Open Space Advisory Board Agenda and Packet 2021 07 14

Home Browse Search

Ethan Abner is specializing in Environmental and Natural Resources Policy. Before joining the MENV program, he served as a special assistant in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, supporting the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs and Undersecretary of Defense for Policy. He was responsible for managing the office's policy team, which consisted of six special assistants that provided legislative support and guidance to senior Department of Defense (DoD) officials on congressional matters. Prior to working at DoD, he served as the Military Legislative Assistant to Congressman Tom Rooney (FL-17) where he supported the Congressman's work on the Appropriations Committee and advised him on matters related to defense, conservation, and environmental policy. Ethan received his bachelor's degree in International Relations from the College of William and Mary in 2016, after serving five years in the United States Marine Corps with the Presidential Helicopter Squadron's security detachment. Cara Potter is specializing in Sustainable Food Systems, focusing on sustainable agriculture. Growing up in a rural town in Virginia, she has been close to agriculture and the outdoors her whole life. Before joining the MENV program, she received her bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies from Oberlin College in 2018 with a focus on Systems Ecology. Through her academic experience, she became proficient in applying biology, chemistry, geology, and physics to understanding, not only native flora and fauna, but ecological structure and function as well. �I After graduating, she held a few positions at the nexus of agriculture and conservation including an internship at the Virginia State Arboretum, a farm apprenticeship in Ohio, and a seasonal Wrangler position at the Medano-Zapata Ranch in Colorado. Through these experiences, she has cultivated a deep connection to agricultural communities in Virginia, Ohio, and now here in Colorado. In the MENV program, she has oriented her career goals towards regenerative ranching and agricultural land management. Her strengths lie in her passion for agriculture, her intimate knowledge of ecological systems, her adaptability, and strong sense of personal responsibility. In her free time, Cara is likely rooting around in her garden, on a hike somewhere with her dog, Wilson, or riding horses with her trainer in Longmont. .