Our Purpose
Big Bend Conservation Alliance engages communities in the protection of land, dark skies, water, and culture in the Far West Texas region.
Meet our staff
Christina Hernandez
Executive Director
Christina combines extensive leadership experience across both for-profit and non-profit sectors with a commitment to cultural preservation and community service. A direct descendant of the Aboriginal People of La Junta and the Lipan Apache families of the Barrio de los Lipanes in Presidio, Texas. Her 20-year career reflects a passion for ethical governance, strategic planning, and team leadership, grounded in the belief that an organization’s strength lies in its people. She was honored by the Kolkahéndé clan of the Lipan Apache Tribe and Jumano Apache Elders as an Eagle Staff Bearer.
Lisa Kettyle
Director of Development and Communications
Lisa Kettyle has 20 years of experience in fundraising and non-profit leadership, with a deep-rooted commitment to community and conservation. She came to BBCA from a career in public media. She moved to Marfa in 2018 to serve as Chief Operating Officer of Marfa Public Radio, where she helped guide the station through periods of significant growth and innovation. She moved to national public media with the National Federation of Community Broadcasters (NFCB) and the Prometheus Radio Project, supporting community radio stations across the country to apply for LPFM licenses and to strengthen their stations’ impact and long-term sustainability.
A dedicated community organizer, Lisa is passionate about fostering strong, resilient grassroots community initiatives. Her work is grounded in a commitment to the conservation and preservation of the waters, lands, flora, fauna, and culture of the Big Bend.
Photo credit: Sarah Vasquez
Elvira Hermosillo
Programs Director
Elvira grew up in Presidio and has worked serving the community for several years now. She is deeply passionate about environmental stewardship and inspiring others. She established Presidio’s first-ever recycling center in 2012 and has recently taken ownership of it again as a volunteer. She also coordinates the farmers market, is a member of the Convention and Visitor Bureau, and enjoys organizing events for the community. Elvira holds a master’s degree in Design Research from the University of North Texas. Her thesis investigated ways to dissuade people from consuming disposable bottled water, due to its negative environmental impact.
Ramon Rodriguez
Project Manager
Ramon has a strong foundation of program management, teaching, mentorship, and advocacy experience in government, science education, and healthcare. He’s led innovative projects in sustainability and environmental advocacy and has a passion for creating meaningful change that empowers future leaders. Ramon is deeply committed to fostering community engagement and using his leadership expertise to drive impactful programs that align with long-term goals of sustainability and innovation through Big Bend Conservation Alliance. He is the founder of Project Homeleaf.
Board of Directors
Adeline Fox
Board President
Adeline grew up in Valentine and Alpine. She has worked in agricultural and Texas water communications for 11 years. She lives in Central Texas and is the Executive Manager of Communications and Outreach for the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority. She formerly worked as Director of Communications and Membership for Texas Water Conservation Association & Texas Ground Water Association. She holds a B.S. in Agricultural Communications from Texas Tech University and an M.P.S.A. from Texas A&M University. In her free time, she manages a water conservation personality named Water Woman, explores, and photographs scenic landscapes.
Andy Trevino
Board Treasurer
Andy brings sustainability and business development leadership to BBCA with an MS in Sustainability Studies, graduate work in Professional Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility, and experience in tech startups. He is an avid outdoors person and professional nature and travel photographer. Andy hopes to inspire and mobilize the urban population of Texas, to take action towards the conservation of the Big Bend, through outdoor recreation and nature therapy. He lives in Austin.Andy brings sustainability and business development leadership to BBCA with an MS in Sustainability Studies, graduate work in Professional Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility, and experience in tech startups. He is an avid outdoors person and professional nature and travel photographer. Andy hopes to inspire and mobilize the urban population of Texas, to take action towards the conservation of the Big Bend, through outdoor recreation and nature therapy. He lives in Austin.
Austin Dupree
Board Secretary
Austin discovered the beauty of the Big Bend area as a teenager and has been drawn to the region ever since. After living in different parts of the country, she moved to Alpine and now is finishing a Masters in Education and Counseling at Sul Ross while working in hospitality. Growing up in Dallas, the Big Bend Region stole her heart and she is thrilled to be living here full time.
Jeff Bennett
Board Member
Jeff comes to BBCA with a B.S. in Earth Science from Sul Ross State University and a M.S. in Geology from Northern Arizona. He spent 15 years as a physical scientist and hydrologist at Big Bend National Park where he coordinated binational river science and restoration projects. He serves on the expert science team for establishing environmental flows for the Rio Grande and on the Far West Texas Water Planning Group. He currently works as a Conservation Delivery Specialist for the Rio Grande Joint Venture.
Sophia Hernandez
Board Member
Sophia grew up in Marfa and was always in Ft. Davis and Alpine with her grandparents and cousins. She comes from a family of entrepreneurs and teachers. She pursued a degree from Sul Ross State University. Sophia has been teaching at Presidio Independent School District for seventeen years. She is in charge of the school's yearbook and enjoys teaching the students how to use the camera, especially to capture the beauty of our area.
Aimee Roberson
Board Member
Aimee is the Executive Director at Cultural Survival, an organization that has been advancing Indigenous peoples' rights and cultures worldwide since 1972. Formerly, she was the Southwest Regional Director for American Bird Conservancy. A lifelong student of Earth’s wisdom, she holds degrees in geology and conservation biology. Aimee is committed to reciprocity, community, and environmental stewardship, and partners with people and all our relations to ensure that native grasses grow and rivers continue to flow. Aimee is a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and of Chickasaw descent. She and her husband, Rawles, enjoy growing Indigenous foods, such as Chikashsha tanchi homma (Chickasaw red corn) and isito (Choctaw sweet potato squash).
Oscar Rodriguez
Board Member
Oscar was born and raised in Ojinaga, West Texas and Southeastern New Mexico. He has lived in and out of Texas since he graduated from Ector High School in Odessa in the late-1970s, including a couple of years in the 1990s when he lived in Marfa and taught at Sul Ross State University. Oscar is also an enrolled member of the Lipan Apache Tribe and an avid researcher of Native history in Texas and New Mexico—specifically in the La Junta region. Oscar hosts a radio show on Marfa Public Radio, Caló: A Borderland Dialect, a series that honors the Texas borderlands patois commonly called Caló.
Xoxi Nayapiltzin
Board Member
Xoxi grew up in Alpine. His maternal ancestry is of the Amaxak Yolihua Tapaxkolme (Chisos and Concho of La Junta). Currently, the repatriation of Ancestral remains disinterred from the Big Bend homeland and their reburial takes up most of his time. He studies the petroglyphs of the Jornada Mogollon cultural area. Xochi is active in several indigenous communities and participates in year-round ceremonies in which the responsible stewardship of Mother Earth is deeply inculcated.
Ramon Deanda
Board Member
Ramon was born in Ojinaga and grew up in Presidio. Deanda has a passion for the arts and music, but also for the Big Bend area. He has a background in art education since 2011. He received a Bachelor's of Fine Arts from UTPB and a Master's of Fine Arts in Applied Technology and Practices in Mobile Alabama. He is currently teaching Drawing, Printmaking and Painting at Sul Ross State University. Throughout the years, Ramon has worked with Elvira and other groups to create events and collaborations with the purpose of making the Big Bend surroundings a better place.
In memoriAm
Roberto Lujan
Director Emeritus
With profound respect and heavy hearts, the Big Bend Conservation Alliance honors the life and legacy of Roberto Lujan (April 24, 1956 – June 13, 2025), beloved Board Member, co-founder, teacher, artist, veteran, and lifelong advocate for the land and people of Far West Texas.
Roberto helped found Big Bend Conservation Alliance as a grassroots effort to fight pipelines, land abuse, and environmental harm—believing that our communities must be protectors of the places we call home. His vision and conviction laid the foundation for BBCA’s mission and growth.
He led with purpose, helping reinstate the Big Bend River Rangers program in Presidio ISD to teach youth the sacred responsibility of protecting water. His dream of a community trail to the Rio Grande is now becoming reality.
A descendant of the Jumano Apache of La Junta, Roberto helped lead cross-border healing and forgiveness ceremonies and played a major role in restoring Cementerio del Barrio de los Lipanes—a sacred ancestral cemetery in Presidio.
As a history teacher, he believed deeply in reclaiming Indigenous histories and sites, ensuring future generations would know the stories and significance of the lands they walk on
We extend our deepest condolences to his wife, Julia, and all who loved him. Roberto’s legacy lives on in every student he taught, every community he uplifted, and every stretch of land he helped protect.
Roberto's full obituary can be found here.
Our History
Big Bend Conservation Alliance formed in 2015 during the midst of the fight to stop the Trans Pecos Pipeline—the first oil and gas infrastructure in the region. The pipeline surfaced many advocates for and against its development and divided communities throughout Big Bend. We recognize that our organization took a side in this fight, helping provide a voice for those who opposed it. Today, our work is still centered on deep community engagement, and we approach it differently with a focus on projects that bring communities together.
Our Supporters
We are grateful for the support of a growing network of collaborators, partners and funders.