ABOUT >> OUR STAFF & BOARD MEMBERS
MEET THE HPEC STAFF
Jim Tolstrup
Executive Director
Jim Tolstrup is the Executive Director of the High Plains Environmental Center in Loveland, CO, a unique model for preserving native biodiversity in the midst of development. His past work experience includes serving as Land Stewardship Director of Shambhala Mountain Center in Red Feather Lakes, CO and running his own landscape design business in Kennebunkport, Maine where he installed gardens at George and Barbara Bush’s “Summer White House.”
Jim holds a Certificate in Gardening Arts from the Landscape Institute of Harvard University and the Arnold Arboretum, he has written numerous articles on gardening and environmental stewardship for various publications, and is a past recipient of Denver Water’s Xeriscape Award, ALCC’s Excellence in Landscaping Merit Award, ASLA Land Stewardship Award and the Sustainable Living Association’s Sustainable Contribution Award.
Growing up in an urban environment near Boston, MA, Jim had to “look hard to find nature.” This background has led to a strong sense of empathy for people, and children in particular, who don’t have access to the restorative qualities of nature in their daily lives.
Jim is personally committed to bringing together people with diverse points of view (environmentalists, business people, and other community members) in an inclusive dialogue about preserving the natural world for future generations.
As a founder and former president of Cankatola Tiospaye, a non-profit that provides material assistance to Native American Elders, Jim has gained a perspective through life-long friendships with Native Americans living on reservations in South Dakota and elsewhere, that the land we live on is much more than a commodity, it is a community of which mankind is an integral part.
Stephen Hornbeck
Nursery Manager
Stephen is the Nursery Manager at HPEC. Born in Kentucky, Stephen entered the field of ecology with watershed and riparian restoration work up and down the Appalachian Mountain corridor. During stream mapping, fish tissue collection, and habitat assessment inventories, he fell in love with the variation of regional flora adaptations. After moving to Colorado in 2018, he began studying evolutionary biology while learning the plant communities of the plains and foothills. In his free time, he enjoys growing native plants for his garden, spending time with his daughter, and playing banjo.
Jack Van Vleet
Lead Restoration Ecologist
Jack Van Vleet is the Lead Restoration Ecologist for our Open Space Management programs. He is a graduate of Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Science in Rangeland Ecology and minors in Ecological Restoration and Conservation Biology. As a lifelong Northern Colorado resident, Jack has a passion for the ecology and management of the Front Range’s unique habitats and plant communities. When he’s not identifying grasses and wildflowers he is lounging at a brewery with his dogs.
Baylee Evans
Restoration Ecologist, Crew Lead
Baylee is a Restoration Ecologist at HPEC. She graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a B.A. in Environmental and Sustainability Studies with double minors in Economics and Anthropology. Baylee is a lifelong Colorado resident born and raised in Durango. Growing up she spent the majority of her free time outdoors and that enthusiasm has continued into her professional life. She has a passion for Colorado’s natural resources and how we interact with them. When she’s not spotting hawks and saying “look there’s another hawk” she enjoys spending time adventuring outdoors, reading, crafting, and lounging with her Husband and cat.
Amy Roush
Nursery Technician
Amy is the Nursery Technician at HPEC. She grew up near Austin, Texas and graduated from Rice University in Houston in 2021 with a B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Science. She has prior experience working in nature preserves and gardens, including Hamilton Pool Preserve and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in central Texas. In her free time, Amy enjoys hiking, bird watching, climbing, and learning the native flora and fauna of the Front Range. If stuck indoors, you can find her petting her two cats, Cupcake and Noodle.
Breyer Kinzer
Outreach & Education Manager
Breyer Kinzer is the Outreach & Education Manager at HPEC. Before coming to HPEC she worked as a Larimer County Park Ranger and Rugged Research Lead Environmental Educator.
Breyer was born and raised in Oglesby, Illinois where he she fell in love with the rivers and forests around Starved Rock and Matthiessen State Parks. The oldest of 4 siblings, she spent her summers kayaking the river and catching fireflies in corn fields with her brothers and sister.
Loving nature came easy, but learning about it was tough. Public school offered only agriculture in the way of environmental science, if anything at all. Breyer followed her passion and taught herself most of what she knows from books and YouTube videos. After completing two Associate’s degrees at Illinois Valley Community College, she moved to Colorado in 2020 to be amongst environmentalists.
She has a passion for education and is happiest when she is working with children. She enjoys the gym, reading, cozy video games, and traveling with her high school sweetheart.
MEET THE HPEC BOARD MEMBERS
Greg George (Chair) – Special Projects Manager, City of Loveland, Retired
HPEC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
William Timpson (Vice Chair) – Professor Emeritus, CSU School of Education, Retired
HPEC EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Lisa Yamane (Treasurer) – Branch Manager, First National Bank
Jennifer Bousselot – Associate Professor, CSU Horticulture Dept.
HPEC HORTICULTURE COMMITTEE
Ken Morgan – Senior Biologist, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Retired
HPEC LAND COMMITTEE
Eric Blewitt – Sales Representative, Arbor Valley Nursery
Marshall Cutchin – Editor & Publisher, Midcurrent
Emily Goldman
Greg George
HPEC Board Chair, Executive Committee
Expertise: Special Projects Manager, City of Loveland, Retired
Greg George has over 48 years of experience providing managerial, administrative, and leadership services in the fields of city and regional planning. His primary goal has been to influence decision makers to recognize the importance of protecting the natural environment.
Greg worked for the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) from 1971 to 1988. He was manager of the Development Review Division and later Principle Planner in the Long Range Planning Division. As Principle Planner he led an interdisciplinary team of soil scientists, hydrologists, engineers and planners in the development of an assessment system to identify the environmental sensitivity of 18,000 undeveloped residential lots in the Tahoe Basin. The Individual Parcel Evaluation System (IPES) has been used by the US Forest Service to purchase the most sensitive lots to protect the water quality of Lake Tahoe.
Greg worked for Pima County, Arizona from 1988 to 1993 as the Comprehensive Plan Administrator. He led an extensive stakeholder outreach effort to develop a new Comprehensive Plan for the County. The key objective of the plan was to limit the spread of urban development around Tucson to protect the unique environment of the Sonoran Desert.
Greg moved to New Zealand in 1993 and worked for Waitakere City as the Manager of the Development Review Section. New Zealand had just passed the Natural Resources Management Act that highlighted and reinforced New Zealand’s commitment to “clean and green” policies. In that capacity Greg experienced first hand a nationwide commitment by decision makers and the public in general to give the remarkable natural environment in New Zealand the highest priority.
Greg worked for the City of Loveland, Colorado for 22 years, starting as the Current Planning Manager and then as Director of the Development Service Department. Later as Special Project Manager he led an extensive stake holder outreach effort to develop a new Unified Development Code (UDC). The UDC combines the subdivision, zoning and annexation codes and updates development standards to incorporate the newest trends in urban development. By unanimous vote the Planning Commission recommended approval of the UDC and City Council unanimously approved the UDC in 2019.
Bill Timpson
HPEC Board Vice-Chair, Education Committee
Expertise: Professor Emeritus, CSU School of Education, Retired
Dr. William M. Timpson is an emeritus professor from the School of Education at Colorado State University. After receiving his Bachelors’ degree in American History from Harvard University, he went on to teach in the inner city of Cleveland, Ohio, quickly engulfed by an uprising that followed the murder of Martin Luther King, Jr. Committed to understanding more about education and conflict, Timpson then completed his Ph.D. in educational psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Since then, his career work has focused on teaching and learning complex and difficult topics, i.e., conflict, peace and reconciliation, sustainability, and diversity. His writing addresses instructional improvement, curriculum innovation, professional development, leadership and organizational change. Along with numerous articles, chapters, and grants, he has written or co-authored twenty books, original titles as well as new editions.
His 2019 book is titled: Learning life’s Lessons: Inspirational Tips for Creating Peace in Troubled Times.
His 2024 book is titled, Conflict, Learning and Sustainable Peacebuilding: Case Studies for Finding a Better Way Forward.