The Conservation Cooperative

JEFF JONES

executive director

Jeff Jones is the Executive Director of The Conservation Cooperative. He is also a Conservation Fellow at the Center for Collaborative Conservation at Colorado State University. Jeff has 25 years experience teaching and working on land conservation issues in the Rocky Mountain Region, Argentina, Belize and Sri Lanka.

As the Rocky Mountain Regional Director of American Farmland Trust and the Executive Director of Legacy Land Trust, he led collaborative conservation projects which resulted in the direct conservation of private lands in over 20 communities spanning the spine of Rockies. He holds a B.A, in Political Science and Environmental Studies from the University of Northern Colorado, a M.S. in Natural Resource Management from Colorado State University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Denver, College of Law.

JOHN BARNETT

associate director

John Barnett is the Associate Director of TCC and is the owner of John Barnett and Associates, a consulting firm specializing in conservation planning, landscape architecture, and ecological restoration, for public, private, and non-profit sector clients. He frequently works on projects that involve combining large scale development or facility siting with significant land conservation and ecological restoration efforts. Previously, Barnett was the Planning Director for Larimer County, Colorado, a growing and diverse urban county with a population of over 220,000. During his tenure, Larimer County received awards for "A Plan for the Region Between Loveland and Fort Collins" and "The Northern Larimer County Land Use Symposium."

Prior to serving as Larimer County Planning Director, John directed the Greenways Program for the City of Boulder, Colorado. In this capacity, he facilitated developer participation in the completion of several multi-purpose trails and stream restoration projects. In addition, he wrote the Greenway Design Guidelines, which illustrate best management practices for ecological restoration of Boulder’s urban stream corridors and made several national presentations on urban stream restoration. Barnett is licensed to practice landscape architecture in Colorado and Montana. In addition, he has a master of science degree in natural resource planning from the University of Vermont, a bachelor of science in landscape architecture from Penn State and 84 credits of graduate level courses in restoration ecology, hydrology, and project management courses from Colorado State University.

HEATHER MCMILLAN

director of operations

Heather McMillan is the Director of Operations and is a practicing attorney in Boulder, Colorado. Heather holds a Juris Doctorate from St. Mary’s University and an LL.M in Environmental and Natural Resources Law from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, where she graduated with Honors, including awards for her advanced legal research and writing skills. Previously, Heather clerked for the Boulder County Attorney’s Land Use office and worked with the University of Denver Environmental Law Clinical Partnership.

JARRETT TISHMACK

director of field programs

Jarrett Tishmack is the Director of Field Programs. As a graduate of Colorado State University Forestry program and nearly lifelong resident of Fort Collins, Jarrett has continually complemented his devotion to the outdoors with his attention to environmental conservation. He has worked seasonally as a firefighter and field technician for the U.S. Forest service for the past six years including authoring a research note on mountain pine beetle emergence patterns. He currently sits on the Larimer County Environmental Advisory Board and plans to continue his mission of public service.

When not working, Jarrett enjoys spending time traveling with his wife Tania. As a member of the American Alpine Club, he has traveled on numerous occasions abroad to complete technical ascents of remote mountains. Jarrett also recently completed a 10 kilometer swim and is planning on a swim attempt of the Strait of Gibraltar later this year.