Brett Ackerman, Panelist
Southeast Region Manager, Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Ackerman joined the former Colorado Division of Wildlife in 2000 as a District Wildlife Manager patrolling the Rifle area after working for a private environmental engineering firm and for the National Park Service following his graduation from Brigham Young University in Utah. In 2005, he became CPW’s Regulations Manager based in Denver and spent a decade directing the state’s parks and wildlife regulations program, serving as the primary author of parks and wildlife law.
He also attended the University of Colorado, earning a Master of Public Administration degree with a concentration in environmental policy, management and law. In 2014, he became Deputy Southeast Region Manager where he managed the regional land use, energy, water, education, volunteer, and engineering programs and a multimillion-dollar annual budget. Ackerman lives in Monument with his wife, Tara, and their five children.
Samantha Albert, Panel Moderator
Deputy Director, Colorado Office of Outdoor Recreation Industry
Samantha serves as the Deputy Director for the Colorado Office of Outdoor Recreation Industry (OREC) and has been with the office since 2017. Through her work, she inspires industries and communities to thrive in Colorado’s great outdoors through a focus on economic development, conservation and stewardship, education and workforce training, and public health and wellness.
Prior to her work with OREC, Samantha was a Program Director and Fellow at El Pomar Foundation, where she supported grantmaking across Colorado.
E. Lynn Burkett, Keynote Speaker
Director
Recreation, Lands, & Minerals & Volunteers at U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Region
As Director in the US Forest Service Rocky Mountain Region, E. Lynn leads a $42M Recreation, Lands, and Minerals program. Revenues from coal, oil & gas exceed $4B annually and return over $500M to Treasury.
The Region hosts 29M recreation visitors annually, and directly supports 239,000 jobs.Â
Chris Castilian, ModeratorExecutive Director, Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO)
A native of Colorado, Castilian has a lengthy history of both private and public service, including serving as deputy chief of staff for Gov. Bill Owens, as well as director of the Colorado State Board of Land Commissioners. Most recently, Castilian was director of strategy and engagement for Anadarko Petroleum Corp., where he led government affairs, social investment, employee engagement, and stakeholder outreach for the Rockies region.
He also served as a commissioner for Colorado Parks and Wildlife and is on several other boards of nonprofit organizations throughout the Denver metro area.
Dave Condit, Panelist
Deputy Forest and Grassland Supervisor
US Forest Service
Dave serves as the Deputy on the Pike and San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands. This diverse organization ranges from the highest peaks of Colorado to the prairies of Kansas and includes eight ranger districts with extensive recreation and visitor use.
Dave came to this position from the Department of Defense (DOD) where he was most recently an Air Wing
Commander leading an organization of over 1,800 dedicated military and civilian team members and recreation programs to include golf courses, fishing lakes, fitness facilities, hiking and biking trails, swimming pools, marinas, camp grounds, cabin rentals and equipment rentals.
His experience includes 13 years of aerial firefighting where he was the Chief of Aerial Firefighting and National Program Manager for the Air Force Reserve’s Modular Airborne Firefighting System, a cooperative program between the Forest Service and the DOD.
During his 30 years of combined military and civil service, Dave had the opportunity to lead multiple organizations including the Department of Commerce Hurricane Hunters. He was a professor, teaching leadership at the US Air Force Academy, worked as a research psychologist, flew special operations aircraft and performed multiple deployments for combat operations. Dave’s passion is supporting a dedicated team who serves the public with enthusiasm and integrity.
David Leinweber, Opening Speaker
Founder & Chair, Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance
David lives and breathes the outdoors – both recreationally and professionally. He has worked as a sales associate, manager, buyer, and owner in outdoor retail industry for over 35 years. Companies he has worked for include; Mountain Miser, REI, Colorado Outdoor Sports, Chickenhead Mountain Sports, Gart Sports, and Grandwest Outfitters. For the last 20+ years he has managed and owned Angler’s Covey, a Colorado Springs specialty fly shop and learning center.
In 2015 David took on the new challenge as founder of the Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance partnering with Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC and Visit Colorado Springs. As chairman, he is working to promote the value of the Outdoor Industry to the Pikes Peak community and bring together stakeholders to increase our outdoor amenities, create better access to recreational areas, and promote greater participation in outdoor activities.
David currently serves on the executive committee of the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office’s Advisory Board and the Pikes Peak Chapter Trout Unlimited Board. He also has served on the American Fly Fishing Trade Association Board for 4 years from 2006 till 2010. Angler’s Covey is also a member of the Outdoor Industry Association and is an Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Outfitter and was honored to be selected as the national Orvis Outfitter of the Year 2012 and Fly Shop of the Year in 2019.
Kalem Lenard, Panelist
Royal Gorge Field Office Assistant Manager, Bureau of Land Management
Kalem was recently selected to be the Assistant Field Office Manager with the BLM, Royal Gorge Field Office serving as the manager of Brown’s Canyon National Monument, BLM’s River Manager for Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area and the supervisor over the recreation and Salida area range program.
He has been with the BLM in Canon City Colorado for the past decade working in recreation and as a supervisor over a number of programs including wildlife, range, forestry, fisheries and archaeology. He has worked in the BLM recreation programs at both the state and national level and also served 8 years on the Board of Directors for the Canon City Area Recreation and Park District.
He began his career in eastern Nevada as an intern with the BLM inventorying invasive plants where he was introduced to land management and the awesome field of outdoor recreation planning and management. He has a degree in Geography from Portland State University and enjoys exploring the west with his wife and two kids.
Patsy McEntee, Panelist
Project Manager / Landscape Architecht, National Park Service Rivers, Trails & Conservation Assistance Program
Patsy McEntee has been a project manager/landscape architect with the National Park Service Rivers, Trails & Conservation Assistance Program for 10 years and currently supports community projects in TX, UT, OK, CO and MT and has led collaborative teams in gateway communities such as Grand Junction, Estes Park and West Glacier.
Patsy has been supporting the NPS National Office of Outdoor Recreation and serving as the Acting Recreation and Tourism Liaison for the NPS Intermountain Region. Since 2018, she has supported the NPS response to DOI Secretary Order 3366: Enhancing Recreation across DOI Public Lands and Waters and co-wrote the NPS National Outdoor Recreation Assessment Report.
She began her parks career over 20 years ago building trail with Boulder County Parks and Open Space Operations Department. Patsy has specialty expertise in recreation and park development, trail planning, visioning and collaborative planning.
Patsy holds a MA in landscape architecture from the University of Colorado at Denver College of Architecture and Planning and is a member of the American Planning Association. Patsy lives in Louisville, CO and is a mountain and road bicyclist, hiker, runner, skier and trainer for one of the newest bike riders on the trails.
John Messner, Panelist
Former County Commissioner, Gunnison Sustainable Tourism and Outdoor Recreation (STOR) Committee
John Messner has spent a lifetime involved in Outdoor Recreation in one fashion or another. Before becoming a Gunnison County Commissioner in 2017 he worked as a grant
writer and project manager for Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure projects, was a municipal recreation facility manager, owned and operated an equestrian equipment manufacturing company and spent many days living in a tent as an Outward Bound Course Director and Instructor in Colorado, Utah and South Africa.
John was a leader in developing the Gunnison County Sustainable Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Committee in Gunnison County. He was recently appointed as a commissioner to the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.
Tom Waters, Panelist
Operations Manager, Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area, Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Tom Waters works for Colorado Parks and Wildlife and serves as the Operations Manager for the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area (AHRA). The AHRA is recognized as one of the nation’s most popular locations for whitewater rafting and kayaking. The Arkansas River is the most commercially rafted river in the United States and is noted for its world-class fishery.
Tom was born and raised in Denver and graduated from Colorado State University. He now lives and works and plays in Salida Colorado.
Cindy Williams, Panelist
Co-Chair, Envision Chaffee County and Fund Chair, Chaffee County Common Ground
Williams is an accomplished executive with 30 years of domestic and international experience including executive roles leading global exploration, innovation and technical services for Newmont Mining Company. A Colorado native, Cindy holds a BS and MSc in Economic Geology from Colorado State University. In her spare time Cindy is working on a goal to catch fish in 200 Colorado high lakes by 2020.
