Meet the Team

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Our Staff

All of our staff members are present on the ground to protect the prairie.

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Henry Pollock, Ph.D.

Executive Director

Henry has a background in ecology and conservation with a strong focus on quantitative, data-driven science and practice. He has a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Ecology, Evolution, & Conservation Biology and nearly 15 years’ experience as a wildlife biologist and academic researcher. He is dedicated to gaining ground for prairie wildlife and continuing to expand SPLT’s reach throughout the Southern Plains to bring back the American Serengeti.

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Judith Westveer, Ph.D.

Assistant Director

She was born as a city girl in the Netherlands, but now lives on the prairie in Colorado! Judith is a conservation ecologist with a Ph.D. in stream restoration from the University of Amsterdam. She has worked for various environmental non-profit organizations in the Peruvian Amazon and has done freelance science communication work for the World Wildlife Foundation. Her mission is to protect the last remaining wildernesses on the planet.

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Jay Tutchton, Esq.

Preserve Manager

Jay spends his days managing the bison herds and improving our network of protected lands for the benefit of all native wildlife species. For 30 years, Jay worked tirelessly as an attorney representing environmental organizations and individuals seeking to protect the environment. Jay also helped to start the Environmental Law Clinic at the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law and has taught a variety of courses on Wildlife, Animal, and Environmental Law.

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Kieran Andreoni, M.S.

Conservation Director

Kieran is an ecologist with 8 years of experience working with prairie wildlife, focusing on restoration and conservation of plant communities that native wildlife depends on. He has a Master’s degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and has worked on grassland conservation projects across the western United States. His goals are aimed at combining ecological restoration, wildlife research, and science education in order to build resilient ecosystems to the benefit of both people and wildlife.

Board of Directors

SPLT is governed by an all-volunteer, hard-working board of directors.
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Lexi Schaefer

Board President

Lexi Schaefer, SPLT’s Board President, is a second-generation Colorado Native who grew up in Longmont, hiking the mountains, and developing a deep affinity for all Colorado wildlife. She graduated from University of Colorado in Boulder a Bachelor of Fine Arts, and promptly developed a sales career in the wine industry where she focused on sustainable and organic wines for 17 years. Lexi discovered SPLT while working for Fetzer Vineyards where she was immediately drawn to SPLT’s mission and ambitious goals. She supports SPLT fundraisers with her enthusiasm and passion for the cause.

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Donna Driscoll

Treasurer
Donna has tremendous experience in non-profit accounting. She served as the Chief Financial Officer and Controller of a major cultural institution, the Denver Zoological Foundation, for more than 20 years. She has worked as the Chief Financial Officer for Engineers Without Borders since 2015. Donna has a BA in Economics from Colorado College and an MS in Management from the University of Colorado at Denver. Donna has volunteered for and previously been a board member of SPLT for much of our history over the past 20 years.
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Nicole Rosmarino

Board Secretary
Nicole Rosmarino, Board Secretary, helped found the Southern Plains Land Trust and lived on the Heartland Ranch Nature Preserve for several years. Nicole received her Ph.D. from the University of Colorado at Boulder in May 2002. Her Ph.D. is in policy science/political science, and her academic focus was on biodiversity preservation. She has been actively involved in efforts to protect prairie wildlife since 1994 and treasures all native prairie species, both plant and animal.
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Sheree Seabury

Vice President

Sheree moved to Colorado in 1983 and lives with her husband in an Airpark in Erie, CO. She graduated with a BSBA from Columbia College in 1985 and has spent the last 37 years in the high-tech industry. Sheree joined Luscombe Engineering in 1991 as an Outside Sales Representative and became a partner in 2002 until she retired at the end of 2016. She has served on several other Board of Directors in the area. As a supporter of SPLT for many years, she believes that purchasing land to keep as a prairie wildlife reserve is the best way to help preserve the prairie grasslands and animals.

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Rhiannon Gallagher

Board Member

Rhiannon Gallagher, our newest SPLT board member, grew up in Colorado Springs and spent a lot of her childhood hiking and camping in southern Colorado, learning botany, geology, and history from her parents. She earned a BA and a Fulbright in human geography, studying how people connect emotionally to their places. She was a People’s Delegation representative to COP 23 through ICLEI. Rhiannon supports the work of Team Project 54, which provides UN SDG13 tools and training around the world. She facilitates the online eco-anxiety support group Parents for the Planet, helping people cope with climate grief through art, inspiration, awe, positive activism, and community.

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Ramona Gaylord

Board Member
Ramona Gaylord is a SPLT Board Member and biology & science teaching consultant with Telluride Public School/Telluride Mountain School. She has also been a biologist consultant with Bridal Veil Living Classroom at the Telluride Institute from 2006-2015. While at the Pinhead Institute from 2002-2007, Ramona created “Biodiversity through Art.” These projects depicted the indigenous residents of the Telluride valley: the Gunnison’s prairie dogs and the Ute Indians. Her culminating display in Elks Park featured a painted tipi, bronze sculptures, acrylic range maps and life-size clay prairie dog replicas. Ramona grew up in Denver and witnessed the relentless destruction of prairie habitat and wildlife during her youth. She believes that buying prairie habitat is the best way to forever protect it.
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Melinda Redenius

Board Member
Melinda Redenius is a current Board Member and an Associate Director of Digital Forensics and E-Discovery for ArcherHall. She is President of Craic Consulting, Inc. and currently serves on the Board of Bayly Lofts. As a Centennial State native, Melinda is truly a unicorn, born and bred in the shadow of the Flatirons in Boulder and crafted by the inspiring beauty only found in Colorado. After attending college in San Diego, CA and living in the arroyos of central New Mexico, the Rocky Mountains beckoned her home. The wide-open spaces of colorful Colorado have called to her once again, only this time it was to give back to the beautiful state that created her.
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Shannon Ryon

Board Member
Shannon Ryon is a SPLT Board Member and has 15 years of experience in real estate and title closings and has a strong background in organizing philanthropic events. She is a Colorado native and grew up on an organic farm and apple orchard in Golden, CO. Shannon was first introduced to The Southern Plains Land Trust through fellow board member Ramona and has been an enthusiastic supporter of the Southern Plains Land Trust for several years.

Aubyn Royall

Board Member

Aubyn Royall, who has recently rejoined the SPLT board, has worked in the animal welfare space for a decade. She graduated from University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law in 2014, and is the Colorado state director for the Humane Society of the United States. She has built her advocacy career in policy, from drafting legislation and lobbying, to stakeholder engagement and collaboration. Wildlife protection continues to be a core focus. Aubyn loves both the grasslands and the mountains, where she spends a few months each year.

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