Did you know that NACD’s Bylaws (available on our Member’s Only page) allow for three standing committees and several subcommittees, each of which work on behalf of our membership?

At the start of their term, the NACD President (in this case, Gary Blair of Mississippi), finalizes NACD’s committee appointments, establishes any subcommittees, and generally charges these groups with supporting our members through advocacy, education, partnerships, and other important services.

We have three standing committees (which are specifically established by the bylaws) that help drive our organization’s activities on behalf of our members. Each committee—District & Partner Relations, Legislative, and Natural Resources—is chaired by an NACD officer. Membership on these committees includes NACD board members representing various states and territories and advisors from our partner organizations, including NRCS, the Association of Conservation Executive Directors, and the National Conservation District Employees Association.

The standing committees collaborate closely with subcommittees, of which there are six (two per standing committee). Subcommittee membership includes district board members, district staff, and partner organizations. These subcommittees are open to our broader membership and are an excellent way to get involved in the association, learn more from other members, and network for your own professional development.

Importantly, every member, of both the standing committees and subcommittees, volunteers their time to support our membership, and they all meet semi-regularly to discuss their various initiatives. Several of our most important members services come directly from these groups, for example:

• The District and Partner Relations Committee started our popular Conservation Coffees series, which provides short, targeted learning and networking opportunities for our members.
• The Forestry Subcommittee regularly publishes Forestry Notes, sharing important updates, news, and success stories with members and also participates in several partnership efforts, for example, the Joint Forestry Team.
• The Water and Climate Subcommittee identifies key policy priorities for members related to water quality and quantity, participates in national-level conferences to share outcomes of conservation district work related to water, and recently organized a panel discussion for members to learn more during NACD’s 2025 Annual Meeting

The above examples are a very small subset of the work these groups are doing on behalf of our members. We encourage you to learn more about each of the standing committees and the various subcommittees that work with them. Feel free to reach out to the Chairs of each of the committees or subcommittees, or your state or territory’s NACD board member, to learn more about the activity of these important groups!