SVATU Leadership Team
Executive commiTtee
President | Tyler Scott
Tyler Scott moved from Vermont to Longmont in 2022 with his wife Dottie. Tyler was a practicing architect for 35 years until his retirement in 2021, and has been flyfishing since he was very young. He and Dottie spend much of their time outdoors hiking and fishing both in Colorado and in Montana. Tyler has been involved with Trout Unlimited starting in Vermont since 2002. In addition to volunteering with Trout Unlimited, Tyler also helps out building homes for Habitat for Humanity in the area.
Vice President | Dean Kaiser
Dean joined the SVATU board in 2023 to repay the efforts of TU and past board members. He is a Colorado native that has enjoyed the outdoors and fishing since he caught his first fish on Sheep Creek in Larimer County at the age 4 years. While working for a Denver electrical contractor as a superintendent/Project Manager, Dean still finds time to wet a line in the northern Colorado waterways and Rocky Mtn National Park. He lives in Longmont with his wife and Mini Aussie.
Treasurer | Bob Kaiser
My introduction to fishing was in Iowa where my dad took me to gravel pit ponds to fish for crappie with a cane pole, worm and bobber. When my mom remarried after my dad passed, we moved to Colorado where I was introduced to stream fishing with a bubble and a spin cast reel. When I came back from Vietnam I started to fish with streamers and an occasional fly and bubble setup. I am mostly self taught and my casting sometimes reflects that. I still enjoy fishing when I get the chance, but, I find just as much enjoyment being beside a stretch of water experiencing the quiet and solitude.
Secretary | Open
commiTtee Chairs and Coordinators
Conservation Chair | Tom Read
Communication Chair | Joseph DiGioia Joe joined the SVATU board at the end of 2024. He is relatively new to Longmont, having moved here in August 2023 from Fort Collins. Prior to that, he spent 3 years in Austin, TX where he was a Design Manager at IBM. From 2004 to 2019 he was a Professor at the Savannah College of Art & Design in Savannah, GA. Joe is originally from the northeast where he began his fly fishing journey fishing the rivers of Connecticut and New York. He took a 30+ year hiatus from the sport but got back into it in 2016 and has been spending more time on the water than ever. Joe has been a Trout Unlimited member for the past 8 years and looks forward to serving the local TU community in his new role as communications director.
Programs Chair | Open
.
Education Chair | Brooks Hollar
Brooks grew up mostly in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and moved to Colorado 13 years ago. His father taught him to fish for trout by reeling in a live worm up the rifles, so doesn't really understand why dead drifts are so important. Brooks volunteered with our Kids Learn to Fly Fish program for a few years before joining the board and enjoys helping people learn to tie flies at our Fly Tying Social events. Professionally he is a software developer who works from home in Longmont with his wife and two teenage daughters.
Membership Chair | Rich Murray Rich joined the board at the end of 2024 as a way to step up and give back. He moved to Colorado in 1996 with a spin/fly combo that he won in a contest working at an outdoor shop. Rich had never fly fished so he took it into McGuckin’s Hardware in Boulder and asked the clerk how to do it… Including how to tie a knot. He walked out with a few Elk Hair Caddis and Prince Nymphs and began his spiral into fly fishing bliss on the banks of Boulder Creek. He’s enjoyed living in Longmont for almost 20 years and fishing all over Colorado and the West with his wife and 3 kids.
Raffle Coordinator | William Belk
William joined the SVATU Board in 2024 after moving back to Longmont from Billings, Montana. His passion for fly fishing goes back to childhood when he spent his summers on the Davidson River in North Carolina or on months-long road trips fishing and camping all over Canada, Alaska, and the continental US. Will works as the Director of Simulation and Innovation for Air Methods where he is responsible for training flight nurses and paramedics nationwide. He also runs an annual mental health program that teaches fly tying, rod building, and fly fishing to air medical crew members who are struggling with PTSD and other job-related trauma. Will lives in Longmont with his wife and 2 young sons.
Communications commiTtee
Newsletter Editor | Dean Kaiser
Social Media Editor | Ben Keller
Conservation commiTtee
Tom Read & Tyler Scott
Positions Open
Education commiTtee
Kids Learn to Fly Fish | Dick Shinton, Carma Feigal, Brooks Hollar & Jamie Yakel
Trout in the Classrooms Liaisons | Brooks Hollar & Tyler Scott
Casting Instruction | Ken Kanemoto
Programs commiTtee
Browns & Brews Speaker Series | OPEN
Advisors
Past President | Barbara Sheedlo