Board of Trustees


Dedicated. Passionate. Resilient.

The Board of Trustees consists of dedicated volunteers from all over the country who provide governance and financial oversight for Crow Canyon.

Richard G. Ballantine

Board of Trustees

Richard is the retired publisher of The Durango Herald, Southwest Colorado’s daily newspaper, and the past president of the Fort Lewis College Board of Trustees. He lives in Durango and has served on the Board since 1988.

Chris Toya

Board of Trustees; Pueblo Advisory Group

Chris is a member of Jemez Pueblo and serves an important role in the community as an archaeologist and cultural resource specialist.

David (Dave) W. Melanson

Board of Trustees

Dave is a retired military officer and engineer with a 40-year background in developing rockets and spacecraft in the Air Force and industry. Through Crow Canyon and other public archaeology programs, he now studies the human past, how it shaped the present, and what it says about the future. Dave lives in Cortez, CO, and joined the Board in 2017.

Pamela (Pam) E. Dowd

Board of Trustees

Pam is a former museum consultant and Museum Director of the Francisco Fort Museum in La Veta, Colorado. She has served on the Board since 2018 and lives in Parker, Colorado.

Sandra Flow

Board of Trustees

Sandra lives in New York, NY and has a lifelong passion for travel and learning about cultures around the world. She was elected to the Board of Trustees in 2023.

Elizabeth (Liz) M. Perry

President & CEO; 1995 Education Intern

Liz is the President and CEO of Crow Canyon. She joined the Board in 2016 and was hired as CEO in January 2018. Liz works closely with the Board to oversee finances, programming, and long-term strategic planning.

Delia Chilgren

Board of Trustees

Delia has been affiliated with Crow Canyon since 1992, participating in numerous archaeological programs and Cultural Explorations travel seminars through the years. Delia lives near Sedona, AZ and was elected to the Board of Trustees in 2023.

Carole B. Segal

Board of Trustees

Carole is president of the Segal Family Foundation and co-founder, with her husband Gordon, of Crate & Barrel. She is an active volunteer in the Chicago area and serves on many non-profit boards. She joined the Board in 2005 and lives in Winnetka, Illinois.

Nancy M. Byers

Board of Trustees

Nancy had a twenty-year career as pilot for Continental Airlines. She joined the Board in 2019 and lives in Durango, Colorado.

Sue Anschutz-Rodgers

Board of Trustees

Sue is Chairman and President of the Anschutz Family Foundation in Denver, CO and has served on Crow Canyon’s Board of Trustees since 1993.

William (Bill) D. Lipe

Board of Trustees; Research Institute Advisor

Bill is Professor Emeritus at Washington State University where he joined the Anthropology faculty in 1976. He is an archaeologist with expertise in the American Southwest, archaeological method and theory, and cultural resource management. Bill joined the Board in 1995 and lives in Moscow, Idaho.

Karl F. Kumli, III

Vice Chair

Karl is Vice President of Dietze and Davis, P.C. in Boulder, Colorado, where he has practiced water and energy law since 1997. He rejoined the Board in 2018 and was elected as Vice Chair in October 2023. Karl lives in Boulder.

Deedee M. Decker

Board of Trustees

Deedee is a cattle rancher and former television producer at WGBH in Boston and WNET in New York. She lives in Denver and Ridgway, Colorado, and has served on the Board since 2006.

Ricky R. Lightfoot

Board of Trustees; Research Institute Advisor

Ricky directed Crow Canyon’s excavations at the Duckfoot site and Castle Rock Pueblo and has published numerous books and articles on Southwestern archaeology. He joined the Board in 1998 and served as the Board Chair between 2018 and 2023. Ricky has played an important role in the leadership and vision of Crow Canyon since 1984. He lives in Mancos, Colorado.

Elizabeth (Betsy) M. Alexander

Board of Trustees

Betsy is a retired attorney and political consultant from Alexandria, Virginia. She worked in the archaeology department at Mount Vernon for twenty years. Betsy has served on the Board since 1996.

James (Jim) Potter

Board of Trustees; Research Associate; PaleoWest Archaeology

Jim is an archaeologist interested in communal ritual and the organization of prehistoric communities.

Leslie M. Masson

Board Chair

Leslie is a retired software and computer systems manager. She joined the Board in 2015 and was elected as Board Chair in October 2023. She lives in Lexington, Massachusetts, and also owns a home at Indian Camp Ranch, located near the Crow Canyon campus.