Peter arrived in Colorado on September 1, 1976 and has lived in south Boulder and worked at the National Center for Atmospheric Research ever since. He has been a member of CFO for 45 years, and has twice been President and twice been Chairman of the Records Committee. He has had the good fortune to bird all over Colorado and has birder friends from all corners of the state.

Helen’s grandmother fostered her interest in birds when Helen was a child growing up in the Midwest. Helen has traveled and lived in many places, and while she adores new habitats, she loves Colorado, her home for the last 12 years. Helen has experience on charter school boards and the Colorado Association for Bilingual Education. She is a lifelong educator and public school administrator and loves combining learning, people, nature, and wildlife.

Sondra has always loved nature and the outdoors; she is an avid hiker and runner who discovered birding relatively recently. A trip to Monte Vista to see the Sandhill Cranes was the spark, when she discovered not only how amazing cranes are but how beautiful and diverse ducks are through binoculars. She has recently retired from her position as a professor at the University of Colorado Denver where she ran a Neuroscience research lab and taught Psychology and Neuroscience courses. Sondra has been a member of CFO since 2009.

Bio to come.

Peter is a lifelong birder raised in central New Jersey. Currently based in Boulder, he is a marketing and operations consultant and the editor of Colorado Birds. Peter has led birding adventures throughout the U.S., Mexico, Central and South America. In 2019 he founded Epic Birding Tours with the goal of helping indigenous Ecuadorian communities to participate in, and benefit from, ecotourism on their lands. Peter's photography has been published in numerous magazines and field guides.

Bio to come.

Linda Lee's interest in birding was sparked when she worked for The Nature Conservancy many years ago, and that interest has not waned. Her friends know that if she starts talking with them, she may become easily distracted by a bird flying overhead. Linda has worked and sat on boards for several non-profits in Colorado. She has extensive experience in fundraising, grant writing, annual campaigns, event planning, and marketing. She is currently in Denver Audubon’s Master Birder program and has led several bird outings for the City of Louisville.

Sue Riffe is County Birding Chairperson which is a new committee. She was previously the Field Trip Chairperson for six years. Sue began her birding career visiting St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in Florida with some friends. After seeing an American Kestrel in a scope, she was hooked. Living in Ohio and Florida, she now calls Colorado home. Sue has actively birded in all 64 counties in the beautiful Rocky Mountain state and sees over 300 species annually. Sue is the owner and tour leader of She Flew Birding Tours that offers trips in Colorado, plus other domestic and international destinations. As a music educator, teaching and hearing bird songs come a little easier.

Laura’s love for birding, nature, and conservation was sparked while working at a Resource Advisor on the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill response in Florida. She is an active field trip leader in the Front Range, an iNaturalist Ambassador, and an avid camper and explorer. An artist, you can frequently find her painting en plein air in the places she loves to go birding, too!

A love of outdoor photography initially sparked Henry Stiles' passion for birding. His interest in photographing birds in their natural habitats grew as he became more aware of environmental issues. After a successful career in technology, where he worked as a software engineer and manager, Henry shifted to become an environmental advocate. He now focuses on conservation campaigns and raising awareness about environmental issues. Henry is a registered lobbyist in Colorado working for a state-wide environmental organization Environment Colorado.

Kaily Taylor-Meek is an Environmental Biologist with a passion for Ornithology and wildlife conservation. She holds an MS in Environmental Biology from Regis University and conducted research on Northern Flicker hybridization at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Currently an Affiliate faculty member in Biology at Metropolitan State University of Denver, Kaily is dedicated to promoting sustainable environmental practices and protecting bird species. As a Latinx woman, she actively fosters diversity and inclusion, believing diverse perspectives are essential to addressing environmental challenges.

After an international upbringing, Rebecca came to Colorado for undergraduate studies and never left, finding her happy place in the mountain landscape. Birds have always been part of her sphere of interests as a field tech in avian research and professional naturalist, but she didn't become a full-fledged birder until just a decade ago when she was asked to create a birding program for the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES). A few years later, Rebecca jumped into another fun opportunity to write a local guidebook and authored Birds of Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley. Rebecca combines leading birding field trips with work for the Aspen Institute and professional writing, and recently helped create a birding exchange program through Aspen's Sister Cities relationship with Bariloche, Argentina.

Click here to learn more about this open position.

Chuck's interest in birds developed in junior high but took off while finishing undergraduate work at the U. Pennsylvania. He is a past president of Albuquerque Audubon, New Mexico Ornithological Society and Denver Field Ornithologists, and past board chair of Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory. He has presented papers and workshops in his field in regional, national, and international forums, published papers in ornithology, and taught numerous bird identification and behavior classes.

CFO strives to have a board that geographically represents all of Colorado, to facilitate this, quarterly board meetings occur online or in hybrid format.

Many board members are still actively working or raising families so don't think you need to be retired to participate!

Directors serve a 3-year term with a two-consecutive term limit. Board members may return to the board for additional non-consecutive terms.

Student Liaison

Western Field Ornithologists Liaison