BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ALAN CLARKE
President
Alan Clarke grew up wandering the fields and forests of upstate New York. He received a B.S. from Duke University and a M.S. from the University of Colorado, Boulder, both in Civil Engineering. Professionally, he recently retired from launching rockets and satellites as an aerospace engineer. Now, Alan occasionally volunteers at local schools to stoke students’ interest in space. As well as writing, pickleball, darts and biking, a favorite pastime is hiking the high mountains with his daughter. Alan joined the DLC Board in 2009 and lives in Perry Park, Douglas County.
TODD WARNKE
Vice President
Todd Warnke grew up all over the western United States and western Canada. That experience gave him an appreciation of the outdoors in all its varieties, which is why he relishes the opportunity to work with Douglas Land Conservancy. He and his wife moved to Colorado in 1991, and then to Castle Rock in 2002 where they have raised two young men and a handful of dogs. During the day he works for a large international environmental consulting firm on their global M&A IT team. On the weekends he loves to get out with his camera and family to hike and capture the intricacies of the natural landscape.
SHARON SJOSTROM
Treasurer
Sharon Sjostrom has lived or worked in Douglas County most of her life and currently lives west of Castle Rock near Dawson Butte. Sharon has an MBA and Master of Science degree in Mechanical engineering and has spent a career developing and implementing air pollution control technologies currently used throughout the world. Because she has seen tremendous growth in the county over the years, and the corresponding changes in the agricultural and natural characteristics of the area, she knows the importance of preserving the incredibly valuable heritage of open lands for future generations. She is active in the Rotary Club of CastleRock, volunteers with the Douglas Land Conservancy and the Colorado Agricultural Leadership Foundation and serves on the Advisory Board for the CSU Energy Institute.
MARY ELLEN FITZSIMONDS
Secretary
Mary Ellen grew up skiing and hiking in the mountains surrounding Vail. With a Pharmacy B.S. from Drake University, she had a career in hospital and home health pharmacy in the Chicagoland area. A long-time resident of Evanston, Illinois, she and her husband raised their family there. Mary Ellen was active in her community as a volunteer with PTA, high school Booster Club, and her sorority alumnae chapter. She was a Girl Scout leader for 14 years and served as service unit manager for the Girl Scout council. She served in leadership roles for Kappa Alpha Theta and Kappa Alpha Theta Foundation. Through her volunteer service, she honed her fundraising expertise. After she and her husband, Steve, moved to Larkspur in 2018, they started hiking the area open spaces. Meeting DLC volunteers at Sandstone Ranch helped her gain appreciation for DLC’s mission and she started volunteering with DLC in 2019 and joined the board in 2022.
RICHARD BANGS
Richard Bangs has worked in Castle Rock since 1986 and is now retired from Castle Rock Bank as an Information Technology Assistant in the Information Services department. He was born, raised and educated in Montana, earning a BA in journalism from the University of Montana in Missoula. He worked on a variety of newspapers in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and Australia, ranging from community weeklies to metro dailies. He came to Castle Rock in 1986 and worked for the Douglas County News-Press for 14 years as an editor and manager. He was also manager and part owner of the Castle Rock Daily Star between September of 2002 and December of 2004. Bangs joined the Douglas Land Conservancy Board of Directors in 1992. He lives in Littleton, CO with his wife Susan.
JANE BOAND
Jane Boand is a 39-year resident of Douglas County, and is a founding member of the Douglas Land Conservancy. She became interested in land trusts as a tool for helping landowners preserve open spaces for wildlife, agriculture and open space during graduate school at CSU. Jane and her husband Steve live south of Castle Rock on a small ranch, growing hay and raising goats, chickens and fostering formerly wild BLM burros. Jane is also actively involved in recycling efforts in Douglas County.
JIM DELAY
Jim DeLay is long term resident of Douglas County and enjoys the open space and beauty of our beautiful part of world. Previously, Jim operated Flying Horse Catering for over 23 years and currently is a Real Estate Agent with Keller Williams in Castle Rock. Jim was named Business Person of the Year in 2006 by the Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce. Originally from Washington DC, Jim’s family moved to Colorado in 1972. Jim graduated from the University of Colorado in Boulder. Married to wife Patti in 1982 in Castle Rock, the DeLay’s have been part of Douglas County for over 35years. They have 3 daughters who all attended Douglas County Schools and the University of Colorado. Jim previously served on the Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce board the Douglas County 4-H Foundation Board along the Douglas Elbert Task Force (local food bank).
CINDY HARLAN
Cindy moved to Colorado with her family in 1972, first spending 30 years in Littleton and the past 17 years in Douglas County. She studied communications at Regis University, and now with an established career in Telecom Management, manages projects that build and enhance the fiber network in Colorado and neighboring states. Passionate about spending time outdoors she believes time in nature is good for the soul. One of her favorite things to do is hike the wonderful Open Space trails of Douglas County and the surrounding areas. Cindy’s other pastime is riding horses. She has been an avid horseman for the past 25 years enjoying dressage and trail riding. Beyond this, Cindy loves to spend time with her family, especially her three grandchildren. She is a member of Castle Rock Center for Spirituality, CenturyLink Woman, and Volunteers of America. Cindy has volunteered with Douglas Land Conservancy since 2013 and joined the board in June 2015.