Meet Our Team at The Ranch
Meet the friendly faces of The High Lonesome Ranch. Our team works hard to ensure your stay is great and that our ranch’s rugged beauty, habitat, and wildlife are protected and return to their ecological health. A driving mission for us at the Ranch is collaboration to share the wonder of this place. Today’s world shows us how undeniably connected we all are. That’s why our collaboration efforts start between our departments and extend to our partner organizations, neighbors, and you.
Dakota Glueck
Dakota Glueck's Bio
Dakota Glueck is an agroecologist and regenerative agriculture practitioner focused on restoring ecosystem health and the water cycle. Dakota believes that through proper land management we can reverse the worse affects of climate disruption and productively sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide while restoring the vitality of the natural world and rural communities.
Melissa Makous
Melissa Makous's Bio
Melissa is a first generation rancher originally from Southern California. She studied agroecology and food systems at UC Berkeley where she entered the ag world by way of urban community farming. Her interest in local foodways and food systems inform all her work, from marketing and facilitating educational workshops to raising grass-fed beef. Her love of animals drew her to ranching and she believes adaptive livestock management is crucial to restore grasslands and reverse desertification, revitalize rural economies and create healthy communities.
Travis Brooks
Travis Brooks Bio
Travis was raised in northern Arizona spending his childhood outdoors. He is an avid sportsman with interest in archery and rifle hunting big game, upland bird hunting, fly and cast fishing, shooting sports, and horsemanship.
After high school, Travis attended Arizona State University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture. Subsequent to working in the development field for 8 years, he attended Colorado State University earning a Masters of Natural Resource Stewardship in Range Ecology. He has worked for several large ranches across Colorado as Operations Director and Ranch Manager before coming onboard with The High Lonesome Ranch as the General Manager.
As a private land manager, He has a passion for land stewardship as well as capital improvement projects. This is especially true when working in collaboration with others and designing projects with multiple advantages such as irrigation and wildlife habitat improvement.
Anna “Ace” Hartsock
Anna “Ace” Hartsock's Bio
Ace came to us as a seasonal employee in the Guest Services Department in the summer of 2022 with over 20 years experience in hospitality management. Ace offers the Guest Services Department a unique skillset, and extensive experience, that makes visiting The High Lonesome Ranch an unforgettable experience for our guests.
Raised in Texas, Ace was competitive in the youth rodeo circuit and local saddle clubs and became a lover of all things wild. Ace’s passion for wildlife and nature led her to pursue her Associate’s Degree in Wilderness Horsemanship from Hocking College. She’s developed a personal ethos that is akin to the regenerative and conservation practices on the ranch. You can often find her riding motorcycles and hiking around the ranch.
Chad Hoffman
Chad Hoffman's Bio
As an advocate for U.S. Agriculture, Chad’s personal ethos falls right in alignment with our ranching practices here. His deep love and personal values mean our livestock’s wellbeing is at the forefront of his attention. In his free time, Chad’s typically watching sporting events, riding and roping, or hunting.
Zach Thorpe
Zach Thorpe's Bio
As a Ranch Hand for The High Lonesome Ranch, Zach’s is primary responsibility is tending livestock and providing care for the animals from birth until they are taken to market. You can also catch him repairing fence line, moving and baling hay, and irrigating. Zach is a Colorado native with deep roots locally. He has worked a handful of cow/calf operations all over the state and even helps run his own family ranch in Roan Creek.
As an avid outdoor enthusiast, Zach’s personal ethos falls right in alignment with our ranching practices here. He has deep love for the land and the wildlife that inhabit it. Zach is a father-to-be and spends the majority of his free time with his beautiful wife and family.
Aidan Strader
Aidan Strader's Bio
Aidan has a background in fleet and automotive mechanics and joined the HLR team after working for the Colorado Department of Transportation.
Patrick Murray
Patrick Murray's Bio
Close to 30 years ago, Patrick and his newlywed wife, moved to Colorado from Milwaukee, WI. Landing in Aspen, Patrick worked as a Maintenance Tech/Concierge at a number of luxury resorts. Patrick has a strong skill set in home and system repair that has become a great asset to The High Lonesome Ranch. Patrick is inspired by Teddy Roosevelt’s conservation legacy and that’s what initially attracted him to the ranch. Patrick’s passion for the land to be used for conservation, and responsible recreation, is a thing near and dear to his heart.
While not knocking out his long list of “honey do’s” for the Guest Services team, you can find Patrick fly-fishing and acting as a mountain biking outfitter.
Klayton Jenkins
Klayton Jenkin's Bio
Klayton is a DeBeque, CO native and grew up on a ranch nearby. Growing up here he’s learned how to work on just about every type of ranch equipment, which comes in handy with the rugged terrain at The High Lonesome Ranch. Graduating from Colorado Mesa University, with a Welding and Agriculture Business degree, Klayton has become a valuable asset to the ranch. He is a big help keeping our fleet running.
You can find him shed hunting and cowboying in his free time and, during hunting season, he lends a hand with guiding and outfitting.
“Start your career in Western Colorado today!”
Yes. We have seasonal job openings at The High Lonesome Ranch. Contact us here to learn more.
Yes. We have seasonal and full time job openings at The High Lonesome Ranch. Contact us here to learn more.
