WCC Staff

WCC Staff	Heather Tischbein brings three decades of experience working with community and environmental groups, serving as both staff and board member of numerous non-profit organizations. With roots in education and sustainable agriculture, most recently she has contributed to the well-being of Life on Planet Earth by convening stakeholder dialogues and civic conversations through World Cafes.	Claudia Crowell is excited to be combining her interests in fundraising and the environment as our Development Director. She has worked in higher education, private industry and for other non-profits, and served as a trainer with Amnesty International. Claudia enjoys hiking and traveling with her life partner, Bill Grant, and Katie, their chocolate Lab.
	Mark Schofield is WCC's Director of Organizing, offering his experience to the rest of our organizing staff, and also works with the Public Lands Committee. He has a Masters degree in environmental education from the Audubon Expedition Institute/Lesley University. As part of his well-deserved sabbatical this year, Mark travelled to Jordan and Palestine.	Bill Patterson is a long-time activist from Mobile, Alabama who made the move to WCC and Montrose in 2000. Before organizing our groups in Montrose and Ouray Counties, Bill worked as aregistered environmental health specialist.
	Hannah Holm joined WCC as Water Organizer in February 2007. Prior to moving to Colorado, she was a labor union researcher and watershed association board member in Pennsylvania, and a legislative staffer in North Carolina. She has a joint Masters in Latin American Studies and Community & Regional Planning from UT-Austin. Hannah lives in Grand Junction with her husband David, daughter Laurel and son Stuart.	Frank Smith brings experience from a diverse background which includes ecosystem restoration and land management, volunteer coordination and environmental education. Since graduating from Colorado State University, Frank has worked for the Colorado River Indian Tribes Reservation and the Aldo Leopold Foundation. In his free time, Frank enjoys rock climbing, hiking, and fly-fishing.
	Steve Aigner planned to relax and recreate when he retired in Steamboat Springs, but couldn't pass up the opportunity to stay involved with community organizing. As a Sociology professor at Iowa State University, Steve headed the doctoral concentration on community action and development when he wasn't busy serving as President of the anti-poverty non-profit, Beyond Welfare. [top of page]	Paul Chubbuck, who is capable of coaxing AWOL computers into surrender, works remotely from Fort Collins as our Membership Coordinator & Technical Support person. Paul is an accordian player (who is now also tackling the harp!), a folk dancer, a kayaker and is establishing his own practice as a therapist.
	Lee Gelatt has been a BLM Ranger and River Ranger in Utah as well as a Ranger at the Colorado National Monument. He taught math and science in Mesa County secondary schools before working with the Retired Senior Volunteer Program recruiting community volunteers, coordinating school tutors, media relations, and fundraising. Lee, his wife Patty, and teenage children enjoy the outdoors, especially on rivers rafting, kayaking, and canoeing. [top of page]	Brenda Bafus-Williams has worked as our Office Manager in Montrose for 22 years. She lives in Montrose with her husband Kevin(who is an organizer for WORC) and her daughter Hannah who is majoring in Spanish (with a heavy dose of Arabic) at CSU. Brenda enjoys xeriscaping, baking pies, hiking , tennis and cross-country skiing.

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Western Colorado Congress is an alliance for community action empowering people

to protect and enhance their quality of life in western Colorado.

PO Box 1931, Grand Junction, CO 81502; phone (970) 256-7650; fax (970) 245-0686