Growing up in a blue collar neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri,

Suzanne and Elise Jones witnessed firsthand the plight of families

struggling to make ends meet and the need for a strong public school

system and safety net for those less fortunate. They credit their parents,

both teachers and advocates for social justice in their community, with

instilling in them the importance of giving back to the world, and for

inspiring their love of the Colorado wilderness.

The family spent every summer in the mountains of western

Colorado, where they hiked the state’s high peaks and swam

her whitewater rivers — and, at age five, the twins’ affinity for the

environment was born. The combination of their childhood experiences

in the inner city and the western wild catalyzed their desire to pursue

careers that couple environmental advocacy with public service.

Suzanne (MS, ‘90) served as mayor of the city of Boulder from 2015 -2019, and Elise, (MS,

‘93), is a Boulder County commissioner.

Their combined 50 years of environmental policymaking and

advocacy experience is a great fit for the values of Colorado voters.

While Colorado is a “purple state” politically and vacillates between red

and blue in various elections, what doesn’t change, and what the twins

say is engrained in virtually all Coloradans, is an abiding love for the

great outdoors.

From its snow-capped peaks to red rock deserts, Colorado

is defined by its stunning natural scenery and an abundance of

opportunities to enjoy it. More than 65% of Coloradans regularly

recreate outdoors, fueling $13 billion in annual spending on outdoor

recreation and 125,000 direct jobs. This in turn helps foster a

commitment to natural resources stewardship that matches well with

the twins’ efforts to provide greater protections for the state’s world-class

environment.

“My primary motivation to run for local elected office was a

realization that, because of a lack of national leadership, it was up

to cities to craft and push for solutions to address climate change,”

said Suzanne. Her mayorship provided only a nominal per-meeting

stipend; for her day job, she continued to run Eco-Cycle, a community nonprofit that

promotes and implements recycling, composting, and other Zero Waste

solutions.

Over the course of her career with The Wilderness Society, the

Boulder City Council, and as mayor, Suzanne helped craft,

adopt, or put on the ballot some of the most progressive local policies

and programs in the country, including: the nation’s first carbon tax

on energy usage, an aggressive climate action plan aimed at reducing

greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050, innovative multi-modal

transportation solutions, a universal Zero Waste ordinance requiring

recycling and composting by all residences, businesses, and institutions

in Boulder, and more — all while wrestling with important social

issues such as housing affordability, livable wage, homelessness, and

inclusiveness.

Elise, who served as executive director of Colorado Environmental

Coalition for 13 years, has played a key role passing the regional

FasTracks initiative to fund a multi-billion-dollar transit system in the

Denver metro region, adopting a renewable energy standard for the

state (and then increasing it twice), and updating oil and gas regulations

to provide better environmental and public health protections.

“As a county commissioner, I’m particularly proud of our efforts to

expand our award-winning climate action and sustainability programs

to enable home and business owners to install energy efficiency and

renewable energy improvements, and to increase the purchase of

electric vehicles,” Elise said. “I’ve also found it very gratifying to help

expand county services that help those in need recover from the recent

economic recession and break the cycle of poverty, and to spearhead

initiatives that help foster a culture of acceptance and inclusion for

everyone who lives in our community.”

The twins’ work often overlapped. While Suzanne’s role covered

initiatives and services within Boulder’s city limits and Elise’s is spread

over the broader county, the twins say both areas are politically

progressive and historically have worked closely together on a number

of these same initiatives. “Our close sister relationship just helps this

long-standing collaboration work even better,” said Suzanne.

In 2017, Elise and Suzanne Jones of Boulder were honored by the National Wildlife Federation for their contributions and achievements in the environmental field.