Who We Are
Board of Directors | Staff

Buford Crites, President Friends of the Desert MountainsBoard Members - 2010

Buford Crites, President – Former Mayor and council member of the City of Palm Desert and Emeriti Professor of Communication at College of the Desert

Margaret Park, Vice President
Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians - Director of Planning & Natural Resources

Paul Selzer, Secretary
Retired attorney; currently consulting, specializing in endangered species and habitat matters

Fred Bell, Treasurer
Noble & Company, LLC Chief Operating Officer of Real Estate Development

Joan Taylor, Director at Large
Conservation activist

Sue Adams
Scientific illustrator and naturalist, former Curator of Education at The Living Desert

Bill Havert
Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy - Executive Director of CVMC, the organization established by the California Legislature in 1990 to protect the mountains surrounding the Coachella Valley

Kay Hazen
Kay Hazen & Company - Consultant, Coachella Valley-based public/government affairs

Gary Johnson
Granite Construction Company - Aggregate Resource Development Manager

Lin Juniper
Southern California Edison Project Manager, Eastern Region – Local Public Affairs for Southern California Edison

Ted Lennon
LDD Desert Development, Inc. - President, LDD Desert Development, Inc. and CEO of Reserve Realty and President and CEO,Stone Eagle LLC, and President and CEO SilverRock LLC

John Purcell
Third Falls Group, LLC - Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Accredited Professional

Ruth Watling
The Watling Company - Partner in desert horticulturist-landscape design company; member of Pinyon Community Council and National Monument Advisory Board; former Garden Curator at The Living Desert

Staff

Gretchen Gutierrez, Chief Executive Officer
Gretchen's email

Judy Hardman, Chief Operating Officer
Judy's email

Gerda Hook, Vice President of Development
Gerda's email

Tammy Martin, Director of Operations
Tammy's email

Arielle Maccio, Administrative Assistant/Marketing Coordinator
Arielle's email

Deborah Stone, Visitor Center Gift Shop/Buyer
Deborah's email

Judy Colgero, Visitor Center Gift Shop/Visitor Services
Judy's email

Katie O’Connor, Desert Conservation Coordinator
Katie’s email