Board of directors

Marilyn owns S-L Quarter Horses and was an attorney in private practice and with the American Energy Assurance Council. Her community involvement has included directorships with the Yellowstone Association and Mesa Verde Foundation and head of Philanthropic Development for the Upper Missouri Watershed Alliance.

Patty is George Washington University’s assistant vice president of Alumni Relations & Annual Giving. Previously with Pew Charitable Trust, she worked in development at The Spence School, University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business, and Sidwell Friends School. She also served on the boards for Achievement Preparatory Academy, Yellowstone Association and its merged organization, Yellowstone Forever.

Jason Coochwytewa is Isleta Pueblo and Hopi. A seasoned professional with 26+ years of expertise in the marketing, communications and events industry, he is the CEO of Urias Communications, an award-winning Phoenix-based advertising and public relations agency specializing in multicultural markets. Jason has received distinguished honors and awards from the Phoenix Business Journal and the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development and was recognized as the Outstanding American Indian Man of the Year by the Arizona American Indian Excellence in Leadership Awards. With his unique background working with and for Tribes and Nations, Tribal leadership, Native American organizations and Native American media throughout the United States, Jason intimately understands the nuances and uniqueness of the market. He brings with him a sincere dedication to and wealth of knowledge of national parks and their connected communities.

With over 40 years dedicated to protecting and restoring wildlands while connecting people with nature, Les Corey has built a remarkable career. As a retired conservation executive and forest ecologist, he currently serves on the Board of the Arizona Land and Water Trust, where he chairs the Land and Water Protection Committee. He also served as the executive director of the Arizona Wilderness Coalition. Les has held leadership roles with The Nature Conservancy, where he received the 1996 One Conservancy Award, and the National Audubon Society, which honored him with the 2011 Charles Callison Award.

Teresa gives much time to community activities, including as past board chair and board member of the Grand Canyon Conservancy, the official philanthropic partner of the National Park Service for Grand Canyon National Park.

She’s served on boards for organizations focused on workforce education, childhood literacy, women’s empowerment, emergency aid, and culture and the arts.

An experienced labor and employment attorney and human resources executive, Teresa most recently was Mercer’s executive director of labor and employment networks. She also held senior leadership roles in the retail and energy industries.

John uses recreation to refresh and gain a valuable perspective on life.  His recreational activities have included visiting over 25 national parks, rafting rivers, hiking the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim six times and twice summiting Mt. Whitney in the Inyo National Forest.

When not busy in nature, the Miami native serves as president of Cooler Screens. He’s held top leadership positions at several businesses, including Cardenas Markets, Trader Joe’s, Argo Tea, Panda Restaurant Group and FedEx Office.

Pat Gonzales-Rogers brings a lifetime of expertise in tribal policy and advocacy, as well as environmentalism and education. His work in these fields includes his role as the inaugural executive director of the Bears Ears Intertribal Coalition, which resulted, among other notable accomplishments, in the full restoration of the Bears Ears National Monument, a historic formal agreement that placed the five member tribes (Navajo, Hopi, Zuni, Ute and Ute Mountain) as collaborative managers of the monument. His lifelong work includes tribal policy and advocacy, environmentalism, and public lands, and he brings with him deep knowledge and expertise of the lands and communities we serve.

Matt Grams is a Managing Director at Deloitte & Touche LLP. He has more than 20 years at Deloitte serving a variety of clients with advisory and audit services. With global experience of an international assignment in Costa Rica and the successful maneuvering of two clients through their initial public offerings, Matt has experience advising management on their most critical and complex challenges. He has become an industry leader in technology, consumer business and manufacturing, and energy and resources. He previously spent eight years in the Army National Guard and has been involved in the community through a school board and as a hike leader in a backpacking club.

Julia is a retired attorney and the former managing shareholder for her law firm, Boutin Jones Inc. in Sacramento.  She has served in leadership roles on numerous community boards, including KVIE Public Television, Capital Public Radio Inc., Capital Public Radio Endowment Inc., and Wells Fargo Bank Community Advisory Board.

Dan served as Everglades National Park and Dry Tortugas National Park superintendent. He also worked with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Office of Surface Mining, and environmental consulting firms. His community service includes Sonoran Institute, Archaeology Southwest, Western Art Patrons of the Tucson Museum of Art, and Friends of Saguaro National Park.

As a professor and researcher, Koprowski’s methods on conservation and management of biodiversity that embraces community involvement has been applied in the US, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Nepal, China, Mongolia and South Africa, among other locations worldwide. The native Ohioan has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed articles and five books, most recently International Wildlife Management. On November 8, 2022, John received one of the nation’s most prestigious environmental awards—The Wildlife Society’s Aldo Leopold Memorial Award. He’s a fellow with the American Association of the Advancement of Science, The Wildlife Society and the Linnean Society of London.

Kindley is president and CEO of Parks California. She spent over 25 years specializing in fair and productive global apparel supply chains, focusing on innovative public and private partnerships in urban, peri-urban and rural locations across 25 countries. Her nonprofit service included the International Labor Organization Advisory Committee and the Advisory Board for the Center for Responsible Business at Berkeley Haas.

Howard’s many positions with the National Park Service included chief of communications, acting superintendent, chief of interpretation and education, and director of communications and partnerships for Golden Gate National Recreation Area. His board and volunteer service includes Environmental Traveling Companions, We Players theater company, and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition.

Chris’s board and committee service includes Junior Achievement, United Way, Boy Scouts of America, and Southern Arizona Water Resources Association. With degrees in business management, public administration, and executive development, he worked in the Phoenix, Arizona, mayor’s office, as Western Savings vice president and regional manager, as a Commerce Bank of Arizona director, and as president of three real estate development companies. Chris was a founder and director of the Southern Arizona Leadership Council. He served on the National Council of National Parks and Conservation for over 25 years.

Chrystal has more than 20 years of executive nonprofit experience, including her current work as a principal with Onyx Strategies Group, an organization that develops innovative and comprehensive solutions for nonprofits seeking to build mission-critical communities, strategies, and boards. In her recent role as the National Park Foundation’s senior vice president, she built the Foundation’s Strong Parks, Strong Communities initiative. Among other innovative community and government partnerships, she served as vice president of the nonprofit Engagement at America’s Promise Alliance, where she partnered with state governments to design opportunities to keep children in schools. Chrystal holds a degree from American University and earned certificates from Stanford University, American Express Leadership Academy, and Northwestern University.

Ben Myers found his calling at Trader Joe’s 23 years ago. As Executive Vice President of Strategic Planning, he is currently focused on growth plans that serve neighborhoods and communities across the US. He has a passion for underserved communities and has actively supported diversity and inclusion efforts as well as the Trader Joe’s Food Shares Program that helps feed millions of people in need. Ben is committed to service through personal and professional growth, both his own and supporting others’ development. His passion for community will contribute to the vital strength of our amazing board.

Bob Shopneck is founder and general partner of Pinetree Financial Planners. The Toledo, Ohio native, he earned degrees in history, political science, and business from the University of Toledo, as well a master’s in history and a law degree from the University of Denver. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver named its Brighton-area building, built in 2007, in Bob’s honor for his invaluable service as a board member since 1984, including as chair. He founded and chairs The Shopneck Family Foundation and served as a board member and board present of the Denver Tennis Club. Additionally, he  has served on the board of what was the Yellowstone Association and its successor, Yellowstone Forever.

Tyson Winarski is an Intellectual Property law professor with the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University and the University of San Francisco School of Law. Tyson is also a registered patent attorney whose law practice focuses on patent licensing, patent prosecution, and strategic IP portfolio development. Tyson is a technologist (BSME, MSEE) and inventor with over 51 patents in Artificial Intelligence (AI), blockchain, and nanotechnology. Tyson has also cofounded H2Gr0, an AI software start-up company focusing on sustainable fertilizer management for agriculture. Tyson is passionate about our national parks and public lands and is dedicated to utilizing his professional expertise to support WNP’s mission and strategic initiatives.