Kestrel has worked for American Whitewater for seven years and she currently serves as the director of the river protection program in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. Through local river management collaboratives and state and federal policy, Kestrel works to ensure that rivers in the region support a sustainable river recreation economy and that river recreationists have a voice in water management decisions. She has a Bachelor’s in water science and policy from Quest University Canada, studied at Colorado College, and received honors for her research on alpine lakes in Peru and Canada. Kestrel lives in the headwaters of the Gunnison River in Colorado where she enjoys getting out on rivers in all types of crafts and skiing Colorado’s snow before it melts.