The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission recently voted to appoint Carrie Besnette Hauser of Glenwood Springs to chair the commission until 2023. It also elected Charles Garcia as vice chair and Luke Schafer as secretary for the same term.

Hauser, who is president and CEO of Colorado Mountain College, was appointed to the commission in 2017. She previously served as the vice chair as a representative for outdoor recreation and utilization of parks. She replaces Marvin McDaniel, whose chair term expires in July.

CMC, with its central operations based in Glenwood Springs, includes 11 campus locations in the state’s north-central mountain region.

“CMC has been a leader in outdoor education for decades, offering dozens of degrees and programs in outdoor recreation leadership, sustainability studies, ecosystem science & management, avalanche science and ski area operations,” according to a parks and wildlife news release issued after the commission’s meeting on June 10.

Hauser is also an accomplished outdoorswoman and athlete committed to issues of access and equity, the release states.

Garcia has served on the commission since 2018. He is a life Ssponsor of Ducks Unlimited, a life member and current board member of the Headwaters Chapter of Trout Unlimited and a centurion member of the Ruffed Grouse Society.​​ He is the past president of the Colorado Bar Association and chair of a sctanding Committee of the American Bar Association. Garcia lives and works in both Denver and Grand County.

Schafer was appointed to the commission as a member at large in 2018. He is currently the West Slope director of Conservation Colorado, residing in Moffat County.

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission comprises 11 members appointed by the governor and sets regulations and policies for state parks and wildlife programs.