorney, including fourteen years at the Colorado Attorney General’s Office representing the Air Pollution Control Division, the Hazardous Waste Commission and the Water Quality Control Commission. She also served as counsel to a natural gas and energy transportation company. She was formerly a member of the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission for six years. Ms. Rudolph serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a representative of CDPHE.
Jennifer Schaufele is the Executive Director of the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG), where she is director to a 56-member board of local elected officials and is responsible for the regional growth and development plan, transportation planning, services for seniors and implementation of the regional clean water plan and conformity for the greater Denver metropolitan area. Ms. Schaufele is a member of the National Association of Regional Councils, the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations and Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute Advisory Board. Ms. Schaufele serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a representative of DRCOG.
John “Jep” Seman is an attorney with Corporate Advocates. He has transportation and energy law and policy experience as well as automobile law and policy experience. Mr. Seman has served on the staff of former U.S. Sentator Gary Hart and as Counsel to the U.S. Sentate Committee on the Environment. Mr. Seman sits on the Boards of the Colorado Petroleum Association, Warren Village Foundation, the National Kidney Foundation, and is the past president of the Rocky Mountain Oil and Gas Association. He serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a representative of automotive-related businesses.
Nancy Severson is the Manager of the Denver Department of Environmental Health, where she is responsible for a broad range of public and environmental health services for Denver residents ranging from disease prevention to emergency preparedness to environmental issues. She is a member of Public Health Directors of Colorado, Colorado Association of Public Health Officials, National Association of City & County Health Officials, American Health Lawyers Association, and the Colorado Women’s Bar Association. Ms. Severson also serves on the Colorado Health Report Card Advisory Committee and the Denver Greenprint Council. She serves as a local government representative on the Regional Air Quality Council.
The Honorable Nancy Sharpe is the Mayor of the City of Greenwood Village. Mayor Sharpe is currently the Chair of the Metro Mayors Caucus and a Trustee for the Southeast Business Partnership. Previously, she has been the Chair of DRCOG and the South I-25 Urban Corridor Steering Committee. She was also the President of the Southeast Transit Authority (“the Link”) and served on DRCOG’s board for eight years. Mayor Sharpe serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a local government representative from the Denver metropolitan region.
James “Skip” Spensley is attorney, educator and environmental consultant providing strategic, legal, planning and management advice to and representation of private clients and government agencies. He specializes in an environmental practice focused on air quality, land use, environmental compliance and sustainability. He has worked with the City and County of Denver to organize and manage the major planning elements of the Denver International Airport and was General Counsel for DRCOG. Mr. Spensely is a Board Member of the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education and a Lecturer for the Federal Office of Personnel Management on public process issues. He serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a member of the public with appropriate land use planning experience.
David Stewart is the Environmental Health and Safety Manager for the Western Region at EnCana Oil and Gas. He is a member of the Petroleum Association of Wyoming’s environmental committee and safety committee and a member of the Western Regional Air Partnership (WRAP) Oil and Gas Emissions Workgroup. Mr. Stewart has twenty years of air quality experience working in the oil and gas industry. He serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a representative of entities that have stationary sources.
The Honorable William Toor is a Commissioner for Boulder County. Commissioner Toor is a DRCOG Board Member and former Chair, a founding member of the U.S. 36 Mayors' and Commissioners' Coalition, and is actively involved in efforts to get funding for alternative transit options for U.S. 36 including commuter rail, bus rapid transit, and a bikeway. Prior to being elected County Commissioner, Dr. Toor was elected to the Boulder City Council where he was elected Mayor by the city council and served until taking office as County Commissioner in January 2005. Commissioner Toor serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a local government representative from the Denver metropolitan region.
Elena Wilkens is the Executive Director for the Colorado Association of Transit Agencies (CASTA), a statewide trade association for transit providers, vendors, government agencies and other interested organizations. In her position at CASTA, Ms. Wilkens works to build coalitions to support and further transit interests locally, regionally and statewide. She is currently a member of the Denver Regional Mobility and Access Council and the State Interagency Coordinating Council. Ms. Wilkens serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as an individual with transit experience.
