As director of strategy for Verde’s clients, the agency and its divisions, Kristin leads business development at Verde. She also launched the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practice and is pursuing an MBA in sustainable business practices from Green Mountain College in Vermont.

Kristin has lived in Durango since 1994. She enjoys outdoor pursuits with her husband, Jared, their two kids, Tobin and Bella, and Neve the Malamute.

Kelly Blake has over 18 years of marketing experience with an emphasis in public relations and brand strategy. Kelly has worked both in-house with manufacturers and on the agency side. She has been instrumental in the success for communications campaigns for a variety of the top brands in the industry.

Kelly holds a degree from the University of Oregon and is a Duck football fan. She is the mother of her 9 year old daughter, 6 year old son and 11 year old Swiss Mountain Dog. In her spare time she has adjusted to family camping by turning in all her lightweight packing gear for the luxuries of car camping. She also loves to hike and ski.

Anna Peterson, Verde's Director of Human Resources and Operations Manager joined the Verde team in July 2011.  Anna has a BA in Art, Political Science and Environmental Studies from St. Olaf College in Minnesota and a Masters of Science in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana.   Anna has worked on corporate social responsibility, human rights, immigration, public health, wilderness, 1872 mining law reform, climate change, renewable energy, forest and roadless campaigns for over ten years.  

Anna has been fortunate to live in many of the West's best mountain towns and currently lives in Durango, Colorado with her husband Tim and dog Greta.  When not striving to keep Verde organized and working on corporate accountability campaigns, Anna enjoys politics, exploring the West, gardening, sunshine, traveling, hiking, swimming, hot springs, art work, camping and other activities that allow her to spend time outdoors  

Amanda Markert - Digital Division Manager
“Head West young woman,” is what Amanda heard when she decided to leave her home in Chicago and move to Boulder, Colo. Since this Midwestern gal settled in the Rocky Mountain foothills, she’s taken an active interest in digital media, public relations, and of course, skiing.

With a B.S. in News Editorial Journalism from CU-Boulder and a minor in outdoor adventures, Amanda spent her first few post-grad years working as a digital editor for SKI and SKIING Magazines and Warren Miller Entertainment. As Verde’s Digital/Social/Content Division Manager, Amanda works with the digital team to maintain Verde’s social platforms, create blog content, and optimize SEO. Aside from skiing and mountain biking, Amanda’s biggest passion is preaching the gospel of her hero ­– Bruce Springsteen. .

Rachel Walker- Social & Digital Coordinator

Rachel Walker has 15 years of journalism experience that includes daily newspaper reporting, magazine editing, and freelance writing. She launched her career in 1998 as the environmental reporter for the Jackson Hole News and then reported the same beat for the Bend, Ore., Bulletin starting in 2001. In 2004, Rachel was one of five journalists selected for a prestigious Ted Scripps Fellow in Environmental Journalism at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Following the fellowship, she joined SkiingMagazine as an associate editor. Since 2008, Rachel has been a full time freelancer, contributing reported pieces and essays to the New York Times, Backpacker, Skiing,babble.com, grist.org, Mountain Magazine, 5280, and others. Her corporate clients have included Vail Resorts, Verde PR, Deuter, and Polar Field Services, a National Science Foundation-contracted logistics provider for Arctic research. When she's not fretting over the use of semi colons and mixed metaphors, Rachel mountain bikes, trail runs, skis, and participates in races for which she has no qualifications (see her 2012 cyclocross race results). She also has two young sons who are a full contact sport all of their own.

Prior to joining the team at Verde, Julie served as a senior reporter for a trade publication covering the beauty industry. Julie enjoys mountain biking, hiking, skiing, yoga, and being outdoors with her husband, two daughters and their dog.

Kendall Schoemann – Account Coordinator
The newest addition to the Verde team, Kendall is an Account Coordinator in the Boulder office. The mountains lured her to school at the University of Colorado, where she earned a B.S. in Journalism in May 2012. After several internships in the newsroom, media relations and nonprofit sector, she discovered an ideal combination of writing and creativity in public relations. She lives for spontaneous adventures, the perfect glass of lemonade, good friends, exploring the outdoors and photography.

Friends and the mountains eventually lured Keith to Jackson, WY in 2001. Eight years later, he’s served and bussed a few tables, schlepped gear, made a rap video, scaled some peaks, ran some rivers, rode some bikes, snowboarded some terrain, ran some trails, moved four times, had a few late-nights at the Stagecoach, learned about the media and freelanced for a handful of outdoor mag.

Lisa Mullen - Senior Account Executive

Lisa has nearly a decade of public relations experience, specializing in outdoor, snowsports and natural/organic products. Prior to joining Verde in January 2010, Lisa worked as a PR specialist in the lifestyle of health and sustainability (LOHAS) arena. Now, leading the Boulder office for Verde, she brings her expertise in media relations and brand strategy to a variety of the top brands in the industry. Lisa’s PR philosophy brings out-of-the-box ideas to clients while providing tangible results.

MJ’s passions for skiing powder days, mountain biking in the desert, hiking with her dog, writing, travel and an eagerness for knowledge and adventure, make for a perfect match at Verde.

Andrew Small - Account Coordinator
After graduating from Hamilton College in upstate New York, the love of skiing and getting outside eventually led Andrew Small away from the east coast. He packed up his car and headed out to Hood River, Oregon and then eventually found himself in good old Jackson, Wyoming.

Even after going on some great ski adventures, countless floats down the rivers of the area, and hiking through the National Parks of his backyard, there is still so much more for Andrew to explore around the Jackson area. Moving on from the ski shop and restaurant world, Andrew is enjoying Verde office life. The adventures will keep on coming and Andrew is excited to keep enjoying the outdoors!

Patrick Shehan - Account Coordinator
Patrick joined the Verde team as an intern in early summer 2012 and since has climbed the ranks to an account coordinator. In December 2012 he will be receiving his college diploma from Fort Lewis College with dual degrees in Marketing and Accounting. Patrick has worked with multiple companies in the ski and festival industry, notably Poor Boyz Productions and The Telluride Blues & Brews Festival. With a background in event promotion he found Public Relations a familiar yet fascinating profession and is stoked to bye working with Verde.

Patrick is a firm believer in “making dreams happen” and is committed to personal progression. When not hard at work he can be found sliding around the streets on his longboard, jumping off of cliffs into the Animas River, traveling to music festivals around the nation or shredding anything and everything on his skis.

Kyle Dowman –  Account Coordinator
Kyle first came out to Jackson during the 08’-09’ winter to get his Level One Avalanche Certification on a college snow science trip. Kyle’s fell deeply in love with the area and found it very easy to return upon graduating from St. Lawrence University. Canadian born, and raised in the rolling hills of the Adirondacks, Kyle spent his adolescents sliding down icy slopes, getting thrown from the handlebars of his bike, and bumping rocks, with commercially loaded rafts down rivers.

Since relocating to Jackson, Kyle is now drawn to deep snow, fast single track and infrequent hospital visits. After working retail, waiting tables, and (literally, on his hands and knees) assisting with the rich and famous’s ski boots; Kyle is very excited to land his dream job in such an amazing location and add his passion and energy to the Verde team.

William Glenn –  Digital Services & Paid Advertising Contractor
With over 14 years of expertise and proven design/programming knowledge developing and managing creative concepts for interactive and print based projects with companies like The GAP and Harley Davidson, William brings a special blend of tech-geek and creative-type to his role at Verde.

William has worked with Verde for the past 5 years and currently manages Verde’s online media advertising planning, Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO), ad production and creative direction for Verde’s family of clients. In addition to geeking out over website analytics and organic versus paid search trends, William is a longtime resident of Durango and enjoys snowboarding, backpacking and hiking with his wife, and their two canine companions.

Tessa Sibbet - Account Manager

A love for the outdoors and adventure sports was instilled in Tessa Sibbet at a young age. Growing up in California, Tahoe was a common playground for Tessa’s family, and they spent time camping, bike riding or skiing depending on the season. When Tessa left for college, her family moved to a small town in the Sierra foothills along the American River. The main industry there is river rafting, so Tessa went to guide school and began working summers as a guide on rivers all over California.