Dan is the Associate Director of Programs for Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC), Colorado’s leading outdoor stewardship non-profit group whose mission is to enable people in Colorado to become active stewards of the state’s natural resources. Dan provides leadership for VOC’s staff program team, manages and develops partnerships with government agencies and non-governmental groups in Colorado and raises funds for VOC programs. Dan oversees and coordinates the Outdoor Stewardship Institute (OSI) training program and other volunteer skill and capacity-building efforts for VOC partners statewide. Dan has over a decade of experience in planning and managing a variety of outdoor volunteer efforts and programs. He works closely with VOC colleagues and numerous partner groups and land managers around Colorado and the US to develop, plan and manage VOC’s annual training, projects, and other programmatic efforts.
After working on trail crews in Oregon and Maine, Dan first came to Colorado for a job with the Colorado 14ers Initiative in 2010. He spent two seasons working on mountains all over the state and led adult and youth volunteers in alpine trail and restoration work. Dan was first hired as a Seasonal Project Manager at VOC in 2013, then brought on as a full-time Youth and Families Coordinator in 2014. Since then, he has continued to advance his career at VOC, promoted to Associate Director in 2019. Dan attended the University of Oregon, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Studies.
An avid amateur flat-picker and secret foodie, when he’s not enjoying Colorado’s amazing outdoors on foot, bike, paddle board or a pair of cross-country skis, you’ll find Dan strumming his Mandolin or Guitar, spending time in his backyard garden or making a mess in the kitchen