Meet the Larimer County Conservation Corps Staff

Maelly Oropeza

LCCC Manager

First Job: My first official job was at a local dry cleaners where I worked a couple nights a week and weekends.

How did you end up here? Good question. I grew up in the midwest and graduated from the University of Kansas with an Anthropology degree. I decided to move out to Olympia, Washington and took a job working for the Washington Conservation Corps. After a couple years in the Northwest, I moved to Breckenridge to be closer to family. Then we moved down to Fort Collins in 2001 so my wife could attend CSU for graduate school. Been here ever since.

What do you love most about your job? I love the diversity of each and every day. A typical day does not exist in my role. I love the challenge of my job, and the ability to be in the thick of it or at the 500 ft level of visioning. I think I have the best job in Fort Collins.

Interests outside of work: These days I spend most of my time either fly fishing or rafting the rivers across the west. Exploring a new place by floating the river with friends and family brings such a unique perspective to the adventure. I’m always packed and ready to hit the water.

Funny Quirk: Love a good dad joke.

Kiera Denehan

LCCC Program Coordinator | Trails and Water & Energy

(970) 498-6662 | kdenehan@larimer.org

First Job: I worked as a barista at a Lamar’s Donuts, taking care of the front of the store, serving customers and taking home an extraordinarily large amount of free donuts.

How did you end up here? I first worked for LCCC as a RMNP Trails Corpsmember in 2019 while I was completing my undergraduate degree in Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology from CSU. Then I came back as the Land Crew Leader in 2020 after I had graduated. I am thrilled to continue working for LCCC as a Program Coordinator now!

What do you love most about your job? I love that I get to be a part of incredibly meaningful work that positively impacts the environment and introduces young adults from all different backgrounds to the natural resources field. I had such a life changing experience in my first season with LCCC and I’m so grateful to be able to help others have similar experiences. The incredible views I get to see at the variety of project sites are a major plus too!

Interests outside of work: I love spending my free time hiking, hanging out with friends and desperately keeping my houseplants alive (with varied success).

Funny Quirk: I bring a water bottle with me everywhere, even if I know I won’t need it or use it where I’m going.

Thomas Shields

LCCC Program Coordinator | Forestry

(970) 498-6044 | tshields@larimer.org

First Job: After high school I was a long-term volunteer for a disaster recovery non-profit in New Orleans where I was eventually put on payroll as a construction site lead.

How did you end up here? I attended CSU and graduated with degrees in Natural Resource Management as well as Natural Resource and Environmental Economics. After a brief stint in California as a Forestry Aide with Cal Fire, I returned to Colorado and spent several years with the City of Loveland as a Natural Resources Technician. I feel honored to join LCCC where I can continue to give back to the community, help young people in their professional development, and spend time in the woods.

What do you love most about your job? I think the best thing about my job is that the work feels beneficial on multiple levels. LCCC provides meaningful opportunities for corpsmembers to learn new skills that they can apply throughout their careers, while also providing services to the community that range from fire mitigation to the installation of water efficient toilets.

Interests outside of work: Outside of work I like to spend time gardening, cooking, and just hanging out with family. I also enjoy mountain biking, rollerblading, skiing, and woodworking, all of which I do badly but with lots of enthusiasm.

Funny Quirk: I always have a toothpick to chew on.

Kathryn Guy

LCCC Program Specialist

(970) 498-6081 | kguy@larimer.org

First Job: My first job was detasseling corn when I was 13 or 14. I quickly learned that I did not enjoy walking through a wet cornfield at 5 a.m. so I got my lifeguard certification the following summer.

How did you end up here? I attended CSU and graduated with a Natural Resource Recreation and Tourism degree in 2014. I learned a lot about how humans interact with the natural environment and knew I wanted to work with nature but also with people. After college, my now husband and I lived in Los Angeles and Madison, Wisconsin and I worked a variety of careers, in both the beverage industry and parks and recreation field. I feel so lucky to have landed a career with LCCC, it's a perfect mix of working with people and the environment!

What do you love most about your current job? The most rewarding part about my job is seeing the personal growth of the corpsmembers. Everyone comes in with a different background and their own goals for the program and I love seeing them learn from each other and learn how to work together. I also love the energy and life they bring to the work!

Interests Outside of Work: I feel like I have endless interests that wax and wane. I'm a huge recreationalist but am equally into travel, music, food and culture.

Funny Quirk: I flip through and read magazines and newspapers back to front.

Mark Johnston

Economic and Workforce Development Director

(970) 498-6624 | mjohnston@larimer.org

First Job: Cashier & Clerk at a local video store in Illinois.

How did you end up here? I knew that I wanted to work in a career where I had an opportunity to help people believe in their abilities & achieve success, whatever that success was. My careers have been diverse ranging from wilderness trip leading with youth, to providing employment & career counseling services. I currently enjoy supporting our youth & adult training teams as the program manager.

What do you love most about your current job? Lots of things! To name one, I would say I love having the opportunity to create employment & training services for people that truly make an impact. We are constantly adapting & changing to provide the best services possible.

Perks outside of work: On the weekends you’d find me with my wife & two boys doing something active. We might be hiking or biking, spending time in the garden, playing soccer or baseball, or cooking an allergy free dinner or desert in the kitchen.

Funny Quirk: I’m a fantasy baseball geek & I crunch player statistics daily. My staff know that I speak in metaphors to get my point across.