Meet Our Board Members
South Metro Land Conservancy is a community nonprofit organization with a volunteer board.
Pat Cronenberger
President
Pat has a varied career in historic preservation, design firm marketing and public policy. Her professional experience includes work for a US Member of Congress, the National Park Service and the Denver Regional Council of Governments where she focused on land use and transportation. Prior to joining DRCOG she served as a Littleton council member, mayor and mayor pro tem for 15 years. In addition to her passion for open spaces and parks, she is deeply devoted to all issues surrounding affordable housing and serves as a member of Littleton’s public housing authority.
Kelly Ingebritson
Vice President
Kelly has a passion for connecting people and nature. Since 2008, she has worked at The Conservation Fund, a national conservation non-profit organization with a Colorado Office. Her expertise includes conservation real estate transactions, government relations, legislative drafting, grant writing, coalition building, and conservation funding at the local, state, and federal levels. Kelly holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and has a Bachelor of Science in Education from Miami University of Ohio. She lives in Littleton with her husband and daughter.
Iftin Abshir
Secretary
Iftin earned two concurrent degrees from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California- a Bachelor of Arts in Screenwriting with Film Studies and Theatre minors and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, with a focus on environmental chemistry. After graduation Iftin worked with the Center for Urban Resilience (CURes), a non-profit organization housed within LMU’s Seaver College of Science and Engineering dedicated to studying and promoting urban ecology in the Los Angeles metro area. Her main area of focus was sustainability, first as the sustainability intern and then hired as the sustainability coordinator. Combining both her science and film and media degrees, Iftin created a series of Sustainability Snapshot short films used to promote sustainable urban living and educate a wide audience on the scientific principles associated with urban ecology. In 2018, Iftin also completed her Master of Arts in Cinema & Media Studies from the University of Southern California and is currently working on her doctorate degree through the University of California, Los Angeles with research focused on the cultural impacts of media. Iftin is excited to be on the SMLC board to continue the important task of open space conservation, connecting people to nature, and working towards a more sustainable future.
Molli Luke
Treasurer
Molli Luke has spent the last 15 years supporting and managing systems, education, and software development in nonprofit organizations. She has a Ph.D. in behavior analysis, and her knowledge of the science together with her interest in environmental sustainability have led her to participate in a number of committees, projects, and paper publications on the subject. She grew up outdoors and in nature. Now that she is a mother, she hopes her children will share her passion for the environment. Fortunately, this area makes it easy for them (as well as Molli and her husband) to spend time in nature because of the abundance of our local natural places.
LaDonna Baertlein
LaDonna has focused her career as a business development professional and principal in the landscape architecture / planning profession. Her passion for parks and open space stems from this career of serving communities to create places for people that balance both humans and nature. As a resident of Littleton for over 25 years, LaDonna treasures the natural resources our community has readily available to us. She has served on board and committee positions with the Urban Land Institute (most recently the Building Healthy Places committee), Littleton Planning Board, and Downtown Denver Partnership Sustainability Task Force. In her free time, LaDonna enjoys hiking, gardening, travel, photography, and watercolor painting.
Debbie Brinkman
Debbie has been engaged in the preservation, acquisition, and enhancement of parks, trails and open space for over twenty years. She served on the Littleton City Council for 12 years; two terms as mayor and two terms as mayor pro tem. She was selected by the governor to serve on the Mile High Flood District Board of Directors and represented Littleton for 12 years on the South Platte Working Group. She currently serves on the board of Littleton Adventist Hospital and the Littleton Twilight Criterium. She works as a commercial broker and entitlement consultant.
Connor Gnazzo
Connor is a healthcare technology professional with a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He is a community advocate and actively supports a range of non-profits that support community mentorship, hunger assistance, medical relief, and environmental stewardship. He is passionate about leveraging low-cost and natural solutions to support our community's water, bio-diversity, affordability, and public health challenges. You can frequently find Connor exploring Colorado’s natural spaces or on the lacrosse field playing and coaching. Connor lives in Centennial with his wife and two cats.
Laura Lindley
As an avid user of trails and open space in Arapahoe County, Laura understands the value of easy access to fresh air, exercise and experiences in nature that are available to users of all ages and backgrounds. Laura has an undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University and a J.D. degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. She practiced natural resources and energy law for more than 40 years and used time off from work to hike, camp and fish in the Rocky Mountains. Now that she’s retired, she enjoys hiking more often and spending time outdoors with her grandchildren.
Adam Spoerl
After graduating from the University of Colorado, Adam has spent the last 11 years working within the Fly Fishing industry. During this time he has been fortunate enough to work with individual clients, Project Healing Waters, the River Deep Foundation, Lincoln Hills Cares, Trout Unlimited, and various clubs at the University of Colorado. These experiences have fostered in him a greater understanding of what inspires people to find new passions and help them realize the importance of protecting the places and resources available to us. He lives in Littleton with his wife and kids and they can be routinely found at the many parks and watersheds within the city.
