Jim & Annie live in the Retreat, which is a mountain community in the Glen Haven area. Between them, they have 5 children and 2 grandchildren. Jim retired in 2022, after 42 yrs at the YMCA of the Rockies as a director. Annie has been a speech pathologist for 42 yrs. They are both semi-retired. Jim also is responsible for the road maintenance for the Retreat.

They love their life in the mountains: the peace and quiet, being able to go on hikes right from their property, gardening, the close bond of our community, sharing our little mountain paradise with their family and friends, and most of all, enjoying the year-round beauty. 

Esther Vincent holds a master’s degree in civil engineering from the Grenoble Institute of Technology in France and is a registered professional engineer in Colorado. She is also an alumna of the WeCo Water Leaders program. Esther has been with Northern Water since 1999, gaining experience in water quality, watershed management, water supply planning, environmental permitting and regulations, source water protection, forest health and water conservation.

In recent years, she has been leading Northern Water’s watershed restoration efforts in the wake of the 2020 East Troublesome Fire. Additionally, she oversees the organization’s water quality, water efficiency, and flow monitoring programs, along with environmental planning, compliance, and environmental data management
systems. Esther's work supports Northern Water’s ongoing commitment to managing water and protecting water resources.

Merrit Linke is part of a 5th generation ranch family and Grand County native. He lives on the original 160 acre that was homesteaded in 1883 by his great grandfather. He graduated from Middle Park High School in Granby, from Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, and from the University of Wyoming in 1985 with a BS degree in Secondary Education with a major in Physics and minors in Chemistry and Earth Science. 

From 1987-2001, he taught all levels of science, mostly chemistry and physics, and coached multiple levels of several sports ranging from 7th-grade girls basketball to intercollegiate rodeo. He started a livestock feed and supplement business in 2001, worked for the livestock nutrition division for an international company and continued with his own feed distribution business until selling it in 2018. 

Merrit was elected Grand County commissioner in 2012, and was re-elected in 2016 and 2020. He is currently chair of the Board and serving his third term. He also currently serves on the executive committee of Club 20; served as CCI Mountain diarist president for 3 years and currently serves as vice president of Middle Park Stockgrowers. He is a member of the Bureau of Land Management Resource Advisory Council (RAC) and serves as vice-chair of the Grand County Wildfire Council. Since 1999, he has owned and operated a livestock and hay production business in Grand County and continues to operate it today.

Tony Cheng is a professor at Colorado State University in the Forest & Rangeland Stewardship department with an Extension/Research/Teaching appointment split and director of the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute (CFRI). His research focuses on conditions and strategies influencing collaborative stewardship of forests. Through his Extension appointment, Tony oversees CFRI’s work to translate science into locally-relevant and actionable knowledge to address forest resilience and wildfire risk management goals. Born and raised in Pullman, Washington in the heart of Eastern Washington’s Palouse region, Tony received his undergraduate degree in Political Science at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, a MS in Forestry at the University of Minnesota, and a PhD in Forestry at Oregon State University. In addition to his academic training, Tony served as a in the Forest Policy Research Fellow at American Forests in Washington, DC. Tony has been at Colorado State University since 2000 and the director of CFRI since 2008.