CNGA Board of Directors - 2025

Officers

President
Julie Echter | Echter's Nursery & Garden Center, Arvada, Colorado

Julie is a Colorado native and University of Colorado graduate, on track to be a third-generation owner of Echter’s Nursery and Garden Center. She graduated CU Boulder in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a certificate in Digital Media. Julie joined Echter’s full-time in 2017 as sales associate inhardgoods. She received the Horizon Award in 2018 after creating a philanthropy to donate excess Christmas trees to families in need. Julie became a Colorado Master Gardener in 2021 and remains an active volunteer for the organization. She is passionate about inspiring a new, diverse generation of gardeners and fostering collaboration to advance the industry.  

Vice President / Secretary / Treasurer
Giovanna Romero | Welby Gardens, Arvada, Colorado

Giovanna is the Sales and Marketing Manager at Welby Gardens. She grew up playing in the greenhouses and has worked with her family business for over 20 years. She graduated with honors from CU Boulder with degrees in Humanities and Communication in 1998. Giovanna served on the Garden Centers of Colorado Board for several years. She is a wife and mother of 4 freethinkers. She enjoys listening to audiobooks and is a young adult fiction book and film fanatic.   

Officer At Large
Courtenay Koontz | Trees of Corrales, Corrales, New Mexico

Courtenay grew up on his family’s farm and nursery, Trees of Corrales, in Corrales, NM. He attended college at Texas A&M University, studyingAgricultural Systems Management and Horticulture. At A&M, he joined the Army National Guard and served for a total of nine years. Upon completion of his education and military service in 2008, he moved home to work full time at Trees of Corrales. In 2018, he enrolled and graduated from Dr. Charlie Hall’s Executive Academy for Growth and Leadership. After surviving the great recession, and being promoted to General Manager in 2010, he oversaw the expansion of Trees of Corrales to include additional field tree production in eastern New Mexico, the development of Trees of Corrales Wholesale (Landscape Distribution Center) which was sold in 2022, as well as production of a larger plant palette in the container division (with an emphasis in growing Plant Select selections). Courtenay feels that having a representative from New Mexico will help broaden CNGA’s reach, as well as bring a different perspective to the board of directors.

Directors

 Derek Anglemyer | West Canyon Nurseries, Glenwood Springs, Colorado

Derek is the owner/manager of West Canyon Nurseries in Glenwood Springs, Colo. West Canyon is a retail/wholesale nursery serving the Roaring Fork Valley of the Western Slope offering a full line of retail and wholesale products. Since purchasing the nursery in 2018, Derek has run the field operations and wholesale side of the business, he also does the ordering for both finished and production growing areas of the business. He graduated from Wichita State University in 2013 with a bachelor's degree in Manufacturing Engineering and worked in the paint industry for 6 years before buying the nursery and shifting focus to a new career. Although his time in the industry has been limited, he has the passion to learn and can offer a new perspective. Derek has started the process of becoming an arborist to further his education. He runs the nursery along with his wife, and they have three amazing daughters. Derek enjoys fly fishing and mountain biking when he can get away from the farm. 

Jeremy graduated from the University of Kansas with a business degree in 1994. Since then, he has managed the marketing endeavorsfor the small ski resort town of Telluride, Colo., put on the biggest dog parade in history for Big Dog Sportwear in Santa Barbara, Calif., and worked his way from apprentice carpenter to general contractor with a boutique custom home builder in luxury markets throughout Denver. In 2010, Jeremy switched careers and acquired Brown’s Greenhouse, now Blooma Farms, in Arvada, Colo. Over his 12-year tenure he has launched two additional companies, Rocky Mountain Liners, a supplier of young plants to regional markets as well as Plum Creek Garden Markets, which in 2022 had grown to 6 retail pop up garden markets across the Denver metro area. Jeremy’s varied career endeavors have allowed him to develop a range and depth of skills and knowledge in business development, greenhouseproduction, and the ornamental horticulture industry. He is passionate about the industry and is honored to bring that passion to the board. Jeremy has been married for 23 years and when not working he tries to keep up with his high school senior and freshman boys.

Katelynn Martinez | OneCanopy, Loveland, Colorado

Katelynn is a systems-driven forest ecologist with over ten years of experience in the Rocky Mountain region. As Director of Operations at OneCanopy, a reforestation and native seedling nursery, she has led the cultivation of over one million seedlings, advancing conservation and climate solutions. A two-time graduate of Colorado State University, Katelynn holds a B.S. in Forest Management and an MBA in Corporate Sustainability. Her unique blend of ecological expertise and nursery industry leadership brings fresh perspective to the CNGA board. A seventh-generation Coloradan, Katelynn is deeply committed to land stewardship and sustainable practices.

Brian Austin | The Garden Path Greenhouse, Clifton, Colorado

Brian is the owner of The Garden Path Greenhouse.  He graduated with honors from Colorado State University, with degrees in Floriculture and Nursery Management.  He was also the coordinator of the CSU annual and perennial trial garden in 2008. After CSU, Brian was the head grower at Dutch Heritage Gardens, in Larkspur, CO, where he worked for 12 years.  In 2018, he was recognized as one of GPN’s top 40 Under 40 in the horticulture industry.  He was also recognized as a finalist for Grower Talk’s Young Grower of the Year award in 2019.  In 2024, he purchased The Garden Path Greenhouse from his father, where they grow high quality, large sized baskets, pots, and other bedding plants for the mountain communities.  Growing has always been his passion as he utilizes his experience growing large volume crops to improve efficiency and bring new ideas to energize the family business.  He enjoys the challenge of finding new ways to overcome traditional issues in the greenhouse, while still utilizing tried and true growing methods to consistently achieve a high level of plant quality.  He loves spending time with his family in the mountains of western Colorado, where he enjoys hiking, camping, fishing and hunting.  He also enjoys coaching soccer and basketball.

Susan Stauber | Ball Seed Company, Parker, Colorado

Susan holds degrees in Business Administration with a Marketing Emphasis from the University of Denver and a BS in Landscape Horticulture from Colorado State University. She has served the Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming area for 15 years as the sales representative for Ball Seed. Susan’s earlier experience within the green industry spans many facets from production manager at a large retail garden center to retail ready program manager at a large local wholesaler and even as a teacher within the certificate program at the Denver Botanic Garden. She currently participates on the CSU Trial Garden Advisory committee, works on various projects for CNGA as opportunities arise and gives regular presentations on gardening at local retailersand ProGreen. Susan believes that due to her extensive travel within the region that CNGA serves she can help provide insight into the market and the needs of members.

Ex-Officio Director
Mike Bone, CGG | Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver, Colorado

Mike is the curator of steppe collections at the Denver Botanic Gardens. Mike is a graduate of FRCC with specialties in propagation and nursery management. Mike works very closely with the Plant Select program and is engaged in plant collections from around the world with an intent to study and understand the flora of the worlds steppe regions.

Dr. Miller recently joined the faculty as an assistant professor in landscape horticulture in the Dept. of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture. He is the director of the annual and perennial trial gardens, along with the perennial demonstration garden at CSU.  As a part of his duties, he holds a research and service/extension appointment. For these programs, his focus is on evaluation and species improvement to work towards increasing sustainable, environmentally conscious plant selections that are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also are more adapted (e.g., heat, drought, pest tolerances) for efficient and responsible production practices for the Colorado Horticulture Green Industry and the broader horticulture industry.

Director, Past President
Matt Edmundson | Arbor Valley Nursery, Brighton, Colorado

Matt is a third generation owner of Arbor Valley Nursery in Brighton, Colo. Matt has a BA in Economics from CU-Boulder. He is a Board member of CHREF and Plant Select. In the past he has served as CHREF president, on the ANLA Landscape Distribution board and on the GreenCO Legislative committee.