To avoid the discomfort of writing about himself in the third person, Editor in Chief Chris Clayton briefly considered farming out this note to his two kids. But then he realized what that might look like (e.g., “When he’s not busy losing his hair and telling bad jokes…”), so he decided to do it himself. Chris joined Minnesota Conservation Volunteer in July 2018, after holding leadership positions at multiple regional and national publications. In his side hustle as a freelancer, he has written for the likes of Outside, Runner’s World, CNN, Eater, and Men’s Health. In his free time, Chris enjoys cooking, camping, and hanging with his wife, kids, and high-strung dog.
Managing editor Keith Goetzman joined Minnesota Conservation Volunteer in 2012, bringing a passion for outdoor adventure and decades of writing and editing experience for newspapers and magazines. A fan of backcountry camping and canoe tripping, bicycling of all kinds, and winter sports from skiing to snowshoeing, Keith is also a keen observer of Minnesota's wildlife and flora. He lives with his wife and three children in south Maplewood, where they battle buckthorn and grow vegetables, trees, and native plants.
Art director Lynn Phelps has been an award-winning creative professional for more than 30 years with both regional and national publications. In his once-in-a-while spare time, he is learning jazz guitar.
Marketing and Circulation Director Colleen Puent joined Minnesota Conservation Volunteer as Circulation & Marketing Director in 2026, bringing decades of experience in audience development with a specialty in city and regional magazines. She focuses on growing, serving, and sustaining a devoted readership in support of MCV’s mission. Colleen has deep family roots in southeastern Minnesota’s Driftless Region, among the magnificent bluff prairies along the Mississippi River that shaped her connection to the natural world. Today, she lives farther upriver in Minneapolis’s Longfellow neighborhood with her wife, Pam, a potter, surrounded by a robust native plant garden. She is a prairie enthusiast, a practitioner of Iyengar yoga, a member of the local Wisdom Dances community, a traveler, and an ardent devotee of cats (and the occasional cute puppy).
