The Center for Western Priorities is a nonpartisan conservation and advocacy organization that serves as a source of accurate information, promotes responsible policies and practices, and ensures accountability at all levels to protect land, water, and communities in the American West.
Based in Denver, Colorado, the Center advances responsible conservation and energy practices in the West. We encourage open, public debate and work to advance those discussions online, in the media, and throughout Western communities by promoting responsible solutions and original research.
The Center is a project of the Resources Legacy Fund.
Staff
Aaron Weiss
Executive Director
Aaron joined CWP in 2015 after 14 years as a journalist and broadcast news producer, executive producer, and news director. He co-hosts CWP’s podcast, The Landscape, and works to expand the Center’s reach among reporters and the general public. A native of Tucson, Arizona, Aaron grew up exploring the Sonoran Desert and now enjoys hiking with his kids and impersonating a skier in the Rocky Mountains.
Lauren Bogard
Deputy Director
Lauren leads the planning and execution of CWP’s advocacy campaigns. Before joining CWP, she served as a policy advisor at the Interior Department during the Obama administration, and worked for former Colorado Senator Mark Udall. She is a graduate of Colorado College and the University of Colorado Leeds School of Business. She enjoys Colorado’s parks, public lands, and abundant outdoor recreation opportunities in all seasons.
Rachael Hamby
Policy Director
Rachael oversees CWP’s conservation policy program. Prior to joining CWP in 2022, Rachael served as a senior policy analyst at Western Resource Advocates where her portfolio included a variety of state-level conservation policy initiatives across the West. She earned her Master of Public Administration degree, with a concentration in Environmental Policy, Management and Law, from the University of Colorado’s School of Public Affairs, and her Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Williams College. On weekends, you can find her climbing high peaks and camping with her kids.
Kate Groetzinger
Communications Director
Kate joined CWP in July 2021 after working at Utah’s statewide public radio station, KUER, as its Southeast Utah bureau reporter. In that role, she covered Bears Ears National Monument and public land management issues, as well as the Navajo Nation. She now co-hosts CWP’s podcast, The Landscape, and manages CWP’s social media. She works remotely from Salt Lake City. On the weekends, she enjoys hiking in the canyons around Salt Lake with her dog Tony, knitting, yoga, swimming, and skiing.
Lilly Bock-Brownstein
Creative Content and Policy Manager
Lilly is responsible for policy research tasks and design of print and digital products. She is a graduate of Macalester College and the University of Vermont. Prior to joining the CWP team, she spent six years doing communications for Jefferson County Open Space in Colorado. On the weekends, she can be found camping, hiking with her dog, or snowboarding.
Sterling Homard
Digital Media Coordinator and Content Creator
Sterling graduated from the University of Minnesota with degrees in Political Science, Psychology, and Sustainability. After moving to Denver in 2022, he joined the CWP team as a Wyss Fellow, helping the organization cap off the Road to 30: Postcards campaign. He spearheaded the creation of the organization’s TikTok account, and now manages CWP’s digital media. In his free time, you can find Sterling climbing on public lands all over the West and making videos about fixing up his old Land Cruiser.
AI Use Policy
The Center for Western Priorities uses artificial intelligence as a tool, not a substitute for human judgment. This policy outlines how we use AI in our work and where we stand on the broader impacts of the technology.
How we use AI
CWP staff may use AI tools to assist with research, drafting, editing, designing, and writing code for data analysis. Every product we publish, regardless of whether AI assisted in producing it, is the responsibility of CWP staff. Fact-checking, sourcing, and final editorial judgment rest with us.
Photorealistic images and video
CWP will not use generative AI to create photorealistic images or videos except where there is a clear editorial need, such as visualizing the potential impacts of environmental or energy policies. In any case where we do, we will clearly label the content as AI-generated.
Data centers and Western communities
The buildout of AI infrastructure is reshaping land, water, and energy use across the West. CWP supports policies that give communities meaningful authority over whether and how data centers are sited near them. We support policies that require data centers to run on clean energy and to minimize their water footprint.
Data training and consent
Generative AI tools are built on the work of writers, journalists, photographers, and researchers, often without their knowledge or consent. CWP supports policies that require meaningful consent and fair compensation when creative and journalistic work is used to train AI systems.
Employment Opportunities
There are no job openings at this time. Please check back at a later date.