Tessa Canterbury is an American nonprofit professional who as of 2026 sat on the board of the Western Way, an advocacy organization based in Colorado that focuses on energy and environmental policy. ¹ The Western Way positions itself as a conservative‑branded group that promotes environmental conservation policies in Western states. She also  belongs to a family that is deeply involved in Colorado Republican politics and issue advocacy. ²

Background

Tessa Canterbury is an American nonprofit professional who as of 2026 sat on the board of the Western Way, an ostensibly right‑of‑center advocacy organization based in Colorado that focuses on energy and environmental policy. ¹

Canterbury is the daughter of former U.S. Representative Scott McInnis (R‑CO), who represented Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District. McInnis founded the Western Way following his departure from Congress after pledging to create a nonprofit vehicle for policy and charitable work using leftover campaign funds. The same reporting noted that McInnis’s wife, Lori McInnis, and their daughter, Tessa Canterbury, sat on the Western Way’s board according to the organization’s 2017 tax return. ²

The Western Way

The Western Way describes itself as a Colorado‑based advocacy organization that seeks to counter the “false narrative” that conservatives do not value the environment and to promote “constructive conservative solutions” on energy and environmental issues in Western states. ³ Within that structure, Canterbury has sat on the board of directors, a governance body that has included her parents and prominent Colorado Republican politician Bob Beauprez, a former U.S. Representative and unsuccessful nominee for governor. ²

The Western Way indicates that the group has supported a variety of energy and tax‑related policies in Colorado, ⁴ including legislation affecting electric utility regulation and state sales taxation, and has expanded its activities into other Western states such as Arizona and Nevada. ⁵

The group participates in networks such as the Conservative Energy Network, which brings together nominally right‑of‑center environmental and energy advocacy organizations, and it has collaborated with regional business and civic organizations on studies of rural energy development. ⁶

1. The Western Way, Reports, n.d., accessed February 24, 2026, https://www.thewesternway.org/reports
2. Internal Revenue Service, “Form 990, The Western Way, 2017,” via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, accessed February 24, 2026, https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/841200408/202031829349301753/IRS990.
3. The Western Way, Red State Reliable: How Rural America Is Keeping the Power Grid Stable with a Wide Range of Energy Sources (Denver, CO: The Western Way, January 19, 2026), PDF, accessed February 24, 2026, https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5734cf71b6aa60fb98e91bf2/t/696ecf139a34ff0e189e5708/1768869651471/TWW_Red+State+Reliable_FINAL+1-19-26.pdf
4. The Western Way and Development Research Partners, The Economic Benefits of Nevada Rural Renewable Energy Facilities (January 2019), PDF, accessed February 24, 2026, https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5734cf71b6aa60fb98e91bf2/t/616766c04797c9579cd9cc12/1634166469532/TWW_NV+Rural+Renewables+Report_v2+%281%29.pdf .
5. The Western Way, The Economic Benefits of Renewable Energy in Arizona, prepared by Rounds Consulting Group, August 2024, accessed February 24, 2026, https://www.thewesternway.org/azreport
6. The Western Way, Rural Energy Network, n.d., accessed February 24, 2026, https://www.thewesternway.org/ren