Executive Director Martha Cochran has spent more than 30 years working for the community and environment of the Roaring Fork Valley. She is a former educator, business owner and newspaper publisher, with degrees in journalism and public administration. She served on the Glenwood Spring City Council and the city planning commission, worked on political and open space campaigns and has been on the board of many community organizations, including a founding board member of Colorado Animal Rescue. She currently serves on the board of the Aspen Valley Community Foundation and the J.Robert Young Foundation.
Suzanne Fusaro Stephens, Managing Director, is a Roaring Fork Valley native who has been working in the field of land conservation since the spring 2001. Before coming to AVLT, she spent two years as the Director of Land Conservation at the Roaring Fork Conservancy, and then became interim director for the Western Colorado Agricultural Heritage Fund. Previously, she was an environmental educator for the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, and a research biologist at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, where she earned her B.A. in biology in 1997. Suzanne now lives in Carbondale with her husband Jeff.
, grew up in the Roaring Fork Valley and has returned after spending 11 years living, working, and attending school in Boulder and Denver. She comes to AVLT from The Nature Conservancy where she served as Conservation Information Manager after obtaining her Master’s degree in Environmental and Natural Resources Law. She also has previous experience in healthcare administration and as a professional researcher at the University of Colorado where she received her undergraduate degree in Molecular Biology.
Melissa Sumera, Office Manager, graduated from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington where she studied digital imaging and design, and later worked as staff photographer. She moved to the Roaring Fork Valley in 1999 and has since honed her skills in accounting. She keeps her creative juices flowing by designing all the AVLT marketing materials, event posters and invites. Melissa joined AVLT in January 2006.