Board of Directors

Our Board

The Yampa Valley Stream Improvement Charitable Trust consists of five volunteer board members with diverse backgrounds generously giving their time and talents to improve their home waterways. They are deeply committed to the Yampa Valley community and will “jump in the deep end” to accomplish the goals of the trust.

Current Board Members

Jeffrey Ruff

Trustee / President
Jeff retired from teaching with the Steamboat Springs School District RE2 in 2022. He was an owner of a fly shop in Steamboat Springs for several years and worked as a casting instructor and fishing guide. Jeff has served on the Trust board since 2019.

After graduating with a BA in Social Sciences from Western State University, Jeff taught history and English language arts at Steamboat Springs Middle School for 30 years. He was awarded the Colorado Schools-To-Career Teacher Of The Year in 1998 for his classroom curriculum which saw students design, produce, market and distribute hand-tied flies to local fly-fishing shops. He has coached youth hockey for 25 years; the last ten he has been the head coach of the Steamboat Sailors Varsity Hockey Team. He also coached youth lacrosse for 8 years, 4 at the high school level.

As a former shop owner, professional fly caster and educator, coaching and fly fishing has been Jeff’s passion, guiding and teaching anglers for over 40 years. Jeff was a casting and fishing school instructor for the Sage Rod Company from 1989 to 2001. He and his wife owned and operated the Steamboat Fishing Company retail and outfitting shop from 2000 to 2005. Currently, besides guiding anglers in the summer, Jeff teaches skiing at the Steamboat Snowsports School and holds a PSIA Level 1 Certification. He has been involved in the Yampa Valley Fly Fishers since its inception in 1983 and is a past president of that organization.

Jeff’s strong background in education, retail sales and fly fishing has contributed to the success of numerous river projects in the Yampa Valley over the past 40 years.

Joann Compton

Trustee / Vice President
Although one of the newer members of the Trust board, Joann has long supported the Trust’s mission. Since 2003, she has participated in the annual Golf Trout fundraiser and has been an active advocate for conservation and community stewardship.

Volunteerism has been a constant throughout her life, beginning as a candy striper at St. Joseph Hospital in Denver. Over the years, she has contributed her time to numerous organizations and programs, including Meals on Wheels, Integrated Community’s ESL program, Ski for Parkinson’s Disease, Stream Girls, various United Way initiatives, and Reading Buddies for elementary school students. As Vice President of the Trust, she is helping advance projects that strengthen the valley’s natural resources and support local community needs.

Professionally, Joann spent nearly 25 years procuring power plant equipment and administering subcontractors for TIC – The Industrial Company, a respected organization formerly headquartered in Steamboat Springs. Her career was defined by integrity, reliability, and a commitment to excellence—qualities she continues to bring to her volunteer leadership.

An avid fly fisher, Joann values the rivers, fisheries, and landscapes that make the Yampa Valley unique. Her passion for conservation is grounded in firsthand experience and a desire to help preserve these resources for future generations.

Through her leadership, volunteer service, and longstanding commitment to the Yampa Valley, Joann continues to support the people, places, and traditions that make our community so special.

Roger Ashton

Trustee / Treasurer
Roger joined the Trust board since 2019. He became involved after hours of wind shield conversations with a fishing buddy who was a former member of the Trust board. The activities of the Trust always seemed to surface while driving to those bucket list fishing rivers. His strong marketing and public relations background help enhance the public communications and fundraising efforts of the Trust.

Roger, a Colorado native, started taking winter vacations in Steamboat Springs with his family in the 1960’s. But it took him until 2014, after he had retired, to make the move to Steamboat. Prior to retirement, his career included remarkably diverse experiences in graphic design, advertising, marketing, management, finance, and communications in numerous industries. He has worked with local, regional, national, and international corporations within fast-moving start-ups as well as within more traditional corporate environs. For the last ten years of his career, Roger managed communications for the IT Department at the University of California, Davis. He holds three degrees from the University of Colorado (B.EnvD, M.B.A., M.S. Mrktg).

Roger served on the Yampa Valley Housing Authority board for ten years…three years as the Board president. He also serves on the Steamboat Symphony Orchestra board and several local HOA boards.

Andrew Heppelmann

Trustee

Retired U.S. Army Col. Andy Heppelmain joined the Trust board in 2017. After graduating with his undergraduate degree from West Point, he furthered his education with an MA in International Relations from the University of Denver, and an MA in Globalization from Tufts University. His education and vast military experience, including service in Europe as branch chief in European Command and commander of the largest military air traffic control operation have contributed skills and energy to the Trust. Andy is an avid outdoor enthusiast and currently serves as Vice President of the local Trout Unlimited chapter.

Bennett Colvin

Trustee
Bennett joined the Trust board in 2025. He is an avid fisherman, hiker, skier, and outdoorsman who also happens to be a science educator at Steamboat Springs High School. Bennett has seen the tremendous educational value the Yampa River and its tributaries provide our local students. He firmly believes hands-on outdoor learning experiences can serve as a living laboratory for exploring river ecosystems, water quality surveys, and the study of riparian plants and animals. Bennett also instructs fly fishing and runs youth fly fishing programs and is a professional fly tier who ties publicly at fly shops and expos.

Past Board Members

Historically quiet, working in the background, much is owed to the past board members of the trust.

Thank you to our past board members who helped make the trust so successful:

  • Anderson, Willard – Original board member
  • Chace, William – Original board member – Read his obituary here Bill’s Obituary
  • Chovan, Daniel
  • Curd, James – Read his obituary here Jim’s Obituary
  • Israel, Rogers – Original board member
  • Johnroe, Drew
  • McCann, Stephen (Ace)
  • Peterson, Jeffrey – Original board member
  • Picaro, Dan – Read his obituary here Dan’s Obituary
  • Ruff, Lisa
  • Wolff, Kirk
  • Yarger, Terry – Original board member
  • Zuccone, James

Additionally, the current YVSICT board wishes to acknowledge and thank Salli Johnroe for her decades long contribution to the successful accomplishments of the YVSICT.