John Miller, Program Manager
John was raised on a cattle ranch near Hotchkiss Colorado where he still lives with his wife and daughter. John led the Delta Conservation District's Irrigation Water Management Program for over a decade where he learned to design and troubleshoot various types of irrigation systems and gained expertise that he uses to promote efficient water usage and sustainable agricultural practices. In his role as the Soil Health Program Manager, John is enthusiastic about guiding the expansion of the State Soil Health Program, ensuring it continues to offer maximum education and assistance to Colorado's valued agriculture community.
Kristen Boysen, ADCRO Managing Director
As the Managing Director of CDA’s Ag Drought and Climate Office, Kristen supports the resilience and stewardship of Colorado farmers and ranchers. She supports the Colorado Soil Health Program, CDA’s Energy Program, and works with other state and federal agencies, stakeholders, and producers to develop climate plans and programs.
Cindy Lair, Conservation Division Deputy Director
Cindy Lair leads the Agricultural Drought and Climate Resilience Office (ADCRO), which includes the Soil Health Program, STAR Agricultural Ranking Framework, Agricultural Water Policy, and the Advancing Colorado’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ACRE3) programs. Within her duties she also oversees the Colorado State Conservation Board and serves on the Colorado Natural and Working Lands Working Group for the US Climate Alliance. Cindy graduated from Colorado State University in Natural Resources Management and is an alumna of the Colorado Agricultural Leadership Class of 2014.
John Rizza, Western Soil Health Specialist
John grew up in New England, then decided to pursue a career in natural resources at Colorado State University where he achieved a B.S. in Natural Resources Management with a minor in Forestry. After a few years working on the west coast, John was afforded a unique opportunity to work on a M.S. in Forestry from the University of Tennessee. He then spent a few years working in the inland northwest as a consulting forester helping private landowners manage their resources. For 8 years, John worked as the CSU Extension/USDA-NRCS regional specialist helping private landowners in Colorado sustainably manage their land.
Liza Nguyen, Eastern Soil Health Coordinator
Born and raised in Southern California, Liza attended UC Davis where she fell in love with plant biology. She focused her Bachelors of Science in Genetics and Genomics on plant genetics. After earning her Masters of Science in Horticulture from Pennsylvania State University, where she studied corn and its relationship to mycorrhizal fungi, she worked for a non-profit evaluating therapeutics for citrus greening before starting as the Eastern Soil Health Coordinator with CDA. Liza is looking forward to applying her knowledge and background in scientific research to help producers creatively implement soil health practices to enrich their land and their livelihood.
Rosie Skovron, ADCRO Program Assistant
Rosie joins the Drought and Climate Resilience team after three years of food systems work in Boulder County. She managed the weekly Longmont and Boulder markets for Boulder County Farmers Markets and worked on two small-scale veggie farms in Boulder County. She loves bringing organization and maximized efficiency to teams and is excited to be working with farmers and ranchers across CDA's soil health, energy, and statewide climate programs.
Suzie Bilberry, Soil Health Program Grants Manager
Originally from New Mexico, Suzie and her husband now reside in Olathe, Colorado. She spent 9 years working as the District Manager for the Delta Conservation District before transitioning to the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s Soil Health Team. Suzie’s passion lies in promoting sustainable agricultural practices and conservation efforts to protect our environment for future generations. With a background in resource management and a commitment to soil health, she strives to make a positive impact in the agricultural community by assisting with the implementation of innovative solutions and promoting stewardship to improve soil health.
Reece Melton, Northwestern Soil Health Specialist
Reece Melton is a Colorado native and has resided in the Northwest corner of the state for the last 3 years. He has experience in rangeland management, agricultural production, education, and natural resources. He has a passion for improving the resiliency of our landscapes both for the landowner and the ecosystem.
Vanessa McCracken, Northeastern Soil Health Specialist
Vanessa McCracken joined the CDA as the Northeast Colorado Soil Health Specialist. With deep family roots in Northeast Colorado, Vanessa is thrilled to partner with conservation districts and other partners to provide soil health resources to Colorado farmers and ranchers. Most recently, Vanessa served as the District Manager for the Boulder Valley and Longmont Conservation Districts implementing on-the-ground conservation projects with both agricultural and forestry landowners. Vanessa completed agronomy degrees from Colorado State and Iowa State Universities. She lives in Broomfield with her husband and three teenage children.
Toby McPartland, Southwestern Soil Health Specialist
Toby lives in Hotchkiss, Colorado alongside the North Fork of the Gunnison River. He recently owned and operated Colorado Pastured Pork and has a background in organic vegetable production and farm management. Toby is very excited to work for the producers of Colorado and with the Soil Health Team.
Michelle Nelson, Southeastern Soil Health Specialist
Michelle Nelson grew up in northern Colorado on a large irrigated farming operation. She received an Agronomy degree from Colorado State University with an emphasis in Environmental Soil Science. Michelle worked as a research tech with the National Seed Storage Laboratory and a research beef feedlot, and then became the Environmental Manager for a large swine feeding operation. She has spent the last 20 years as a Senior Agronomist for an environmental agriculture consulting company, assisting individuals and counties with their agronomic needs. Michelle looks forward to assisting with southeast Colorado’s Soil Health progress.
Susan Enfield, Climate Smart Marketing Specialist
Susan Enfield is CDA's Climate Smart Markets Specialist. Susan brings expertise from a career in the natural and organic foods sector. Her favorite cover crop is winter rye.
David Kinnison, STAR Marketing Specialist
David Kinnison was born and raised on a farm in Ovid Co. and has remained living in this area his entire life. David worked for Great Western Sugar and on his dad’s farm until David had the opportunity to start his own farming operation. After twenty plus years of farming, David and his wife, Sharla, decided mainly because of hailstorms to leave farming. He then took a position in seed sales as a District Sales Manager and Field Agronomist which he did for 18 years with some Dry Bean agronomy work, retail Spraying Company and an Auction Company job as fill-ins.