Meet the Team

Interested in learning more about how you can help conserve your land and water? We can’t wait to help! Our team here at Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust is excited about making the San Luis Valley a better place to live.

 Staff Members

Laura Cusick

Executive Director Laura@rightslv.org

Laura joined us in March of 2023 to direct our Land Protection Program and moved into the Executive Director role in summer 2024. Laura grew up in the Pacific Northwest and has lived in Maine, Wyoming, Oregon and New Zealand. She loves to travel and experience new places, cultures and food. She holds a B.S. in environmental education, a graduate diploma in viticulture and enology, and her previous career as a winemaker in the Willamette Valley led her full circle to pursuing her true passion of conservation. Working with wine growers and vineyards across the state gave Laura plenty of experience with agriculture and small business operations, and tending her own small acreage motivated her to help others conserve their land.

Laura loves the outdoors and enjoys skiing, hiking, camping, and cooking, and also curling up with a good book and glass of wine by the fire on a snowy day. She is excited to continue her career collaborating with all of RiGHT’s partners on land and water conservation in the San Luis Valley!

Matthew Peterson

Stewardship Director matthew@rightslv.org

Matt joined us in August of 2023 as our Stewardship Director. Matt grew up in Sanford and is a 7th generation San Luis Valley resident. He attended the University of Denver and graduated with honors with a B.S. in Biology and minors in Chemistry and Leadership Studies. His research was focused on secondary invasion of invasive species along riparian zones. Following his time at the University of Denver, Matt has spent the last seven years working at Longwood Gardens, a large public garden outside of Philadelphia. While there he spent most of his time working in the indoor greenhouses and was most recently involved in a $350 million dollar greenhouse construction and restoration project.

Matt is an avid outdoorsman. He loves spending summers with his family fishing and hiking in the San Juan and other surrounding mountains. His passion for gardening follows him back from the east coast as well, as his plant collection is always growing. Matt is so excited to start this new journey working alongside valley residents in the stewardship of our natural spaces and precious waterways!

Joe Sims

Restoration Director joe@rightslv.org

Joe spent his early years exploring and recreating in the watersheds of the Delaware River, creating an early bond with the natural landscape and the people that inhabit it. After gaining his BS in Environmental Science from Temple University, he launched his conservation career working with Philadelphia's Fairmount Park Commission and other non-profits on native plant restoration projects throughout the region. Following that, he ventured west to the Sonoran desert to work with the Colorado River Indian Tribes in Arizona, where he supported the Tribal community in preserving the vital riparian habitat of the Lower Colorado River. After almost a decade on the Colorado River, Joe migrated to the high desert of San Bernardino National Forest, where he worked cooperatively with the United States Forest Service and the local community on native plant restoration projects in efforts to restore wildfire-ravaged areas. Most recently Joe worked in Northeast Oregon supporting Federal, Tribal and local community members with noxious weed control programs that lead to successful land stewardship practices of working lands. 

In his free time, you can find Joe with a set of binoculars out hiking or mountain biking local trails. He also enjoys exploring new fishing spots with his dog Reilly and learning about the different ecosystems and cultures that surround them. 

Jocelyn Catterson

Community Engagement Director jocelyn@rightslv.org

Jocelyn recently joined RiGHT as our Community Engagement Director in October 2024. Jocelyn grew up in Colorado and fell in love with the San Luis Valley at an early age. She graduated from the University of Montana with a B.S. in Resource Conservation and a Certificate in Nonprofit Administration. Prior to working for RiGHT, Jocelyn spent the past decade working for various environmental education and conservation nonprofits in Montana and New Mexico, including the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust here in Del Norte. She was also the Colorado Art, Science + Environment Fellow in 2023 and works as an artist at the intersection of art, science, and community to educate the public surrounding important water and environmental issues here in the San Luis Valley.

In her free time, Jocelyn loves hiking, camping, learning more about the natural and cultural history of the area, reading poetry, and painting/drawing. She is honored to be working with such a community-focused land trust and looks forward to helping further the mission of this organization.

Board Members

  • Secretary

    Since the age of seven, Doug started to study and collect insects in my home town of Elizabeth, Colorado.  This helped nurture his deep connection between the land that provides food for the insects and for the people of his hometown . At home, his family grew a garden and raised chickens, sheep, and cattle, providing him with an education in the biotic and abiotic interrelationships we all share.

    While growing up along the front range of Colorado, Doug saw the nearby town of Parker grow from 300 people in 1980 to 45,000 in 2010, resulting in the loss of agricultural land, prairie and highly productive riparian systems. He saw flood prone areas develop into large scale subdivisions and malls. These experiences led him to the RiGHT Board and his commitment to be part of the growing conservation movement of agriculture lands and open landscapes.

  • Board Member

    Michael grew up in upstate New York and lived throughout the West before settling in South Fork. He received a masters degree in environmental history from the University of Montana and has worked in wildlife conservation since 2012. Michael currently serves as the Western program director for Wildlands Network where he oversees a range of policy and research initiatives focused on restoring and maintaining habitat connectivity and wildlife migration.


    Through the lens of large landscape conservation, Michael is passionate about the need to maintain open space, especially on private lands, to benefit wildlife, cultural, and scenic values. Michael lives with his wife, two dogs and many chickens, and in his free time enjoys to hike, fish, hunt and ski through the Upper Rio Grande landscape.

  • Treasurer

    A retired CPA, Lyle was a shareholder with Wall, Smith, Bateman and Associates, Inc. Certified Public Accountants in Alamosa Colorado. He received his BS in Accounting from Belhaven University in 1973, and Master of Taxation from University of Denver in 1983. He practiced and consulted with individuals and entities regarding taxation, estate planning and conservation easements. He has presented at numerous seminars on these topics. He also taught taxation at Adams State University. He has provided accounting services, consultation, and compliance on over 40 conservation easements in Colorado since 2001. Lyle lives on a ranch which he placed under conservation easement in 2011 that is held by RiGHT.

  • Vice President

    Kyler Brown grew up in the Midwest and graduated from Colorado State University with a BS in Equine Science. He has worked on ranches across the West, spanning ecosystems in Arizona, California, Nevada, Wyoming, Texas, New Mexico and Oregon. Kyler now resides in the San Luis Valley with his wonderful wife, Emily and two kids Elijah and Olivia, where he helps his in-laws on their potato and barley farm, and runs a small herd of cow/calf pairs. His passions include cowboying, soil health, politics and holistic management.

  • Board Member

  • President

    Guy has lived in western Colorado for the last 40 years. During his 36 year career as a wildland firefighter he served as a Helitack Foreman, Fire Management Officer, and Aviation Manager. Guy also served on Incident Management Teams for 15 years as an Aviation Operations Director.

    Guy studied Forestry and Outdoor Recreation at Oregon State University and has worked as a river guide, ski patroller, and Outdoor Skills Instructor. He also volunteered for many years as a Rescue Member for Corvallis Mountain Rescue in Oregon. Guy was co-owner of a ski shop in Pagosa Springs.

    Guy retired in 2015 to Del Norte to enjoy the good fishing, boating, open spaces and community we share here in the Valley.

Want to help make the San Luis Valley even better?

Join Our Board of Directors or Committees!

Are you passionate about conserving the land, water, and cultural heritage of Colorado's San Luis Valley? The Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust (RiGHT) invites you to apply for a position on our Board of Directors or join one of our committees.

As a board or committee member, you'll play a vital role in guiding our mission and supporting our conservation efforts. Your involvement will help us secure donations, recruit volunteers, and support events that celebrate our region’s unique qualities.

Join us in preserving the treasures of the San Luis Valley. Apply below and make a lasting impact!