MEET THE TEAM
Staff & Board
Meet the amazing team of four full-time staff members and an elected Board of Directors that are tasked with achieving the goals of The Colorado Trail Foundation.
Tisha McCombs joined the CTF team as Executive Director in 2022. Her professional background includes serving as the Executive Director of 2 other outdoor recreation and trails organizations, serving as a Regional Operations Director overseeing operations in national parks, and serving in executive leadership roles in the media industry. Tisha's connection with the Colorado Trail started in 2021 when she spent 3 weeks backpacking and fly fishing her way along the CT. In her personal time, Tisha is passionate about all forms of outdoor recreation, traveling internationally and experiencing the world, and spending time with her best travel buddy, Chewy the Saint Bernard.
Tisha excels at strategically bringing both big and small ideas to life. She has a strong history of success in directing nonprofit organizations and she is devoted to not only using that experience to achieve great things at the CTF, but to impart that knowledge onto her team. She can masterfully navigate the relationships that are necessary to keep the wheels of the CTF moving while also managing our fundraising, donor, and grant efforts. Tisha has a unique ability to observe, understand, and work within complex relationships to accomplish the goals of the organization. She has a vision for the direction of the CTF and she’s got the tools to bring that vision to fruition. Don’t forget, if she sees you looking for a ride back to the trail, she will pick you up!
Laurie Nakauchi is the Office Manager for the Colorado Trail Foundation. Discovering the Colorado Trail Foundation in 2001 after she ran the trail, set Laurie on a path not only to become the CTF’s Office Manager, but also sparked a passion for volunteer trail maintenance. As a trail runner who spends countless hours on the trails, Laurie helped found an organization called Trail Runner Volunteers (TRV), with a mission of getting more runners involved in maintaining the trails she loves along the front range. Laurie and her husband Kurt are also proud adopters of a Colorado Trail section near Lake Ann. In addition to her love of running all day and night, and working in the dirt, Laurie has a passion for recycling, reading, cooking, wordle, and vegetables of all kind!
Laurie is the glue that holds it all together. It may sound like an exaggeration, but the CTF would come to a screeching halt without Laurie’s hard work, dedication, and attention to details that most of us would never pick up on. Laurie handles the bulk of phone calls and emails that come in, she makes sure staff and vendors are paid, she is a sorceress while interacting with a massive database to generate useful reports, she is integral in communicating with everyone interacting with the CTF, and she does so much more that won’t ever fit into this little box. Her ability to multitask is unparalleled and she does it all with a smile on her face. Her passion for the most beautiful trail in America is clear, and she loves to share that passion with everyone she comes across.
Darin Radatz is the Field Operations Manager for The Colorado Trail Foundation. He grew up in the Great Lakes State of Michigan and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Natural Resource Management from Michigan State University. This self-proclaimed “Trails Nerd” decided after college to not only make a career in building and maintaining trails but also set a personal goal to spend a week volunteering in all 50 states. He is well on his way with over 40 states visited along with 3 countries. Highlights of his work include using a chainsaw with a 6-foot bar to clear down redwood trees blocking trails in Northern California, helping to build a mile-long universal access nature path for all in Maine, and lastly using dynamite to explode and clear a dead cow blocking a slot canyon trail in Utah. In his off time, Darin enjoys taking his dogs for walks, ripping trees for woodworking projects, and has a deep love for grilling/smoking large quantities of meat.
Darin is the one running the show when it comes to trail work. Not only does he know all there is to know about trail construction, but his sense of humor will keep the entire crew in stitches. His attention to detail and his penchant for creating a positive team environment contribute to great experiences for everyone involved. When not on the trail, Darin is meticulous about maintaining all the CTF equipment, from trailers to Pulaskis, to chainsaws and McLeods. He also works tirelessly to coordinate the CTF efforts with the USFS and other organizations that are critical to our mission: building and maintaining The Colorado Trail. His efforts to plan trail crews as well as report back to the USFS each season are instrumental to the ongoing success of the CTF.
Eric Lubell came on board as the Community Outreach Manager for the Colorado Trail Foundation in 2023. He grew up in the foothills of the Front Range in Colorado Springs and has a B.S. in Forest Recreation Resources from Oregon State University. Eric is an ultra-runner and has always been an advocate of conservation. He advocates for the conservation of public lands by trying to instill a deep love and feeling of responsibility for our wild places in as many people as possible. The pika is his spirit animal, partly because of the wildflower dotted high alpine scree fields which it seems to love almost more than he does. Eric could not be more excited to live in Chaffee County as his personal and professional passions have collided in perfect unison for him to take on this challenging and important role. If you see him on the trails, make sure to say hello!
Eric is the newest member of the team here at the CTF. He brings his attention to detail and creativity to the team in an effort to engage with volunteers, donors, and trail users to help achieve the CTF mission. He is instrumental in supporting the team, collaborating in problem solving, and building relationships with partner organizations. He is responsible for implementing communication and outreach strategies on social media platforms as well as with curating written content to inform the public about what’s happening on and around the trail. His background enables him to see challenges from many different perspectives and formulate effective, common-sense, and data driven solutions. Pivot tables are his love language and he can’t wait to meet you and talk trail!
Board Members
Steve Staley | Centennial | Chairman
Carol Foster | Estes Park| Treasurer
George Miller | Manitou Springs | President Emeritus
Brent Adams | Dolores
Diana Bristol | Bayfield
Dan Cohen | Golden
Zach Sears | Lakewood
Steve Stadler | Colorado Springs
Bill Manning | Golden
Connie Wian | Durango
Mark Ely | Salida
Ian Altman | Golden
Interested in becoming a future CTF Board member? Reach out to CTF Executive Director, Tisha McCombs, at tisha@coloradotrail.org with information on your background and why you’d be interested in supporting CTF as a Board member.
