As EcoFlight’s Executive Director, Bruce has been providing the all-encompassing aerial perspective over critical issues on our Western landscapes for over 30 years. A Himalayan climber, the outdoors are close to Bruce’s heart; he has flown over 10,000 hours of conservation missions in multiple countries, mostly in bush and mountainous conditions.
Bruce is an ATP-commercial pilot with multi-engine, instrument, instructor and floatplane ratings. Passengers on his many environmental flight missions have included governors, senators, congressmen, scientists and students of all ages. Bruce and EcoFlight have received numerous awards, such as the Conservation Hero Award and Best Business Award in Conservation. Bruce lives in Colorado and is an Aspen Mountain Rescue member, Buddy Program mentor, and has served on the board of the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies.
Jane grew up in South Africa where the spectacular wild lands and abundant wildlife engendered her with a passionate love of the land. She has brought her love of the wild unspoiled areas of Africa to western USA. Jane has over 15 years’ experience in the conservation arena, working with grassroots, regional and national groups, to rally communities to lead the fight from the air against the destruction of valuable habitats and wild lands. She believes it is time for diverse voices and underserved communities across the West to help re-imagine the conservation narrative. Jane strives to maintain a high level of education and advocacy in the EcoFlight programs and is committed to educating the youth in this country about their embattled environment. Jane has served on the board and governing council of the Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork, currently is on the board at Aspen Journalism, volunteers for English in Action as a tutor, and has been a senior mentor in the local Buddy Program. In South Africa, Jane lectured in the Linguistics Department of the University of Witwatersrand. Jane is responsible for the grant writing and much of the program organization of EcoFlight, and has her private pilot’s license. Jane has been with EcoFlight since 2004.
After growing up in the Roaring Fork Valley, Michael has learned a deep appreciation and connection to Colorado’s natural places. Michael has a degree in Park & Protected Area Management from Colorado State University and has developed an understanding and a passion for the protection of public lands. The combination of these led him back home to work for the environment. Michael has worked behind the scenes at EcoFlight since 2011, keeping everything running smoothly.
Jonathan was born in Northern Colorado and lived between two homes, a cabin at the base of Rocky Mountain National Park, and a ranch on the plains near the South Platte River in Weld County. This mix of plains and mountain life afforded Jonathan with skills in horseback riding, hunting, farming, climbing, kayaking, skiing and other nature-based activities. Jonathan discovered his passion for filmmaking while wrapping up a BS in Business Administration with emphasis in Computer Information Systems at Colorado State University in 2004. Since then, Jonathan has contributed to hundreds of films as a cameraman and editor with over 20 years experience. The focus of his work revolves around the energy industry, climate change, humanitarianism and the arts. Jonathan was a TedX speaker on the subject of his latest feature documentary film on the plight of the refugees from the war in Syria.
Dave has always followed his passion for the outdoors. He owned and operated a mountain bike tour and cross-country ski tour business for 16 years. He also taught outdoor education classes at Colorado Mountain College for many years. After selling his outdoor recreation company, Dave started a business specializing in small business bookkeeping and consulting and has been with EcoFlight since 2009.
Mark is a writer, photographer, filmmaker and student pilot. His first book, the NOLS Wilderness Guide, won the National Outdoor Book Award, and his writing and photography have been featured in many publications throughout the United States. His documentary,” A Land Out Of Time,” on the gas drilling boom in the Rocky Mountain West, won numerous awards and was featured in over 20 film festivals. Mark is also a shellfish farmer and raises oysters and mussels in southern Chile. He has served on various non-profit boards including High Country News, Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, The Maki Foundation, and the Public Counsel of the Rockies. A lifelong outdoorsman, Mark has traveled, hiked, climbed and skied extensively throughout the United States and Latin America.
Bert spent most of his adult life involved in Colorado Plateau public land issues. He retired and resigned from most active board interests in early 2007. At that time he was on the board of The Wilderness Society (previously board chair), Grand Canyon Trust, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (previous board chair), Alaska Conservation Foundation, National Outdoor Leadership School and the Wyss Foundation. Bert, for fun, continues to lead backpacking trips in the Grand Canyon and has spent over 700 nights of his life beneath the rim of Grand Canyon. Bert currently lives in Palo Alto with his wife and daughter.
Heidi’s family apple farm and ski resort in Michigan enabled her to start skiing at the age of three. A graduate of Michigan State University with a degree in agricultural economics, she worked at Merrill Lynch as a commodity and stockbroker. Upon moving to the Rocky Mountains, Heidi became co-owner of Kenny’s Double Diamond Ski Shop and founder of the Double Diamond Ski Clinic for women. After selling the business, she went into real estate. Heidi is highly involved in the Vail Valley community and has served on many boards over the years. She is a top agent for Fuller Sotheby’s International Realty, located in Beaver Creek, Colorado.
As EcoFlight’s Executive Director, Bruce has been providing the all-encompassing aerial perspective over critical issues on our Western landscapes for over 30 years. A Himalayan climber, the outdoors are close to Bruce’s heart; he has flown over 10,000 hours of conservation missions in multiple countries, mostly in bush and mountainous conditions.
Bruce is an ATP-commercial pilot with multi-engine, instrument, instructor and floatplane ratings. Passengers on his many environmental flight missions have included governors, senators, congressmen, scientists and students of all ages. Bruce and EcoFlight have received numerous awards, such as the Conservation Hero Award and Best Business Award in Conservation. Bruce lives in Colorado and is an Aspen Mountain Rescue member, Buddy Program mentor, and has served on the board of the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies.
Pete is an award-winning, self-taught photographer who has worked for National Geographic, Smithsonian, Outside and many other national and international publications. His love of adventure, cultures and the outdoors has taken him on assignment throughout the world to over 50 countries. Raised on a Colorado cattle ranch, Pete is a graduate of Dartmouth College with a degree in English and environmental studies. In 2006, he was awarded a one-year John S. Knight Fellowship for professional journalists at Stanford University.
Seymour has over 30 years of experience in finance, accounting, and operations. In addition to bachelor’s and master’s degrees, Seymour earned his law degree from the University of California – Hastings College of the Law, specializing in tax and finance. He was the president and co-owner of First Choice Properties & Management, an accountant for a Fortune 500 company, and the chief financial officer for two other companies. Seymour was instrumental in the startup of a national non-profit organization, and oversaw due diligence in mergers and acquisitions. He is on the Board of Directors of Christie’s Place, Inc., a service organization supporting women, children and families impacted by HIV/AIDS, and has also served on the Board of Directors of several other businesses and non-profit organizations.
Skip attended Denison University and received an MBA from the University of Denver. Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, Skip has had a career in the real estate development and management business for over 47 years principally in the Aspen/Snowmass area and in Grand Junction, Colorado. He has been a licensed instrument-rated pilot since 1983 and currently owns a Cessna T210 based in Aspen. Currently, Behrhorst is serving as a Board member of Save the River, a non-profit, member-based environmental organization, whose mission is to preserve and protect the ecological integrity of the Upper St. Lawrence River, bordering New York and Canada. As an avid outdoors person, he enjoys downhill and cross country skiing, road and mountain biking, backpacking in the mountains in Colorado and Wyoming, and the Utah/Arizona desert including the Grand Canyon. He resides in Aspen with his wife, Donna Fisher, and together they have five children and seven granchildren.
Bill recently retired as the Executive Director of the Grand Canyon Trust. Under his leadership, the Trust has helped clean up emissions from the region’s coalfired power plants and remove radioactive wastes from the bank of the Colorado River. Bill developed a leading program for reducing grazing damage on public lands, including purchasing two ranches covering 850,000 acres on the Grand Canyon’s North Rim. The organization has led in developing ecologically sensible forest restoration programs and partnered with Colorado Plateau tribes to win designation of the first-ever Native American national monument at the Bears Ears in southeast Utah. Bill has a B.A. and Ph.D. in biology from Harvard University. Hedden is enjoying his 64th year of avid fishing.
Deon is originally from the community of Tohatchi, New Mexico and a member of the Navajo Nation. Deon earned his B.S. in Environmental Studies from Northern Arizona University and is currently completing his M.S. in Environmental Science and Policy at NAU. Growing up on Navajo land, Deon experienced the perfect mesh of traditional knowledge and environmental education, which led him toward his graduate work focusing on incorporating traditional ecological knowledge to address animal husbandry and grazing within tribal communities that are facing climate challenges. Deon serves as the Native American Program Director for the Grand Canyon Trust. Deon grew up on the Navajo Nation raising livestock and participating in family ceremonies and community events. Deon currently serves as the Tohatchi Community Land Use Planning Committee Chair, working on community development, economic development planning and land zoning for the Tohatchi Community Chapter.
AJ is the President of Environmental Communications Associates and has been a pioneering force in communicating environmental and complex issues to the public for over 30 years. Her thought leadership and expertise in strategic marketing, brand and reputation management, crisis/risk communications draws from her diverse background in marketing and environmental science. She also has written highly acclaimed curriculums on environment and society for Universities, and elementary, middle and high schools. She believes strongly in expanding the attitudes and values of today’s youth through multimedia communications and entertainment platforms. She co-founded the Big Green Rabbit, a multimedia brand that packaged health, environment and sustainability concepts for children and families. She has been on the boards of National Parks Foundation, Western Resource Advocates, Alaska Conservation Foundation, National Parks Conservation Association (SW Region), and National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) among others. She attended The University of Colorado, Rocky Mountain College of Art, Hobart and William Smith College, National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). She is an avid sea kayaker, hiker, musician and hot sauce collector. On any given day, you may find her on a mountain, gardening, playing the banjo, boarding an airplane for a far-flung adventure, on the tennis court, or at her ranch.
David is a founding partner of Texas Pacific Group. Prior to forming TPG in 1992, David was Chief Operating Officer of the Robert M. Bass Group, Inc. (RMBG), now doing business as Keystone Group, L.P. in Fort Worth, Texas. Prior to joining RMBG in 1983, David was a partner in the law firm of Arnold & Porter in Washington, D.C., where he specialized in corporate, securities, bankruptcy and antitrust litigation. From 1969 to 1970, David was a Fellow in Foreign and Comparative Law in conjunction with Harvard University and from 1968 to 1969, he was Special Assistant to the U.S. Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division. From 1967 to 1968, David was Assistant Professor at Tulane University School of Law in New Orleans.
David graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard Law School in 1966. He was a member of the Harvard Law Review and a Sheldon Fellow. He is a 1963 graduate of the University of Washington in Seattle. David currently serves on the boards of The Wilderness Society, the Grand Canyon Trust, the American Himalayan Foundation, Caesar’s Entertainment Corporation, CoStar Group, Inc. and Ryanair Holdings, plc, of which he is chairman.