OUR TEAM
Meet our incredible team of staff, board members, and committee members
ALICE de BLOOIS
Board of Directors
President
Alice moved to Evergreen with her husband and three children in 2004. Born and raised in Kansas, Alice lived in northern Virginia and Sydney, Australia before arriving in Colorado. Community involvement is one of her passions and she currently volunteers at the EChO food bank.
Over the years, Alice spent time volunteering with the Mountain Backpack Program and served in various PTA positions. Her family strives to live sustainably and recently reducing plastic waste and reliance on fossil fuels has become a top priority.
Alice attended the University of Kansas and earned degrees in Human Biology and Spanish and holds a master’s degree in Business Administration.
In August 2021, Alice joined the ESA board and volunteers regularly at the Refill Station helping customers use less plastic. Her goal is to keep Colorado and planet earth as safe as possible from the effects of global warming…..for future generations to enjoy.
Alice enjoys hiking, running, skiing, and reading.
Email: Alice@sustainevergreen.org
HEATHER MINER
Board of Directors
Vice President
Heather has lived with her husband in the foothills community for 17 years. She holds a BS in Chemistry and a MS in Geochemistry. She owns and manages 11 residential rental properties in Colorado. She currently splits her time between Seattle and Morrison.
Heather has always been passionate about the environment. She worked for the non-profit Recycle Colorado for a brief stint, lead a 25-member Green Team at her workplace, and enjoys the journey of becoming more sustainable in everyday practices. She joined the ESA board in July 2020 and currently serves as the Vice President.
She loves creating excel spreadsheets, shoveling the driveway, and finishing a house project. Most days, you can find her gardening, hiking in the foothills, or playing tennis.
Email: Heather@sustainevergreen.org
RICHARD CRANE
Board of Directors
Treasurer
Richard joined the board of the Evergreen Sustainability Alliance in August of 2018. Prior to serving on the board, Richard worked for the Federal Government in multiple agencies for over 30 years as a civil engineer in design and construction. As a project manager for the National Park Service in Lakewood, CO, he incorporated sustainable design practices and systems in new and renovated facilities. In his last position as Director of Facilities for a U.S. Naval base in Crete, Greece, he deployed a full range of best practices for managing and designing their facilities in Europe.
After retiring from the Federal Service in 2014, he worked for the University of Colorado Health system in Aurora. He recently fully retired to focus on things that matter most to him: family, the environment, bicycling, being outdoors, mentoring, city planning and alternative transportation.
Email: Richard@sustainevergreen.org
WENDY NEUMAN
Board of Directors
Director of Programs and Operations
Wendy, originally from Wyoming, moved to Evergreen in 2007 after working overseas and in New York city for twelve years. Wendy and her husband have an eleven-year-old daughter and love the outdoor life that Evergreen offers.
With twenty years of market research experience Wendy has a good understanding of consumer behavior. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and master’s degree in Gerontology. She joined the Evergreen Sustainability Alliance’s Board of Directors in January of 2014. She became the Director of Programs and Operations in December 2021.
Wendy’s passions include travel, outdoor sports, gardening and helping her daughter discover all the beauty and possibilities in life.
Email: Info@sustainevergreen.org
GINNY ADES
Board of Directors
Ginny is a founding board member of the Evergreen Sustainability Alliance and has worked with a variety of nonprofit organizations in the Evergreen area to promote the missions of conservation, energy efficiency and healthy communities.
Ginny studied Environmental Science and Philosophy as an undergraduate; after moving to Evergreen with her husband in 1976, she earned a graduate degree in Urban Planning and Community Development. She worked as a planner for the City of Greenwood Village and in the Community Development section of the Jefferson County Planning Department in her early career, and, while raising her children, has spent most of the past 30 years utilizing her skills to advance community development and conservation through local nonprofit work.
In 2009, Ginny formed her business, Step Ahead Energy Efficiency Consulting and merged with The EML Group in 2012, to help home and building owners create sustainable environments that are economical and respectful of our natural resources.
She is interested in learning how to live more sustainably and is passionate about her role in helping to establish the Evergreen Sustainability Alliance as an organization that can reach and teach others in the community about sustainable lifestyles, as well.
Ginny retired in 2017, and is enjoying learning vegetable gardening and being grandma to her two young grandsons.
Email: Ginny@sustainevergreen.org
Penny Gillette
Board of Directors
Penny Gillette is a 6th generation Coloradan, but she didn’t appreciate the state till she moved to Indian Hills to care for her grandma. During this time, Penny started hiking, using reusables, eating a vegetarian diet, and overall: connecting to nature. Eventually, she read an article about the 2018 IPCC Report which was so alarming that she immediately changed her major at Arizona State University to Sustainability (BA).
Since then, Penny has been intentional in bringing sustainability to her community. You may have seen her smiling face while you were getting a cup of Joe at Starbucks in El Rancho where she is the Sustainability Leader. There, Penny created a task-force called Sustainabili-buddies, collaborated to bring compost to Starbucks, and coordinated a week of creative events for Earth Day 2022.
Penny came to ESA as an intern, working with local businesses to join the Colorado Green Business Network (Green Biz). Moving forward, Penny hopes to continue to engage the Evergreen community cultivate a culture of sustainability with ESA. In her “free” time, Penny is an ASU Undergraduate Research Fellow studying gender equity in agriculture and has a dream of being a subsistence farmer one day. She also loves outdoor adventures, singing karaoke, and making pancakes.
Email: Penny@sustainevergreen.org
LEAH YORK
Board of Directors
Leah is an Evergreen native and grew up experiencing the beauty that Colorado has to offer. She is a recent graduate of the University of Denver where she obtained dual majors in Environmental Science and Psychology. She has current prospects of attending medical school to study the impacts of climate change on fetal development and endocrine health.
She is deeply passionate about sustainability and has worked as an undergraduate lead for DU’s Center for Sustainability, interned for aWhere to help find solutions for agriculture systems pressured by climate change, and has been an outspoken member of her community to promote more attainable access to sustainable practices.
At its core, Leah firmly believes that creating permanent sustainable change has its roots in education, and strives to communicate this narrative through the lens of kindness and approachability. She has been a part of Evergreens Sustainable Alliance since the summer of 2019 where she started as an intern and has been serving on the board since the winter of 2019.
Leah is an overall lover of the outdoors and likes to experience it through rock climbing, backpacking, and paddleboarding. She firmly believes that getting back out into nature is the solution to many of our modern-world problems and wants to protect this invaluable resource. She thinks that if all parts of society work together, we can continue meeting the needs of our current generations and leave a world that can fill the needs of generations to come.
Email: Leah@sustainevergreen.org
DAVID LYSTROM
Board of Directors
David Lystrom and his wife Karen have lived in Evergreen for 41 years enjoying the mountain lifestyle. Dave retired in 1999 as a senior executive with the U.S. Geological Survey. Since retirement, he has worked in the Evergreen community for about 10 years building homes as a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. He especially enjoyed organizing construction activities and providing on-the-job training for new volunteers. Dave has served as Chairman of Trustees for the Evergreen United Methodist Church and as treasurer of the Board of Trustees for the Evergreen Unity Church.
During his professional career and retirement Dave has had a longs-standing interest in environmental sustainability. At his home he has implemented energy efficiency, solar hot-water, solar electric, composting and outdoor plus greenhouse gardening.
He has been active with the Evergreen Sustainability Alliance and has taken part in the Northwest Earth Institute courses. During 2013 he was a member of the Evergreen Sustainability Alliance’s Community Garden Committee and served as the project manager for construction of the Evergreen Community Garden at Buchanan Park. He also was the construction Manager for the Buffalo Park Community Garden at the Wilmot Elementary school.
Email: Dave@sustainevergreen.org
Annie Loechell
Board of Directors
Annie Loechell joined ESA in the fall of 2022. Originally from Fort Collins, she is a former secondary science teacher, most recently with Jeffco Public Schools. Annie has a background in Environmental Education as well as Biology from when she worked for the Forest Service, Colorado Division of Wildlife and volunteered in Argentina working with Amazon blue-fronted parrots. After becoming a mom she stepped away from teaching for a bit and started a camper rental business. Sustainability has always been a passion of hers and when she heard about ESA she immediately wanted to be a part of the organization. Annie looks forward to participating in the many programs it offers and providing sustainable practice opportunities to the Evergreen Community and its surrounding areas. She and her husband live in Genesee with their daughter, son and fur baby, Penny.
Email: Annie@sustainevergreen.org
Claire Naumer
Board of Directors
Claire is currently a freshman at Evergreen High School. She has lived in Colorado her whole life. Claire has always been interested in the environment and sustainability and jumped at the opportunity to get involved with ESA. She joined in September 2022. She cares about teaching other people about sustainability and what they can do to help. Claire believes that if more people are aware and know the steps they can take to help, that will make a big difference. Claire is also a member of the National Charity League where she volunteers in the Evergreen community. In her free time, Claire loves snow skiing, water skiing, swimming, reading, and playing piano.
Email: Claire@sustainevergreen.org
CHRIS PFAFF
Zero Waste Committee Member
Chris’s love of the mountains and outdoor activities, including hiking and cross-country skiing, drew her to Colorado. With an MA in Historic Preservation Planning, she moved here in 1980 upon accepting a job with the Colorado State Historic Preservation Office and never looked back. In 1990, she took a position in cultural resources management with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation from which she retired in 2010. During her 30+ years career, she enjoyed wide-ranging responsibilities and experiences.
Upon retiring, Chris turned her attention to other long-held interests: native plants, gardening, and Zero Waste. She delved into Colorado’s Native Master Plant Program and, through the Denver Botanic Gardens, became a wildflower guide for several years on Mount Goliath. She also became more involved with Evergreen Audubon, where she currently serves on the board.
Fortuitously, Chris learned about the Evergreen Sustainability Alliance in 2010 while dropping off recyclables behind King Soopers. She bumped into Mereth Meade, one of the group’s founders, and upon talking with her, knew right away she wanted to become involved in the new organization. Chris was excited to connect with other community members interested in reducing their environmental impact and protecting our natural resources. She serves on the Zero Waste Committee, where she mentors local organizations on reducing waste, recycling, and composting. She believes that through education and outreach, EAS+Y encourages others to think more about sustainable choices.
Email: info@sustainevergreen.org
