Board of Directors

Kevin Butt (Board Chair) is the Environmental Sustainability Director for Toyota North America, Inc. He is responsible for the development of Environmental Sustainability Programs and Regulatory/Legislative development for all of Toyota’s North American operations. Kevin serves on the boards of the National Wildlife Habitat Council, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Foundation, World Wildlife Fund National Council, and the North American Great Plains Advisory Board. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science from Georgetown College.

Doug Spencer is the sole proprietor of Spencer Associates, an impact investment and management consulting firm in Evergreen, Colorado. He spent almost 20 years as a fundraising professional, first with Mile High United Way, then later with Friendship Bridge, a microfinance institution in Guatemala, and Water for People. In between, he co-founded and was Chairman and CEO of a small manufacturing business specializing in custom, single-shot rifles. Currently he serves on the boards of the medical device company Shift Labs, Mt. Evans Home Health and Hospice, and Guatemalan-based Namaste Direct. His family has owned a ranch near Yellowstone Park since 1928, where he, his wife Kathleen and 2 grown daughters spend as much time as possible.

Tom Detmer is CEO and President of CenterStone Technologies, Inc. Previously, he was president of Experian eMarketing Services Group, which was formed when Tom sold the email marketing division of 24/7 Media to Experian. Tom is the former President and CEO of Exactis, Inc. which he brought public in 1999 and in 2000 merged with 24/7 Media (now part of WPP). A venture partner of Boulder Ventures in Boulder, Tom co-founded Atlantes and operated it from 1991 to 1997 when it merged with Metromail. Thereafter, until January 1999, he served as President of Behavior Bank/Atlantes as a division of Metromail. Tom has served on the boards of SafeRent (merged to TransAmerica Title) and Market Force Information, Inc.  He currently serves on the boards of CenterStone, PepPod and StyleSelect Technologies.

Carolyn Heppel (Secretary) is active in numerous environmental causes. A life member of the Sierra Club, she served for many years on the board of a local Sierra Club chapter, and received a Lifetime Achievement Award. Carolyn is a retired administrative assistant to the Dean of the Upper School at St. Mary’s Episcopal School in Memphis. She is a native of Memphis and graduated from the University of Tennessee. She and her husband, Scott, have a home in Big Sky, Montana, where they pursue interests in fly fishing, cross-country skiing, backpacking, and photography.

John Costello has over 30 years of experience in consumer goods, retail, and technology. The first half of his career was spent in classic management jobs, with the second half devoted to helping companies navigate high change environments, from start-ups to $70-billion companies. Mr. Costello is currently Chair Emeritus of the Mobile Marketing Association, following his retirement as President – Global Marketing and Innovation at Dunkin’ Brands (the parent company of Dunkin Donuts and Baskin Robbins). He served as EVP of The Home Depot, Chief Global Marketing Officer of Yahoo,  CEO of MVP.com, SVP of Pepsi-Cola US and President of Nielsen US. He began his career at Procter & Gamble, where he held senior marketing and brand management positions. Mr. Costello is also Co-Chair of the Board of Directors of the Grand Teton Music Festival.

Lisa became President & CEO of Yellowstone Forever in August 2020. She began her career with Goldman, Sachs, & Co. and later worked for the United Nations Environment Programme. She moved to Bozeman, Montana, in 1996 to become founding Executive Director of the Yellowstone Park Foundation. She left the Yellowstone Park Foundation in 2007 to join The Wilderness Society and was, most recently, Director of Development for the Bridger Ski Foundation. Lisa is the recent past board chair of Mountain Journal. She received her B.A. from Yale University and her master’s degree from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

Annie Graham serves on several conservation organization boards, including the Advisory Council of The Gorilla Doctors, the Conservation Committee of the Houston Zoo, and the Houston SPCA. She splits time between homes in Texas and Montana, and spends a lot of her time in Yellowstone, where she is deeply committed to the Yellowstone Wolf Project. Annie and her husband, Bob, have two children.

Nick Olds is executive vice president, Lower 48, responsible for leading the company’s Lower 48 operations. He previously served as vice president, Corporate Planning & Development, and in other leadership roles. He began his career with predecessor company Conoco in Houston in 1992. Since then, Olds has served in numerous engineering, development, and operations and management positions in the United States, Nigeria, Norway, United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan, Canada and Alaska. Olds graduated from Montana Tech University with a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering. In 2006, he also completed the Executive Development Program at the Wharton Business School. He has served as a board member on the Montana Tech University Foundation Board.

Laura Orvidas is the CEO of onX Maps, Inc. The Montana-based company is the industry leader in digital mapping; creating app and GPS chip-based products designed to help hunters and outdoor adventurers navigate terrain and government / private land boundaries. Prior to stepping into the role at OnX, Laura had an 18-year career at e-commerce giant Amazon as vice president of consumer electronics, global hardlines private brands and retail leadership development teams. Laura resides in Bozeman, Montana, with her husband, two children, four horses, dog, cat and chickens. She enjoys spending time hiking, biking and skiing under the legendary Montana “Big Sky”.

Arielle Patrick is Chief Communications Officer at Ariel Investments, a global investment firm. She also serves on Ariel’s Operating Committee and represents firm on the Investment Company Institute (ICI) Public Communications Committee. In addition to her role on Yellowstone Forever’s Board of Directors, Arielle is an investor in two early stage companies and an advisor to a venture capital firm; sits on the Board of Trustees of the Institute for Public Relations; the Board of Directors (and Chair of the Development Committee) of The Harbor Sciences & Arts Charter School; the Steering Committee for the Young Fellows of The Frick Collection Museum; and the President’s Council of The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Arielle is also a Founding Member of Chief, a private club for female executives. Arielle graduated from Princeton University, where she studied in the Department of Classics with a concentration on Ancient Greek and Latin language, literature and history.

Susan Roeder has enjoyed more than twenty-five years in the building industry with Andersen Corporation, the largest window and door manufacturer in North America. She has led a variety of programs at Andersen focused on community outreach to nonprofit organizations through donations, sponsorships, and in-kind products. Susan’s current role focuses on partnerships with nonprofits in need of windows and doors looking for sustainable building solutions. Susan graduated from St. Catherine University with a degree in Communication. She and her family reside in Stillwater, Minnesota.

Jacqueline Rooney is currently on Facebook’s Internal and Corporate Communications team in San Francisco. Her background is in politics where she served as Chief of Staff to the Campaign Manager for Governor Mitt Romney’s 2012 Presidential Campaign. Along with serving on the San Francisco Zoo II’s Board, she is Founder and Chair of Yellowstone Forever’s Young Patron’s Committee. Rooney received her Bachelor of Science degree in International Affairs from John Hopkins University.

Bob Rowe has been President & CEO of NorthWestern Corporation since 2008. He is Co-Chair of the Institute for Electric Innovation, part of the Edison Electric Institute; a member of the American Gas Association Board of Directors; and past chair and current executive committee member of the Western Energy Institute. Previously, he was a senior partner at Balhoff, Rowe & Williams, LLC, a firm he co-founded that provides financial and policy advice to clients in the telecommunications and energy industries. Bob holds a BA from Lewis and Clark College and a JD from the University of Oregon. He completed the Kennedy School Senior Executives’ Program, and has been active in various professional and university-based organizations. He is currently a senior fellow at the University of Florida Public Utility Research Center.

Michael Solot has spent the last 20 years investing in private equity and venture deals. He is a managing director with Chicago Capital Partners (CCP), a diversified, private equity holding company. Prior to CCP, Michael served as a managing director with AGR Partners, a food/agriculture-oriented private equity firm, and with Wind Point Partners, a middle market private equity firm. Previously, Michael spent six years in sales and national sales management at Werner Ladder, started by Michael’s family in the 1920s, which grew to become the world’s largest ladder company before its sale. Michael worked with Goldman Sachs and Bain & Co before joining Werner. Michael holds a B.S. in industrial engineering from Stanford University and an MBA from Wharton.

Stephanie Tarbet is a strategic communications executive with more than 15 years of experience leading corporate communications teams and organizational transformations. She currently serves as the Vice President of Communication, Brands and Government Affairs for Michelin North America, the leading mobility company dedicated to sustainably enhancing its customers’ mobility by designing, manufacturing and distributing the most innovative tires, services and solutions, experiences and high-tech materials. Stephanie received her bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her master’s degree from Clemson University. In addition to serving on the Yellowstone Forever Board of Directors, she is engaged in a number of community organizations and also serves on the board of directors for the Clemson University MBA Program and the Slade Dozier Foundation. She and her family reside in Greenville, South Carolina.

Thomas Tull is Founder, Chairman and CEO of Tulco, LLC, a privately held holding company that partners with companies in under-innovated industries and transforms them using the power of artificial intelligence and data science. Thomas also infused technology into Legendary Entertainment, which he founded in 2004 and built into one of the most successful filmed entertainment production companies in the history of Hollywood.  Outside of his investment work, Thomas is an active supporter of philanthropic causes that support education, medical and scientific research and conservation through the Tull Family Foundation. Thomas is also part of the ownership group of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the six-time Super Bowl champions. He received his undergraduate degree from Hamilton College and resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Elizabeth H. Webb is a senior fashion executive with more than 40 years of industry experience, managing a chain of high-end department stores in the San Francisco Bay Area and consulting for clothing manufacturers in New York City. While she grew up in Northern California, her family roots are in Montana. This connection inspired Elizabeth and her husband, Carl, to own and operate a working 8,000-acre cattle ranch for two decades in Paradise Valley, just on the outskirts of Yellowstone. Working with the Montana Land Reliance, they became dedicated stewards of the land, preserving this unique home for wildlife in perpetuity. Elizabeth consistently devotes her time and passion for wildlife preservation around the world, and also serves on the National Advisory Board for the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health.