Boulder County Parks & Open Space has hired Vanessa McCracken as the new Agricultural Resources Division Manager. This position provides leadership to a highly qualified team of agricultural land and water resources specialists who perform a multitude of duties to support agricultural activities on the 26,000 irrigated, dryland, and rangeland acres held by the county open space program.
Announcing the New Division Manager
We have offered the position of Agricultural Division Manager to Vanessa McCracken, and she has accepted. Vanessa’s official start date is targeted for Jan. 20, 2026.
About Vanessa
Vanessa brings over two decades of experience in agriculture and natural resource management. She most recently served as an Agricultural Program Manager for City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, where she managed leases, built strong relationships with agricultural leaseholders, and led stewardship projects. Prior to that, she was the District Manager for the Boulder Valley and Longmont Conservation Districts, where she tripled staff capacity, expanded budgets tenfold, and spearheaded programs that restored over 500 acres of forest and conserved resources on thousands of acres of farmland.
Her career also includes past roles as an Agricultural Resource Specialist at Boulder County Parks & Open Space, a Soil Health Specialist for the Colorado Department of Agriculture, and earlier research positions with Syngenta and Applewood Seed Company. Vanessa holds a Master of Science in Agronomy from Iowa State University and a Bachelor of Science in Soil and Crop Sciences from Colorado State University. She is a Fellow of the Colorado Agricultural Leadership Program and has been recognized as Conservationist of the Year by the Boulder Valley and Longmont Conservation Districts. Vanessa is passionate about soil health, sustainable agriculture, and building collaborative solutions that benefit both producers and the land.
Application Process
There has been a lot of public interest in Parks & Open Space’s Agricultural Resource Division Manager search. Agriculture is important to our community and we want to be transparent with the application process.
- A public survey was open until Dec. 1, and the Parks & Open Space Advisory Committee was also asked to complete the survey. The responses shaped the questions we asked applicants and will help build a stronger program.
- A survey was sent to current agriculture property leaseholders. We are thankful for for the input we received and appreciate our leaseholders.
- Boulder County used a blind application process that screens candidates without names or personal information. This process reduces the possibility that race or other factors may inadvertently create obstacles in our inclusive hiring process.
- More than 70 people applied and were screened against initial qualification requirements by Human Resources without sharing the personal info of candidates. Over 50 candidates advanced to the next phase.
- Additional blind screening was done to prioritize related agriculture experience, supervision and management, public and stakeholder collaboration, budget, strategic planning, and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. Our cross-discipline team selected 11 candidates for phone interviews.
- Conducted phone interviews with 11 applicants.
- Completed eight first in-person interviews.
- Completed three second in-person interviews.
Agricultural Resources Division Manager Qualifications
Boulder County’s approach to stewarding agricultural land is to partner with farmers and ranchers who lease the land for a broad spectrum of farming and livestock operations.
This position requires a strong commitment to advancing sustainable agricultural practices that:
- enhance soil health,
- increase water conservation,
- prioritize working lands conservation,
- mitigate and adapt to climate change,
- help local food security, and
- reduce reliance on pesticides and synthetic fertilizers.
It also requires equally strong managerial and leadership skills to:
- effectively lead a diverse team in implementing the county’s vision for sustainable agriculture
- support lease holders whose farming practices vary from organic market farms to conventional commodity production, and
- strategically direct staff and financial resources to address a myriad of concerns ranging from protecting and utilizing water rights to resolving infrastructure maintenance backlogs.
Agricultural Division Vision: Thriving agricultural lands for generations to come.
Agricultural Division Mission: Through collaboration and stewardship, we will enhance agricultural resources.
