Open Space Advisory Committee Members

The Jefferson County Board of Commissioners appoints citizens to and oversees the Open Space Advisory Committee. The Committee consists of ten members representing various segments of the county. The members are appointed for a three-year term by the Board of County Commissioners and represent various segments of the county. Three members are appointed as city representatives, three are county representatives, two at-large representatives, one Recreation District representative, and one government representative.

Contact the Committee: [email protected]

Kathleen StaksKathleen Staks, Chair

Represents: County
First appointed: 2016
Term expires: 9/30/2023
Background: Assistant Director for Energy, Colorado Department of Natural Resources. She works to develop and implement policy regarding energy development across the state. She advises and coordinates with the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, the Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety and the Governor's office. Prior to joining DNR, Kathleen worked at Great Outdoors Colorado as the Program Director for Open Space and Parks and Wildlife. She has a law degree from the University of Denver and a journalism degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.

Janet ShangrawJanet Shangraw, Vice Chair

Represents: District
First appointed: 2013
Term expires: 9/30/2024
Background: Consulting Hydrologist; Colorado State University - Watershed Science/Hydrology; former Foothills Park and Recreation District Board member. Lifelong Jeffco resident, enjoys hiking, skiing and gardening.


Jeremy Hakes (2)Jeremy Hakes, Secretary

Represents: City
First appointed: 2017
Term expires: 9/30/2024
Background: University of Northern Colorado, Greeley alum with a Bachelor's of Science in Biology. Worked for the Department of the Interior/United States Forest Service in South Dakota, shortly after graduation. Currently working in commercial construction. He moved to Golden in 1998 and began volunteering for Jefferson County Open Space in 2004, and with the Golden Historic Preservation Board in 2013. He has climbed all of Colorado's 14ers and over a thousand mountains across the United States.

John LitzJohn Litz, Secretary Pro Tem

Represents: City
First appointed: 1993
Term expires: 9/30/2023
Background: Bear Group, Litz and Associates, LLC consulting and contracted research and development; Metallurgist; MSc - University of Colorado Boulder; Industrial Management; Engineer, Extractive Metallurgy - Colorado School of Mines; PLAN Jeffco founder.

Mike DunganMike Dungan, Member

Represents: City
First appointed: 2013
Term expires: 9/30/2025
Background: Retired, Vice President/CFO, Muller Engineering; Bachelor's Degree Civil Engineering Technology - Metropolitan State College of Denver. Veteran's of Foreign Wars Post, Bailey, CO record keeper and financial manager, enjoys hiking, camping, snowshoeing, fishing, home improvement projects and spending time with family including two grandsons.

Chris OKeefe (2)Chris O'Keefe, Member, County Planning

Represents: County
First appointed: 2017
Background: Chris O’Keefe is Jefferson County’s Planning and Zoning Director. Chris came to Jefferson County in August of 2017 after working in North Carolina as the Planning and Land Use Director for New Hanover County since 1990. Prior to his career in City Planning, Chris worked in economic development for Oglethorpe Power Corporation. Before that he was a paralegal with the law firm Harmon, Smith and Bridges in Atlanta, GA. He has a B.A. in Philosophy from Emory University, and an M.A. in Urban and Regional Planning from Georgia Tech where he specialized in Land Use Planning.

Amy TurneyAmy Heidema, Member

Represents: At Large
First appointed: 2019
Term expires: 9/30/2025
Background: Director of Engineering – Property & Distribution at Denver Water. A Colorado native and longtime Jeffco resident raised in Golden, a graduate from Wheat Ridge High School and currently residing in Ken Caryl. Amy has a BS & MS in Civil Engineering from CU Denver and enjoys spending time with her family outdoors, hiking and walking their dog Winston. 

SarahGomachSarah Gomach, Member

Represents: At Large
First appointed: 2019
Term expires: 9/30/2023
Background: Prize Program Project Lead at NREL, where she manages prize programs that fund solar and geothermal innovation in the United States. Her background is in agricultural technologies and entrepreneurship in developing countries. She earned her Masters in International Development at the University of Denver, with a concentration in water and natural resource management. She enjoys spending time outside in Colorado road biking, hiking, skiing, and fishing.

Portrait of Mandy Jeffcoat OSAC memberMandy Jeffcoat, Member

Represents: At Large
First appointed: 2021
Term expires: 9/30/2024
Background: Regional Branch Manager at Credit Union of Colorado, attended the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, obtaining a BS in Business Administration. Mandy moved to Colorado in 2006 and lives in Arvada with her husband and two young children. She enjoys spending time with her family in the mountains tent camping, hiking, picnicking, snowshoeing, and cross country skiing.


Danielle DiMauroDanielle DiMauro, Member

Represents: At Large
First appointed: 2022
Term expires: 9/30/25
Background: Danielle is a public lands attorney for the U.S. Department of the Interior, and previously practiced in the regulatory and environmental groups of two national law firms. She has an undergraduate degree in biology from Smith College, a master's degree in wildlife ecology from the University of Maine, and a law degree from the University of Colorado. Before becoming an attorney, Danielle worked as an ecologist for an environmental consulting firm.  She enjoys spending time outdoors with her family and dogs.