Board Officers
Courtney Loper, Chair
Courtney serves as the Head of Government Relations and Public Affairs at EQT Corporation, the nation’s largest natural gas producer. In this role, she leads a team encompassing Government Relations, Community Relations and Communications.
Prior to joining EQT, Courtney served as Director of Sustainability and Public Affairs at PDC Energy, a Colorado oil and natural gas company, managing the Stakeholder Relations team and the Company’s ESG strategy. Prior to joining PDC Energy, Courtney served as Senior Director in the Energy & Natural Resources division of the Strategic Communications segment of the global consulting firm FTI Consulting, where she managed public affairs campaigns that included employee engagement and advocacy programs. In 2016, Courtney was named one of the Denver Business Journal’s “Top Women in Energy.”
Prior to her tenure at FTI, Courtney worked in Washington, DC as the Deputy Press Secretary for former Speaker of the House, John A. Boehner. Before her employment with the Speaker’s office, Courtney worked in positions of escalating importance within House leadership, including serving as an on-the-record spokeswoman. Courtney earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Government at the University of Iowa. She and her husband reside in Denver, Colorado, with their three young daughters.
Rachel King, Vice Chair
Rachel serves as the Deputy Director of Economic Vitality and Development at the City and County of Broomfield. Rachel helps lead the business development, economic development, and housing initiatives in Broomfield to ensure the economic success of the City is shared by its residents, businesses, and neighborhoods. Prior to joining the City and County of Broomfield, Rachel served the City and County of Denver in multiple roles, most recently as the Director of Administration and Federal Compliance for Denver Economic Development and Opportunity and the Department of Housing Stability. Rachel has also held roles in the financial sector, academia, and as a legal policy consultant for nonprofits. Rachel holds a doctorate from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, with a focus in land use law. She is a member of the bar in Florida and Colorado and holds a certification in mediation from the State of Florida. She moved to Colorado in 2010 to escape the Florida heat and enjoy the mountains. Ms. King enjoys traveling, cooking, road biking, Florida football, and all things Colorado with her husband Dan, daughter Hadden, and dogs Bailey and Boston. She also volunteers as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster, Colorado.
Nathalie Brochu, Treasurer
Following a successful 20-year career on Wall Street, Nathalie moved to Denver for her love of the mountains. She is committed to protecting the environment. Nathalie is a Sustainability Strategist with a focus on climate, inspiring leaders to create a positive impact. Nathalie started her career on Wall Street at Merrill Lynch in equity research. She successfully transitioned to the hedge fund world where she managed equity portfolios at various hedge funds. In Denver, she has been a strategic financial advisor to startups, as VP of Finance and VP of Capital Markets, contributing to financial strategy and fundraising efforts to rapidly growing companies. Community engagement is critical to Nathalie’s mission. She serves on the Board of Butterfly Pavilion, the world’s only AZA-accredited invertebrate zoo. The organization runs numerous habitat restoration, land conservation and pollinator programs globally. As an avid cyclist, Nathalie is also on the Board of Team Evergreen Cycling, the largest cycling club in Colorado that as a non-profit, has donated nearly $3 million to local charitable and advocacy organizations. Nathalie was previously on the Board of Financial Executives International.
Nathalie holds the FSA Credentials from the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and the Sustainability and Climate Risk Certificate from GARP. She completed the foundation for the Taskforce on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) framework. She has an MBA in Finance and Accounting and a Masters in Economics. As a wine enthusiast, she earned an Advanced Certificate in Wine & Spirits from the prestigious WSET London school. Because wilderness calls, you will often find her playing in the mountains, skiing or riding her bike.
Chris Lane, Secretary
Chris is a partner in the Real Estate Group of Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP. He has extensive experience representing clients in all areas of real estate transactions throughout the U.S., including leasing, acquisitions, dispositions, and land use matters. Chris’s expertise also involves representing both borrowers and lenders in real estate financing, including alternative financing structures, such as sale-leaseback transactions. Chris’s extensive involvement in matters within the hospitality industry makes him uniquely qualified to handle hospitality-related transactions. He represents clients in the acquisition, financing, development, and disposition of hotel and resort properties, as well as in the negotiation of management agreements. He also represents developers in residential and commercial projects throughout Colorado.
Chris is a contributing author to the Colorado Real Estate Practice, one of CBA-CLE’s most respected and widely used publications. He is also an instructor for the related 13-week CLE course. Additionally, Chris serves as the firm’s pro bono coordinator.
Patrick Tennyson President and CEO of Butterfly Pavilion
Patrick is the President and CEO of Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster, Colorado. He has been with Butterfly Pavilion since June of 1999 and has been the organization’s President and CEO since 2010. Patrick has a master’s degree in Nonprofit Management from Regis University. His extended Graduate level coursework focused on business and operational plan development to create long-term, vested partnerships for sustainable development and social equality in developing nations. He also has a B.S. in Zoology and a Minor in Chemistry from Metropolitan State University. Patrick has been involved in environmental education and conservation since 1987, including over five years as an Interpretive Naturalist and eight years in non-formal education program management. Patrick has dedicated over 25 years to professional leadership, administration and strategic planning. His leadership contributions include board and staff development, cultural and organizational innovation, responsible financial oversight, and sustainable growth through fundraising and community collaborations.
Patrick is actively involved with a number of environmental conservation awareness groups. He served on the board of the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education (CAEE) for over eight years, including a two-year term as Board President. In 2010, Patrick was appointed by City Council as a member of the Broomfield Sustainability Task Force to create the City and County of Broomfield’s Sustainability Plan; in addition, he was appointed to a committee that updated the City and County of Broomfield’s Comprehensive Plan from 2015-2016. Currently, he serves on the Broomfield Open Space and Trails Advisory Committee.
Honorary Board of Directors
First Gentleman Marlon Reis, Chair
Tisha Schuller
Board Members
Randy Ahrens
Randy served as Broomfield Mayor from 2013 to 2019 and on City Council 2001 to 2009. He also served on the Parks & Recreation Committee, Local Licensing Board, Open Space & Trails Committee, Public Art Committee, One Book One Broomfield, Parks & Recreation Board and was the Adams County Regional Government Representative. For 6 years, Randy was a member of the Executive Board for the Broomfield Economic Development Corporation (BEDC), Public Health Committee, and was an inaugural Council Representative for North Area Transportation Alliance (NATA). He was appointed by Governor Owens to the Regional Air Quality Council (RAQC) and represented the City Council for Colorado Counties Inc. (CCI). Randy also served on the National Association of Counties (NACO) as a representative of the Public Health Committee in Washington DC. He became familiar with oil and gas operations near residents’ homes and led discussions on rules and regulations to minimize impact on air quality. Randy holds a BS from Colorado State University in Agricultural Engineering. He is the founder and co-owner of Frontier Components, a manufacturer’s representative firm founded in 1991 that represents manufacturers of electronic components to interface with manufacturers of electronic equipment. Prior to that, he was a senior field engineer with Gearhart-Owens/Halliburton, responsible for company operations while performing various services at customers’ drill site locations. Randy also formed several corporations including Commtronics Supply and successfully managed sale. Randy previously has served on the following Boards: Broomfield Chamber of Commerce, Broomfield Open Space Org, and Broomfield Community Foundation. He was appointed by Governor Polis to serve on the AQCC (Air Quality Control Commission) as a commissioner and was recently asked to renew for another 3-year term. Randy currently enjoys RV–lifestyle traveling to various parks nationwide with his wife, Wendy. They enjoy spending time with their 6 grandchildren all aged 3 and under.
Garrett Baum
Garrett has 35 years of experience in real estate in Colorado. He began his development career in 1992 at lnterlocken as the Director of Marketing and Sales eventually becoming General Manager. In 1999 Garrett went on his own and formed JPB Holdings which eventually evolved into Urban Frontier with Bill Branyan. As Managing Partner, Garrett has been involved in many mixed-use projects. In addition to lnterlocken, notable developments include Preble Creek (known today as Anthem and Baseline), Palisade Park, Palisade North and Palisade West, Green Gables, Peak Innovation Park in Colorado Springs which is now home to one of the largest Amazon buildings (4,000,000 sf) in the world and Verve Innovation Park in Jefferson County. Notable deals include Sun Microsystems (Oracle) 1,100,000 sf campus, Level 3 Communication 800,000 sf campus, National Archives (GSA), two Children’s Hospital developments, FedEx, Marriott, Vail Resorts, Northrup Grumman, Pepsi Corp, Quality Bike Products and most recently Amazon, among many others. In addition to the commercial land development and vertical building development, Garrett has worked with many national home builders and has added well over ten thousand residential lots to the Denver metro area, the majority in mixed-use developments.
Jason Brinkley
Jason is an attorney serving Denver, CO. He focuses his transactional law practice on the areas of real estate, energy, and mining matters, and he serves as co-chair of the firm’s natural resources practice group. He advises clients with a wide array of real estate matters including acquisitions and dispositions, financing, land use and development, leasing, and permitting. He also represents local and national companies in connection with all aspects of oil and gas and other energy infrastructure projects, including right-of-way and easement acquisition, pipeline and asset acquisition, land use and permitting, project financing, and reclamation. In addition, Jason represents and advises mining clients on real estate, corporate, and operational matters.
Phillip Cross
Phillip has more than 25 years of real estate management and development experience, working most of his career with large public national homebuilders. In 2010, Phillip joined Taylor Morrison, Inc., the nation’s 5th largest homebuilder, as the Vice President of Land Acquisitions. He is responsible for acquiring, entitling, and developing land for residential communities as well as operational oversight of both short and long-term division strategies to ensure growth, effectiveness, and sustainability. Phillip enjoys a strong relationship with both the National Wildlife Federation as well as the Butterfly Pavilion. He has worked closely with both organizations to design, build, restore, and certify natural habitats within residential communities.
Prior to joining Taylor Morrison, Phillip oversaw the land operations for the Phoenix division of PulteGroup, Inc., managing more than $2B of capitalized assets and over $100MM in annual cash flow for acquisitions and development of land assets. Phillip had a key role in entitling and developing more than 7,000 residential lots, an 18-hole championship golf course, neighborhood parks, and supporting infrastructure in the Anthem master planned community, located in Phoenix, Arizona. In 2004, Phillip oversaw the startup of Anthem at Merrill Ranch, a 3,500-acre master planned community in Florence, Arizona. Within two years, Phillip oversaw the community design, entitlements, and development of the community, including the completion of over 4,000 residential lots, a 40-acre commercial center, championship golf course and clubhouse, two 40,000 SF recreation centers, a 50-acre park with aquatic center, and supporting infrastructure. Mr. Cross is a member of the Board Directors of the Butterfly Pavilion, the first stand-alone non-profit invertebrate zoo in the United States. Phillip is a member of the Board of Directors of the Home Builders Association of Metro Denver. Phillip is a graduate of Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics.
David DeMott
David is a Westminster native. He was raised in the Countryside neighborhood close to where he is now raising his family. David and his wife, Vanessa, have four children. Member of Westminster City Council and Current Mayor Pro Tem elected originally November 2017 and Reelected November 2021. He is an IT Professional who has over 20 years in the field spending with over 15 years in IT leadership. He has his Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Network Management. He is an active member of both Police and Fire Academy Alumni groups, member of Westminster Historical Society and is an active church volunteer. Previously he served on Board of Directors for Seniors’ Resource Center, Westminster Rotary 7:10 Foundation Board of Directors, the Westminster Special Permit and License Board as the director of the homeowner group Neighbors for Countryside and PARTners PTO president at Witt Elementary.
Julia Heil
Julia is an experienced field scientist and data analyst currently focused on philanthropy and volunteering in the non-profit community. She holds two degrees from CU Boulder in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Computer Science. Julia’s passion for entomology was ignited during her college years, leading her to work for Vector Disease Control International for three years. In her role as a field technician, she identified various stages of mosquito larvae and developed a computer program that efficiently eliminated over 800 non-breeding mosquito sites, saving the company valuable time and resources.
Julia’s expertise in the field proved valuable when she volunteered with Earthwatch, a non-profit organization that sends scientists around the world to contribute to conservation efforts through research and education. She participated in two separate volunteer missions, one in Brazil with the Jaguar Conservation Fund and another in South Africa with Mankwe Wildlife Reserve. During these missions, Julia actively engaged in tracking jaguars using camera traps and conducting rhino behavioral studies from a close proximity of 30 meters. Additionally, she had the opportunity to collaborate closely with the founders of these non-profits, gaining insight into their motivations and deep passion for running these essential organizations.
Through her experiences, Julia realized her desire to dedicate her time to non-profits that promote biology, education, and conservation. This led her to the Butterfly Pavilion, where she aspires to serve on the board and contribute to an organization at the forefront of invertebrate research, which plays a crucial role in advancing our understanding of the natural world.
Kenneth Monfort
Kenneth is the owner and EVP of Monfort Companies, which invests in ventures and develops commercial properties in the Colorado region. After graduating from the University of Denver with degrees in finance and real estate, he began his career working on projects in rural communities. In 2017 started expanding the company’s portfolio to include properties near Coors Field with a goal to create a world-class stadium district with year-round activation.
He currently serves as a board member of the Colorado Business Roundtable, the University of Denver Advancement Committee, the Colorado Restaurant Association, the Colorado Women’s Alliance, the Mile High Five Foundation, and is the Capital Campaign Chair for the Butterfly Pavilion. He is also deeply involved with the National Western Stock Show, the Denver Energy Network, Colorado Concern, the Downtown Denver Partnership, the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, the Denver Ballpark Neighborhood Association and the Denver Athletic Club. Charitably, Kenneth supports the Denver Rescue Mission, the YESS Children’s Institute within Denver Public Schools, and serves on the board for the Denver Active 20-30 Children’s Foundation, which annually raises and grants over $1.5 million to local children’s charities.
Patrick Quinn
Patrick Quinn is a Certified Public Accountant whose business experience includes serving as Chief Financial Officer of several public and private companies, large and small, and serving as CEO for 22 years of a CPA firm in downtown Denver that emphasized services to the oil and gas and real estate industries.
Throughout his life Pat has emphasized community service. He has served on both Boulder County and Broomfield County open space committees and was elected Mayor of the City and County of Broomfield in 2007, 2009, 2011 and again in 2019.
Pat graduated a long time ago with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Colorado State University. He and his wife Carleen are mostly retired and plan to remain in Broomfield. Their five daughters all attended Broomfield High School.
Chad Schneider
Chad is the head of business development in Colorado for Huntington Bank. Throughout his 20-year career, he has served clients with commercial and corporate banking needs in Colorado and New Mexico. In this period, he has generated over two billion dollars in commercial and municipal loans; although, his most meaningful accomplishments may be in his community service. In addition to Butterfly Pavilion, Chad has current and past board experience at Mi Casa Resource Center, Rocky Mountain MS Center, and Hope House of Colorado. Chad attended the University of Minnesota and University of New Mexico, receiving a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science and doing his masters work in Developmental Economics.
Chad’s passions include his family, fishing in the North woods of Minnesota, and cooking championship-aspiring barbeque for his family, friends, and business network.
Tammy Stewart
A retired public-school educator who served as a teacher, instructional coach, Title Director, and principal, Tammy is currently enjoying her encore career as owner of Soul Garden where she facilitates various creative and SoulCollage® workshops in Boulder, CO. Tammy’s dedication to underserved populations throughout her career provided opportunities to present at the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth, the International Literacy Association, the Colorado Council of International Literacy Association, and the Colorado Poverty Conference. She continues her passion for education by serving on the Education Committee of the Butterfly Pavilion and as a Board member of the Lafayette Empowerment Center. She is honored and excited to be a new Board member of the Butterfly Pavilion.
Dave Weidner
Dave has a strong history of leadership in for-profit companies. As a true entrepreneur, where his legacy has been in the software industry, he founded two very successful software companies: Four Winds Interactive, which has ranked in the ‘Top 50’ list of Forbes most promising companies two years in a row, and Antalys, Inc. Previous to his two companies, he was President of Columbine Systems, Inc. He is a Principal in Indigena, LLC and Laramie Ridge, LLC, which are real estate investment companies investing in land, residential, and commercial properties. He now applies his business acumen to his lifelong passion for wildlife protection and conservation. Over the years, Dave’s love of nature and the outdoors has led to numerous land acquisitions and subsequent conservation easement agreements, which ensures the continued welfare of the land and its key habitats. Now with Wildlife Protection Solutions, he is able to bring his enterprising nature, high-tech background, and love of animals together in service to wildlife conservation.