Sunday Evening

6:00 – 8:00 PM Casual Dinner

Monday Morning

Monday morning is oriented to New Supervisors and New Managers

9:00 – 9:30 AM Welcome from State Leadership, Initial thoughts, Q&A

9:30 – 10:30 AM Breakout Sessions.

10:30 – 10:45 AM Networking/Exhibitors

10:50 – 11:50 AM – Breakout sessions

Monday Lunch

12:00 – 1: 00 Lunch for morning session participants

Monday Afternoon

Monday afternoon is about Conservation District Elections

1:00 – 1:45 PM Legislative Panel

1:45 – 2:15 Jon Wyss

2:15- 2:30 Break

2:30 – 3:45 (repeating 30-minute presentations with a 15-minute break in-between)

4 – 4:45 Presentation/Discussion on 2024 Legislative Priorities w/Brynn Brady & Tom Salzer, and WACD’s Approach

4:45 – 5:15 Commissioner Candidate Forum

Monday Evening

6:30 – 8:30 PM WACD Awards Dinner & Supervisor Recognition

Tuesday Morning

Tuesday morning is the General Session for all
8:30 – 9 AM State Leadership Welcome

9:00 – 9:45 AM Why we said yes to conservation, a cooperator panel.

9:45 – 10:45 AM Dr. Sutton –

10:45 – 11:00 AM Networking/Exhibitors

11:00 – 12:00 PM Breakout Session (repeating 25-minute presentations with 10-minute breaks in-between)

Tuesday Lunch

12 – 1 Luncheon w/WFFA Executive Elaine Oneil

Tuesday Afternoon

Tuesday afternoon features the Washington State Conservation Commission

1:00 – 2:45 PM WSCC Updates

• Executive Director
• Legislative/Budget
• Communications
• Existing Programs Overview
• Riparian Programs
• SFF
• Disaster/Fire/Forest/CWR Programs Update

2:45 – 3:00 PM Break

3:00 – 4:00 PM Enduris Presentation

4:00 – 5:00 PM Board Self Evaluations Panel

4:45 – 5:45 PM Washington Conservation Society Annual Meeting

Tuesday Evening

6:00 – 8:30 PM Envirothon Auction

Wednesday – WACD Annual Business Meeting

Wednesday is when resolutions are discussed and decided by members

Thursday – WSCC Meeting

Astor Boozer, Western Regional Conservationist, NRCS

Astor Boozer has served as the NRCS regional conservationist for the West Region since December 2011.

He provides agency and natural resources leadership and support to state conservationists and partners and ensures states effectively manage an extensive portfolio of comprehensive conservation strategies—which includes implementing NRCS’s conservation technical assistance and financial assistance programs on private lands.

Through his leadership, NRCS has addressed water quantity and quality issues and strengthened partnership collaboration and customer service throughout the region. Boozer works to improve private and public lands conservation and help landowners efficiently gain access to USDA technical and financial assistance programs and services. He also helps leverage funding for boots-on-the-ground to deliver voluntary, science-based conservation.

He’s passionate about employee development and works closely with NRCS national and state leadership to provide training, offer temporary career-enhancing assignments, and explore mentoring opportunities to develop future agency leaders.

A native Texan and diehard Cowboys fan, Boozer grew up on a farm and ranch operation where he learned all about agriculture and caring for the land. During his 34-year tenure with NRCS, he has worked in eight states in a variety of state, regional, and national positions. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas. He appreciates the outdoors and loves to hunt, fish, and ride horses.

West Region States: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Pacific Islands Area, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Brynn Brady, President, Ceiba Consulting

Brynn Brady is the President of Ceiba Consulting, Inc., a private consulting firm that specializes in legislative advocacy and government relations services in Washington state. She brings more than 22 years of experience building relationships with elected state and agency officials, city and county governments, businesses and non-profit organizations and representing their issues at the local and state level.

Brynn was raised in Tacoma, WA and currently resides there with her family. After graduating from Washington State University with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Environmental Science, Brynn served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala from 1997-1999. Upon her return, she began her career as a Senior Planner in Pierce County where she had direct involvement in developing local, regional and state land use and natural resource policies and regulations.

She applied this local experience toward a new role in government relations as Pierce County’s primary advocate for land use and natural resource issues and eventually covered other county government interests including budget requests, transportation, economic development and criminal justice.

Ceiba Consulting was created in 2014 in order to realize Brynn’s talents in advocacy and facilitation. In Olympia, she represents clients with a variety of interests including public health, health care, pharmaceuticals, natural resources, environment, land use, technology, business, and local government. Current clients include: Amazon Web Services, Washington State Association of Public Health Officials, Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, Washington Association of Conservation Districts, Washington Association of Land Trusts, Regional Fisheries Coalition, Audubon Washington, Sunovion Pharmaceuticals, Sanofi Pharmaceuticals, Bank of America, Détente Management, Special Olympics Washington, Washington State Association of Counties, City of Woodinville and Pierce County Regional Council.

Roylene Comes At Night, State Conservationist, NRCS

Roylene M Comes At Night, USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationist (formerly Rides at the Door) is the 5th generation raised on her family’s cattle and horse ranch located on the Blackfeet Nation in northwestern Montana. Her family continues to reside on the original allotment the government assigned to her great-greatgrandfather, Rides at the Door.

Comes At Night graduated from Montana State University (MSU), where she majored in Range Science and minored in Soils Science. She grew up in a traditional environment on her family’s ranch and was raised with cultural values of caring for the land. Her father’s work in natural resources and her mother’s role as a science teacher contributed to what she felt was her destiny – a career in conservation. Roylene enjoys mentoring up and coming employees in NRCS. She also enjoys and participates in many tribal ceremonies.

Roylene began work with United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) 32 years ago as a student trainee. After graduation, she worked full-time as a Soil Conservationist in several local field offices in Montana working with local ranchers, farmers, landowners, and tribes. Her leadership career began when she was promoted to District Conservationist in Shelby, Montana where she supervised employees and directed operations of the local county office. Roylene’s next career move took her to Phoenix, Arizona where she was asked to serve as one of the nation’s first State American Indian Tribal Liaisons. Comes At Night continued her leadership development through a promotion to Assistant State Conservationist for Field Operations where she led the operations for 21 local field offices and supervised directly and indirectly 63 employees in South East Oklahoma.

In 2005, Roylene was selected as NRCS’s first American Indian Female State Conservationist of Rhode Island. In this capacity, she worked with the Governor’s office and partners to expand conservation efforts especially involving conservation easements. In 2008, Comes At Night was named State Conservationist of Washington State. She has strengthened agricultural and conservation partnerships, improved outreach to underserved communities and bridged together Tribes, agriculture and conservation partners to better preserve the lands of Washington State. Roylene currently serves as the second longest standing State Conservationist in the nation and resides in Spokane, WA with her husband, Michael and two cocker spaniels Rex and Cody.

Michael Crowder, President, National Association of Conservation Districts

Michael Crowder, President of the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), is a native of southern Indiana and a Partner of his 3rd generation family farm. Since 2001, Michael has been the General Manager of the Barker Ranch, a 2,000+ acre ranch located along several miles of the Yakima River in West Richland, WA, and has been a Partner since 2013. He received an Associate’s degree in natural resources and environmental science from Vincennes University, and earned a Bachelor’s degree in natural resources and environmental science, as well as a Master’s degree in wildlife science, from Purdue University. Crowder served eight years as an adjunct professor at Washington State University Tri-Cities teaching classes in wetland restoration, wildlife science, and ecology. He is active in agriculture, conservation, and community issues, and serves on many local, state, and national boards and advisory committees. Michael has received both the Benton County and Washington State “Wildlife Farmer of the Year” awards and has been acknowledged by NACD as a “Soil Health Champion”.

Jon Culp, Water Resources Program Manager, Washington State Conservation Commission

Jon joined the Commission in January 2001 and serves as the Water Resource Programs Manager. Previously, he worked for the USDA Forest Service, Okanogan County Public Works, the Pacific Northwest Trail Association, and as a Natural Resource Planner for the Okanogan Conservation District, where his grandfather had been a board supervisor. He is a US Army veteran with a B.A. in English Literature from Central Washington University. Jon served his local community as a councilmember for the City of Okanogan from 1999 through 2013, Mayor from 2014 through 2022, and as a founding member of the non-profit, Anti-Racism in Okanogan County. While serving as an elected official for almost 22 years, he earned his Certificate of Advanced Municipal Leadership from the Association of Washington Cities. A life-member of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, he enjoys the outdoors through camping, long-range shooting, hiking, hunting, and photography. A published poet and essayist, he recently moved from Okanogan to Bellingham with his wife, youngest adopted daughter, and three dogs, to attend creative writing classes at Western Washington University.

Joe Davis, Director of Risk Management and Member Relations, Enduris

Joe is the Director of Risk Management and Member Relations at Enduris. Joe joined the Enduris team in 2016, partnering with Enduris members to help with proactive risk and coverage services.

Joe comes to Enduris with over 25 years of insurance experience, mostly in the Commercial Lines insurance arena. Joe’s professional experience in the industry includes: sales, sales management, risk management, underwriting, and administration.

Joe holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration at Washington State University (Go Cougs!). In addition, Joe keeps updated in the insurance industry having earned the professional designations of Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) and Certified Risk Manager (CRM) through the National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research.

“I look forward to meeting Enduris members where they are at – learning what they do to serve their communities, listening to their needs.”

Tom Dent, Representative, 13th Legislative District

Tom Dent has been a Columbia Basin resident for nearly 60 years. He became a professional pilot in 1976, and soon after founded Tom Dent Aviation, which offered aerial application, pilot service and flight instruction for area agriculture. Tom also owns the Flying T Ranch, where he lives 7 miles NE of Moses Lake, which raises buffalo, and produces and sells hay.

Sworn into office in 2015, Tom represents the 13th District, which includes Lincoln and Kittitas counties, as well as parts of Grant and Yakima counties. He currently serves as the ranking member on the Children, Youth and Families Committee, the assistant ranking member on the Rural Development, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, and also serves on the Transportation and Rules committees. Tom also serves on several special legislative committees and caucuses.

His legislative priorities include preventing wildfires through improving the health of our forest and rangeland and initial attack on fire suppression, agriculture issues including the promotion of increased trade, protecting pesticide use and water resource management. Also, as a career aviation professional he prioritizes the protection and expansion of our aviation infrastructure and increased pilot and maintenance technician training.

Rep. Dent cares deeply about providing a safe and positive environment for young people that allows them to grow up and have the same opportunities available to prior generations to become successful.

Finally, Tom is a passionate advocate for mental health reforms that improve the lives of the mentally ill and assist families in helping their loved ones.

Alison Halpern, Scientific Policy Advisor, Washington State Conservation Commission

Alison joined the Washington State Conservation Commission (SCC) in July 2018. She came to the SCC after working for the Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board for thirteen years, first as its Education Specialist and then its Executive Secretary. She earned her Ph.D. in Ecology from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY, where she studied the ecology of a freshwater invasive plant. Although Alison and her husband Curt are New England natives, they have lived in the Midwest, Southern California, and Upstate New York before calling the Pacific Northwest home.

Elizabeth Jackson, Resource Specialist II, Cascadia Conservation District

Elizabeth joined the Cascadia Conservation District as a Resource Specialist 2 in February 2021. Previously, she worked for the Foster Creek Conservation District, Oregon State University, Mission Ridge Ski School, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and began her early career with the Student Conservation Association. She earned a B.A. in Environmental Science from Clark University in Worcester, MA and a Professional Science Master’s degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Administration from Oregon State University. She is a current member of the Washington Native Plant Society and the American Fisheries Society and a former member of the Wildlife Society and the National Parks Conservation Association.

Elizabeth brings with her over ten years of experience in resource management having worked with non-profits, local government, state agencies, and federal agencies, including an internship with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as more than five years of experience in conservation planning.

Elizabeth has lived in North Central Washington since 2014 and devotes herself to preserving Washington’s natural resources for future generations. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, hiking, gardening, and fostering for the Humane Society.

Jan Lee, Executive Director, Oregon Association of Conservation Districts

Jan Lee is the Executive Director of the Oregon Association of Conservation Districts. She has held similar positions with the Oregon irrigators (Oregon Water Resources Congress) and other natural resource groups. She also currently serves as a commissioner on the Oregon Water Resources Commission.

Chris Pettit, Executive Director, Washington State Conservation Commission

Chris joined the SCC team as our executive director in 2022. He’s originally from Chicago, Illinois, and grew up between Chicago, Louisiana, and SW Florida. He received his undergraduate degrees in political history/economics and social theory from New College of Florida. He has a law degree from the University of Florida, an LLM from the University of Cape Town, and he undertook doctoral studies at the University of London. Chris most recently held the role of Director of the Office of Agricultural Water Policy for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The Office is responsible for the development and implementation of best management practices on agricultural properties related to water quality and conservation, as well as additional policy and regulatory responsibilities in the achievement of environmental restoration and conservation frameworks. Chris previously served in the offices of counsel for two large regional water management districts in Florida, as well as a Policy and Legislation Manager handling water and environmental issues for Palm Beach County. He also dabbles in international consulting projects specializing in holistic watershed management at the local, regional, and national levels.

Allen Sutton, Executive Director, Office of Outreach and Education, Washington State University

Currently serving as the Executive Director for the Office of Outreach and Education at Washington State University, Dr. Allen Sutton is well-versed in comprehending and navigating issues that prevent a people, organizations, and institutions from being fully inclusive while developing the professionals and citizens of tomorrow. He is driven to help everyone feel a sense of “fit” within their respective roles on campus and surrounding communities. Utilizing more than 15 years of experience in various offices and departments at both large and small institutions, he works to be an advocate for expanding access to underserved communities by educating and empowering people via workshops, trainings, retreats, and other high impact practice activities. He is married to his college sweetheart, Latoya, and they have two wonderful children, Aresia and Chandler. He is a proud alum of the University of Southern Mississippi and the University of Alabama. At Southern Miss, he received, both his Bachelor’s (Psychology) and Master’s (College Student Personnel) degrees and at Alabama, he received his Ed.D in Higher Education Administration. His primary research area includes instilling empathy and respect into diversity, equity, and inclusion practices.

Kevin Van De Wege, Senator, 24th Legislative District

Kevin Van De Wege is a firefighter, paramedic, husband and father. A lifelong Washington resident, he is serving his second term in the Senate. Prior to winning election to the Senate in 2016, he served five terms in the House of Representatives.

As a young child, Kevin’s parents instilled the core values of family and service in him. When he was old enough to serve his community, Kevin became a volunteer firefighter, eventually deciding to turn it into a full-time career.

He went on to earn degrees in fire administration and fire investigation, as well as paramedic certification. He also received a BA in Social Science from Washington State University and an MA in Public Administration from Fort Hays University.

The chair of the Senate Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources & Parks Committee, Kevin also serves on the Senate Ways & Means Committee and the Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee.

Kevin’s legislative accomplishments include helping to secure permanent, year-round funding for a rescue tug at Neah Bay, and keeping state parks open to the public even in the midst of severe budget challenges. In 2009, he was presented with a “Sound Hero” award from People for Puget Sound for his work to help protect Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca from oil spills.

A proud resident of the beautiful community of Lake Sutherland, Kevin and his wife Jennifer enjoy raising their two teenagers on the Olympic Peninsula.