Leadership - Colorado Field Ornithologists

CFO Leadership

CFO Board of Directors

Nick Komar

President - Birding Challenge Committee Chair

Nick grew up in Massachusetts. He has a doctorate in Tropical Public Health. With his family, he moved to Fort Collins in 1997 to join the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, conducting research on the ecology and surveillance of mosquito-borne viruses. He has authored and co-authored over 120 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles, many relating to the avian reservoir hosts of West Nile virus. He also co-authored the popular book titled "Wild Birding Colorado: The Big Year of 2010" published in 2011.

Charles "Chuck" Hundertmark

Vice President

Chuck's interest in birds developed in junior high but took off while finishing undergraduate work at the U. Pennsylvania. He is a past president of Albuquerque Audubon, New Mexico Ornithological Society and Denver Field Ornithologists, and past board chair of Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory. He has presented papers and workshops in his field in regional, national, and international forums, published papers in ornithology, and taught numerous bird identification and behavior classes.

Sondra Bland

Treasurer

Sondra has always loved nature and the outdoors; she is an avid hiker and runner who discovered birding relatively recently. A trip to Monte Vista to see the Sandhill Cranes was the spark, when she discovered not only how amazing cranes are but how beautiful and diverse ducks are through binoculars. She is a tenured professor at the University of Colorado Denver where she runs a Neuroscience research lab and teaches Psychology and Neuroscience. Sondra has been a member of CFO since 2009.

Kyle Carlsen

Secretary

Kyle grew up birding in southern Ohio. He has worked as a field researcher and writer and has been published in a number of journals, books, and magazines. He moved to colorful Colorado in 2021 to work for the Boulder-based nonprofit Environment for the Americas, where he manages marketing and communications. He is an avid traveler and frequent speaker and trip leader at birding festivals throughout the country. His favorite bird is the Grasshopper Sparrow.

Peter Burke

Board Director - Colorado Birds Managing Editor

Peter is a lifelong birder raised in central New Jersey. Currently based in Boulder, he is a marketing and operations consultant and the editor of Colorado Birds. Peter has led birding adventures throughout the U.S., Mexico, Central and South America. In 2019 he founded Epic Birding Tours with the goal of helping indigenous Ecuadorian communities to participate in, and benefit from, ecotourism on their lands. Peter's photography has been published in numerous magazines and field guides.

Chip Clouse

Board Director

Chip is Lead Naturalist Guide for Reefs to Rockies and ProStaff for Opticron optics. His bird obsession started by volunteering to monitor Peregrine eyries in NC and was cemented with finding his first Western Tanager. Chip’s experience includes a Masters from CSU, 20+ years of bird research in the US and Grenada, five years with the American Birding Association, ten years in optics sales and stints guiding at 15+ US birding festivals, with CFO conventions as his favs!

Doug Faulkner

Board Director - Conventions Committee Chair

Peter Gent

Board Director - Colorado Birds Records Committee Chair

Peter arrived in Colorado on September 1, 1976 and have lived in south Boulder and worked at the National Center for Atmospheric Research ever since. I have been a member of the CFO for 45 years, and have twice been President and twice been Chairman of the Records Committee. I have had the good fortune to bird all over Colorado and have birder friends from all corners of the state.

Bryan Guarente

Board Director

Bryan is a meteorologist who grew up birding with his father in southeast Pennsylvania. Birding and weather converged in graduate school at the University of Illinois, where nocturnal migrants riding the low-level winds solidified the connections. Finding 27 species of warblers along a stationary front was a highlight and an epiphany. After graduate school, Bryan moved to Colorado and now works at the UCAR. He is excited to help the birding community understand weather and bird migration.

Megan Jones Patterson

Board Director - Membership Chair

Megan has a lifelong interest in the intersections of science, outdoors, and education, often with birds being the focal point. She has a doctorate in animal behavior, researching the display behaviors of manakins in Costa Rica. Education and work have allowed Megan to enjoy birding around the globe; she loves living here in Colorado where there is great avian diversity. Megan's current contributions to field ornithology include volunteer bird banding, raptor monitoring, and submissions to eBird.

Linda Lee

Board Director - Communications Committee Chair

Linda Lee's interest in birding was sparked when she worked for The Nature Conservancy many years ago, and that interest has not waned. Her friends know that if she starts talking with them, she may become easily distracted by a bird flying overhead. Linda has worked and sat on boards for several non-profits in Colorado. She has extensive experience in fundraising, grant writing, annual campaigns, event planning, and marketing. She is currently in Denver Audubon’s Master Birder program and has led several bird outings for the City of Louisville.

Philip McNichols

Board Director - Conservation Committee Chair

Migrating from Chicagoland and the University of Illinois, Philip has been a resident of Boulder County since 1978. With a background in anthropology, psychology, and human resources working with people in nature is a great fit. As an avid birder, previous Boulder County Volunteer Naturalist, and Denver Audubon Master Birder working with others to discover the wonders of our natural environment and all the interdependencies is gratifying. Birding is the gateway to environmental consciousness and involvement. Philip is also a member of the CPW Wildlife and Habitat Roundtable and the Boulder County Nature Association conservation committee.

Sue Riffe

Board Director - Field Trip Committee Chair

Sue Riffe began her birding career visiting St. Marks NWR in Florida with friends. Seeing an American Kestrel in a scope, she was hooked. Colorado is now home and Sue has actively birded in all 64 counties, seeing over 300 species annually. Sue is the owner and tour leader of She Flew Birding Tours that offers trips in Colorado, as well as national and international destinations. As a music educator for over 20 years Sue enjoys sharing her love of birds and bird songs to all ages.

Don Marsh

Nonvoting Member - WFO Liaison

Don Marsh has a degree in Wildlife Management, but spent most of his working career in Information Technology. He is on the Board of Directors of his local Audubon Society, CFO and the Western Field Ornithologists. He stays busy leading field trips, conducting breeding bird surveys and volunteering at Ridgway State Park. He is an eBird reviewer for five Colorado counties. He joined CFO when he moved to Colorado in 2019 and became a CFO board member and WFO liaison in 2021.

David Tønnessen

Nonvoting Member - Youth Ambassador

David has been keen on birding since early childhood, something that has taken him across the American continents. He studied ecology & evolutionary biology in Boulder, works as a biology field tech during the summers, serves on the Colorado Bird Records Committee and authors the "Field Marks" bird identification column in the Colorado Birds journal. He is currently looking ahead to graduate research in avian bioacoustics.

Interested in Joining the Board?

CFO strives to have a board that geographically represents all of Colorado, to facilitate this, quarterly board meetings occur online or in hybrid format.

Many board members are still actively working or raising families so don't think you need to be retired to participate!

Directors serve a 3-year term with a two-consecutive term limit. Board members may return to the board for additional non-consecutive terms.

Learn More

Committees

Committees make CFO function! We thank all the volunteers who serve on CFO committees. We would not have an organization if it wasn't for the dedication and effort of these individuals.

If you are interested in joining one of these committees or would like more information on what these committee members do, please contact the committee chair directly or contact us.

Colorado Birding Challenge

Coordinates the state-wide big day/bird-a-thon that raises money for conservation projects and CFO. Learn more about the Challenge.

Membership

Nick Komar (Chair)
John Anderson
Glenn Dunmire
Bryan Giesl
Chuck Hundertmark
David Tønnessen

Colorado Bird Records Committee

Evaluates applications of records for rare and unusual observations of Colorado birds including new county and state species records. This committee also maintains the official Colorado state bird list and publishes quarterly reports in Colorado Birds. Learn more about the records committee.

Membership

Peter Gent (Chair)
Tony Leukering
Cathy Sheeter
Mark Peterson
David Tønnessen
Eric DeFonso
Jason St. Pierre
Ric Olson

Colorado Birds Journal

Produces our flagship publication, Colorado Birds: Quarterly Journal of Colorado Field Ornithologists. Read Colorado Birds.

Membership

Peter Burke (Managing Editor)
George Mayfield (Photo Editor)
Luke George (Science Editor)

Communications

Manages and maintains all CFO communications channels including Colorado Birds, CFO social media, CFO websites, COBirds listserv, CFO email, and the CFO Speaker Series.

Membership

Linda Lee (Chair)
Bryan Guarente
Chuck Hundertmark
Megan Jones Patterson

Conservation

Represents CFO for state and regional conservation issues and coordinates conservation-related activities with partners. Learn more about recent conservation activities.

Membership

Philip McNichols (Chair)
Pat Cullen
Luke George
Chuck Hundertmark
Nick Komar
Stephanie Pitt
Arvind Panjabi
Scott Somershoe
Amy Walsh
Julie Zahniser

Conventions

Plans and runs the annual CFO conventions. Learn more about CFO conventions.

Membership

Doug Faulkner (Chair)
Sondra Bland
Kyle Carlsen
Chip Clouse
Nick Komar
Megan Jones Patterson
Linda Lee
Don Marsh
Sue Riffe

Field Trips

Plan CFO field trips during the annual convention and throughout the year.

Membership

Sue Riffe (Chair)
Diana Beatty
Helen Butts
Chip Clouse
Chuck Hundertmark
Nick Komar

Investments

Oversees CFO investments.

Membership

Sondra Bland (Chair)
Kyle Carlsen
Bill Hopping
Chuck Hundertmark
Nick Komar
Vicky Miles

Grants and Scholarships

Coordinates and evaluates grant and scholarship applications and makes recommendations to the board on funding decisions. The committee also coordinates the science sessions at the annual CFO conventions. Learn more about CFO grants and scholarships.

Membership

Stephanie Pitt (Chair)