The Commission is honored to announce that Ellen Gass and Mark Weston have joined the board of commissioners. The Commission is governed by a diverse board of 19 volunteer commissioners involved in land conservation around the country. Ellen and Mark bring with them years of knowledge and expertise in land protection.

Ellen Gass
Ellen Gass is the Conservation Director at Texas Land Conservancy, a state-wide accredited land trust based in Austin, Texas. Her career has focused on stewardship, land protection, outdoor education, volunteer management, and trail construction and has included positions in Texas, South Carolina, New Mexico and up and down the Appalachian Trail. Ellen holds a master's degree in Geography from Texas A&M University. An enthusiastic and avid backpacker, Ellen thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail following graduate school. She still enjoys backpacking and hiking as much as she can and, living in the city, enjoys time outdoors long-distance running and biking.

Mark Weston
Mark Weston has been an independent real estate appraiser since 1986, specializing in valuation of conservation easements encumbering private land. After a stint as the State of Colorado's first Director of the Division of Conservation, he retired in September 2019. Today, he consults on matters related to qualified appraisals, qualified appraisers, and conservation of land and water rights. In the early 1990s, he worked on the citizen-initiated campaign to institute a sales and use tax in Douglas County, Colorado that has now protected over 63,000 acres in one of the nation's fastest-growing counties.

Thank You

We would like to thank Molly Doran and Anne Lowe for their dedicated service to the Commission. They both served three terms, and their wisdom, guidance and leadership will be missed. Learn more about Anne and Molly and their time serving on the Commission.