Meet the Larimer County Conservation Corps Staff
Maelly Oropeza
LCCC Manager
(970) 498-6630 | moropeza@larimer.org
Maelly began his time as Manager of the Larimer County Conservation Corps in 2004. In this capacity, he is responsible for the planning and execution of the LCCC’s mission and overall sustainability of the organization. Maelly supervises and supports the professional development of staff and seasonal employees, while also managing relationships with our partner organizations across the private, nonprofit, and public sectors.
Before joining LCCC, Maelly served as the Program Director at Educo Colorado, worked as a land steward for Boulder County, and was a Conservation Corpsmember with the Washington Conservation Corps. Maelly holds a B.A. in Anthropology from The University of Kansas.
He has served on various boards and committees, including the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed, the Colorado Youth Corps Association, and the Front Range Community College Natural Resource Advisory Committee. He is also an active member of several regional collaboratives and partnerships focused on wildfire defense, watershed health, workforce development, and conservation efforts.
Maelly spends most of his time either fly fishing or rafting the rivers across the west.
Kiera Denehan
LCCC Program Coordinator | Trails and Water & Energy
(970) 498-6662 | kdenehan@larimer.org
Kiera Denehan started with Larimer County Conservation Corps in 2019 as a crew member and now oversees Land, Trail and Water and Energy Crews!
Kiera was previously a LCCC Trail Crew Member, 2019 Corpsmember of the year, and Land Crew Leader! During her undergraduate degree, she also worked as an Environmental Educator at the CSU Environmental Learning Center. Kiera holds a B.S. in Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology from Colorado State University.
Outside of work she spends free time hiking, paddle boarding, hanging out with friends and desperately keeping houseplants alive (with varied success).
Kathryn Guy
LCCC Program Coordinator | AmeriCorps and Individual Site Placements
(970) 498-6081 | kguy@larimer.org
Kathryn Guy joined LCCC in 2022. Kathryn manages the Individual Site Placement programs as well as the AmeriCorps grants. She plays a key role in marketing, recruitment and organizing workforce development activities, including weekly educational opportunities.
Before joining LCCC, Kathryn worked as a Senior Communications Coordinator for the City of Fort Collins Parks and Recreation Department. She also has experience with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, where she served as both a Program and Policy Analyst and the State Trails External Relations and Partnerships Coordinator. Kathryn holds a B.S. in Natural Resource Recreation and Global Tourism from Colorado State University.
Kathryn enjoys trail running, rafting and putting that global tourism degree to use through travel!
Thomas Shields
LCCC Program Coordinator | Forestry
(970) 498-6044 | tshields@larimer.org
Thomas Shields joined the team in 2025 to meet the growing needs of forestry work. Thomas operates all forestry-related projects.
Thomas was previously a project partner of LCCC, serving as a Natural Resource Technician for the City of Loveland. He also draws on his experience as a Forestry Aide with Cal Fire. He graduated from Colorado State University with degrees in Natural Resource Management as well as Natural Resource and Environmental Economics.
Outside of work, he spends time gardening, cooking, and hanging out with family. He also enjoys mountain biking, rollerblading, skiing, and woodworking - all with minimal skill and lots of enthusiasm!
Mark Johnston
Economic and Workforce Development Director
(970) 498-6624 | mjohnston@larimer.org
First Job: Cashier & Clerk at a local video store in Illinois.
How did you end up here? I knew that I wanted to work in a career where I had an opportunity to help people believe in their abilities & achieve success, whatever that success was. My careers have been diverse ranging from wilderness trip leading with youth, to providing employment & career counseling services. I currently enjoy supporting our youth & adult training teams as the program manager.
What do you love most about your current job? Lots of things! To name one, I would say I love having the opportunity to create employment & training services for people that truly make an impact. We are constantly adapting & changing to provide the best services possible.
Perks outside of work: On the weekends you’d find me with my wife & two boys doing something active. We might be hiking or biking, spending time in the garden, playing soccer or baseball, or cooking an allergy free dinner or desert in the kitchen.
Funny Quirk: I’m a fantasy baseball geek & I crunch player statistics daily. My staff know that I speak in metaphors to get my point across.
- Email: lccc@larimer.org
- Phone: (970) 498-6660
- Homepage: larimer.gov/lccc
- Instagram: LarimerCountyConservationCorps
