Karelia joined the Next Generation Advisory Board in February 2023.

She grew up outside of Cortez as a fourth-generation area local. After traveling, working, and going to school around the west for 15 years, she moved home in July 2022 to raise her girls as fifth-generation Montezuma County residents.

Karelia is passionate about community engagement and the conservation of working and natural lands; she believes that collaboration is the only way to achieve long-term goals of agricultural production and conservation.

While raising two young girls, Karelia and her husband stay busy skiing, small-scale farming, sailing, mountain biking, hiking, and camping—let's just say the Ver Eeckes are seldom bored!

She holds a Bachelors of Arts from Western Colorado University in Biology with an emphasis in Environmental Biology & Ecology and a Masters of Science from Southern Oregon University in Environmental Education with certificates in Non-profit Management and Mediation & Conflict Management.