Our Headlamp Highlights Shine a Light on the People and Organizations that Help our Cottonwood Community Thrive. Meet Board Member Alyssa. We are excited to highlight our Cottonwood Institute (CI) Board Member, Alyssa Ash, who has been on the CI Board since February 2026. Read on to learn more about Alyssa! Introduce yourself to the… Read more »
Our Headlamp Highlights shine a light on the people and organizations that help our Cottonwood community thrive. We are excited to highlight our Cottonwood Institute (CI) Board Member, Candace Richter, who has been on the CI Board since September 2024. Read on to learn more about Candace! Introduce yourself to the Cottonwood Community. Where did… Read more »
Get to know Alo McGarigal (they/they), who is one of our extraordinary Field Instructors! During trips, Alo brings to the team a combination of compassionate guidance with joyful instruction, making them a force of nature in the field! Learn more about Alo below, and read our other staff and board profiles here! What led you… Read more »
Get to know Lori Powell (she/her), our CAP Instructor at New Vista High School! With experience ranging from experiential education to play-based learning, Lori knows how to bring life to a classroom! Learn more about Lori below, and read our other staff and board profiles here! What led you to become an environmental educator? I… Read more »
Get to know Melissa Georgi (she/her), who is our CAP Instructor at Angevine Middle School! Melissa is an outdoor educator, trip guide, forager, and former Park Ranger. Learn more about Melissa below, and read our other staff and board profiles here! What led you to become an environmental educator? “Standing on a mountain top overlooking… Read more »
We are excited to introduce you to our newest Cottonwood Institute (CI) Board Member, Elisha Roberts, who joined the CI Board in October 2023. Read on to learn more about Elisha! What is your story? Where did you grow up and how did you get to where you are today? I was born and raised… Read more »
Cottonwood Institute is thrilled to announce that we have appointed Robert Marquez, a freshman at Colorado Mesa University, to our Board of Directors! Robert is an alum of our CAP class at Angevine Middle School and Centaurus High School, and received the coveted Ripple Effect Award in 2018 for his outstanding enthusiasm and care in… Read more »
Cottonwood Institute is thrilled to introduce our new Youth Mental Health Advisor, Whitney Thompson. As Cottonwood grows, we increasingly realize the importance of having a robust mental health support system for our students as well as excellent training programs for instructors heading into the field. Whitney will be a resource for Cottonwood to better serve… Read more »
Continuing with Cottonwood Institute’s new board member introductions, we’d like to introduce Whitney Bell Haggard, who joined the Board of Directors this fall. Learn more about Whitney below, and read our other staff and board profiles here. How did you find Cottonwood Institute and what inspired you to join the board? I first learned about… Read more »
We’re excited to introduce one of Cottonwood Institute’s new board members this fall, Dr. Ben “Coop” Cooper! Learn more about Coop below, and read our other staff and board profiles here. How did you find Cottonwood Institute and what inspired you to join the board? I was introduced to Cottonwood Institute by a previous board… Read more »
