Did you know that NACD’s Officers are elected to their volunteer positions by our state and territory board members but are also conservation district officials in their home states?

Our Officer team consists of five individuals, all of whom are required to serve on their local conservation district board, per our bylaws. They serve two-year terms, elected in odd years at our Annual Meeting held in February each year. Their core responsibility is to uphold the mission of NACD—to promote responsible management and conservation of natural resources on all lands by representing locally led conservation districts and their associations through grassroots advocacy, education, and partnerships—while also directing much of the organization’s activities.

From helping to identify topics for or presenting during our Conservation Coffees, serving as Chairs of our Committees, testifying on Capitol Hill, and generally guiding much of our membership engagement, this dedicated group of individuals is here to represent conservation districts in countless ways. Their backgrounds in natural resources, agricultural production, and more also help support our technical activities, ensuring the conservation work we promote is rooted in the latest science and recommendations from our many partners, and most importantly, they implement many of the same conservation practices we encourage on their own lands.

Each of our Officers would be happy to have a conversation with any of our members about their own work, successes or challenges your district has experienced, or any thoughts you have on the way NACD can best serve you. Please learn more about each of our Officer positions below, read their full bios on our Officer page, or request their presence at an upcoming meeting.

As NACD President, Gary Blair of the Carroll County Soil and Water Conservation District in Mississippi oversees the meetings of NACD’s Executive Board and Board of Directors while also providing leadership and support for all advocacy efforts of the organization via our policy process. Shortly after their election, the President also develops the rosters for our committees, identifies any subcommittees, and implements any specific task forces or other work groups that may help NACD complete any high-priority activities on behalf of our members. President Blair also regularly meets with partners and federally elected representatives to promote NACD and our members and attends state and territory meetings to hear directly from members. President Blair has held numerous other leadership positions within NACD, including First Vice President and Southeast Region Executive Board Member, and, thus, has a strong history of supporting the organization’s efforts. Learn more about President Blair in this short video!

First Vice President Mark Masters, a district official with the Lower Chattahoochee River Soil and Water Conservation District in Georgia, supports the work of President Blair while also serving as the Chair of our Natural Resources Committee (the Officers often chair committees based on their own experience; in this case, First VP Masters has a strong background in water policy, among other technical natural resource topics). While the First Vice President is also a two-year term, if the Board of Directors votes for the position to advance mid-way through the term, the First Vice President becomes the President-Elect for the second year. The duties of the position do not change; however, the President-Elect position helps streamline the continuation of leadership within NACD, ensuring we have a plan for succession at the completion of the President’s term. Similar to many of our other Officers, First Vice President Masters has also contributed to NACD in a variety of other ways prior to his election to this role, having served as Treasurer-Secretary, as a Chair of subcommittees, as well as having participated in the National Conservation Foundation’s Next Generation Leadership Institute. Learn more about First Vice President Masters in this short video!

Second Vice President Ryan Britt, a member of Randolph County Soil and Water Conservation District’s board in Missouri, also provides support, guidance, and leadership to the President, other Officers, and the Executive Board. Second Vice President Britt chairs our Legislative Committee, but his enthusiasm for membership engagement goes beyond policy. In fact, he inspired the resurgence of this very blog series. Second Vice President Britt also came to NACD’s leadership via the Next Generation Leadership Institute and previously served as NACD’s Executive Board Member for the North Central Region. Learn more about Second Vice President Britt in this short video!

As one of the core individuals overseeing the organization’s finances, we also have Karl Jensen as our Secretary-Treasurer. In this role, Secretary-Treasurer Jensen ensures NACD stays on budget and that our financial activities align with our mission. He also supports the regular meetings of our Board of Directors by providing minutes and managing the process to identify if a quorum of the board has been met. Secretary-Treasurer Jensen spent much of his career supporting and developing financial institutions internationally and, thus, has a strong understanding of budgets. He also serves as the Chair of the Lawrence County Conservation District in South Dakota and previously served as the Executive Board Member for NACD’s Northern Plains Region. Learn more about Secretary-Treasurer Jensen in this short video!

Immediate Past President Kim LaFleur rounds out the Officer team, serving in an advisory capacity as an individual who just completed their Presidency and, as a result, has a wealth of knowledge about the inner workings of NACD. The Immediate Past President also helps provide an engaging and informative annual meeting for our members, serving as the Meeting Chair and guiding the agenda, activities, speakers, and other aspects of the annual meetings that take place during their term. As is the case with many of the other officers, Immediate Past President LaFleur has had a strong legacy with NACD. She led the efforts to develop our Friends of NACD Grant Program as former Chair of one of our committees, served in numerous other officer roles (President, First Vice President, Secretary-Treasurer), and served as the Executive Board Member for NACD’s Northeast Region. She is an incredible advocate for conservation districts, and we will miss her leadership when she phases off the Officer team in 2027! Learn more about Immediate Past President LaFleur in this short video!

If you have any questions or would like to get in contact with a specific Officer, please reach out to info[at]nacdnet.org!