Western Colorado Alliance is very happy to announce Hanna Arauza, Tyler McDermott, and Bianca Diaz have joined our staff.

Hanna joins us as our new Community Organizer based in Rifle, and Bianca will operate out of Montrose as a Community Organizer as well. Tyler will work as a Regional Organizer out of our Grand Junction office.

Bianca hails from northeast Florida, and brings a background in volunteer management, activism, and community building. After graduating from Florida State University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Environment and Society, she worked in the procurement world for a few years before making the big leap to move out west to align her interests with her career. She landed a position as an AmeriCorps VISTA with Colorado Canyons Association and the Bureau of Land Management to connect youth and families to the three National Conservation Areas on the Western Slope. During her year of service, she realized that helping people and working to solve the root causes of some of our most pressing social issues was her true passion. When she is not working, she loves reading random Wikipedia articles, listening to music, taking care of her worm compost bins, walking her dog, and star gazing! 

Tyler grew up in Grand Junction, graduating from Fruita Monument High School and attending Colorado Mesa University where he graduated in 2016. Since then, Tyler has spent the last six years working on political campaigns of all types, from city council and school board up to presidential campaigns at the state level. Tyler is passionate about issues including conservation, energy, and responsible growth of the Western Slope.

Hanna worked as a geologist in the environmental industry for a decade before shifting her professional focus to community organizing. A huge fan of hiking and camping, she is always happiest outdoors. Her love of nature led to her studies and career in Earth science, but more recently she decided that she could better serve broad environmental interests, such as extractive industry practices, renewable energy, water conservation, and sustainable agriculture, by getting involved with her local community. She is excited for the opportunity to connect with people in Garfield County and help bring the various voices of the community together to create change that benefits all residents and preserves the beautiful Western Slope. In her free time she loves exploring new trails,gardening, and chasing around her two young children.

We’re thrilled to be growing our team at a time when our Alliance has never been more active. Please join us in welcoming our new colleagues!