Lissa and Justin Howe, Ranch Managers
Lissa and Justin Howe have managed the A Bar A since 2008, when they took the reins from Justin’s parents, Bob and Margie. They met while working together as A Bar A wranglers. Both Justin and Lissa feel very grateful to be part of the A Bar A community and have deep connections to the ranch and its guest and staff families. The landscape of the A Bar A is home for them, and they feel fortunate to be able to serve as its stewards.
Lissa grew up in Durango, Colorado and went to Colorado College. Justin grew up in small towns in Colorado and Wyoming (including Encampment) and graduated from Fort Lewis College. They both attended graduate school at the University of Wyoming and then worked together for a non-profit called Project WET (Water Education for Teachers). At Project WET, they worked with a diverse group of educators and water resource managers to develop hands-on K-12 education.
They live in Durango when they aren’t at the ranch, and have two daughters, Christine and Kenna. The whole family loves reading, travel, and outdoor activities like horseback riding, hiking, camping, river-rafting, and skiing. There is always a lot of music being played or sung in the Howe household!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Clarkie Duke, Assistant Ranch Manager, Guest and Family Relations
Clarkie grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia. In 2012, she graduated from Sweet Briar College with a major in business and a minor in psychology. Clarkie’s first summer at the A Bar A was in 2012 as part of the waitstaff team, and she worked as a children’s counselor in 2013. After two summers at the A Bar A, Clarkie worked in corporate sponsorship for the Denver Zoo. She returned to the ranch in 2015 and is now the Reservations Director.
Clarkie has always had a passion for enjoying the outdoors, especially on horseback. Clarkie spends the winter months in Denver with her husband Benjy Duke, whom she met at the A Bar A in 2012, their daughter Chambers, son Ben, and their dog Chester. Some of her favorite hobbies are horseback riding, hiking, and skiing.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Benjy Duke, Assistant Ranch Manager, Conservation Stewardship and Expeditions
Benjy is a Colorado native who has lived in Colorado and Wyoming most of his life. Benjy is Assistant Ranch Manager of A Bar A Ranch, and directs the ranch’s Conservation Stewardship Program and co-directs the Expeditions program with Burk Knowlton. The Conservation Stewardship Program is an integrated and outcomes-focused program that enhances natural resources and value of the Gates Family Ranches through partnerships, education, and coordination with hospitality and agricultural operations.
Benjy’s first summers with A Bar A began seasonally as a fly-fishing guide, becoming a full-time employee in 2013 as he led the development of the ranch’s Expeditions program. Benjy graduated from Washington College with a BA in Humanities (concentration in Environmental Science and Chesapeake Bay Regional Studies). He gained further experience in fisheries while working for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department in Jackson, Wyoming.
Benjy grew up in Elizabeth, Colorado on his family’s ranch where his passion for the outdoors, wildlife, conservation, and teaching others about their landscapes shaped his career. Benjy loves fly-fishing, skiing, hunting, and guiding, but most of all, working with other people on collaborative teams. Benjy met his wife, Clarkie, at A Bar A in 2012. They live in Centennial, Colorado with their daughter and son during the winter months.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Burk Knowlton, Assistant Ranch Manager, Expeditions, Conservation and Land Resources
Burk grew up in Columbia, South Carolina and graduated from the College of Charleston with a B.S. in Public Health. He headed west just after graduation to work his first summer at A Bar A as a hazer. After a brief stint in Jackson Hole, Burk returned to A Bar A as an Expeditions Guide. He is now a Co-Director of the Expeditions program with Benjy Duke. Burk enjoys facilitating wildlife conservation projects on the ranches and is a wilderness first responder.
All his life, most of Burk’s free time has been spent recreating in the outdoors. He is a passionate outdoorsman who loves hunting, fishing, backpacking, and conservation. He especially enjoys connecting others to the rich landscapes and wildlife surrounding A Bar A, Big Creek, and State Line Ranches. A man of many hobbies, his most recent interest is conveying his passion for the outdoors and wildlife through photography. Burk lives in Denver, Colorado during the winter months with his wife, Rettie, daughter Banks, and their adventure buddy, Cache, a black lab.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Rettie Knowlton, Assistant Ranch Manager, Human Resources and Logistics
Rettie’s A Bar A career began in 2010 when she worked for the summer as the gardener. She followed that summer with multiple years as a fly-fishing guide. Rettie graduated from Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland with a BA in Anthropology and a concentration in Chesapeake Bay Regional Studies. Prior to returning to A Bar A, Rettie worked for Colorado’s El Pomar Foundation in a 2-year Fellowship role that focused on leadership and non-profit business management.
Growing up in rural Elizabeth, Colorado on her family’s ranch, Rettie has always appreciated the West, conservation, and the outdoors. Rettie enjoys hiking, painting, baking, and fly-fishing around the ranches and loves to fish the small streams with her 3wt fly rod. Rettie met her husband, Burk Knowlton at A Bar A in 2013. Their daughter, Banks, was born in April 2024.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Katherine Boucher, Head Wrangler and Staffing Coordinator
Katherine has worked at the A Bar A since the summer of 2015 when she was hired as a youth wrangler. Katherine graduated from the University of Vermont with a BS in Animal Science concentrating on pre-veterinary medicine, and a minor in music. Katherine has experience working at multiple veterinary clinics, from small animal to equine hospitals.
Katherine grew up in Shelburne, Vermont and had not traveled out West before her first summer at A Bar A. Her interest in working on a ranch was first sparked by a fellow classmate and, following this initial interest, A Bar A was recommended by a college professor who had worked as a wrangler here. Katherine has been riding for almost 20 years with a background in eventing (English riding). She enjoys trail rides around the ranches and especially loves getting off trail and exploring new terrain. Some of her hobbies include playing guitar, singing, cooking, and baking. She lives in Alta, Wyoming in the winter with her husband, Alex Horne, along with their spunky border collie, elusive cat, and Quarter Horse mare!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Andrew Koehn, Maintenance Director
Leah Koehn, Youth Programs Director & Administrative Assistant
Leah and Andrew Koehn joined the A Bar A team in 2012 and live on the ranch year-round with their two sons. Leah and Andrew first met when they were in school at Oklahoma Panhandle State University, where Andrew got his degree in Animal Science, and Leah in Psychology.
Prior to A Bar A, the Koehn family lived at Big Creek Ranch, which is the cattle operation headquarters of the ranches. Andrew worked for Big Creek for 8 years as a cowboy. Andrew is now the Maintenance Director at A Bar A and enjoys working with the draft horse team and restoring antique machinery.
Leah is the Youth Programs Director and keeps herself busy during the summer managing the Children’s Program, known as the Gopher Hole! Leah enjoys doing crafts and started the beekeeping program at A Bar A. Leah incorporates many of these fun and educational activities in the Gopher Hole curriculum during the summer. She also provides administrative support for the ranch office year-round.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Alex Elliott, Expeditions Operations Manager
Growing up in Valdosta, Georgia, Alex enjoyed bird hunting, fishing and camping with family and friends and playing a variety of sports through the community and school. He graduated from the University of Alabama in 2015 with a BA in Communication and Information Sciences. After briefly working in the non-profit sector, Alex joined A Bar A in 2016 as a breakfast cook and spent ample time learning to fly fish and exploring the western landscape. For the next two summers Alex worked in the kitchen at A Bar A until he moved to Seattle, Washington to build his culinary skills.
He returned to the ranch in 2019 as the Expeditions Chef where he has been working the past 4 seasons. During this time, he has honed his passion for hosting and bringing friends together over his meals for lasting memories. When he is not in the kitchen, Alex enjoys being fully immersed in the outdoors or spending quality time with friends and family. In the winter months Alex lives in Steamboat Springs, Colorado with his girlfriend Devyn and their dog Routty.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Kyle Cocowitch, Food and Beverage Manager
Kyle grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with majors in Political Science and Public Policy. After his graduation in 2019, Kyle pursued his desire to be out West and spent his first summer at the A Bar A as a cook. Following the season, he moved to Jackson, Wyoming to further his professional culinary knowledge and experience (and for the great skiing). In 2021, Kyle returned to the A Bar A as the Sous Chef, a position which he held for the last three years.
Kyle is now the Food and Beverage Manager, following his passion for hospitality, food, and beverage. In his free time, he is often enjoying food and drinks in the company of close friends, on his mountain bike or snowboard, playing golf, and supporting Carolina Basketball. In the winter months Kyle lives in Denver, Colorado.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Jacob Cook, Executive Chef
Jacob Cook’s first summer as A Bar A’s Executive Chef was 2024. He grew up in Gardena, a small city in the South Bay region of Los Angeles county, moved to Phoenix as a teen0ager, and lived in Arizona for about 30 years.
While in Arizona, Jacob earned his culinary degree and worked in many restaurants including boutique fine dining, national chains and local multi-concept groups. He enjoys teaching and mentoring in the kitchen setting. Jacob met his wife, Jada, while working in the kitchen at The Four Seasons at Troon North in Scottsdale. Jada and Jacob have two children, Rohana and William. Jacob and family currently live in Wichita, Kansas. Some of their favorite activities include hiking, fishing, and exploring while on road trips.