I am fortunate to have experienced a diverse background. Being from the West Coast, I was born in rural Pendleton, Oregon but grew up in urban Portland, Oregon. Summers I worked as a Rangeland Technician and seasonal Wildland Firefighter for the US Forest Service in Northeastern Nevada. In 1979 I graduated from Oregon State University’s College of Agriculture with a Degree in Rangeland Resource Management. In 1980, I was hired by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) as a Rangeland Conservationist for the Elko, Nevada BLM District. My federal career spanned over 37 years when I retired in May of 2016. My last position was Field (Area) Manager which I held for over 25 years. I was responsible for all aspects of federal land management including fire, law enforcement, forestry, grazing management, renewable energy (geothermal and wind energy development), recreation, habitat conservation, and the oversight of off-shore federal resources within the Bay Area and along the Northern California Coast. During my tenure, I directly supervised a staff of 27 employees who represented a wide array of disciplines. As to career highlights, the reintroduction of livestock grazing and the use of prescribed fire as habitat management tools; acquisition of important landscapes; and the establishment of National Monuments, Wilderness Areas, Cultural Sites, Recreational Areas, Wild and Scenic Rivers, and Areas of Critical Environmental Concern are all things I’m very proud of. However, what I appreciated the most were the people and opportunities presented to build partnerships to meet each challenge. Within the world of BLM in Northern California, I represented islands of public lands within seas of private lands. To get anything done involved building coalitions with local landowners and Governments/Agencies involving a wide array of tribal, local, county, state, and federal interests. To gather public support required interactions and creating partnerships with a diversity of advocacy groups and special interest organizations representing many points of view.
In my opinion, it takes making relationships and building partnerships to meet the challenges facing Rotary today. My involvement with Rotary has been for the better part of 26 years. I got engaged with the organization in 1993 when I was asked to speak and provide a presentation on the controversial topic of Grazing Reform to the Rotary Club of Alturas, California. By 1994, I was invited to join the Alturas Club. We moved to Ukiah, California in 1997 where I rejoined with the Rotary Club of Ukiah in 1998. I served as Club President from 2003-2004, and again from 2013-2014. I took on a number of projects, and fundraisers including a partnership project with the City of Ukiah, called “Rocket Ship to the Moon” City Park/Playground Restoration Effort. it took 5 years to complete but in the end, it was Ukiah Rotary’s major Club achievement. I stayed with the Rotary Club of Ukiah until our move in 2016. I rejoined with the Rotary Club of Yankton, South Dakota in 2017 and was elected Club President in 2018. I have been serving as District 5610 Assistant Governor (AG) for Area 7 since 2019. While serving as AG, I have participated on District 5610 subcommittees, and served as the District Raffle Chairperson for the 2021 District Raffle. I’m honored to be considered District 5610’s Governor Nominee for Rotary Year 2023-2024.
I have been married since 1981. My wife Kelly and I have one daughter, Ashley born in 1991. Ashley is married and living in Bethel, Alaska. We have no grandchildren. In California, we raised organic walnuts and would commercially sell about 6 tons/year. In the fall of 2016 we relocated to Hartington, Nebraska bringing with us 2 dogs and 2 horses. We purchased a farmstead and started a small apple orchard and hard cider production operation called “Stick Figure Farms”. Besides my involvement with Rotary and agriculture, I currently serve as Chairperson for the non-profit “Friends of the Missouri National Recreational River”. We spend a lot of time out-of-doors. I also enjoy building and design, using for materials wood and metal.