Katherine's experience spans the fields of labor and employment, air quality, health care, and public policy.  Katherine received her BA from Oregon State University and not long after graduating she worked for the Texas Governor’s office and traveled throughout the state working with cities and counties on labor and employment issues. Upon returning to Colorado she attended CU Denver and earned an MPA. 

While attending graduate school she worked for the community based Mi Casa Resource Center, and immediately upon graduation began to work on clean air legislation where she helped author a study on extending day-light-savings time. In 1989 she and her husband moved to Southern California where she became the Development Director for the Long Beach Children’s Clinic.  After being recruited by the University of California San Francisco to work on corporate and foundation relations in 1993 she moved to the Bay Area. When an opportunity to return to Colorado was presented to her in 1999 she returned to Denver where she became the Vice President for Development for the University of Colorado Hospital.

Katherine played an instrumental role in securing funding that enabled the Hospital to move from its location on Colorado Blvd. to land made available by the closure of the Fitzsimons Army Hospital in Aurora, CO.  Once again, California called to ask that she become the Vice President of the Northern California Institute for Research and Education and a few years later the Executive Director for the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation.

While living in Denver she and her husband had purchased land in Westcliffe and knew this was the place they wanted to permanently call home. Once they finished building their strawbale home she was excited to be able to join the San Isabel Land Protection Trust as the Executive Director and be able to call Westcliffe home.

Ben received his BA in biology from Wesleyan University and an MS in Ecology from Colorado State University.  Most recently, he and his wife, Buffy, served with the Peace Corps in rural Mexico in the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve.  There they helped develop schemes of Payments for Ecosystem Services and monitored Jaguar activity within the area’s forests. Previous to that, Ben’s diverse work experience – from monitoring technician with the City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks to a Teaching and Research Assistant position for CSU’s Department of Forest, Rangeland and Watershed Stewardship- helped to prepare him to move right into the job of Land Protection Specialist.

Ben works on all phases of land conservation projects with San Isabel, including crafting clients’ baseline inventories, GIS mapping, and drafting of easement provisions. 

He is available for potential conservation easement planning, land and wildlife stewardship consultation or other questions related to the conservation and management of ranchland, forests, wildlife or other land and water conservation issues.
Ben and Buffy live in Westcliffe with their baby daughter, Lucy, who was born in early November of 2009.

Holly is the newest addition to the SILPT staff With 11 years experience managing her family business she hit the ground running. We have provided new challenges for her and she is delighted with that. She has become our expert with SILPT operating systems, database, finances, and payroll and appreciates the variety of tasks at hand. Working with San Isabel is a tribute to her deep love of nature, wildlife and her love for art. She enjoys easement monitoring and getting a true picture of what we are preserving. It was a thrill for her to be a docent for Art for the Sangres. Outside of San Isabel she enjoys time with her husband and three children, outdoor activities and her pets.