Photo of Ryan Golten

Ryan Golten

Senior Mediator

Ryan Golten is a mediator and former attorney with over 25 years of experience bringing together organizations, governments, and communities to solve challenging, multi-party resource conflicts in the western United States, often involving scarce resources, diverse and competing needs, and long histories of conflict and inequity. Ryan helps build consensus within and across teams and coalitions to influence broader change on issues ranging from climate and environmental justice to water resources and management of public lands. Ryan is based outside of Boulder, Colorado and formerly practiced law in New Mexico with acequia and land grant communities. 

Areas of Focus

Ryan focuses on water, climate, energy, and public lands challenges involving Rocky Mountain communities and issues of environmental justice. She mediates multi-party disputes, designs and facilitates stakeholder-based planning efforts, conducts conflict assessments, and helps groups collaborate internally and externally on areas of competing interests and shared needs. Ryan is known for her ability to navigate complex regulatory and technical environments while helping parties understand each other’s interests, use data for collaborative problem solving, and achieve broadly supported outcomes. Her work with groups helps build trust and capacity for long-term collaboration, particularly in environments with historic tensions and high emotions. Ryan has worked extensively in western, southwestern, and Spanish-speaking communities. She teaches collaborative problem solving, facilitation, and mediation for natural resources and public policy professionals and other audiences.

Sampling of Exemplary Projects

  • Tribal Sectoral Committee, Rio Grande Basin Water Study
  • Colorado State Trust Lands Conservation and Recreation Work Group
  • Colorado Wolf Restoration Working Group
  • City of Denver Climate Action-Net Zero Energy Buildings Task Force
  • State of New Mexico Climate Action Task Force
  • State of California Water Quality/Bacteria Summit
  • Yampa River Integrated Water Management Plan
  • Ogallala Aquifer Summit
  • EPA Colorado Smelter Superfund Community Advisory Group
  • Browns Canyon National Monument Social Landscape Assessment
  • State of California Salton Sea Advisory Committee
  • City of Denver Zero Waste Task Force
  • Big Thompson River Envisioning Project
  • Los Angeles Regional Water Board Permit Negotiation
  • River Network-EPA Water Reuse Action Plan National Pilot
  • Great Outdoors Colorado and Colorado Parks and Wildlife Partnering

Clients

The following is a partial list of clients:

Federal Agencies

  • U.S. Forest Service
  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  • Bureau of Land Management
  • U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

State Agencies and Government

  • Colorado Department of Natural Resources
  • Colorado Parks and Wildlife
  • Colorado Water Conservation Board
  • Colorado Parks and Wildlife
  • Colorado Energy Office
  • Colorado State Land Board
  • State of California Natural Resources Agency
  • New Mexico Environment Department
  • New Mexico Energy, Minerals & Natural Resource Department
  • State of California Water Resources Control Board

Local Jurisdictions (Colorado)

  • City of Denver Office of Climate Action
  • City of Denver Community Planning and Development
  • Denver Regional Council of Governments
  • Boulder County
  • Douglas County
  • City of Fort Collins
  • Pitkin County
  • City of Aspen
  • City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks
  • City of Thornton Water Resources

Regional and Local Water Districts, Organizations, and Watershed Groups

  • Colorado River Water Conservation District
  • Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District
  • Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
  • Yampa-White-Green Basin Roundtable
  • Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board
  • Big Thompson Watershed Coalition
  • Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed
  • Left Hand Watershed Center
  • Clear Creek Watershed Partnership

Nonprofit Organizations, Universities, Companies, and Others

  • Western Resource Advocates
  • River Network
  • Western Governors Association
  • The Nature Conservancy
  • Colorado Open Lands
  • Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy, and the Environment
  • Colorado State University USDA-NIFA Ogallala Water Coordinated Agriculture Project
  • Western Colorado University Environmental Management Program
  • The North Face
  • Danone North America
  • Inter-American Development Bank
  • West Denver Trout Unlimited
  • Future 500
  • University of Wyoming
  • University of Colorado

Education and Affiliations

Ryan holds a J.D. magna cum laude from the University of New Mexico Law School and a B.A. with high honors from the University of Michigan. Ryan is a member of the New Mexico Bar Association, a member of the Association for Conflict Resolution, and has served multiple times as Co-Chair of the ABA’s Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources ADR Year-in-Review. 

Posts on CBI.org

Books and Articles