Staff Profiles
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Wildlands Restoration Volunteers' professional staff leads project management and program development efforts, and provides a central clearinghouse of information on restoration and volunteer work. Dedicated volunteer leaders manage most WRV restoration projects and are an invaluable force in driving the organization forward. Click here to learn about ways to contribute your skills to WRV's success!
Mary Eldred, Volunteer Manager |
Mary Eldred, Volunteer Manager
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John Giordanengo, Colorado Northern Regional Director (Ft. collins office)
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Sarah Egolf, Development coordinator
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Christi Turner, Youth and Inclusiveness Coordinator
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Nate Boschmann, Stewardship Coordinatorzz (fort Collins Office)
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BRIAN rASMUSSEN, Field Project Coordinator
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AMY ANSARI, Native seed Collection Program manager and Finance Associate
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Jarret Roberts, Community Programs Director
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Kelly Mcverry, accountant
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Ed Self, Executive Director
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Mary has her finger on the pulse of WRV. Her responsibilities include a little bit of everything – organizing project materials, correspondence, management support, and, keeping up with volunteer requests to make sure your experiences are as good as they can be! Most recently Mary returned from Peace Corps service in Madagascar as an Environment Volunteer. Even there she did a little bit of everything – built a school and a drinking well, started a women’s association, developed sustainable ecotourism in a national park and taught English, among other things! Previously, she was a trilingual video editor and producer for Reuters Television in Washington, DC, where she managed a very busy international satellite tape room and traveled with a crew to cover domestic and international news events. Her love of the Colorado mountains stems from childhood family vacations in very remote places along the Rockies from Glacier down to New Mexico. Finally living here is a dream come true for Mary. Her interests include biking, hiking, handmade arts, reading, cooking, having friends over, seeing movies (just about anything), and spending time with her dogs, Annie and Phoebe. 
John's responsibilities include project scheduling, identifying future projects with local agencies, project management, managing the monitoring and native seed collection programs, fundraising, and more. John began his restoration career as a volunteer planting shrubs and trees along the Green River in Washington State and he's been hooked ever since. Before finding his way to WRV, he worked for the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative, Blue Mountain Environmental Consulting, and the City of Boulder. His passion for restoration lured him to Colorado State University, where he earned his Master's Degree in Rangeland Ecology. John is a committee member for the High Altitude Revegetation Workshop and and is a member of the curriculum development committees for the Outdoor Stewardship Institute. Hiking partners beware, it can take John two hours to walk a quarter mile - there are just too many magnificent plants out there to look at. Aside from his love of plants, he has an addiction to unpopular music and a knack for bad puns. 
Sarah Egolf is WRV's Development Coordinator, energizing members and foundations to support WRV's work by writing annual appeals and grants and coordinating fund-raising events. Sarah is passionate about preserving and restoring wildlife and wildlands in the Rockies. Her fascination with the natural world dates back to her childhood in the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, and was further developed through a college field studies program in the southwest, followed by her work at the Rocky Mountain Herbarium and Biodiversity Conservation Alliance in the state of Wyoming. Sarah graduated with Honors from Earlham College with her Bachelor's degree, and is excited to bring her extensive experience with non-profit leadership and volunteering to WRV. When not at work, Sarah enjoys West African dance, board games, and hiking. 
Christi has spent over six years in Madagascar, working at the nexus of sustainable development, conservation and the media. She helped build Madagascar’s first solar-powered community radio station, produced radio programs for rural communities, and most recently managed the education program for Blue Ventures (
Nate is the Stewardship coordinator in WRV's Fort Collins office. He spends his days recruiting and training volunteers, coordinating restoration projects, and trying to convince people that stacking large rocks is just as much fun as he thinks it is. Nate’s first foray into the restoration world was his participation in a tall grass prairie restoration in his hometown in Kansas when he was 14. After completing a number of undergraduate degrees, some time overseas, and a few misguided attempts at profitable careers, he returned to his true place in the world of experiential education, ecology, and restoration. Since moving to Colorado Nate’s been a ski bum, worked with at-risk youth, facilitated wilderness therapy, lead for Youth Conservation Corps, and taken up studies at CSU in Rangeland Ecology and Restoration. He’s currently also serving on the Pawnee Byways Committee and Ault Town Board of Trustees. A growing family occupies much of Nate’s free time, but he still finds time to indulge his other interests including sustainable local food production, wilderness medicine, and zombie movies. 
Brian Rasmussen is a Field Project Coordinator for WRV’s Boulder office. He came to WRV with a diverse background and a love of working with others in the outdoors. His interest in nature came early while growing up in the Sonora Desert. Later, Brian spent 16 years as a professional river guide, taking people on trips down some of America's greatest wilderness rivers. After earning a Master's Degree in Landscape Architecture, he moved to Boulder County near Nederland where he spent eight years working for the U.S. Forest service helping to manage recreation on the Boulder Ranger District. With the Forest Service, he helped coordinate environmental restoration projects with WRV. Now on the WRV staff, he helps coordinate projects with the Forest Service as well as many of the other land management agencies in the region. While not on the job, Brian still loves to spend his time running rivers and exploring the natural beauty of the West.. 
Amy wears many different hats at WRV, but her two main roles are Program Associate and Finance Associate. As the Program Associate, she organizes all of the local seed collection projects on the Boulder County and City of Boulder properties. As the Finance Associate, she helps WRV’s Accountant and Volunteer Manager with various finance and administrative duties. Amy has many years of experience working in the natural resource field and as volunteer coordinator for various non-profit organizations and government agencies. While finishing her M.S in Environmental Sciences at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, she worked as a volunteer coordinator for the Get Outdoors Nevada program. It was there she decided to devote her career to working for organizations dedicated to empowering volunteers to help restore public lands. Outside of work Amy spends her time rock climbing, mountain biking, or attempting to teach her dog Shadow not hide bones in the cushions of the couch. 
Born and raised in Boulder, Jarret has become versed in the amazing lands that surround the city and committed to helping maintain their serenity. He brings with him over ten seasons working on trail systems from as far away as Texas and Wisconsin to as close as Boulder's own Open Space and Mountain Parks. By combining his love for the outdoors with a B. S. in Business Marketing and another in Journalism and Communication, he hopes to be able to connect people from all walks of life to the trails and public lands he is so fond of. When he is not writing the next press release, and if you can pry the rock bar away from him, you can find Jarret with a paddle or a fly rod in his hands. 
Kelly’s experience in non-profit work stems from her desire to give back to a world that has been very generous and loving to her. After graduating from University of Pittsburgh, with a degree in Finance, she headed west as a VISTA on the White Mesa Ute Reservation. Prior to joining WRV, Kelly was the Senior Accountant for the National Sports Center for the Disabled as welll as the Highland Apartment Homes, a low income senior apartment building. With over six years experience in non-profit accounting and finance, Kelly is excited to share her talents to help build the core values of WRV. Outside of work she enjoys camping, running, and seeing live music with her partner, Brandon, wonderful kids. 
Ed Self is the Founder and Executive Director of Wildlands Restoration Volunteers. He has a Master's degree in Volunteer Program Management with an emphasis on ecological restoration and environmental education. Ed moved to Boulder nearly 20 years ago. He has always had a passion for volunteerism, especially activities that build community, benefit the environment, and help people connect with nature. Ed has over 15 years of related experience with project management, event planning, restoration ecology, environmental/experiential education, fundraising, organic farming, horticulture, and the natural history of Colorado. Ed's Master's thesis looked closely at the wide range of benefits that communities and individuals derive from involvement in habitat restoration work, and included a nation-wide survey of over 300 Forest Service employees involved in community-based restoration projects. In his spare time, Ed enjoys playing with his son Elias, gardening, hiking, cooking, hosting community potlucks, and traveling with his wife Amy. 
