NEWS RELEASE

 NACD Leaders Take Office 

Salt Lake City, UT – Yesterday, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) welcomed and administered oaths of office to its new leaders during the association’s 79th Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah. 

President-elect Gary Blair of Starkville, Mississippi, was sworn in as President of NACD. Blair manages Blair Legacy Tree Farm, owns a private financial consulting business, and is retired from 36 years of service with Southern AgCredit. Blair serves as a board member on the Carroll County Soil and Water Conservation District in Mississippi. For twelve years, he has served NACD and our nation’s conservation districts in a variety of leadership positions. 

Mark Masters of Terrell County, Georgia, was elected as First Vice President. Ryan Britt of Randolph County, Missouri, was elected as Second Vice President. Karl Jensen of Lawrence County, South Dakota, was elected as Secretary-Treasurer. Immediate Past President Kim LaFleur of Plymouth County, Massachusetts, and NACD Chief Executive Officer Jeremy Peters round out the national association’s officer team. 

NACD also swore in new and returning members of the NACD Executive Board: Samantha Steiner from Ohio, representing the North Central Region; Cliff Lane from Pennsylvania, representing the Northeast Region; Bill Simshauser from Kansas, representing the Northern Plains Region; Michael Aguon from Guam, representing the Pacific Region; Dr. Carol Knight from Alabama, representing the Southeast Region; Phil Campbell from Oklahoma, representing the South Central Region; and Josh Smith from New Mexico, representing the Southwest Region. 

“As producers and local conservation district leaders, NACD’s leadership team is honored to represent America’s conservation districts and the varied producers and communities we serve,” said Blair. “Together, we are champions for our nation’s time-tested voluntary and locally led approach to conservation on all lands. We will ensure NACD remains a trusted bipartisan voice for conservation investments that provide the healthy soil and clean water we all depend on for health, wealth, and security.”  

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About the National Association of Conservation Districts: 

The National Association of Conservation Districts is the nonprofit organization that represents the nation’s 3,000 conservation districts, their state and territory associations and the 17,000 individuals who serve on their governing boards. For more than 70 years, local conservation districts have worked with cooperating landowners and managers of private working lands to help them plan and apply effective conservation practices. For more information about NACD, visit: www.nacdnet.org.