Lisa Rutherford
Originally from New Mexico, Lisa taught elementary school for several years after graduating from the University of Texas at El Paso before moving to Anchorage, Alaska, where she lived for thirty years. Twenty of the thirty years were spent working for an oil company providing administrative support in the second largest oilfield in North America. Following her 2000 retirement, she returned to the states to reside in Ivins, Utah. In 2006, Lisa began her involvement with Citizens for Dixie’s Future, serving as a founding board member. She lost her husband to a sudden heart attack that same year. She continued her work with CDF but resigned from the board in 2010 to begin writing for a local paper about conservation issues. She continued to serve as an adviser to CDF, which became Conserve Southwest Utah in 2016. Lisa also serves on the Ivins Sensitive Lands Committee and has been a member since 2008 including committee chair. In 2018 Lisa returned to CSU as a board member and continues her writing. She and her partner and board member Paul Van Dam are dedicated to helping preserve quality of life in Washington County.
Paul Van Dam
Paul has a passionate interest in Utah’s lands where he has enjoyed many outdoor activities including professional river guiding on every river in Utah – including the Colorado River – and the Salmon River in Idaho. From 2008 to 2010 he was executive director for Citizens for Dixie’s Future, now Conserve Southwest Utah. Following that, Paul served as an advisor to the group from 2010-2018, when he became a board member. Paul Van Dam’s thirty-five year career as an attorney included serving as prosecutor, defense attorney, Salt Lake County District Attorney and Utah’s State Attorney General, from 1989-1992. Other law-related activities included serving as Chair of Utah’s Drug Task Force for the Statewide Association of Prosecutors, National District Attorney Association consultant, Chair of National Anti-Trust committee for the AG’s Association, and Chair of the Western Attorneys General Association. He was also in private practice for fifteen years during which time he was counsel for several health care corporations. In addition, Paul is a professional musician. He has performed with several bands during his musical career and currently performs for vets at the Ivins Veterans’ Home.