(Denver) - The Colorado Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced promotions and the addition of new staff members joining its Department to assist with its mission to manage and conserve Colorado’s natural resources.
Additions and changes include: Carly Jacobs, Chief Financial Officer, Kelly Romero-Heaney, Deputy Policy Director, Nate Pearson, Assistant Director for Water, Alison Lerch, Forest Health & Wildfire Mitigation Program Manager, Courtney Young, Forest Health & Wildfire Program Administrator, Lacy Gentry, Federal Affairs Policy Analyst, Erin Sedlacko, Assistant Director for Research, Colorado Produced Water Consortium.
“I am proud to welcome new staff and celebrate important promotions to my team at the Department of Natural Resources,’ said Dan Gibbs, Executive Director, Colorado Department of Natural Resources. “Our issues, finances, and legislative created programs have grown at DNR. Our new staff and promotions will enable us to meet new challenges, provide better services for Coloradans and forge deeper relationships with key stakeholders to help fulfill our mission to manage and conserve Colorado’s natural resources.”
More background on promotions and DNR’s new employees:
Carly Jacobs, Chief Financial Officer, Carly has more than 10 years of experience in state finance, beginning as a non-partisan staff analyst for the Joint Budget Committee at the Colorado General Assembly in 2013. She joined the DNR Executive Director’s Office as a budget and policy analyst in 2016 and served as DNR’s Budget Director for the five years prior to taking over as DNR’s first Chief Financial Officer. In this capacity, Carly successfully led the Department through the financial challenges of the pandemic and helped secure significant increases in funding and staff support for DNR’s critical work on a broad range of natural resources issues, including energy, water policy and administration, outdoor recreation, wildlife management, avalanche safety, wildfire mitigation, and more.
Carly has a master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and bachelor’s degrees in Economics and in Sociology from Iowa State University.
The Chief Financial Officer oversees all financial functions of the Department of Natural Resources, including budget, accounting, and procurement, to ensure the efficient, effective, and transparent management of state resources in service of DNR’s mission to manage and conserve Colorado’s natural resources for the benefit of people today and tomorrow.
Kelly Romero-Heaney, Deputy Policy Director, Kelly has over 20 years of experience in natural resource issues serving the last three years as the Assistant Director of Water Policy for the Department of Natural Resources and Water Policy Advisor to Governor Polis. Prior to working for the state, Kelly spent seven years as the Water Resources Manager for the City of Steamboat Springs where she developed policies and programs to advance water security for a growing community facing the threats of drought, fire, and climate change. Kelly also has diverse experience in the private and government sector as a consultant, hydrologist, environmental specialist and wildland firefighter with the US Forest Service.
As Assistant Director of Water Policy, Kelly developed and guided legislation that has provided investments, local capacity, and legal clarity to efforts to protect and enhance the health of Colorado’s forests, streams, and watersheds. She also helped to secure resources and support for the state’s Colorado River negotiations team while also building and leading the interagency team tackling emerging interstate conflicts on the South Platte River.
Kelly has a master’s degree in Environmental Science and Policy from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor's degree in Environmental Geology from the University of Montana.
The Deputy Policy Director position exists to oversee the major policy functions of the Executive Director’s Office including, water, parks, wildlife, lands, energy, climate, and federal affairs.
Nate Pearson, Assistant Director for Water Policy, Nate has spent the past ten years working for the state of Colorado and has held multiple roles advising on natural resources and environmental policy and finance. He served as a Senior Policy and Budget Analyst under both Governor Hickenlooper and Governor Polis. Since 2021, Nate has served as the Recovery Officer for the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. In this role, he has coordinated all issues related to stimulus and recovery funding impacting the Department and its stakeholders, including state and federal investments in water projects, forest health and watershed restoration, parks and recreation, and the remediation of legacy pollution and environmental hazards.
Nate graduated from Colorado College with a B.A. in Environmental Policy.
The Assistant Director for Water Policy position at the Department acts as a policy advisor to the Executive Director, Deputy Executive Director, and Colorado Water Conservation Board Director and Division of Water Resources Director, regarding issues, legislation, and state and national policy developments concerning water and related natural resources that may impact Colorado.
Alison Lerch, Forest Health & Wildfire Mitigation Program Manager, Alison joined the Colorado Department of Natural Resources Executive Director’s Office in September 2021, as the Program Administrator for the newly formed wildfire mitigation team, creating the Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program and building partnerships with the Colorado Youth Corps Association and the Department of Corrections State Wildland Inmate Fire Crew program. The Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program became a permanent program in 2023, and has invested over $30 million into strategic wildfire mitigation and forestry projects. Alison has a diverse career in forestry and wildfire resilience working for both Tribal and state governments, nonprofit organizations, and serving on a municipal fire department.
Alison graduated from the University of Missouri with a B.S. in Forestry.
The Forest Health & Wildfire Mitigation Program Manager acts as a policy advisor to the Executive Director, Deputy Executive Director and the Colorado State Forest Service on forestry and wildfire mitigation issues, manages the Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program, and facilitates shared stewardship efforts with state and federal partners.
Courtney Young, Forest Health & Wildfire Mitigation Program Administrator, Courtney has worked for the Colorado Department of Natural Resources since 2021 as the Wildfire Mitigation Program Facilitator and helped to develop the Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program, which she will now support in a greater capacity. She also facilitates the Colorado Forest Health Council, an advisory body to the Governor and General Assembly. Prior to working for the state, Courtney worked in program management and outreach for various conservation organizations in Central Texas.
Courtney received a B.A. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Colorado in Boulder and is pursuing a M.S. in Climate and Energy Policy from Johns Hopkins University.
The Forest Health and Wildfire Mitigation Program Administrator position administers the Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program and supports forest health policy in Colorado.
Lacy Gentry, Federal Affairs Policy Analyst, Prior to joining the Colorado DNR, Lacy worked within Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Water Resource Section, learning about state water policy from both a quality and quantity aspect. In this role, Lacy provided testimony during Water Quality Control Commission Hearings, conducted water quality analysis, and coordinated agency comments in response to federal water projects undergoing the NEPA process.
Lacy received a B.A. in Environmental Studies, with a minor in Political Science from Washington College located in Chestertown, Maryland. She is currently pursuing her graduate degree from the University of Denver in Environmental Policy, with a concentration in Natural Resource Management.
The Federal Affairs Policy Analyst assists with the coordination and communication between federal agencies and DNR agencies on matters related to federal legislation, NEPA planning, and federal funding.
Erin Sedlacko, Assistant Director for Research, Colorado Produced Water Consortium,
Dr. Sedlacko is an accomplished environmental scientist and engineer with over 20 years of experience in environmental consulting, research, and laboratory and project management. Prior to joining the DNR team, Dr. Sedlacko most recently served as the Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) Laboratory Manager at the Colorado School of Mines and Director of Research for the PFAS@Mines Initiative, where she oversaw interdisciplinary research and managed state-of-the-art analytical instrumentation.
Prior to that, Erin served as the Vice President and Director of Operations at KEMWest, Inc., a Denver-based environmental consulting firm. During her tenure, she managed a diverse team of professionals, oversaw numerous high-profile projects, and provided expert consulting services in areas such as hazardous materials remediation, environmental site assessment, regulatory compliance, and worker exposure monitoring.
Dr. Sedlacko holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines, with a dissertation focused on produced water, an M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the same institution, and a B.A. in English Literature with minors in Environmental and Plant Biology and Philosophy from Ohio University.
The Assistant Director for Research manages academic analyses, research, pilot projects, and case studies for the Colorado Produced Water Consortium.
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