Who we are
NoLo Staff & Board of Directors
Jeff Crane & Kate McCoy
Founders & Executive Co-Directors
Jeff is a Denver native and grew up skiing in Colorado. A third-generation Coloradan, his family has been in the State since 1909. He holds an MFA in Visual Art from Hunter College, CUNY, andhas considerable experience in education and non-profit administration. From 2000-2012, he taught art, art history and aesthetic theory at the State University of New York at New Paltz. His non-profit experience includes Art Awards Coordinator for the Scholastic Art Awards Program in New York, Program Officer for The Foundation for a Civil Society in New York, and Director for International Relations at the Information Center for Foundations and Other Not-for-Profit Organizations in Prague. He is a Level 3, PSIA-certified Telemark Ski Instructor, was Snowsports School Director at Plattekill Mountain in the Catskills of New York for 6 years, and also instructs Alpine and Telemark skiing at Breckenridge. He enjoys backcountry skiing in Colorado and in the Northeast and is an avid supporter of freeheel skiing and backcountry touring.
Kate has a PhD from The Ohio State University in Educational Policy and Leadership and is an educator and student of US history and sustainable futures. She was Education Director at Brook Farm Project in New York for six years. She was an education committee member at the Mohonk Preserve for seven years. She is associate professor of Educational Foundations and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at State University of New York at New Paltz, where she has served as chair of the Department of Educational Studies and Leadership and Director of Undergraduate Research. Kate has 10 years of previous experience working on grant-funded health and human services research projects at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY (NYC), Montefiore Medical Center (Bronx, NY), and the New York Academy of Medicine in partnership with non-profit organizations as a consultant, researcher, and project director. Kate is also a musician, songwriter, enthusiastic freeheel and backcountry skier, and avid hiker.
Board of Directors
Beau Paisley - Chairperson
Beau lives in Breckenridge and is a passionate backcountry skier. He is a computer science and mathematics graduate from the College of William and Mary and performed graduate studies in Electrical Engineering at Purdue University. He has over thirty years of experience in development, marketing, and sales roles with research, academic, and startup organizations. He has previously held positions with NCAR, Applied Physics Lab, Sierra Nevada Corporation, and several startup and early growth technical computing companies. He is now a Solutions Architect with Arm.
Leah Lentz
Leah has called Colorado her home since she was 18 and received her degree in Rangeland Ecosystem Science from Colorado State University. Leah has utilized her degree in many facets of ecology and environmental education. She has worked for the Forest Service, Ecology Labs, Non-Profits, and Science Schools, finding her permanent home in Blue River, Colorado, and her love for the Mosquito Range ecosystem and history.
Leah Cirillo
Leah is an Architect and General Contractor with 10 years of experience in high end custom residential homes and mountain cabins (Licensed in CA and CO). She is currently co-founder and Principal Architect of Pine and Peak Studio and its subsidiary, Pine and Peak Builders, a multi-million dollar design build firm based in Fairplay Colorado. Leah has a passion for unique and purposeful architecture as well as a desire to preserve the historical styling and design characteristis present in the local geography. She is a graduate of the University of Tennessee Architectural school and has worked for numerous high end firms
and clients all across the United States.
Ann Lukacs
Ann Lukacs is an artist, photographer and cinematographer and she has lived in Fairplay and Breckenridge for many years. Ann has had a long career in the film industry and has been a strong advocate for the promotion of film and video opportunities in Colorado. Ann has been involved with many nonprofit organizations including creating the Park County Creative Alliance. Ann is dedicated to preserving and advancing arts and heritage in Colorado and especially in her community. She received the 2023 Colorado Governor’s Creative Leadership Award for Arts & Community Action.
Scott Mahoney
Freerider, adventurer, industrial hempist, entrepreneur, Mahoney serves as president of International Freeskiers Association, established in 1996 by freeskiing pioneer Shane McConkey. He was also Community and Adventure Czar at Gravity Haus, a progressive hotel concept built for adventurous, mobile, discerning visitors and their families. He holds an MBA from San Francisco State University. He currently serves as Major Dude at Colorado Adventure Guides.
Wynn Miller - Vice Chair
Wynn Miller’s parents taught him Alpine skiing in southern New England. Paul O. Satre introduced him to Nordic skiing at Indian Mountain School. He taught skiing at Prospect Mountain while attending Bennington College, then served on the Vermont Nordic division of the National Ski Patrol at Prospect under Joe Parks and Jim Merunowicz. A member of the New York Ski Club, he served as Secretary of the Metropolitan New York Ski Council and a delegateto the United States Ski Association. Later, his Toyani Advertising agency managed public relations for Rob Hart and Wade King’s Burnt Mountain Ski in Cooke City, Montana. His board service includes public and private organizations. He practices law in Colorado Springs and teaches skiing at Breckenridge as a member of the Rocky Mountain division of PSIA.
Mark Schneider
Mark moved to Summit County in 2015, where he lives at 11K’ at the base of Hoosier Pass. He holds a BBA from the University of NM with a concentration in Finance. He has been a Financial Services Representative with Principal Financial Group since 1988. His hobbies include skiing, hiking, gold panning, woodworking, high altitude gardening, traveling, and more skiing.
Mike Sharp - Secretary and Treasurer
Mike is a 30-year Navy veteran, aerospace program manager, and outdoor education enthusiast. Having recently retired from both corporate and military careers, Mike is involving himself with high-impact volunteer opportunities that help preserve nature and history, support our Navy and military service members, and offer personal and professional development opportunities for fellow veterans, the community, and visitors to the high country.