Current Board Members
Aaron Sidder (he/him), Board Treasurer
Aaron currently works for Bat Conservation International (BCI). As the NEPA & ESA Compliance Specialist at BCI, he monitors and responds to federal policy affecting bats like critical habitat designations and habitat conservation plans. He works closely with BCI’s Subterranean Team to survey and protect abandoned mine habitats in the western U.S. He coordinates with federal partners to complete the environmental compliance on mine closure projects.
Prior to joining BCI, Aaron worked as an ecologist and science writer. He is experienced as a landscape ecologist with a focus in GIS and spatial modeling—his graduate research focused on the role of climate in driving mountain pine beetle outbreaks across the western U.S. He is an experienced field ecologist whose research has taken him to the Everglades, the Mojave Desert, and the top of the Rocky Mountains. He has worked in academia, for the USGS, with non-profits organizations, and in the private sector as an environmental consultant.
As a writer, Aaron has published in National Geographic, National Geographic Kids Magazine, Smithsonian SmartNews, 5280 Magazine, the Santa Fe Institute, and Eos, the publication of the American Geophysical Union. He is an alumnus of the AAAS Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellowship program where he wrote as a science journalist at National Geographic.
Aaron lives in Denver, Colorado, with his spouse and dog. He enjoys outdoor pursuits, thumping bass lines, and fantasy novels.
Becky Long (she/her), Board President
Becky joined Siegel Public Affairs in 2016 with over a decade of public policy and advocacy experience. She began her work in public policy with the Colorado Environmental Coalition working in Colorado water policy and later served as the Advocacy Director for Conservation Colorado. With strong experience in a range of natural resource issues as well as in political and electoral work, she is now putting those skills to work on behalf of a host of other clients. She has led campaigns to create tax incentives for water right donations to protect rivers and streams, protect and expand renewable energy in Colorado, incentivize the electric vehicle market in Colorado, strengthen protections for local communities facing oil and gas extraction, and recently the efforts to legalize rain barrels. Ms. Long has expertise in building coalitions, policy development, and in lobbying at the legislature to secure wins on behalf of progressive issues. Ms. Long has a BA in Political Science from Metropolitan State College and an MPA from the University of Colorado, Denver. She was born and raised in the mountains of Summit County. She enjoys spending time at her family’s cattle ranch where she is working to convince her parents to adopt several goats. Until then, she lives in Northwest Denver with her partner and their cats Lewis & Liza Minelli.
Brendan Walsh (he/him), Board Vice President
Brendan is Vice President of Enterprise Solutions at Scaled Agile, Inc where he works to set strategy and develop solutions that help businesses grow and succeed. He brings his entrepreneurial experience to Rocky Mountain with the goal of identifying and building new collaborative processes. He is currently finishing his MA in Biology through the Miami University of Ohio focusing on habitat connectivity and citizen science.
Clarissa Guy (she/her)
Clarissa has an entwined history in media and science. She has extensive experience in producing feature-length documentaries, which have appeared in the Colorado Environmental Film Festival and won Heartland Emmy Awards. In her media roles as both multimedia journalist and filmmaker, she has pursued local stories of history, community, and science, collaborating with organizations like the Colorado State Historical Fund and NOVA.
Clarissa holds a BA and an MA in biology. Through her studies, she has handled northern fur seals, electric eels, and raptors; analyzed the geomorphology of coastlines; and studied coral reefs, forests, marine microbes, and eastern gray squirrels. Most recently in her graduate work, she explored what true participation through digital media means and looks like in conservation. She hopes to continue exploring this intersection between digital media and conservation work to create complex change. She lives in Denver, Colorado where her family has lived for generations.
Connor Liu (he/him)
Connor grew up in Potomac, Maryland and has his B.S. in Environmental Science from Dickinson College, a small liberal arts college in Carlisle, PA. He has a diverse list of experiences in the conservation landscape. Most recently, Connor has conducted prescribed burns and implemented conifer restoration projects for The Nature Conservancy’s Resilient Forests Program, as well as planned fundraising events as part of the development team for ShoreRivers, a riverkeeper nonprofit in the Chesapeake Bay region.
Connor currently works at a software company called Brandfolder which helps companies across the world store, manage, and distribute their digital assets. As a volunteer for the Colorado Corridors Project and the Pika Project, Connor is extremely excited to be part of the RMW board and to have a broader impact on the environmental movement in Colorado. In his spare time Connor enjoys playing ice hockey, playing guitar and piano, and exploring the beautiful Rocky Mountain region through camping, hiking, and wildlife photography.
Gadalia O’Bryan (she/her/elle)
Gadalia is a senior technology and business leader, founder, and investor, specializing in using security and data technologies to transform business, impact mission, and create change in the world. She is currently the founder and CEO of the technology company Dapple Security, where she builds products that empower users to have more control over their own digital identities. Gadalia places immense value in wildlife conservation in her personal and professional life and in the intersection of conservation, environmental justice, and technology.
Gadalia has an MA in Mathematics from UCLA, specializing in Algebraic Topology. She served as a cryptomathematician at the National Security Agency (NSA) for nearly a decade before joining the private sector as an executive at a Big Data/AI software startup where she built a profitable consulting practice and helped lead the company to a successful exit. She then joined the National Audubon Society and built a data and analytics team and enterprise infrastructure that furthers wildlife conservation and the business processes that support it.
Kate Rentschlar (she/her)
Kate is an Environmental Planner with the City of Fort Collins Natural Areas Department. Her work focuses on the Nature in the City program which aims to increase habitat and biodiversity in an urban setting while also providing equitable access to nature for all community members. Kate brings years of collaborative, community-driven conservation experience to advance the needs of wildlife and humans alike. She has a B.S. in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology from Colorado State University and a Master of Environmental Governance from the University of Freiburg, in Germany. Kate lives in Fort Collins with her friends and cat. If you don’t find her in her garden, then she’s probably out on her bike or hiking in the mountains.
Sonja Koblas (she/her)
Sonja works in Business Operations at Trelora Realty in downtown Denver, where she helps strategize and find efficient solutions for the organization as a whole. She earned a B.S. in Zoology from the University of Vermont, and brings her excitement and passion for the environment with her to Rocky Mountain Wild. Her experience spans from wildlife rehabilitation to managing digital marketing for educational entertainment outlets. She lives in Centennial and enjoys skiing and hiking throughout the seasons!
Board Recruitment Announcement
At Rocky Mountain Wild we understand that a healthy ecosystem is based on a diversity of life (biodiversity). We believe that the same principle holds true for our organization. In order to fully meet our mission to protect, connect, and restore wildlife and wildlands, our systems and programs must be resilient and encompass a variety of perspectives and communities. We are part of a natural ecosystem where “everything depends on everything else” and we can no longer ignore the people and the voices that have been historically marginalized within our field.
We recognize that we are just beginning this work and that we will make mistakes. However, like all good scientists, we are committed to recognizing our mistakes and working to correct them.
We are actively seeking additional board members that bring diverse cultural backgrounds, skills, ideas, and perspectives to our team. If you are passionate about our mission and skilled in one or more of these areas we would love to hear from you!
- accounting
- fundraising
- justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion
- shared leadership
- app development
- data management
- nonprofit law
- conservation law
- conservation biology
Our board meets quarterly and our meetings are accessible via Zoom. Our in-person meetings are held in a physically accessible building. There is no minimum financial requirement for board participation, all we ask is that you give of your time and resources in a way that is significant to you. If you would like to learn more please email chris@rockymountainwild.org.
Our board of directors can be reached at board@rockymountainwild.org.