Wendell A. Koontz is a Delta County Commissioner representing District 3 and is currently serving his second term. His prior public service includes serving as a Town of Hotchkiss Trustee from 2006 through 2010, followed by two terms as Mayor from 2010 through 2018. He is also a 2021 graduate of the Professional Development Academy Leadership Academy.
A founding member of JOLT, Wendell is highly active in regional leadership. His current roles include serving as Chair of the Gunnison Basin Roundtable, a Club 20 Executive Team Member, on the Board of Directors for Colorado Counties, Inc. (CCI), and as a member of the Delta Health Foundation Board.
Wendell is a Registered Professional Geologist and a Registered Member of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (SME) with over 25 years of mining experience. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Geology with a minor in Business from Hanover College in 1983. Over his career, he served as the Manager of Geology and Exploration for Wolverine Fuels and as a Senior Mine Geologist for Arch Resources, now Core Natural Resources, at the West Elk Mine. His professional expertise spans mining geology, reserve evaluations, federal coal permitting and leasing, exploration drilling, and property acquisitions. In recognition of his work, he was awarded the 2023 Dr. James A. Pendleton Award for mined land reclamation from the Colorado Division of Mining, Reclamation, and Safety.
Beyond his professional and elected duties, Wendell has been a dedicated community advocate. He is a past Chapter Chairman for the North Fork Valley Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and has participated in the Delta County North Fork Coal Mine Methane Working Group and the Oil and Gas Working Group. He has been married to his wife, Esther, for over 35 years, and they proudly reside in the beautiful North Fork Valley of Delta County.