Who We Are Board

Andrew Spielman is a partner in the environmental law department at the Denver office of the international law firm Hogan Lovells, LLP.  Prior to private practice, he served in several senior positions at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, including Acting Associate Director of the Office of Sustainable Ecosystems and Communities in the EPA Policy Office. He has over 10 years of experience in the public sector including environmental protection and public lands management.  Mr. Spielman is the Chairman of the Regional Air Quality Council board and serves as a member of the public to represent the broad public interest.

Reeves Brown is the Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA). Prior to his appointment in 2011, Mr. Reeves served as the Executive Director of CLUB21, a non-profit political advocacy organization representing the interests of the 22-county Western Colorado region.  Mr. Reeves served as Executive Vice President of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) from 1989-1997.  Mr. Brown serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a representative of DOLA, where he oversees numerous departments that address a wide range of essential services to citizens and local governments.

Melissa Chalona is an Engineer with CTL Thompson, a company that provides integrated geotechnical, materials, geo-structural and environmental services which identify potential design and construction-related issues in commercial, residential and industrial projects.  Ms. Chalona is a project manager for environmental engineering design and consultation in Colorado and Wyoming.  Ms Chalona chairs the Environmental Advisory Board for Larimer County. She serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a representative of the general business community.

The Honorable Eric Doering is the Mayor of the Town of Frederick.  Prior to becoming Mayor he served as a Trustee.  He is employed by St. Vrain Sanitation District as District Manager.  Mayor Doering is member of the Department of Local Affair’s Energy Impact Advisory Committee, Chair of North Front Range Water Quality Planning Association and a member of various Colorado Municipal League committees.  He is also a former Longmont City Council Member.  Mayor Doering serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a local government representative from the Denver metropolitan region.

The Honorable Bob FitzGerald is the Mayor Pro Tem for the City of Aurora. In his nearly six years on the city council, he has served on the Water Policy Committee, the Management and Finance Committee and the Planning and the Economic Development Committee.  He is also a Cherry Creek Basin Water Quality Authority Commissioner, Aurora Economic Development Council Board Member, Aurora Urban Renewal Commissioner, and National Renewable Energy Lab Leadership Program Member.  Mr. FitzGerald serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a local government representative from the Denver metropolitan region.

Rick Garcia is the Rocky Mountain Regional Director for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).   He is formerly a Councilmember for the City and County of Denver as well as a board member and served as Chair of DRCOG.  Previously, he was an elected member of RTD’s Board of Directors, where he was instrumental in advancing transit in the Denver metro area.  He has made economic revitalization, access to new transit and business development his policy priorities.  Mr. Garcia serves on the Regional Air Quality Council in an advisory position.

Donald Hunt is the Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT.) Prior to his appointment with CDOT, Mr. Hunt was the president of the Antero Company, a project development and management firm. He worked twenty-five years with BRW, Inc., a national transportation and urban development consulting firm, where he was the principal for transportation and urban projects. Mr. Hunt is on the board of directors of the Denver Union Station Project Authority, which is overseeing the transit redevelopment in historic Lower Downtown Denver.  He has also served in a variety of positions with organizations including the Downtown Denver Partnership, Children’s Museum of Denver, Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, Stapleton Foundation and Crowfoot Valley Metropolitan District.  Mr. Hunt serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a representative for CDOT, where he is charged with leading the department in planning for, and addressing, Colorado’s transportation needs.

Darryl Jones is the Development Manager of Ridgegate for Coventry Development.  For more than 21 years Mr. Jones has worked in the public and private sectors on a variety of mixed-use and new urbanism projects.  As a former city planner, he has an extensive background in real estate development and regulation, urban design, planning processes and planning development.  He is currently the President of the Home Builders Association of Metro Denver. Mr. Jones serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a representative of the general business community.

Elise Jones is the Executive Director for the Colorado Environmental Coalition.  Ms. Jones manages a staff in three field offices and helps her staff to develop and implement policy and strategies for campaigns on wilderness, water, energy, and smart growth.  She has also worked with the League of Conservation Voters Educational Fund, 1000 Friends of Oregon, and the National Wildlife Federation.  Ms. Jones is the Co-Chair for Greenprint Denver Council and sits on the Boards of Colorado Conservation Voters, City of Boulder Planning Board, and the State Environmental Leadership Program.  She serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a member of the public to represent the conservation community.

The Honorable Ben Manvel is a Councilmember for the City of Fort Collins. He is a member of the Larimer County Open Lands Board, North Front Range Transportation and Air Quality Planning Organization (MPO), Poudre Heritage Alliance, the North Front Range EIS Project Regional Coordination Committee, the Urban Renewal Authority and the Colorado Municipal League Policy Committee.   Dr. Manvel is a former Professor of Mathematics at Colorado State University.   Councilmember Manvel serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a local government representative from the North Front Range metropolitan area.

The Honorable Bob Murphy is the Mayor of Lakewood.  Previously, he served two terms on Lakewood City Council and six years on the Lakewood Planning Commission.  He is the owner of a Lakewood food brokerage firm.  He is the current Chair for the Metro Mayors Caucus.  He serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a local government representative from the Denver metropolitan region.

The Honorable Paul Natale is the Mayor of the Commerce City.  He is the Vice Chair of the International Committee for the National League of Cities, a member of the Metro Mayors Executive Committee and an E-470 Board member.  Prior to running for city council, he was on the Housing Board and the Planning Board for Commerce City.  Mr. Natale also worked in the Motor Vehicle, Liquor and Tobacco section of the Colorado Department of Revenue.  He serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a local government representative from the Denver metropolitan region.

John Putnam is an attorney with Kaplan Kirsch & Rockwell, LLP. Mr. Putnam represents primarily public entities in litigation, rulemaking and counseling regarding environmental and transportation law.  He has represented public and private sector clients on a wide range of other litigation, regulatory and compliance matters associated with highway transportation, wetlands, airport compliance, land use natural gas processing, and large power generation facilities.  Mr. Putnam is a past member of the City of Boulder’s Environmental Advisory Board, and Boulder Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Working Group.  He serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a member of the public with appropriate transportation experience.

Jennifer Schaufele is the Executive Director of the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG), where she is director to a 56-member board of local elected officials and is responsible for the regional growth and development plan, transportation planning, services for seniors and implementation of the regional clean water plan and conformity for the greater Denver metropolitan area.  Ms. Schaufele is a member of the National Association of Regional Councils, the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations and Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute Advisory Board.  Ms. Schaufele serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a representative of DRCOG.

Jep Seman is an attorney with Corporate Advocates.  He has transportation and energy law and policy experience as well as automobile law and policy experience.  Mr. Seman has served on the staff of former U.S. Sentator Gary Hart and as Counsel to the U.S. Sentate Committee on the Environment.  Mr. Seman sits on the Boards of the Colorado Petroleum Association, Warren Village Foundation, the National Kidney Foundation, and is the past president of the Rocky Mountain Oil and Gas Association.   He serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a representative of automotive-related businesses.

James “Skip” Spensley is attorney, educator and environmental consultant providing strategic, legal, planning and management advice to and representation of private clients and government agencies.  He specializes in an environmental practice focused on air quality, land use, environmental compliance and sustainability.  He has worked with the City and County of Denver to organize and manage the major planning elements of the Denver International Airport and was General Counsel for DRCOG.  Mr. Spensely is a Board Member of the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education and a Lecturer for the Federal Office of Personnel Management on public process issues.  He serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a member of the public with appropriate land use planning experience.

David Stewart is the Environmental Health and Safety Manager for the Western Region at EnCana Oil and Gas.  He is a member of the Petroleum Association of Wyoming’s environmental committee and safety committee and a member of the Western Regional Air Partnership (WRAP) Oil and Gas Emissions Workgroup.  Mr. Stewart has twenty years of air quality experience working in the oil and gas industry.   He serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a representative of entities that have stationary sources.

The Honorable William Toor is a Commissioner for Boulder County.  Commissioner Toor is a DRCOG Board Member and former Chair, a founding member of the U.S. 36 Mayors' and Commissioners' Coalition, and is actively involved in efforts to get funding for alternative transit options for U.S. 36 including commuter rail, bus rapid transit, and a bikeway.  Prior to being elected County Commissioner, Dr. Toor was elected to the Boulder City Council where he was elected Mayor by the city council and served until taking office as County Commissioner in January 2005.  Commissioner Toor serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a local government representative from the Denver metropolitan region.

Christopher Urbina, is the Executive Director and Chief Medical Officer of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). He is an associate professor of the Colorado School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine.  Prior to his appointment in 2011, Dr. Urbina was the Director of Denver Public Health at Denver Health, the President of the Colorado Public Health Association and a board member for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Metro Denver, the Denver Foundation and at Clinica Tepeyac.   Dr. Urbina is a member of the Association of Teachers of Preventive Medicine, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the Center for Public Health Practice Advisory Committee. Dr. Urbina serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a representative of CDPHE.

Phillip Washington is the General Manager for the Regional Transportation District (RTD). As RTD's General Manager, he is leading one of the most dynamic transit agencies in North America.  Prior to his appointment in 2009, Mr. Washington was RTD's Assistant General Manager of Administration for nearly ten years where he directed the finance, materials management, information technologies, human resources, treasury and disadvantaged business enterprise divisions.   He has served on the State of Colorado's Workforce Development Council, as Co-Chair for Transportation for the 2009 Democratic National Convention, as a memeber of the United States Transit team for the fall 2007 Transit Cooperative Research Program, and on Denver's Diversity in Safety Task Force.  Mr. Washington retired from the U.S. Army, after a 24 year military career, with the rank of Command Sergeant Major (E-9).  Mr. Washington serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as a representative of RTD.

Elena Wilkens is the Executive Director for the Colorado Association of Transit Agencies (CASTA), a statewide trade association for transit providers, vendors, government agencies and other interested organizations.  In her position at CASTA, Ms. Wilkens works to build coalitions to support and further transit interests locally, regionally and statewide.  She is currently a member of the Denver Regional Mobility and Access Council and the State Interagency Coordinating Council.  Ms. Wilkens serves on the Regional Air Quality Council as an individual with transit experience.