Jenny is originally from Big Piney, Wyoming where she grew up helping run her family's large scale cow-calf operation and veterinary practice. After receiving her B.S. and M.S. in Agricultural and Applied economics at the University of Wyoming, she joined CSU Extension in 2016 as the agriculture and business management specialist for the western slope of Colorado. Her primary role with CSU is to develop, market, deliver, and evaluate non-credit educational programming and resources relative to risk and risk management for agricultural producers and managers in operations of all sizes. These programs’ main goal is to assist producers in making comparative, profitable decisions among strategic financial, production, marketing, legal, and human resources alternatives.

A.J. Brown is the Data Specialist & Agronomist for the Colorado State University (CSU) Agriculture Water Quality Program. He grew up on a small alfalfa farm and worked at a local CSU research farm in Rocky Ford, Colorado, where he learned the importance of agricultural research and outreach. A.J. uses his experience with statistics, low-cost sensor development, modeling, and agronomy to monitor and protect the agricultural waters of Colorado. He received his M.Sc. degree in soil and crop science at CSU in 2021, with a project focusing on irrigation and soil salinity management in the CO Arkansas valley and the Indus River Valley in Sindh, Pakistan. He has extensive experience with using environmental data collected from commercial, or self-developed sensors to answer larger questions about a given environment. He also has expertise in using coding languages like python or R to apply advanced statistical methods to gain the most insight per data point. Outside of his research, A.J. enjoys gardening, playing piano, and spending time with his wife at local breweries.

Retta Bruegger is the regional specialist in range management for CSU Extension in Western Colorado, and one of the founding members of Drought Advisors. Prior to working for CSU Extension, she worked for CSU’s Forest and Rangeland Stewardship Department in western Colorado, and in Mongolia on researching community-based adaptation to climate change. She received a MS in Rangeland Ecology and Management from the University of Arizona in 2012, and a BA from Colorado College in 2005. She is originally from the Roaring Fork Valley in the central mountains of Colorado. Since 2018, she has organized and spoken at drought workshops, reaching over 2,500 people.

Julie Elliott grew up in central Eastern Colorado NW of Limon. She has always loved the outdoors and spent many hours on horseback exploring the hills of the Palmer Divide/Breaks area. She was active in the Ellis Hall Natural Resources Club,Wildlife Society and Range Club student organizations at CSU and graduated with a B.S. in Wildlife Biology and Minor in Range Ecology. She joined the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) in 1991 (now the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)) as a Range Management Specialist in Eastern Colorado. Organizing workshops for ranchers and farmers is her niche and she has hosted over 4600 people in her 30 year career. She is passionate about agriculture and rangelands in particular along with the people who are entrusted with them.

Greg’s work focuses on food systems, community and economic development, and capacity building in drought advisors. Greg collaborates with Drought Advisor because he believes farmers and ranchers can lead our communities in finding solutions to the impacts of drought. Lately, his work has been focused on educational programs identifying native plants, gardening and inclusive community engagement. Personally, he enjoys simple living, gardening, and the great outdoors.

Micaela Fenton is the Outgoing Project manager for Colorado Agricultural Drought Advisors. Micaela grew up in Greeley, where she found her passion for the agricultural community around her, quickly learning about the value of water, and pushing her to go to CSU. Micaela graduated from Colorado State with a degree in Soil and Crops Sciences, focused on water resources and agriculture.

During her time with Drought Advisors, Micaela helped with the initial capacity building, organizing the group around a mission, vision, and strategic communications plan. She co-authored a grant securing funding for two years of the Drought Plan Program and helped put on a six-part Drought Leadership Program. Currently, Micaela spends her time with Drought Advisors designing the Drought Handbook to be released towards the end of 2022. Micaela also works with the Ditch and Reservoir Company Alliance as their Communications and Outreach Director where she manages their strategic communications, membership engagement, and their Colorado Water Ambassador Program.

When she is not working, Micaela is probably spending lots of time with family, friends, or her crazy two dogs, doing something creative, or hiking. Micaela is passionate about solving problems that help people and wants to continue doing that throughout her career.

Nora is the Senior Agriculture Water Specialist at the Colorado Water Conservation Board where she works on a variety of projects and strategies for increasing the drought resilience of agriculture and Colorado. She holds a Ph.D. in Soil and Crop Science from Colorado State University, with specialization in deficit irrigation of row crops and soil health. When she’s not on the road visiting farms and ranches she can be found at home in Fort Collins, Colorado enjoying the local biking and hiking trails.

Maddie joined the National Drought Mitigation Center as a social science research assistant in the fall of 2021 after completing a M.S. in Natural Resources, where she studied perceptions of risk associated with exposure to lead. Maddie is working to better understand how agricultural producers and others are coping with the risks associated with drought, in addition to identifying the pathways and barriers to drought adaptation and mitigation. She also helps to elicit feedback from NDMC stakeholders to inform the development of future engagement efforts and decision support tools.Maddie has worked with Drought Advisors on the Drought Leadership Handbook.

Dr. Tonya Haigh is a Research Assistant Professor and the Social Science Coordinator and Project Coordinator for the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Dr. Haigh’s research focuses on the adaptive capacity of agricultural producers and others to cope with drought. Her research connects social science with climate science by informing the development of stakeholder-driven resources and tools. Dr. Haigh has worked with ranchers, advisors, and researchers to develop the Managing Drought Risk on the Ranch website and has provided social science expertise to the development of climate decision support tools for Corn Belt producers and specialty crop growers. Dr. Haigh’s academic and research expertise includes social theory related to climate risk management, survey development and administration, quantitative data collection and analysis, and qualitative data collection and analysis. Project management expertise includes outcome-based planning and evaluation.

Tori Kauffman began her career in the food service industry, where six years of working in kitchens with small teams taught her a love of serving and connecting with people. In 2021, she received her masters degree in Sustainable Food Systems from the University of Colorado in Boulder. During her graduate work, Tori discovered a love for engaging with and learning from agricultural producers. She loves hearing peoples’ stories and learning from the expertise and experience of others, and she is passionate about connecting individuals with varying backgrounds and beliefs over common values to effectively face shared challenges.

Tori also holds a B.S. in Behavioral Neuroscience from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA. Although she has never worked full-time in agricultural production, she is a working member for a local organic vegetable farm in her hometown of Fort Collins, CO, and she is hoping to try her hand at backyard gardening next season!

Emily Lockard is the agriculture livestock extension agent for CSU Extension in Montezuma County and she is an instructor at Pueblo Community College – Southwest where she has taught animal science and ag business. She previously worked as a research associate at the Southwestern Colorado Research Center and as an agriculture extension agent in Pueblo, Colorado and Bozeman, Montana. She grew up in San Diego where she rode horses, swam in the ocean and participated in 4-H. It was visiting her grandparents farm in Viola, Idaho as a child that inspired her love of livestock and agriculture. She followed that passion to attend Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo for a B.S. in animal science and then studied livestock grazing behavior for her M.S. in range science at Utah State University.

Brad is from Paonia, CO, and serves as the Research Scientist at the CSU Organic Agriculture Research Station at Rogers Mesa. He is working to sustain and build the community presence of this research station and produce ground-breaking research to benefit farmers. Brad focuses on bridging the communication gap between the public and the university, emphasizing applied research to solve immediate issues, especially drought. He grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and earned his PhD in plant pathology with CSU. Before ending up in western CO, he was an organic farming teacher for a non-profit in Sacramento, CA, and a chile pepper breeder in southern NM. Outside the research station, you’ll find Brad either biking, fishing, dancing, or starting new projects like brewing hard cider from his surplus apples.

Harrison Topp is one of the founding members of Drought Advisors. Until recently, he was the Director of Membership for @rmfunion Mountain Farmers Union, moving on in 2022 to focus on his farm in the North Fork Valley. In his multiple professional and personal roles, he advocates for farmers and ranchers alike as he has a deep passion for working and connecting with his fellow producers.

Lauren Vilen holds a M.Ed. in Education and Human Resources Studies with a specialization in Adult Education and Training from Colorado State University. Her research interests include environmental adult education, community-based education, and the professional identity and development of non-formal educators addressing environmental sustainability issues. Lauren also has over 10 years of professional experience in public lands and non-profit program management, where she developed and implemented service-learning programs for young adults focused on environmental stewardship and job readiness in the natural resource field. Lauren supports Drought Advisors because she believes interprofessional collaborations are how we make progress in addressing complex socio-ecological problems.

Christina Welch is the Outreach and Research Coordinator for the Agricultural Water Quality Program (AWQP) at Colorado State University (CSU). Christina is pursuing her passion for facilitating effective, science-based communication within the broader context of applied research. In this role, she supports the validation of agricultural Better Management Practices to inform decision-making at the state and farm level in Colorado. She advances collaborative efforts and effective outreach communication for the AWQP’s diverse network of stakeholders. Her interdisciplinary background includes project management, GIS mapping, grant writing and strategic planning. She completed her joint master’s degree in Water Cooperation and Diplomacy from OSU, IHE-Delft, and UPaz. She is currently pursuing a PhD program investigating how to apply behavioral economics principles to advance decision making around water management adaptation and drought planning.

Gus Westerman, CSU Extension Director in Dolores County and Drought Advisor. Gus’s work has included acting as a resource to agricultural producers as they navigate risk management programs, plan for the future, and take the needed steps for their businesses to survive. He loves being on a team with his peers who all want to tackle this issue head-on and help to mitigate the negative impacts of drought. When he is not busy serving his community, he is probably fishing.

Jill is an associate professor in the Adult Education and Training program in the School of Education at Colorado State University. She earned a Ph.D. in educational human resource development, with a specialization in adult education, from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree in computational and applied mathematics from the University of Texas, Austin. Jill has over 20 years of teaching and adult education experience. Her research interests include informal education and adult STEM education, with funding from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.