Board Members and Staff
Palmer Land Trust is governed by a board of trustees with diverse backgrounds in ecology, agriculture, business, law, planning, and environmental education.
Staff members possess equally diverse backgrounds and bring years of conservation experience to bear on current projects. Most staff members possess advanced degrees.
Palmer Land Trust Staff
Scott Campbell, Executive Director
Scott's experience spans the fields of education, conservation, preservation, and economics. Scott received his BA from Colorado College in 1991 and his MA from Colorado College in 1993. He taught southwest history for four years before going to work in the not-for-profit sector. In 2000, he joined the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, in Cortez, Colorado, where he collaborated on education, research, and preservation projects with organizations such as National Endowment for the Humanities, the Colorado Historical Society, and the Archaeological Conservancy. Scott went to work for the State of Colorado in 2005, serving in the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, under Governor Bill Owens. There, he led the team that launched the Colorado Heritage Tourism Program. His work advancing place-based economic development strategies—strategies that contribute to the quality of place and the preservation of cultural landscapes—earned him recognition from a diverse group of policy makers and leaders in conservation management, historic preservation, and economic development. Scott has provided testimony to State legislative committees, served as a delegate at White House summits, and delivered presentations to international audiences of cultural and natural resource professionals. He sits on the boards of the Gold Belt Tour National Scenic Byway and the Colorado Coalition of Land Trusts. Scott joined the Palmer Land Trust as its Executive Director in 2007. He lives in Colorado Springs with his wife and two sons.
Kevin League, Land Program Manager
Kevin joined Palmer after his experience as a Colorado Conservation Trust Fellow with San Isabel Land Protection Trust. Kevin’s academic background includes a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from Montreat College in western North Carolina and a master’s degree in Geography from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Kevin’s passion for conservation developed from his family’s agriculture roots, his love of the great outdoors, and from a decade’s worth of professional experience in land management and ecological research throughout the Rocky Mountain region. Kevin manages many of Palmer’s conservation easement transactions and specializes in computer mapping and GIS. On his off time, Kevin enjoys spending time in the hills - road and mountain biking, fly fishing, camping, snowboarding, and spending time with his wife, new baby daughter, and family and friends.
Nathan Moyer, Managing Director
Nathan is a conservationist with a broad background. His education includes an undergraduate degree in Environmental Biology with minors in Chemistry and Geology and a Masters of Environmental Sciences with a concentration in Conservation Biology. Nathan began his work experience in the conservation field with an internship with the Ohio EPA Division of Surface Water, followed by a two year research position at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. In 2005, he began working as the Land Stewardship Director for a regional land trust in Ohio, where he performed a wide variety of activities including land acquisitions, wetland mitigation banking, conservation easement stewardship, and land management. Prior to joining Palmer Land Trust, Nathan worked for The Nature Conservancy in Colorado as their Statewide Conservation Easement Monitor in 2008, where he was able to hone his skills in conservation easement stewardship. Nathan spent time as the Stewardship Program Manager at Palmer before moving into the Managing Director role. On his off time, Nathan enjoys various outdoor activities including hiking, backpacking, trail running, and triathlons.
Vacant, Director of Land Stewardship
Denise Dethlefsen, Business Manager
Born and raised in Montana, Denise learned to love the Rocky Mountains at an early age. After 25 years in Oregon and California, Denise and her husband recently moved to Colorado, and she feels like she’s come ‘home’ to the Rockies. Denise joined Palmer Land Trust as its Office Manager very recently, but brings to this position her 15 years’ experience as bookkeeper and office manager at a small environmental consulting firm in Redding, California. That experience enriched her appreciation for and knowledge of conservation and the outdoors. She is also an award-winning photographer and plans to explore Colorado more fully with her cameras in hand.
Beth Byer, Director of Community Relations and Development
Beth’s background includes public relations, marketing, program development, community outreach, event planning, and fund development. Beth has a B.A. in Sociology from Indiana University and a M.Ed. in Counseling Psychology from Boston University. She has served as the Vice President of Business Development at Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care, the Coordinator of the Women’s Life Center Coordinator at Penrose-St. Francis Health Services, and the Director of Business Development at Haven Behavioral Senior Care. Most recently, Beth directed Palmer Land Trust’s Southern Colorado Conservation Awards event.
