Board of Directors

Bill’s lifelong passion for environmental advocacy led him to join the National Wildlife Federation's affiliate, the Natural Resources Council of Maine, to protect the West Branch of the Penobscot River from the Big A dam, in the early 1980s. For several years Bill worked with NRCM to organize a Guide's Rendezvous—a conference designed to empower guides to take actions to protect Maine’s environment. He served on the Board of Directors for NRCM for seven years, with two years as Board President. In 2002, NRCM recognized Bill’s efforts to protect Maine's wild and scenic places by honoring him with an Environmental Achievement Award.

A Master Maine Guide with thousands of river miles guiding raft, canoe, and kayak trips throughout North American and Europe, Bill has taught outdoor leadership and skills at Somerset Career and Technical Center for the past 25 years. He developed the pioneering two-year course to prepare high-school-age students to work in the natural resources and outdoor recreation industries while instilling in them an appreciation of nature and a conservation ethic.

Bill served as chair of the State of Maine's Whitewater Guides Advisory Board for many years and is a life member of the Maine Wilderness Guides Organization.

Randy Jones is the co-founder and Managing Director of Vignetic, an information technology consulting and executive search firm based in Princeton, NJ. He is an avid fly-fisherman and triathlete.

Randy serves as a Trustee of the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters and the Eastern Environmental Law Center. He formally served as Board Chair of New Jersey Audubon. Randy along with his wife and daughter is a resident of Franklin Park, New Jersey.

Carol Buie-Jackson's passions run deep as she blazes new trails using her spirit of fun and gaiety to help change the world in innovative, new ways. As a creative social entrepreneur who strives to connect people with nature, Carol co-founded HAWK (Habitat and Wildlife Keepers), the first chapter of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation (NCWF) which certified the Town of Matthews (NC) as a "Community Wildlife Habitat" with the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). Carol is a Master Composter and Master Naturalist with Mecklenburg County (NC) and a Habitat Steward with the NWF.

With an eye toward making even a bigger impact, Carol forged new paths as a Board Member and the first-ever female chairperson in the 75-year history of the NCWF (the largest and oldest conservation organization in the state). Carol's infectious love for birds, butterflies and other creatures led to her being elected to the NWF Board of Directors in 2016 where she currently represents a 4-state region. Seeking additional ways to connect people with nature, Carol has created two innovative, retail boutique store concepts in Charlotte, NC, with the opening of her Bird House on the Greenway store (which was honored as Sustainable Small Business of the Year in 2015) and her latest venture, Wildology at Waverly. As a foodie aficionado, Carol is an advocate for sustainable, fair and clean food. Carol and her husband, Jay, have never met a stranger and are known for opening their dining room to friends old and new to host fun-filled feasts featuring food from local farmers.

Priscilla De La Cruz is a life-long Providence, Rhode Island resident and the Senior Director of Government Affairs Audubon Society of Rhode Island. In this role, she works to initiate and advance legislation and policies at the state and local level to protect birds, wildlife, and Rhode Island's environment for the benefit of people and all living things. Before joining Audubon, Priscilla held the position of Rhode Island Director of the Green Energy Consumers Alliance, where she developed strategic management and marketing and oversaw advocacy initiatives, including coalition organizing. She has 12 years' experience in strategic management and marketing, environmental and climate justice advocacy, and coalition organizing.

In June of 2019, she was elected as President of the Environment Council of Rhode Island (ECRI). Under her direction, and working with other policy leaders, the Council launched the Climate Crisis Campaign, playing a key role in advocating for the successful passage of the 2021 Act On Climate legislation. Working with the Council's executive committee, Priscilla is also leading an equity-based strategic planning process. In 2021, she became the co-chair of the Climate Jobs Rhode Island initiative, a partnership among labor and environmental groups working toward a just transition to a green economy.

Priscilla earned a Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) with a concentration in Management, and Sustainability & Innovation from the Harvard University. She also earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Marketing from Rhode Island College.

Allyn Dukes and husband Cliff are private business owners in Houston, Texas, primarily engaged in real estate investment and property management. Allyn's business experience has led her to multiple community service roles and philanthropic opportunities. She has been recognized in two public school districts for her work with at risk students and facilitates programs which provide help to adults and teenagers in recovery from family crises.

Allyn has had a life-long passion for wildlife conservation. She has been a member of the National Wildlife Federation for over thirty years. Allyn has supported the Monarch Heroes and Eco-Schools programs of the NWF South Central Region. She has created NWF certified habitats at her home and ranch as well as a habitat prayer garden at her church, helping it achieve PCUSA Earth Care Congregation certification. As an active member of the Native Plant Society of Texas, she enjoys advocating for the use of native plants and finds digging in a garden to be a spiritual experience.

Allyn holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the University of Iowa. She and Cliff have lived in multiple regions of the US, raised two sons and rescued a number of dogs.

Allyn has been honored to serve on the Board of the National Wildlife Federation for the past five years. She currently Co-Chairs the Finance Committee and serves on the Innovation and Audit Committees. Allyn has enjoyed the relationships she has been privileged to develop in her roles at the NWF and she is committed to continuing to use her personal time and resources to advance the Federation’s mission and vision.

In his early twenties, Scott discovered he had a passion for exploring nature, but he only became focused on his life goal after speaking with a recruiter for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service about the lack of people of color pursuing careers in the field of natural resource management.

Upon graduation, Scott was recruited by the Colorado Division of Wildlife to help create a small urban fishing program that would introduce inner-city youth to the joys of fishing and conservation. Over the following 18-year span, Scott grew the small Denver urban fishing program into an award winning one (the program successfully taught 100,000’s of youth and their families throughout Colorado how to fish.) In 2004, the Colorado Division of Wildlife Angler Education program was recognized by the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame as having one of the most innovative and successful urban fishing programs in the nation.

In 1996, Scott and his wife, Stacie Gilmore, co-founded the nonprofit organization, Environmental Learning for Kids (ELK). ELK introduces, engages, and immerses youth ages 8 - 18 in learning about science, wildlife, nature, and local environmental issues that affect their neighborhoods in Denver, Colorado. In 2016, ELK celebrated its twentieth anniversary by working on creating the City of Denver’s newest urban park. This park will be a natural open space park that will also be home to ELK with a 6,000 sq. ft. education center that will be the first introduction to nature for 1,000’s of youth in the City of Denver.

In 2011, Scott became part of Denver Mayor, Michael B. Hancock’s administration, serving in the position of Deputy Executive Director of Denver Parks and Planning.

Policy Chair, IWF Board, Indiana Wildlife Federation.

Indiana DNR Director 2000-2005.

Indiana Wildlife Federation Executive Director 2007-2010.

Asian Carp Control Project Coordinator for White House Council on Environmental Quality 2010-2017.

Retired and volunteering on Boards of Indiana Wildlife Federation, Indiana Parks Alliance, Little River Wetlands and Indiana Conservation Alliance.

Kayaking, fishing, hiking and gardening keep me active. Proud recipient of the 2009 Charlie Shaw Conservation Partnership Award.

Bri Jones Rich grew up in Wyoming's wide open spaces and currently calls the New York Catskills home. She previously served on the boards of the Florida and Wyoming Wildlife Federations, both NWF affiliates. Bri received a BA in International Studies and Political Science from the University of Wyoming and a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School. She works as an attorney in New York City. In her spare time, you'll find Bri hiking, skiing, kayaking, fishing, and dabbling in photography. She takes every opportunity to travel the world.

In 1987, Jerry founded Landfill Energy Systems to capture methane gas and turn it into energy. This company’s work earned an EPA certificate declaring the reduction of methane in the air was the equivalent of removing 800,000 cars from the road. From 1988 to 2011, Jerry served as CEO for Michigan Machinery (Michigan Cat). In 2016, he founded RethinkEthanol.com, an organization devoted to reforming the practice of subsidizing and mandating corn ethanol.

Jerry presently serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Michigan Colleges Alliance, and is a board member for the Public School Academies of Detroit, Director of Michigan League of Conservation Voters, and Director for Oak Adaptive, Inc. Jerry is the founder of Oak Adaptive, which provides software tailored to Caterpillar dealers as well as an innovative sentencing app that provides information for use within the criminal justice system. Jerry is also a member of the National Wildlife Federation President’s Leadership Council and is active in the National Wildlife Federation Michigan Wolfpack’s regional work. Currently semi-retired, Jerry manages Rule of Ones, LLC, an investment vehicle.

Jerry’s deep commitment to conservation and the environment also originated his work with Detroit Public Television. His help securing financial support provided the groundwork for the development of Great Lakes Week, a groundbreaking initiative by DPTV providing education about and discussing the future of the Great Lakes, as well as a new documentary division at the station. In 2012, the station honored him with an award for community leadership.

Koalani (Koa) Kaulukukui has dedicated her career and personal life to protecting the environment and using the law to effectuate positive change. As Counsel for Environmental Law and Native Rights at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Koa assisted with cases at the intersection of Native Hawaiian rights and natural resource law, such as helping to restore freshwater to streams for kalo (a staple Hawaiian food) and native species habitat. Koa also helped tackle many of Hawaii’s environmental issues as Vice-President of Conservation Council for Hawaii, former President of KAHEA: The Hawaiian-Environmental Alliance, and former member of the state Environmental Council.

As an associate attorney with Earthjustice’s Mid-Pacific office, she helped secure an injunction requiring the U.S. Navy to use protections to reduce harm to marine mammals from high intensity sonar around the Hawaiian Islands. In another case, she files a motion that resulted in the State beginning to install a fence that scientists say was necessary to stop the steep decline in the critically endangered Palila bird population on Mauna Kea.

Koa currently works for the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, Division of Ecology, dealing with hazardous and nuclear waste cleanup issues.

After completing his Bachelor of Arts at Western New England University and Master’s in Economics at American University, Fred moved to Montana and worked on the Flathead Indian Reservation. During his time there, Fred was first exposed to tribal fights to maintain sovereignty, preservation of wilderness areas in the Mission Mountains, and cultural traditions. Crucial in his experiences was what became a very close working and personal relationship with the Tribal Chairman at the time, Ronald Therriault.

In 1986, he returned to the East and began his teaching career at SUNY Cobleskill. In 1995, working with colleagues from the Salish Kootenai Tribal College, Fred developed a sequence of courses in Native American Studies that eventually became a Minor for Bachelors students at the College.

Also while at Cobleskill, Fred became a local leader for more than 20 years in United University Professions (UUP), the largest higher education union in the United States, first as Chapter President at Cobleskill from 1993 to 2003 and again from 2011 until 2013. Then, in May 2013 he was elected statewide president of UUP.

In October 2013, Fred was appointed as a vice president of the American Federation of Teachers. He also serves as chair of AFT’s Higher Education Program and Policy Council. Fred was elected to the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) Board of Directors and Executive Committee in 2014.

In April 2016, Fred was appointed to the National Wildlife Federation's board of directors. In November, he was honored by the Labor-Religion Coalition of New York State for his work as a union leader in the cause of social justice. Fred received the American Labor Studies Center's 2017 Kate Mullany Medal in December 2017 and was appointed to the Board of Directors of ALSC in 2018. In August 2018, he was chosen for City & State’s inaugural Labor Power 50 List: Recognizing and profiling New York’s most influential labor leaders.

Fred resides in Warnerville, New York, with his wife Cheryl Hamilton.

Jay works as an account executive with Interface, the world's largest modular flooring manufacturer and a globally-recognized pioneer in the field of industrial sustainability. He also serves on the boards of the Green Built Alliance, EcoForesters, and the Next30 committee for the Southern Environmental Law Center. Most of his philanthropic efforts are dedicated to thoughtfully considered and impactful grant-making with the NextGen committee of the Ray C. Anderson Foundation. This committee, comprised of Ray's grandchildren, has typically focused on engaging young adults and adolescents on the various facets of sustainability and conservation. Jay is passionate about continuing the legacy of his grandfather, who championed the business logic of sustainability and finding creative solutions to address climate change. Originally from Atlanta, Jay now lives in Asheville, North Carolina, with his wife Whitney and son August. He has travelled near and far in pursuit of game fish on the fly, from Slovenia to New Zealand, but still is partial to Southern Appalachian brook trout. In the colder months, he enjoys upland bird hunting with his German Wirehaired Pointer, Sidney. He is a graduate of Wake Forest University.

Catherine A. Novelli is the President of Listening for America, a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to forging a new vision of U.S. international trade engagement. She is also a Centennial Fellow at Georgetown University. She served as Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment (2014-2017), where she championed economic reform; internet inclusion; conservation of natural resources and increased international collaboration on science and technology.

Novelli spent seven years as Vice President, Worldwide Government Affairs at Apple Inc. Prior to her position at Apple, she was a partner in the law firm of Mayer Brown International. She had a long career at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, rising to Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Europe & the Mediterranean, where she coordinated U.S. trade and investment policy for Europe, Russia, Central Asia, the Middle East and Northern Africa.

Novelli currently serves on the Board of the National Wildlife Federation and the Advisory Board of the Pristine Seas Initiative of the National Geographic Society as well as the Wildlife Conservation Society. She also serves on the Policy and Global Affairs Oversight Committee of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. She was named an Ocean Elder.

Novelli has received numerous honors and awards. She is a graduate of Tufts University, holds a law degree from the University of Michigan and a Master of Laws from University of London.

Rebecca Pritchett is an attorney with over 29 years' experience in environmental and natural resources law. She is special counsel at Adams and Reese LLP, an AmLaw 200 firm with offices from Houston to Washington, DC, where she leads the firm’s Environmental Team. Her practice includes full-service environmental and natural resources law. She assists clients across the country with regulatory compliance, enforcement actions, and civil litigation in all aspects of environmental and natural resources law, as well as brownfield redevelopment and formation of habitat mitigation banks.

Rebecca has extensive experience in water quality, water rights, municipal water supply, wetland and coastal zone issues, hazardous waste and solid waste issues, mineral rights, brownfield redevelopment, brownfield economic incentives, financing purchases of contaminated property, and due diligence investigations. ShFe also has experience in the areas of air quality, insecticides, fungicides, mitigation banks, endangered species, wildlife law, and environmental law on tribal lands.

Rebecca earned a B.S. in Journalism, cum laude, from the University of Southern Mississippi, Honors College, Hattiesburg, Mississippi in 1990 and a J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law, Eugene, Oregon in 1993 with a Certificate of Completion in Environmental & Natural Resources Law. She is currently admitted to practice in Alabama and California.

Rebecca grew up hunting and fishing in the woods and on the lakes and rivers of rural south Alabama with her father, a forester and avid sportsman. She continues that tradition today, hunting and fishing with her husband, Matt, and her 20-year-old son, William, who is the youngest ever holder of an Alabama lifetime hunting and fishing license, having received it on the day he was born. The license was a gift from his “uncles” at the Alabama Wildlife Federation.

Rebecca is a Past President of the Alabama Wildlife Federation and came to her first NWF Annual Meeting as an AWF Delegate in 1998. She chaired multiple resolution committees, participated on several bylaws committees, and – though very pregnant at the time – traveled to the Dakotas with NWF to help resolve affiliate conflict over the Garrison Diversion Project in 2001. She served on the Board as Region 4 Director from 2017 to 2022.

Dr. Mark S. Berry, P.E., is currently senior vice president of research and development (R&D) for Southern Company Services. In this role, he leads all activities of Southern Company’s industry-leading R&D organization and guides the company’s strategic advancement of technologies that provide clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy for customers in a net-zero future. This includes developing low- and no-carbon technologies, including advanced nuclear and the hydrogen economy; advancing energy storage, renewable, distributed generation and transportation solutions; modernizing the grid; and promoting negative-emission and sustainability innovations.

Named to the position in June 2022, Berry previously served as vice president of Southern Company Services R&D, as well as vice president of environmental and natural resources for Georgia Power, the largest subsidiary of Southern Company, where he oversaw Georgia Power-owned natural resources and managed environmental compliance and stewardship programs to meet or surpass all environmental laws and regulations.

Over his career, Berry has held numerous positions of increasing responsibility, including director of Southern Company research and technology management, managing a portfolio of research related to emission controls, energy efficiency, renewables, power delivery, central station generation and carbon capture, utilization and storage. He served as director in the generation sector at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), where he managed research and development efforts in renewables, water management, carbon capture and storage, and advanced fossil generation; and director of energy and environment at Southern Research. He was also manager of environmental assessment for Southern Company’s research and environmental affairs organization, where he managed the company’s regulatory response to federal rule-making activity and the environmental science research program.

Prior to joining Southern Company, Berry attained the commissioned rank of lieutenant commander in the United States Navy as a surface warfare officer. While on active duty, he served upon the USS Gunston Hall (LSD-44) in the capacities of deck officer and combat information center officer. After joining the reserves, he served as an engineering officer supporting the USS Sentry (MCM-3) and as an intelligence officer supporting the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA HQ).

Berry holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Alabama A&M University, and a bachelor’s and master’s degree in mechanical engineering and Ph.D. in interdisciplinary engineering from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He also earned a master’s degree in public and private management from Birmingham-Southern College and is a registered professional engineer. He is a graduate of Leadership Atlanta. Berry is currently pursuing a chief technology officer certificate from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Berry is vice chair of the Research Advisory Council at EPRI. He is an advisory board member of the Strategic Energy Institute at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the School of Engineering at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Berry is a board member of Wellstar Health System and serves on the boards of the Georgia Conservancy and the National Wildlife Federation. Berry is a member of 100 Black Men of Atlanta, where he leads the mentoring efforts for the organization. Berry also teaches thermodynamics as an adjunct professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and is a program evaluator for the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.

Berry is an active, lifetime member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. He has established two scholarships for minority students pursuing a degree in engineering in the name of his grandfathers – an endowed scholarship in the name of Marion Luscious Nell at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and the Simpson Berry Sr. Endowed Scholarship at Alabama A&M University.

Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Berry and his wife, Crystal, have four children.

Brad and his wife Ana live in Scottsdale, Arizona and spend time with their commercial property business in Hermosillo, Mexico. Brad began his career in conservation over 50 years ago with the US Forest Service. He completed a career of over 35 years with the US Forest Service (District Ranger, National Monument Manager, Forest Supervisor and Regional Forester) and then over a decade with Trout Unlimited in conservation advocacy focused on public lands.

For the last 15 years with the Arizona Wildlife Federation (AWF), Brad has been a strong advocate for the NWF-affiliate partnership. While helping grow AWF into a strong regional conservation voice in the Southwest, Brad also has been a national leader of NWF's One Federation. Brad served on NWF’s Strategic Planning Committee, along with five other affiliate leaders, and played a major role in designing the Plan with the One Federation concept incorporated. Brad and his colleagues went on to write the "We Commit" statement, affirming NWF and its affiliates' pledge to implement the Plan. The statement was unanimously adopted by all affiliates. As a member of the One Federation Advisory Board, Brad helped guide the implementation of One Federation, incorporating strategies such as a redesign of the affiliate caucus/workgroup structure that enables affiliates and staff to work together effectively around conservation priorities such as Recovering America's Wildlife Act, the Great American Outdoors Act, and climate change. Brad also served as Co-chair of the Public lands and Hunting and Angling affiliate work groups.

Sally A. Ranney has forty years’ experience in the environmental, energy and climate fields. Currently, she is the President/Co-Founder of the American Renewable Energy Institute and AREDAY Summit, President/Co-Founder of the Earth Restoration Alliance and Senior Advisor/IWECI Co-founder for the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network and CEO of Stillwater Preservation, LLC. Previously she served as the President of American Wildlands and as a Resource Policy Analyst at The Wilderness Society.

She has earned multiple awards and recognitions that reflect her passion for wildlife and conservation including nominated as one of 35 women around the world saving wildlife by WomenforWildlife.com; Horace Albright Award recognizing outstanding conservation achievement, U.S. National Park Service; Meritorious Conservation Award by Wildlife International; R.K. Mellon Fellowship, Yale University School of Forestry & Environmental Studies; International Conservation Award, Earth Guardians’ Earth Stewardship Award; and the Lifetime Achievement Award, Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation. Political appointments include Presidential Commission on American Outdoors (Reagan), New Mexico Rio Grande Committee, Harvard School of Government: The New Environmental Agenda, and Colorado Tourism Board.

Ms. Ranney is an avid outdoorswoman, enjoying hunting quail and pheasant, fly fishing, rafting, horseback riding, and spending time at her very remote, modest family compound off the grid in Argentina. Additionally, she is a professional artist, enjoys writing and composing music, playing the piano and guitar.

"Bob has been an unparalleled leader in Oregon and at the national level in protecting America's wildlife. Through his work, the Association of Northwest Steelheaders has become one of the most sought after and successful partners in conservation because of his energy, dedication, and tireless work ethic," said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. "From Bob's willingness to work jointly on common goals to his leadership on shaping the future of the Federation through recent strategic planning and diversity initiatives, he exemplifies the spirit of the ideals at the core of our One Federation."

Bob Rees is a 6th-generation Oregonian that acquired his "recessive" outdoor gene from both of his grandfathers; one from Pennsylvania and one from Washington. His love of nature started early and retrieving the National Wildlife Federation animal stamps from his Dad's garbage can was integral in launching his advocacy for all things natural.

Also, a professional fishing guide of over 30 years, Bob quickly came to understand industry's role in protecting the future of our natural resources and the burden ahead for future generations of hunters and anglers.

Bob is the former executive director for the Association of Northwest Steelheaders and continues to work campaigns on the organization's behalf.

Rob has been Director of Research for the last 15 years for Everett Harris & Company, an investment firm founded in Los Angeles in 1935 which now oversees $8 billion in assets. Clients are typically high net worth families and individuals, as well as educational and charitable organizations who share our philosophy of focusing on long-term investing that spans generations.

Earlier in his career, he was Director of Public Equities for the Global Environment Fund of Washington, DC. He was the portfolio manager for GEF’s investments in publicly traded companies around the world that helped improve the environment by following three key strategies: energy efficiency, renewable energy and clean water.

Rob started his career at IBM and served in a variety of product development and financial roles before joining the IBM Retirement Fund as a research analyst.

He received an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Engineering Sciences from Dartmouth College.

Rob lives in McLean, VA with his wife Leslie and two daughters. He and Leslie share a passion for public policy in the areas of the environment and public education, and enjoy biking, skiing and sailing.

Gloria Tom is the Director of the Navajo Nation Department of Fish and Wildlife (NNDFW) in Window Rock, Arizona. Gloria has worked with NNDFW for over 20 years and has also previously worked for the United States Department of Agriculture and the San Carlos Apache Tribe. Gloria has brought to the Department a deep emphasis on both outreach and education. Under Gloria’s leadership NNDFW organized a summit in 2014 to educate and inform local chapter leadership about wildlife management. NNDFW has also established for the Navajo Nation the only tribal zoo in the United States. It provides environmental and ecological education, and its animals are all rescue animals of species important to the Navajo people (www.navajozoo.org).

National Wildlife Federation staff has worked with Gloria on endangered species issues and climate adaptation. She is well respected throughout the conservation community and is very active in both tribal and non-tribal coalitions and forums.

Gloria has a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Management from the University of Arizona. She is originally from Fort Defiance and makes her home in St. Michaels, Arizona, while working at the Navajo Nation’s capital in Window Rock.

As the Western Lands Director at Western Resource Advocates (WRA), Jeremy Vesbach leads a team on a mission to protect at least 50% of the lands in the organization's seven-state region. In tandem with his staff of experts, he identifies smart policy solutions that will allow Westerners to preserve the wild places and wildlife populations that make the region so unique, all in the face of unprecedented growth and climate crises.

With a focus on state-level policy, Vesbach works with coalitions, community groups, and conservation organizations to protect lands through three key drivers: shielding wild lands from development, restoring and safeguarding the health of vital wildlife habitats, and guaranteeing equitable access to public lands for outdoor recreation opportunities.

Having spent his childhood in the rural West, Vesbach has long loved the outdoors. He grew up hunting, fishing, hiking, and more and he intimately understood how much better his life was a result of his time spent in nature. This love of the outdoors cemented his desire to preserve these lands so that they could be passed on to future generations.

Motivated by a passion to protect the West's strongest assets – its wildlife and wild places – Vesbach is determined to continue this critical work. But he doesn't rely solely on that passion to create meaningful movement in the right direction. Deploying the most up-to-date research and data, Vesbach gives voice to public lands and drives change. He was instrumental in the conservation effort to permanently protect the Valle Vidal (Spanish for the Valley of Life) from coalbed methane drilling. The research and solutions he provided helped to ensure that this incredible area stayed undeveloped.

Prior to joining WRA in 2019, Vesbach served as senior field director at the Conservation Lands Foundation, where he directed more than $1 million in annual grant funding to local community organizations. Among other accomplishments, the group was the first grantor to support the tribal nation-led effort for Bears Ears to become a National Monument. Vesbach also led the New Mexico Wildlife Federation, which he and board volunteers rebuilt from a storied history of being founded in 1914 as the state’s first conservation organization. It had nearly fallen apart when Vesbach took the reins as the first executive director in several decades, and it is now known as a powerhouse in the conservation movement. He also played an integral role in protecting the Marquez Wildlife Area in New Mexico after it was nearly sold for private development. Today, thanks to recent public land purchases to expand the area, the Marquez is poised to become one of the largest state wildlife areas in the nation.

Outside of his role at WRA, Vesbach sits on the board of directors for Amigos Bravos, a group working to keep rivers and streams in New Mexico clean, and for the New Mexico Wild Action Fund, a 501(c)4 organization dedicated to advancing policies that protect the state's wilderness, wildlife, and water. He has also served as vice chair of the state game commission and as a state mining commissioner in New Mexico.

Vesbach holds a Bachelor of Science from University of Wisconsin-Madison in Biological Aspects of Conservation (an early conservation biology degree designed by Aldo Leopold). He lives in New Mexico with his wife and two teenage daughters, where they enjoy all things outdoors.

Beth A. Viola is a senior policy advisor in Holland & Knight's Washington, D.C. office and co-chairs the firm's Energy Team. The primary focus of her practice is working with clean energy technology companies to create sound public policy drivers for their businesses. She works with business leaders and nonprofits to advance effective climate change strategies that result in economic and environmental benefits.

Formerly, Ms. Viola served as a senior advisor to the White House Council on Environmental Quality. In this capacity, she served as a senior member of a team responsible for advising the president and the vice president on environmental and energy issues and was one of Vice President Gore's chief environmental advisors. She also served as a senior advisor for energy and environmental policy with the John Kerry for President and the Kerry-Edwards campaigns. Ms. Viola served as a facilitator for climate change discussions at the Clinton Global Initiative from 2006-2008.

In 2016, Ms. Viola was named an Energy & Environmental Trailblazer by the National Law Journal. She was among a select group of attorneys and professionals recognized by the publication as outstanding practitioners who have made their mark in energy and environmental law and policy. Beth also serves on the advisory boards of Planet Forward and Sundrop Fuels, Inc.

An experienced advisory consultant with a demonstrated history of working in government and higher education, Jomar Floyd is currently an Associate with S&P Global Ratings Public Sector. His role also entails reviewing financial and operating statements, economic data, and strategic plans for school districts, cities, counties, tax assessment and other local government credits. He’s also tasked with determining the security of the transactions being rated in accordance with the Standard & Poor's ratings criteria.

Previously Jomar worked for Grant Thornton LLP as an advisory consultant. Prior positions include Indiana University Bloomington graduate teaching assistant, DIW Berlin - German Institute for Economic Research green bond market research analyst, and Manatee County (FL) Government program/financial specialist.

Jomar began developing his leadership skills during his college years in Florida. From organizing sustainability projects on campus to lobbying state officials and congressional members, Jomar emerged as a leader both at Florida A&M University and within his community. Jomar was one of the founding members of the Florida YES (Youth Environmental Sustainability) Coalition. Jomar lobbied with student leaders across Florida for the promotion of renewable energy investments and the Student Green Energy Fund for state colleges and public universities in Florida.

Dianne Dillon-Ridgley has been a director at Interface, Inc since 1997. She was a director at Green Mountain Energy for the first six years and still chairs the Environmental Integrity Committee for the company.

She was appointed by the White House to the US delegation for the Earth Summit in Rio, UNGASS-'97 & WSSD in South Africa, making her the only person to serve on all three US delegations. She is founding chair-- emeritus of Plains Justice, and is a trustee for CIEL, the Center for International Environmental Law) Population Connection (National Chair), Acting Executive Director of WNSF (the Women's Network for a Sustainable Future), USPESD-National chair, the former national chair of River Network and president of ZPG. She was also CEO of WEDO and head of the Iowa Association of Human Rights Agencies, among others.

From 1999 through its tenure she was a member of the Oxford U. Commission on Sustainable Consumption and the first US member appointed to the Global Water Partnership in Stockholm. Former President Clinton appointed her to the PCSD, his council on Sustainable Development. In the recent US election she worked for 18 months on the Obama campaign from its earliest days in Iowa and was part of the P-CAP: Presidential Climate Action Project). In 2000, she chaired the Millennium DPI conference at the UN, which first introduced the idea for the Millennium Development Goals.

Nick is a partner and vice president with Hall Capital Partners, an outsourced chief investment office for endowments and high-net-worth families. As one of 10 senior investment professionals, Nick is charged with identifying strong investment opportunities globally for the firm’s $33 billion of capital under management.

Previously Nick was a senior investment analyst with Passport Capital, a global macro hedge fund. At Passport Capital, Nick led the firm’s global equity investments in the financial services sector and served on the firm’s macro investment committee that set the fund’s global outlook. Nick formerly served as a senior policy advisor at the U.S. Department of Treasury during the Obama Administration and was named a Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient for his policy contributions.

Kathy served more than 10 years as the Montana Wildlife Federation (MWF) representative to the National Wildlife Federation. She served two terms as president of MWF, where she was an active board member for almost 20 years. She was appointed by Montana’s governor to the first Private Lands/Public Wildlife Committee, which resulted in legislation that opened up more than seven million acres of private land to public hunting. Kathy was first elected to the National Wildlife Federation Board of Directors in 2002. Kathy was elected in 2016 to serve as Chair-Elect.

She is a founding board member of the Clark Fork Coalition, a vibrant river advocacy organization, and has served as a conservation representative on the Clark Fork River Basin Restoration Council.

Now retired, Kathy is the former executive director of the National Center for Appropriate Technology, a nonprofit organization that helps people by championing small-scale, local, and sustainable solutions to reduce poverty, promote healthy communities, and protect natural resources.

Wayne is an investor and chairman and CIO of Hollow Brook Wealth Management LLC, an SEC-registered investment advisor that manages or advises $1 billion of investment assets, including his alma mater’s Lafayette College Endowment Fund. He has worked in senior-level positions at numerous investment houses and banks over the years. Wayne has served as a senior director of Ingalls & Snyder, a NYSE member and registered investment advisor. He has also served as vice-chairman of the board of KBW Asset Management, Inc., a registered investment advisor offering investment management services to institutions and high-net-worth individuals. KBW is an affiliate of Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. He served in various capacities for Lord, Abbett & Co., a mutual fund company, including partner and director of their family of funds. Wayne is an avid hunter and fly fisherman and serves on several boards of environmental organizations.

Truman has 20 years of experience at the intersection of business, environment, and policy. He has worked with companies in industries including oil and gas, power, transportation, chemicals, manufacturing, IT, and financial services on corporate strategy for low carbon market opportunities, technology innovation, new business partnerships, and strategic policy engagement. Prior to joining GreenOrder, Truman directed the Business Environmental Leadership Council at the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, growing it into the largest U.S.-based business association focused on climate change solutions -- 45 companies with combined revenue of $2.8 trillion and 4 million employees worldwide.

Before Pew, Truman served as Vice President of Ecos Technologies, the U.S. Treasury’s International Economist on energy and environment, and Program Manager at the International Institute for Energy Conservation. From 1995-1999, he was a member of the U.S. climate change negotiating team. He has published widely and been covered in the Financial Times, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, National Geographic, and Petroleum Economist.

Truman has a Masters in Economics and International Relations from Johns Hopkins SAIS and an MBA from Duke University. He sits on boards including of the National Wildlife Federation, Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment, the American Farmland Trust, and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Eric is a principal in the Washington, D.C. office of Bernstein Private Wealth Management. In that capacity, he works with clients and other professional advisors developing, implementing, and monitoring wealth management plans for families, private foundations, not-for-profit organizations, and companies. Prior to joining Bernstein in 2005, Eric was an analyst, engineer, and entrepreneur. He earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree in chemical engineering from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from the Wharton School.