M. Elizabeth Melton, Commissioner District III

BethMelton

Beth was elected as a Routt County Commissioner in November 2018 and sworn into office on January 8, 2019.

Beth moved to Routt County in 2012. She and her husband Will first lived in Stagecoach, then bought their first home in Hayden before moving to Steamboat, where they now reside with their son Clark and dog Pearl. Beth is the oldest of 5 children and grew up on a small family farm in Walla Walla, Washington.

Beth Melton, Chair 
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Prior to her election, Beth's work experience was in education and educational leadership. She was a teacher on the Front Range and moved to Routt County to work with the Northwest Colorado Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES). In her time at the BOCES, she worked with 25+ schools in 7 school districts across 4 counties in Northwest Colorado to improve literacy instruction for students with disabilities, implement the state-mandated teacher evaluation system, and instruct teachers in best practices for instruction. During this time she also managed local, state, and federal money supporting these projects. In addition, Beth co-founded (and oversaw the nonprofit conversion of) Steamboat Reading, which provides tutoring, advocacy, and assessment services for struggling readers and their families.

Beth's husband grew up in Routt County, and they are proud to be raising a second-generation Routt County native, Clark. Beth and her family spend their time enjoying everything the public lands of Northwest Colorado have to offer.

Education

BA Psychology, Reed College, Portland, OR  
MAT Early Childhood and Elementary Education, Lewis & Clark College, Portland, OR
Graduate Certificate, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, University of Denver

Past Boards & Committees:

  • Steamboat Springs Young Professionals Network, Chair
  • Steamboat Springs Chamber Board
  • Steamboat Pilot Editorial Board
  • First Impressions Early Childhood Council, Executive Committee
  • Colorado Department of Education Early Literacy Advisory Committee
  • Colorado Department of Education Dyslexia Committee

Current Boards & Committees:

  • First Impressions Early Childhood Council
  • Human Resources Coalition Allocations Committee
  • NW Regional Workforce Board
  • Steamboat Springs Area Community Plan Coordinating Committee
  • Steamboat Springs Economic Dev. Council
  • Yampa Valley Sustainability/Yampa Valley Recycles