Meet the Cloud City Conservation Center team:

Ash Warner

Education Director

Ash is a passionate educator who finds joy in sharing knowledge and empowering others to embrace actions that benefit our planet. She holds a BA in Environmental Studies, specializing in botany and alpine ecology, as well as a MS in Natural Science Education. Ash is a National Board Certified Teacher who has spent 13 years teaching in classrooms as far away as Switzerland and Scotland, and as close to home as Vail Mountain School and Lake County Intermediate School. Ash believes in the power of place-based, experiential education to bring learning to life. She’s excited about growing C4’s education programs, bringing all Lake County students to the farm, supporting local teachers, and connecting students with the place they live. After work (and sometimes before) she can be found skiing, running, and reading.

Email Ash.

Christian Luna-Leal

Community Resource Navigator

Christian is an active member of the community who was born and raised in Lake County. His parents are both immigrants from Mexico and he is the first generation in his family to both graduate from high school and go to college. Having grown up in Mountain View and gone to our school as an initially monolingual Spanish speaker, he has an intense passion for advocating for the Latino community and other marginalized communities around Lake County. He has worked in our community to help connect all community members to resources initially through Full Circle. More recently he has worked in housing and has put his focus on addressing the housing crisis in Lake County both through City Council and through being the president of the Leadville Lake County Regional Housing Authority. Christian believes that C4 gives him the opportunity to grow his expertise in both peoples lived experiences with our dilapidated housing as well as a climate and energy efficiency perspective in housing. He believes this helps him be more capable of being as equitable as possible.

Email Christian.

*Si, habla español*

Ellen Bransford

Development Director

Originally from Memphis, Ellen comes from generations of flatland Arkansas delta farmers but found herself inexorably drawn to Leadville's magical mountains and community. Prior to joining C4, she spent 10 years working as a teacher and school administrator in the Rio Grande Valley, Mexico City, and Tennessee. Most recently, she managed data systems and impact reporting for an education-focused nonprofit.  Outside of work (and when she's lucky, as a part of work!), Ellen can be found romping around outdoors, walking her dogs, attempting to keep plants alive, and exploring new trails. Ellen is passionate about using data and resources to ensure that programs are impactful and sustainable. She's thrilled to be working at the intersections of environment & community, data & storytelling, health & education, and systems change & direct service. She can't wait to help tell and share the story of C4 and our incredible community!

Email Ellen.

Si, habla español*

Emily Olsen

Executive Director

Emily believes in supporting community led solutions to the challenges we face. She is passionate about supporting the health of people, communities and our planet. With a background in health equity and food justice she has worked with communities across the country to create their own healthier futures. She has previously worked with organizations such as Lake County Build A Generation, Denver Food Rescue, Fresh Food Connect, and FoodCorps. She currently serves on the Parkville Water Board, the Fresh Food Connect Board and the Kitchen Committee for St George Community Meals. Emily believes that our own individual health is not separate from the health of our communities or our planet. When she is not working to support her community Emily can be found running or skiing in the mountains surrounding Leadville.

Email Emily.

Isabel (Izzy) Lisle

Sustainability Manager

Community, sustainability, and resiliency form the backbone of Izzy's work. She is passionate about supporting sustainable community development across rural Colorado. Izzy holds a BA in Environmental Studies from the University of Vermont, specializing in Zero Waste, and an MA in Resilience and Sustainability Planning from the University of Colorado Boulder. Her love of teaching about the natural world first led her to Colorado where she worked as an outdoor and environmental educator for underserved youth in the San Luis Valley (SLV). Over the past few years, Izzy’s work has highlighted the power of systems thinking to create change. She’s written the University of Vermont’s Roadmap to Zero Waste, campaigned with the San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council to protect SLV water rights, developed Huerfano County’s community based Outdoor Recreation Action Plan, and created Boulder County’s Wildfire Community Leader Model. In her free time, you can find her cross country skiing, doing improv, or making up stories and games for her friends.

Jo Graham

Healthy Futures AmeriCorps Service Member: Youth Engagement Coordinator

Jo is passionate about caring for others and the planet and believes hope is the key to healing the earth. Originally from New England, she graduated this May with a degree in Environmental Humanities from Whitman College in Washington state. Jo loves spending time outdoors running, skiing and generally exploring.

Email Jo.

Richie Moutoux

Energy Program Director

Richie is a driven leader in the world of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and energy storage.  Growing up on an orchard in Virginia, he developed an appreciation for sustainability at a young age.  He studied Electrical Engineering with a focus on Renewable Energy at CU, and wrote a thesis on Utility Scale Energy Storage.  He then worked for 10 years installing and maintaining renewable energy systems.  He has also worked as a residential general contractor, an instructor at CMC, and was the ski race director at Ski Cooper.  A self-described energy nerd, Richie believes that saving energy and saving money go hand in hand, and is constantly in search of projects that meet both of these goals.  He believes strongly in C4’s mission, from the farm to zero waste to education to energy, and is excited to join in the journey to create a more sustainable community in Lake County.  When not at work he can be found on a trail or a river, on skis, a bike, or a boat, with his wife Heather and dog Yuki. 

Email Richie.

Sarah Hamilton

Cloud City Farm Manager

Sarah's passion is growing healthy food for her community. This passion was fostered by her childhood spent on her family's small vegetable farm in Canon City, Colorado followed by a larger, community-oriented  urban farm south of Colorado Springs. After graduating from college with a degree in biology, Sarah realized that regenerative agriculture was the nexus of her passions for the health of the planet and the health of the human community. She pursued her farming dream by starting New Roots Farm, a small organic vegetable farm, first on leased land in Pueblo, CO and then moving back to family land in Canon City. She ran New Roots farm with her parents for 5 years, striving to work with nature and use regenerative farming practices to grow good food. Sarah moved up the Arkansas River Valley to Leadville in early 2022 and fell in love with everything about it, except for the lack of gardening opportunities. She is thrilled to now be filling that hole in her life by joining the C4 team as Cloud City Farm Manager. She believes that the garden and the kitchen table are the best places to build community, and is dedicated to building on the grassroots history of Cloud City Farm, ensuring that it is a place where every Lake County resident can come experience the joys of growing and sharing healthy food.  

Email Sarah.

Meet the Cloud City Conservation Center Board of Directors:

Interested in joining the C4 Board of Directors? Learn more here.

Erin Allaman

Board Chair

Erin grew up in the Denver-metro area and moved to Lake County in 2005. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and International Studies from Amherst College and a PhD in Educational Foundations, Policy and Practice from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Erin has worked as an educator in public, international, wilderness, community, and college settings. She is passionate about environmental education and bringing youth voices to the table as we work together to care for our environment, our community, and each other. When she’s not teaching, you can find Erin exploring Lake County’s amazing trails by ski and bike - or on the ultimate adventure (parenting) with her partner and two kids. Erin is honored to serve on the C4 board and support sustainability in Lake County.

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Jamie Seiffer

Vice Chair

Jamie grew up in New England where he developed a love for skiing and the environment. A Colorado resident since 2011, he moved to Leadville in 2019 to learn how to grow broccoli at ten thousand feet. With a degree in business and a background in sales, his super power is talking to anyone about anything. He is passionate about food justice and the radical redistribution of wealth. The coolest job title he ever had was Changemaker Ignitor. In Lake County, Jamie serves on the Planning Commission and the Housing Coalition, where he helped run the YES on 2A campaign. He’s honored and excited to be a board member of C4.

Julia Johannesen

Board Treasurer

Originally from the "Natural State" of Arkansas, Julia moved west to Flagstaff, AZ over a decade ago to study sustainable communities at NAU. Having focused on nutrition and agriculture in undergrad, she then decided to research sustainable food systems. Shortly after, she moved to CO and began working in outdoor and  environmental  education. With an underlying passion for health and helping others, she eventually shifted gears and became a nurse, a career she has enjoyed for the last 5 years. When not working in that capacity, Julia also teaches wilderness and emergency medicine. Equally passionate about playing outside, she spends her free time biking, climbing, skiing, and running around the Arkansas River Valley. Excited about planting even deeper roots in Leadville, Julia is grateful to be on the board of C4, contributing to the mission of sustainability in Lake County.

Nathalie Eddy

Board Secretary

Nathalie is an advocated for strengthening community relations, improving transparency, and putting people before the oil and gas industry. She currently works for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment as their Air Quality Environmental Justice Liaison. She has previously worked with organizations such as Earthworks, Lake County Build a Generation, the World Resources Institute, the Global Gender and Climate Alliance, the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, the Amerindian People’s Association, the US Climate Action Network, the Center for International Environmental Law and the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat. 

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stephen mack

Board Member

Stephen moved to Colorado in 2000 and to Leadville in 2016. As a forensic engineer, Stephen focuses on the built environment by applying modern building envelope practice and current energy efficiency standards to historic structures in Lake County. With over 20 years of progressive experience in building sciences, Stephen has developed a holistic approach to moisture, air, and vapor mechanics. When he’s not working, he enjoys cycling, skiing, and hiking with his wife and son. He is passionate about developing, executing and perfecting sustainable energy efficient building practices in Lake County.

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Luz escalera

Board Member

Luz is an immigrant from Mexico. She came to the United States at the age of 15 and has been in Leadville since 2003. She is the mama of four, a Latino community leader, and a certified interpreter in language justice. Since 2010, she has been working for St. George’s Episcopal Church, another non-profit organization in Leadville focused on food justice and food security. Her passion has always been to help her community and she is honored to serve on the C4 board.

Tony Barlage

Board Member

Tony has 20 years of experience working in the environmental, energy, and sustainability fields; as a consultant, operations manager for a bio-energy start-up, and in Director/VP operations roles with my primary technical expertise being in sustainability services and air quality. I was most recently the lone Vice President of Spirit, leading the Rocky Mountain Region (RMR), co-leading the development of our company-wide Sustainability services program, overseeing all Denver office operations, recruiting, and our company-wide Employee Development Program. I also both led and assisted in internal process improvement and procedural development efforts, was heavily involved in companywide marketing and business development, and worked on organizational strategy, growth/talent acquisition, and strategic program development. I also served as acting Program Director for the Natural and Cultural Resources Program and assisted with oversight and strategy of the RMR Air Program.

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Melissa Kirr

Board Chair Emeritus

Melissa moved to Colorado in 2002 and has lived in Lake County for the past 20 years with her husband and two daughters. She holds degrees in Forest Resource Management from Penn State University and the University of Montana. Her entire professional career has existed in the nonprofit sector, specifically the environmental and sustainability realms. She currently works at a local, regional and global level on sustainability initiatives. Melissa knows that meaningful relationships with stakeholders and partnership collaboration are key to sustaining any organization and is proud to serve on the C4 board.