CALT Board of Directors

Becky Ruffner

Executive Director

Becky Ruffner is part of a family with five generations in central Arizona, beginning in the 1860’s when Marion Ruffner homesteaded near Tavasi Marsh in the Verde Valley. Her deep love of western landscapes brought her to the work of the Central Arizona Land Trust and local conservation efforts of land trusts throughout the country.

Kaolin Randall

President

Born and raised in Dewey, AZ Kaolin has fond memories of a rural childhood spent outdoors, complete with raising cows, harvesting over-sized zucchini from the garden, and following her parents on hikes and river trips all over Arizona and the Southwest.
After an early career in environmental regulation and consulting in Austin, she returned home with a desire to reconnect with her roots and protect the land that raised her. Her grandmother helped to protect the Phoenix Mountains from development, and her mother helps protect the Granite Dells. Conservation of and appreciation for natural open space and thoughtfully stewarded land is the part of her family legacy.
Kaolin holds a BS in Environmental Science and a BA in Spanish, both from the University of Arizona. She is the Director of Community Outreach for Prescott Farmers Market. In her free time, you can find her at a yoga studio or hiking and swimming in the creek with her husband and their pup.

Michael Steward

VICE PRESIDENT

Michael Steward is a Prescott native with roots in Arizona dating back to before statehood. Growing up in Prescott, Michael’s favorites times were spent in nature. With a love for the outdoors, he spends his free time exploring wild lands through family hunts, hikes, and many other adventures. Michael has a Master of Science in Soil and Water Science. His career has taken him around the world, and he has also traveled extensively the American Southwest working with farmers focusing on soil fertility and irrigation management for sustainable crop production. In 2008, Michael transitioned to the mining sector where he has focused on mine reclamation and remediation of legacy mining assets. Preserving open space and keeping lands in production are very important to Michael.

Judy Clapp

Treasurer

Judy Clapp graduated from Prescott College with a BA in Outdoor Education. After graduating she worked for the US Forest Service, both on kayak patrol on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, and on a number of wilderness lookout towers in the Frank Church Wilderness area of Idaho. She then went from the great outdoors to the great indoors, working as an audio engineer/mixer based in Los Angeles.
After returning to the Prescott area, she bought a mobile home park and eventually partnered with Coalition for Compassion & Justice to provide affordable housing. She has served on the Board of Trustees of Prescott College as well as her neighborhood HOA board.

Anna Mary Glaab

Secretary

Born into the Rigden and Hays families, Anna Mary grew up in Kirkland, AZ, getting her education working on the family ranch and attending the one room schoolhouse where her grandmother had taught in 1905. From there she attended and graduated from Prescott High School. She worked locally at the bank in Yarnell, then in 1983 was hired as a clerk at the Yarnell Justice Court. After the judge retired, she ran for his seat and was elected to serve as Justice of the Peace in Bagdad and Yarnell – a position she held for 26 years.All along, she continued to help her family working on and managing the ranch – something she continues to do. Her lifelong involvement in ranching has taught her that nothing can compare to, or replace, the value of land and the freedom of open spaces.

Patricia Bruneau-Gaber

Patricia grew up in the foothills of the Sierras in Northern California. Her undergraduate studies occurred both at Oregon State University and at the University of Oregon, where she earned her BS and MS, with a focus on science and education.
A career in community college administration led to work in Alaska, Oregon and Arizona. She ended her “working” days as a Financial Advisor in Prescott.
The wide, open spaces of the west have informed Patricia’s life. Her background and experiences, as well as love of wide, open spaces, are a solid foundation for her activity with CALT.

Dick Hanna

Born in Denver, Colorado, Dick studied Ecology and Natural History at Prescott College, graduating in 1977. He spent a number of years engaged in field studies on raptors in Arizona and New Mexico; worked as an Interpretive Naturalist, writer, and painter in Wickenburg, Arizona; and worked as an instructor for the Southwest Outward Bound school based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He spent over 25 years as an Art Director and Graphic Designer in Denver, Colorado with clients including the Denver Museum of Natural History and many others.
Dick returned to Prescott two years ago, where he is happily engaged in, among other things, rehabilitating the riparian woodland and meadow on the acre of Aspen Creek on which he lives.

Ken Jordan

Continuing his family´s legacy as Arizona pioneers, Ken Jordan has been ranching for 40 years, both in the cattle and meat goat production. He also worked for 37 years as a contract responder for major disasters, a job in which he helped people both around the country and abroad recover after natural catastrophes. Ken remains committed to the wise use of natural resources and open space.

Diana Kessler

Member of family ranching business in Coconino County, Arizona; 100+ years on same piece of ground. BA from UofA, married, 2 children, 5 grandchildren; bookkeeper by trade. Believe it is vitally important to keep working lands producing, or begin again to produce, the wealth from natural resources that made our nation great. Saving these open lands as open is the work of land trusts. Exciting times ahead on this work.

John Stallings

John graduated from the University of Arizona in 1971 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture, and then went on to law school graduating from UofA College of Law in 1974. He moved to Prescott after graduation where he has practiced law in Yavapai County ever since. Recently retired, John is Of Counsel to the Law Offices of Boyle, Pecharich, Cline, Whittington and Stallings.  As to why John joined our board recently he put it this way:  “I’ve always been interested in farming, ranching and the outdoors.  When I was asked to join the board, I knew I wanted to assist the organization with its efforts to preserve agricultural lands and open space.”

Kathy Sischka

As a healthcare professional, business owner and dedicated volunteer, Kathy incorporates passion and leadership skills to enhance the efforts of the organizations she is involved in. Seldom has she been without a significant role in whatever community need presented itself. Kathy chaired the Courthouse Lighting Committee for the Prescott Chamber of Commerce in 1989 when Prescott was named “Arizona’s Christmas City”. She is currently in her 10th year on the PUSD Education Foundation Board where she has worked to cultivate an environment in which students and staff can achieve long term success. Kathy also serves on the Prescott Campus Advisory Board at ERAU. She is a graduate of Prescott Area Leadership, an active member of P.E.O., serves at her church and is on the leadership team for Prescott Women Who Care. On Friday mornings you will find her volunteering at the front desk of YRMC West. She is married to Steve Sischka, has 2 children (both PHS alumni) and 3 grandchildren. When she isn’t volunteering, Kathy enjoys golf, Pilates, skiing and traveling to spend time with family.