Commissioner's Office

Jo Stanko was born and raised in Colorado and married into a ranching family in 1966. She was a teacher for most of her career, learning about ranching and agriculture along the way. Upon her retirement from teaching, she used her skills to advocate for agriculture at local, state, and national levels. 

Stanko has held positions on the Cattlemen's Beef Board, the Colorado Agricultural Commission, and was the Chairperson of the state committee for the Farm Services Agency. She is also an active member in many other local, state, and national organizations. Her ranch near Steamboat Springs was started by her husband’s grandfather in 1907, with the fourth generation now taking the lead on running the cattle operation. 

George Whitten was born into ranching in Saguache, Colorado. His Grandfather W.E. Whitten established a sheep, cattle and farming operation in the Northern end of the San Luis Valley in 1893. Mr. Whitten has been actively involved in managing this ranching operation since 1973. He is knowledgeable in all phases of sheep and cattle production and specializes in grass finishing techniques, genetics, soil health, organic production and certification, restorative ranching practices and marketing. 

For more than three decades, Mr. Whitten has been using holistic management principles on his ranch and is an advocate for regenerative soil practices across Colorado. Mr. Whitten has served on the Board of Directors of the Rio Grande Water Conservation District for more than 25 years. He is also a founding member and current president of Sweet Grass Co-op and together with his wife is a founding mentor of the Quivira Coalition New Agrarian Ranch agriculture apprentice program. He has served one term on the Colorado Agricultural Commission and his term expires in February 2023. He will resign his post as a member of the Agricultural Commission and begin as Regional Assistant Commissioner effective February 6, 2023.