Board of Directors
The following board members are all unpaid volunteers. Board listing updated April, 2011.
Terry Bishop
Terry
is a farmer, businessman, landowner, and true renaissance man who lives in Presidio County, Texas and is very familiar with land issues on both sides of the border. He is a dedicated conservationist and land steward. Terry is executor of Estate of A. Kelly Pruitt.
Donna Campbell
Donna
a historian and art dealer in Taos, New Mexico, Donna possesses art, drawings, sculpture, lithos, books and writings that A. Kelly Pruitt produced across fifty years of his career. Donna is willing to share with these works with the world. A former resident of Presidio and familiar with Kelly’s life on a very personal level, she is very interested in the whole concept that La Junta has to offer. Donna writes of Kelly: “Kelly and I were soul-mates and we built an empire together. Once we parted, it was not to be regained. The power was in the relationship that was pure creativity. I am thrilled that his work will be preserved. This is a dream come true.”
Karen Chapman
Karen is currently the Great Lakes Regional Director for Environmental Defense Fund in Ohio. From 1992 until 2007 she worked for the National Audubon Society, the Texas Center for Policy Studies and then EDF on Rio Grande and Laguna Madre binational conservation issues including water policy, endangered species habitat restoration, environmental education and outreach along the Texas-Mexico border region, dividing her time between Austin and Brownsville, Texas. Prior to 1992 she served two years as a United States Peace Corp volunteer in the Andes region of Ecuador. Karen is fluent in Spanish and holds a degree in Communications with a minor in Spanish from Miami University of Ohio.
Jim Collett
Jim is currently the Director of State and Federal Programs and Technology at Region 18 Education Service Center. Jim has 36 years experience as a Texas Educator, the majority of it in teaching high school social studies. Jim is a published author. He is a amateur archeologist and has recorded several archeological sites in West Texas, both historic and prehistoric. Jim holds a master of arts degree in History from the University of Texas in Austin.
David Crum
David lives in Fort Davis, Texas and became interested in protection of wildlife habitat and land restoration while working for many years as manager of lands and minerals for absentee landowners. He was a co-founder of the June Leland Wildlife Foundation. David is a graduate of Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas and serves as Executive Director of Trans Pecos Land & Water Trust, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and enhancing the Rio Grande and its tributaries from Fort Quitman, Texas to Amistad Reservoir
Mike Davidson
Mike is
a long-time resident of the Big Bend who has founded and operated several area businesses (including Far Flung Adventures, Inc.). Mike has served on several area boards of directors and is the Executive Director of Brewster County Tourism Council and Visit Big Bend. Mike is an accomplished singer and musician.
J. Matteson Ellis
Matt is
an international anti-fraud and corruption law attorney (Juris Doctor (Cum Laude) Georgetown University Law Center, Maser of Science, Foreign Service, Georgetown School of Foreign Service, and Bachelor of Science, Dartmouth College) in Washington DC with ties to Arizona and Texas, is an experienced fundraiser and a Texan who is also a musician and lover of far west Texas. Fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, Matt’s regional area of focus is Latin America, also has experience in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Bolivia, Canada, India, People;’s Republic of Congo, Equatiorial Guinia, and the United States. Matt is currently Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of The School for Ethics and Global Leadership in Washington, D.C.
Richard Galle
Richard
a graduate of Texas Tech University, has many years experience in fundraising, grant writing & grant management, and non-profit organization management. Richard presently serves as Operations and Programs Manager of Sibley Nature Center in Midland, Texas. Early in his working career, Richard was a park ranger in Big Bend National Park and he sometimes thinks wistfully about that.
Pawnee Jewell
Pawnee is a Nemenhah Band, Medicine Woman - Traditional Leader, Life Coach, EFT Practitioner-ADV, Artist, and Publisher; Black Crow Art and Publishing Company. Currently, Pawnee lives in her native state of Virginia with a menagerie of animal friends. As the widow of A. Kelly Pruitt, and his biggest fan, she has a deep and abiding interest in the unfolding dream she and Kelly shared for an art and cultural center near Presidio, Texas. "It is my sincere prayer that Kelly's love for the Earth, his vision and greatness continue in the body of the La Junta Heritage Center."
Theresa Noyes
Theresa resides in Austin, Texas and is currently a Senior Cartographer for the Lower Colorado River Authority, an Adjunct professor (cartography) at Austin Community College, and is working towards a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. Theresa studied Land Use and Environmental Resources at Metropolitan State University in Denver, Colorado and received a B.S. from Texas State University in Geography and Geographic Information Systems, magna cum laude. Theresa became involved in the La Junta Heritage Center board of directors because its priorities and values support collaboration with the Presidio community. She feels that communities thrive and sustain vitality where people have a sense of ownership, pride and engagement with their land, work, culture, and history.
Fred Phillips
A graduate of Purdue University, Fred Phillips worked on the Colorado River Indian reservation restoring and protecting historic river channels, wetlands, and riparian habitat from 1993 to 1998. In 1999 he established Fred Phillips Consulting LLC, (offices in Flagstaff and Yuma Arizona) and has continued working with Indian tribes, nonprofits, federal, state and local agencies in restoring and protecting ecosystems and establishing low impact recreation and environmental education programs in the southwest United States. Fred is also an accomplished musician.
Stephanie Scherzer
Stephanie is a connector of people through agriculture and food. She comes from a strong horticultural background, based on organic practices with years of work in native plants and the plant retail and landscaping industries. Stephanie currently co-owns Farmhouse Delivery, an online farmers market that distributes locally grown, sustainably raised produce and meat directly to families across the Austin area. Stephanie grows her own on a small urban farm in East Austin and her passion for the local food system has extended to her latest venture, Twin Oaks Heritage Pork, where she is raising endangered heritage breeds for meat, primarily on pasture. Stephanie's entrepreneurial spirit and passion for sustainable agriculture in Texas continues to lead her down new and exciting roads such as pomegranates, olives, and, most recently, serving as a board member of the La Junta Heritage Center.
Patt Sims
Patt
is a well-respected environmental educator in the Presidio schools. Patt is much loved by her students and very familiar with local issues on both sides of the border. Patt and her husband Ken live in Shafter, Texas.
John Taylor
John
, with his team as Taylor Bird Enterprises, is a restoration contractor specializing in hands-on riparian bioengineering methods, teaching, crew leadership and project organization. Restoration work includes, but is not limited to, ongoing participation in the Yuma East Wetlands on the Lower Colorado River (since 2003) as a project partner with Fred Phillips Consulting and the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area. Routine practices include stream bank stabilization, harvesting and planting of wetland plants, seeding, and exotic species removal. Taylor Bird also contributes to the design and planning process and installs irrigation systems. Taylor Bird provides complete services and work crews when needed; but is most interested in offering crew leadership, education and consulting to project-local organizations and workers; as well as to volunteer, experiential and training projects.
John was born and currently lives in Flagstaff, Arizona. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in the History of Art from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut and a Master’s Degree in Business from the University of Texas at Austin. In addition to restoration contracting, Taylor Bird Enterprises does residential landscape design, installation, and maintenance. Emphasis is on native and xeric plants and materials, habitat development, water harvesting, permaculture and food production. John Taylor’s other professional experience includes film, music and special event production, promotion and fund raising; commercial guiding on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon; and “tech” work with raptor, fish and other biological and ecological research. Leading and teaching people, producing and promoting the arts and public events, and knowledge and experience with hands-on restoration techniques all come to bear in the process of organizing and executing environmental restoration efforts.
Brenda Witty
Brenda is currently principal with the Presidio, Texas Independent School District. She has been involved in the field of education for 32 years and has held positions from playground aide to campus principal and nearly everything else in between. Brenda holds a Master of Science degree in Computer Education and Cognitive Systems from the University of North Texas at Denton. Brenda brings with her a positive link between area school systems and the mission of the La Junta Heritage Center to involve students in the Center and its overall goals.