Staff
TOM CARDAMONE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Tom Cardamone first came to the Roaring Fork Watershed in 1972 to work on the Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness Proposal. He met Jody Caudill on that project. They were married in 1974. Jody became the first Director of the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies in 1975, and Tom became Co-Director later in 1975. Tom became ACES' Executive Director in the mid-80s and was in that role until 2012. Tom was chairman of the Pitkin County Wildlife Task Force in the late 80s, a precursor to the Open Space and Trails Program of which he was a founder and 14-year board member. He currently serves as a consultant to ACES and as Executive Director of the Watershed Biodiversity Initiative.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
HOWIE KUHN
Howie Kuhn first came to the Roaring Fork Valley as a young child to visit family friends in Glenwood Springs and Silt. In 2010, he moved to the valley to work at the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies. After living in the ghost town of Ashcroft for four years, Howie attended the University of Colorado in order to become a teacher. He is currently a 7th grade social studies teacher at Basalt Middle School. He lives on a working ranch that participated in the 2019 field study season.
ALlison Spayd
Allison first came to the Roaring Fork Valley in 2004 to work for the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) as a naturalist, educator, and then as the Rock Bottom Ranch Manager until 2011. Following her passion for agriculture and education, she and her husband started their own farm in Missouri Heights while teaching at Aspen Elementary School. Shortly after their first child was born, Allison decided to focus her attention on the newest family member and their farm. Allison currently lives with her husband and two young boys on a small farm in Missouri Heights.
Suzanne Stephens
Suzanne Stephens is a Roaring Fork Valley native who has been working to protect land in her home valleys for 20 years. As Executive Director of Aspen Valley Land Trust, she has the honor of working with inspiring families, landowners, and partners to permanently conserve land and water throughout the region. Before joining AVLT, she was the Director of Land Conservation for the Roaring Fork Conservancy, interim director for the Western Colorado Agricultural Heritage Fund, and a naturalist with the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies. Suzanne has a degree in biology from Reed College, which combined with her love for the area, has fueled her interest in the Watershed Biodiversity Initiative and its mission to promote scientific understanding of our valleys. Suzanne lives in Carbondale with her husband and daughter and spends as much time in the woods as she can get away with.
JAMIE WERNER
Jamie is a Stanford University graduate who moved to Aspen in 2010 to work for Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) where she served as Forest Programs Director until 2016. More recently, she enjoyed working with a diverse clientele on graphic and web projects as the Project Manager at Kissane Viola Design. She is currently Stewardship Coordinator for the National Forest Foundation; leading community engagement efforts and fostering strategic project development in support of on-the-ground recreation and forest health improvements across the 2.3 million acre White River National Forest. Jamie is thrilled to bring her passion for the natural world to WBI to help further our scientific understanding of biodiversity in this special place. Jamie and her husband Jeff reside in Old Town Basalt and enjoy hiking and birdwatching.
