DU Conservation Experts & Contacts

National Headquarters
One Waterfowl Way
Memphis, TN 38120
Phone: (901) 758-3825

Dr. W. Alan Wentz
Senior Group Manager of Conservation
Ph.D., University of Michigan
M.S., Oregon State University
B.S., Ohio State University

Dr. Wentz is Ducks Unlimited's national head of conservation. He has also served as director of operations in DU's Western Regional Office. Prior to DU, he held senior administrative positions at the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, National Wildlife Federation, and he was associate professor of Wildlife Science at South Dakota State University. He has served on many boards and committees including the North American Wetlands Conservation Council and various committees of the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. He is the chairman of the board of directors of the Natural Resources Council of America, which represents more than 80 U.S. conservation and environmental organizations. Dr. Wentz has an extensive background in conservation biology with a focus on wetland conservation and management, plant ecology and taxonomy.

  

Ken Babcock
Senior Director of Conservation
M.S. Louisiana State University
B.A. Hendrix College

Mr. Babcock worked as the Assistant Director of the Missouri Department of Conservation for ten years, and before that held three different positions for the Missouri Department of Conservation. He began his career in waterfowl biology in 1967 at the Mississippi Game and Fish Commission and has been involved in conservation since that time.
 

David A. Marrone
Director of Land Protection
J.D., Quinnipiac College School of Law, Hamden, Connecticut
B.A., Syracuse University

Mr. Marrone works with landowners all over the country who wish to protect wildlife habitat on their land. The position provides legal oversight, coordination and management of DU's Conservation Lands Program, which serves to protect habitat throughout the United States. He practiced as an attorney with the law firm of Ryan and Ryan, P.C. in Middletown, Conn., in real estate, construction and probate law. He has been involved in wetland conservation in Connecticut and Tennessee as a volunteer for DU. He frequently presents on the topic of land protection and conservation easements to groups of landowners, attorneys, accountants and farm managers.

Dr. J. Jasper Lament
Manager of Conservation Programs
Ph.D., University of Miami, Florida
B.S., (Honors) Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Dr. Lament represents Ducks Unlimited on several national and international bird conservation committees. He is a staff member of the North American Wetlands Conservation Council, which distributes grants for wetlands conservation projects in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Dr. Lament brings specialized expertise in the ecology of brackish and tidal systems to Ducks Unlimited. Dr. Lament was first employed by Ducks Unlimited as a regional biologist where he was involved in wetlands restoration projects in San Diego, Monterey and San Francisco Bay. He was Ducks Unlimited's primary wetland biologist for the California coast, focusing on enhancing managed wetlands and salt ponds, and restoring tidal wetlands. He also managed Ducks Unlimited's Suisun Marsh Waterfowl Production Program, which enhanced habitat values on thousands of acres of managed wetlands in California's largest brackish marsh.


Dawn Browne 
Manager of Conservation Programs
Business Development and Technology
M.S., University College London
B.S., University of North London

Ms. Browne supports a cross-section of activities that are integral to conservation program delivery at National Headquarters. She works on the development of additional lines of new business for Ducks Unlimited related to future marketing opportunities of ecological goods and services such as carbon sequestration and water quality credit trading. She also oversees Geographic Information Systems and remote sensing applications in support of Ducks Unlimited's national and international programs, facilitating technological exchange between DU and conservation partners. She worked as a GIS analyst for four years at DU's Southern Regional Office in Jackson, Miss., and as GIS Manager at National Headquarters before assuming the position of Manager of Conservation Programs for Business Development and Technology. Dawn has been involved in habitat related data development, spatial analysis and modeling for the Mississippi Alluvial Valley, Gulf Coast and various projects for DU's Latin American program. She is also overseeing ongoing carbon sequestration research and business process development relating to the DOE Prairie Carbon Reduction Regional Partnership grant.  
 

Dr. Scott C. Yaich
Director of Conservation Operations
Ph.D., Southern Illinois University
M.A., Southern Illinois University
B.A., University of Delaware

Dr. Yaich oversees or is engaged in conservation programs and policy issues that transcend the scope of regional offices. He provides national coordination of the state grants program, serves as the lead science contact in DU's policy work on wetland protections and the Clean Water Act, and provides science support to the Washington, D.C., office on other policy issues. He currently chairs the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agency's Waterfowl Working Group, and is DU's representative on the U.S. North American Bird Conservation Initiative Committee. Before coming to DU in 2001, Dr. Yaich worked for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission for 13 years as wetland coordinator, chief of the wildlife division and assistant director over wildlife, fisheries and law enforcement. While with AGFC, he served on the Mississippi Flyway Council and Technical Section, was actively engaged in the Lower Mississippi Valley Joint Venture, and was involved in many other wetland, waterfowl and wildlife management efforts. He also spent four years with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as wildlife management biologist for Arkansas.

Dale D. Humburg
Chief Biologist
M.S. Michigan State University
B.S. Iowa State University

Mr. Humburg’s waterfowl education began with his dad in a duck boat in 1955.  More formal exposure to wildlife research began with the Iowa Conservation Commission as a seasonal employee (1969-1976) where he worked on red fox telemetry, pheasant nesting, duck banding, nesting studies, duck harvest data analysis, and early Canada goose restoration.  His professional career continued as an upland research biologist during 1976-1977 in Iowa.  The majority of his professional career was as a wetland and waterfowl research biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC - 1977-2002) and more recently served as the division chief for the MDC's Resource Science Division (2002-2007).  He retired after 30 years with MDC to begin another career in September 2007 as DU’s Chief Biologist.  Experience in wetland and waterfowl research has involved semi-permanent marsh management, invertebrate dynamics, willow wetlands, Canada goose wintering ecology, evaluation of waterfowl hunting programs, surveys of waterfowl hunters, and a number of studies following the 1993 flood on the Missouri River.  Recent emphasis has been on employing adaptive management concepts as a framework for more explicit management and policy decisions.  Mr. Humburg is a wetland owner and manager, and 50 years later, is passing on lessons learned in the duck boat to his grandsons.
 

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Western Regional Office
3074 Gold Canal Drive
Rancho Cordova, CA 95670
Phone: (916) 852-2000

Dr. Rudolph Rosen
Director
Ph.D., University of Massachusetts
M.S., South Dakota State University
B.S., Pennsylvania State University 

Dr. Rosen directs Ducks Unlimited's habitat conservation programs in nine western states. This includes conservation project development, as well as creation of private and public partnerships to restore and enhance wetlands, and meet conservation goals for waterfowl throughout the Pacific Flyway.

Prior to joining DU, he was the president of Professional Management Group, Inc., where he provided start-up and turn-around management and fund-raising services for international nonprofit foundations. Previous government and nonprofit conservation experience includes: executive director of Safari Club International Foundation and Safari Club International; executive director of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife; director of Fish, Wildlife and Coastal Marine Resources, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Dr. Rosen has served on more than 80 national and international commissions, boards, foundations, councils and committees in the field of natural resource conservation. He has specialized in public policy, management of fish and wildlife agencies and nongovernmental conservation organizations.

Dr. Fritz Reid
Director of Conservation Planning
Ph.D., University of Missouri
M.S., University of Missouri
A.B., Hamilton College

Dr. Reid has more than 20 years of experience working in wetland ecology, and has a direct knowledge of most western wetland complexes. His biological expertise in the tundra and boreal habitats of Alaska has helped facilitate satellite inventory of more than 100 million acres of this land cover by DU. With this information, land managers can better understand impacts to these regions. Landscape planning in the Central Valley of California identifies key complexes and nutritional needs of waterfowl. Dr. Reid's background in waterfowl ecology in wintering and migrational habitats helps others understand those needs.



Mark Biddlecomb
Director of Conservation Programs-AZ-CA-NV-UT
M.S., University of Alaska
B.S., Utah State University

Mr. Biddlecomb has over 15 years of experience in wildlife and habitat management. After obtaining his M.S. in wildlife management, he accepted the position of resource area biologist with the Bureau of Land Management in Nevada. At DU, he first served as a regional biologist in the Intermountain West and completed a myriad of projects thoughout Idaho, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and Utah. Since 2002, he has served as the Director of Conservation for the South Pacific Flyway which includes California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah. As such, he oversees all conservation activities within this 4 state area. 
 

Dr. Mark Petrie
Manager of Conservation Planning
Ph.D., University of Missouri
M.S., University of Missouri

Dr. Petrie assumed his current position with DU in 1997. Previously, he was a research assistant at the University of Missouri, where his graduate work focused on the role of the mallard in the decline of the black duck. He currently serves as research coordinator for the black duck joint venture as well as a member of the monitoring, evaluation and research team of the Gulf Coast joint venture. His current responsibilities include the development of a strong research program befitting DU's conservation programs in areas important to non-breeding waterfowl.

Thomas J. Dwyer
Conservation Director, Pacific Northwest and Wetlands Hawaii Initiatives
M.S., University of Wisconsin
B.F., State University of New York College of Environmental Sciences and Forestry
B.S., Syracuse University

Mr. Dwyer spent much of his professional wildlife career in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Before joining Ducks Unlimited in May 2000, he was deputy regional director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the Pacific Region that encompassed six western states and Hawaii. He began his career with the government as a research scientist studying waterfowl in the U.S. and Canadian prairies and eventually became chief of the Office of Migratory Bird Management for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. At DU, he oversees all aspects of conservation program delivery in the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Alaska and Hawaii.

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Great Lakes/Atlantic Regional Office
1220 Eisenhower Place
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
Phone: (734) 623-2000

Dr. Robert Hoffman
Director, Great Lakes/Atlantic Region
Ph.D., Ohio State University
M.S., Ohio State University
B.S., Michigan State University

Dr. Hoffman joined DU in 1983 as a regional director in southeast New York. In 1985, he was promoted to regional biological supervisor in the Great Plains Regional Office in Bismarck, N.D. Prior to this, he worked as a wildlife biologist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources in Lansing, Mich.; the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in Yuma, Ariz.; and the Winous Point Shooting Club in Port Clinton, Ohio. He has worked in a variety of wetland ecosystems, in both an investigative and management capacity. In July 1990, Dr. Hoffman was promoted to director of habitat development. As acting director of operations, he assisted in the development of the Great Lakes/Atlantic Regional Office in Ann Arbor, Mich. Dr. Hoffman was the director of conservation programs for the regional office from 1997 to 2002, prior to being promoted to director.


Ray Whittemore
Director of Conservation Programs-CT-ME-MA-NH-NY-RI-VT
219 County Road
Bedford , NH 03110
Phone: (603) 626-7706

B.S., Cornell University

Ray Whittemore began his career as a soil conservationist trainee for the Soil Conservation Service, in Worland, Wyoming. For 13 years, he served as refuge manager for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, serving at four national wildlife refuges. For two years he served as USFWS joint venture coordinator for the Lower Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Basin joint venture, under the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. In 1990, he assumed the North Atlantic regional biologist position with DU, and was promoted in 1997 to regional biological supervisor for the North Atlantic region of the Great Lakes/Atlantic Regional Office. In 2002, he was promoted to director of conservation programs, North Atlantic, and in this capacity, he is responsible for the supervision of five biologists who deliver DU's conservation program in major initiatives in eight states. He administers MARSH program funds and coordinates project implementation, and represents DU on the Atlantic Coast joint venture management boards and in the Atlantic Flyway council. 
 

Dr. Tina J. Yerkes
Director of Conservation Planning
Ph.D., University of Manitoba
M.S., Johns Hopkins
B.S., University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Prior to her career at DU, Dr. Yerkes taught courses on wetlands and wildlife and also conducted research on diving and dabbling ducks and wetland issues. She is currently at the Great Lakes/Atlantic Regional Office in Ann Arbor, Mich., and responsible for planning and research in the 18-state region. Dr. Yerkes has experience with a variety of research issues related to waterfowl and wetlands: including breeding, wintering, and spring periods. She has also used a variety of technigues including telemetry, habitat analyses, GIS, modelling, chemical and isotope analyses, food habits and behavioral analyses. Her current emphasis is on designing research programs specifically to address uncertainty in habitat conservation program delivery in the Great Lakes/Atlantic Region.

Gildo M. Tori
Director of Public Policy
M.S., Ohio State University
B.S., Michigan State University

Mr. Tori, who joined DU in June of 1997, is responsible for directing and coordinating public policy issues within the Great Lakes/Atlantic Region, including the Farm Bill, NAWCA, SWANCC, Great Lakes Restoration, state specific wetland protection legislation, and other policy issues. Gildo also coordinates GLARO's State Grant Program, which works with state wildlife agencies to generate funds in support of the NAWMP in Canada , and provides oversight to GLARO's land protection program. Prior to joining DU, he was the wetland wildlife projects leader for the Ohio Division of Wildlife responsible for waterfowl research and hunting regulations, wetland wildlife research and management, and wetland protection and restoration. His experience with the division of wildlife included bald eagle, river otter, trumpeter swan, and osprey reintroduction projects.

David Brakhage
Director of Conservation Programs
M.S., University of Missouri
B.S., Virginia Tech

Mr. Brakhage helps direct conservation programs in the Great Lakes and Upper Mississippi River ecosystem initiatives. He supports the efforts of habitat delivery staff in the states of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan by helping to establish new program opportunities, securing additional funding, and addressing state and regional policy issues.  In addition, he supervises land protection efforts throughout the region and helps manage the regional budget.

Prior to coming to work for Ducks Unlimited in 1998, Brakhage worked 13 years for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in their waterfowl management program. As the state waterfowl biologist for Florida, he developed population and habitat management programs for waterfowl in that state and served as Florida 's technical representative to the Atlantic Flyway Council. While at the University of Missouri, he received extensive training on waterfowl management and wetland ecology.

 

Dennis McDonough
Director of Conservation Services
B.S., Montana State University

Mr. McDonough is responsible for the design, contract and construction management of Atlantic Region projects. He began his career as engineering technician with the Soil Conservation Service in Montana , designing, staking construction, construction management and livestock water and irrigation pipeline projects. He held positions with the U.S.D.A. Forest Service in Montana and North Dakota developing transportation systems for timber harvest and monitoring oil activities for contract compliance. In 1985, Mr. McDonough came to work for DU as a regional engineer in the Great Plains Regional Office, then in 1990 in the Southern Regional Office. There he was responsible for starting the engineering program to design, contract and provide construction management for all waterfowl habitat projects in the Southern region and Mississippi Valley. Between 1993-1998, he was the principle engineer for engineering consultants in Tennessee designing projects for DU, The Nature Conservancy and various state and federal agencies. In 1998, he returned to DU as the regional engineering supervisor for the Great Lakes Atlantic Regional Office. In 2003, he was promoted to the GLARO director of conservation services, responsible for all engineering and budget-related activities. He remains the responsible engineer for all projects in the Northeast and Atlantic portions of the region.

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Southern Regional Office
193 Business Park Drive, Suite #E
Ridgeland , MS 39157
Phone: (601) 956-1936

Dr. Curtis Hopkins
Director Southern Region
Ph.D., Texas A & M
M.S., Mississippi State University
B.S., Mississippi State University

Dr. Hopkins oversees all of Ducks Unlimited conservation programs in the 15-state Southern Region. In addition to maintaining more than 1 million acres of wetland habitat, the programs enhance, restore and/or protect 100,000 acres of wetland habitat annually. Dr. Hopkins first joined Ducks Unlimited in 1981 as regional director for the northern Mississippi Region, and served in that capacity until 1989. He then served as senior regional director in Mississippi until 1990, when he was promoted to Director of Private Lands Conservation. He became Director of Conservation Programs in 1999 and assumed his current position in 2007. Dr. Hopkins continues to remain active in various other professional, academic, and technical organizations and committees, including leadership roles. Prior to joining the DU team, Dr. Hopkins was an instructor of wildlife management at Texas A&M University and a wildlife biologist at Desoto National Forest and the Delta National Forest.


Craig R. LeSchack
Director of Conservation Programs – NC, SC, GA, FL
M.S., Auburn University
B.S., Michigan State University

Mr. LeSchack joined DU in 2000 as a regional biologist in Texas where he helped implement conservation programs on private and public lands throughout Texas and New Mexico.  In 2002, he was promoted to his current position where he oversees all of DU’s conservation efforts in the South Atlantic Flyway, including North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.  Prior to joining DU, Mr. LeSchack was a wetland biologist and district wildlife biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission where he managed wetlands and provided technical assistance on waterfowl and wetland management issues in a 12-county region.  Mr. LeSchack has conducted research on waterfowl in the southeast and also on arctic-nesting geese, and has extensive experience in wetland management issues.  He is a Certified Wildlife Biologist and a member of The Wildlife Society and also a management board member on the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture.

Dr. Scott M. Manley 
Director of Conservation Programs-KS-NM-OK-TX
Ph.D., Mississippi State University
M.S., Mississippi State University
B.S., Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos

Dr. Manley has research experience in the winter ecology of waterfowl, agriculture-waterfowl relationships, wetland functions and values, water quality, statistics, scientific writing, extension education and public relations. He also has research experience in the Northern Prairies, California 's Central Valley, Gulf Coast and Mississippi Alluvial Valley. Dr. Manley has conducted additional research in southern oceanic ecosystems and southeastern U.S. Piney Woods. 

Dr. Thomas E. Moorman
Director Conservation Programs
Ph.D., State University of New York, Syracuse
M.S., Auburn University
B.S., Ohio University

Dr. Moorman joined DU in 1991 as a regional biologist working with public lands in the 15-state Southern Region. He served as Director of Conservation Planning from 1998-2007 and worked to plan, evaluate and strengthen the science underlying DU conservation programs in the Southern Region.  In 2007, Dr. Moorman was promoted to Director of Conservation Programs, South Mississippi Flyway (MO, AR, LA, MS, TN, KY, AL).  His responsibilities now include administration of conservation programs in the seven states comprising the South Mississippi Flyway management unit of the Southern Region, planning and evaluation to strengthen the science underlying DU conservation programs in the Southern Region, and administration of conservation communications for the Southern Region.  Prior to joining DU, he performed research and published findings on mottled ducks and wood ducks. He is a member of the Wildlife Society, the Society of Conservation Biology and several ornithological professional societies. He has extensive experience with waterfowl and wetland research and management issues in the southern United States.

Ross Melinchuk
Director of State and Federal Coordination
M.S., Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario
B.S., University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario

Mr. Melinchuk joined Ducks Unlimited in 1992 as North American Waterfowl Management Plan coordinator at the national headquarters. In August 1995, he was promoted to his current position. Prior to joining DU, Mr. Melinchuk worked as NAWMP coordinator for the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies in Washington, D.C. During his 25 year career, he also held positions with Saskatchewan Environment and Renewable Resources, Renewable Resources Consulting Services and Ducks Unlimited Canada. He is a member of The Wildlife Society and other professional and academic organizations and committees, has published numerous papers in scientific journals, and has won two prestigious awards for his work.

J.W. (Jim) Emfinger
Director of Land Protection
M.S., Louisiana State University
B.S., Louisiana Tech University

Mr. Emfinger was employed by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries for 31 years as a wildlife biologist. He has served as district wildlife biologist, managed public wildlife management areas and consulted with private landowners concerning wildlife management on private lands. He served as technical representative on the Mississippi Flyway Council, waterfowl biologist for north Louisiana and North American Wildlife Management Plan coordinator for Louisiana. He has conducted research relative to foreign game bird introductions, canvasback ducks and lead poisoning, and written articles on these topics. In working with DU, Mr. Emfinger coordinates vegetative restoration on Wetland Reserve Program sites in multiple states, and directs DU's conservation easement programs in the Southern Region.

Bobby Massey
Director of Conservation Services
B.S., University of Mississippi

Prior to his employment at DU, Mr. Massey worked for state and federal organizations, as well as a private company. Mr. Massey has more than 30 years of engineering experience in civil construction. He is responsible for reviewing all engineering plans for wetland restoration projects in a 15-state area as well as overseeing the budget and drafting/reviewing various agreements for the Southern Region Office.

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Great Plains Regional Office
2525 River Road , Bismarck, ND 58503-9011
Phone: (701) 355-3500

Jeff Nelson
Director, Great Plains Region
M.S., Utah State University
B.S., University of Minnesota

Mr. Nelson worked for DU Canada for six years as a research biologist, and for DU for a number of years in different capacities before settling into his current position as director of conservation in the Great Plains states. His areas of interest include waterfowl and wetland ecology, waterfowl population biology, and using models to design effective conservation programs. He continues to bring the latest understanding of waterfowl ecology together with information about landscapes and the people who live there to design more effective conservation strategies for waterfowl and other wildlife. He has served on the Adaptive Harvest Management working group, the North American Wildlife Management Plan evaluation team, the Arctic Goose joint venture management board, and the North American Wetlands Conservation Act council staff. He currently serves on the Prairie Pothole joint venture management board. Under his leadership in the Great Plains Regional Office, more than a half million acres of the best waterfowl habitat remaining in the Dakotas have been permanently protected by easements and acquisitions.

Dr. James K. Ringelman
Director of Conservation Programs – ND – SD – MT
Ph.D., University of Maine, Orono
M.S., South Dakota State University, Brookings
B.S., California State University, Fresno

Dr. Ringelman began his career as a waterfowl biologist in 1975, when he commenced his graduate studies on duck brood behavior and visibility at South Dakota State University.  Since that time he has been a practicing waterfowl researcher, conservation biologist, and program administrator.  His doctoral research on the breeding ecology of the black duck in Maine was the first attempt to quantify habitat use by this elusive species using radio telemetry.  After his work in Maine, Dr. Ringelman began his research career with the Colorado Division of Wildlife’s research group in Fort Collins.  There he studied duck breeding and wintering ecology in a host of ecosystems – from high elevation montane systems, to the wetland complexes of Colorado’s intermountain basins, to the riparian habitats of the Platte and Arkansas River systems.  Jim was also an affiliate faculty member in the Department of Fishery and Wildlife Biology at Colorado State University, where he served on several graduate committees.  Later in his career with the CDOW, he became the Avian Research Leader, administered the state duck stamp program, created and managed the Colorado Wetlands Initiative, and served as the State Waterfowl Biologist through his role in the Central Flyway.  Dr. Ringelman began his career with Ducks Unlimited in 1996.  He helped develop a diverse program at the Great Plains Regional Office that included new land protection and easement programs, GIS and research capabilities, and enhanced programs in Colorado, Nebraska, and Minnesota.  Today, Jim manages all facets of DU’s conservation programs in the heart of the U.S. Prairie Pothole Region – the Dakotas and Montana.  He continues to focus on new ways to achieve waterfowl conservation benefits using the best available science, innovative approaches, and practical programs that work for conservationists and landowners alike.

Dr. Stephen E. Adair
Director of Conservation Programs-CO-WY
Great Plains Regional Office
Ph.D., Utah State University
M.S., Texas A&M University
B.S., University of Texas

Dr. Adair began his tenure with Ducks Unlimited, Inc. at its national headquarters in June 1997. He has served on several national committees and delegations including the Citizens Ambassador Delegation for Wetland Conservation to Australia and New Zealand, the U.S. Forest Service's national riparian roads team, and the agricultural task force of the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. Dr. Adair has extensive experience in conservation program development, strategic implementation, supervision and evaluation. Current responsibilities include supervision of Ducks Unlimited's conservation program delivery in Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wyoming. Dr. Adair has been involved in wetland research and waterfowl management throughout the United States and has co-authored numerous scientific journal articles and management handbooks.

Ryan P. Heiniger
Director of Conservation Programs-IA-MN
B.S., 1998 Animal Ecology - Wildlife 
Iowa State University

Mr. Heiniger started with Ducks Unlimited as a Field Biologist in Devils Lake, North Dakota where he helped implement wetland restoration and enhancement projects on National Wildlife Refuges and Waterfowl Production Areas.  Prior to relocating to Minnesota, Ryan managed DU’s conservation program in Nebraska and specialized in building partnerships to implement DU’s Rainwater Basin and Platte River Initiatives.  He is currently responsible for leading DU’s Living Lakes Initiative including program administration, partner relations, public policy and assisting with private major gift fundraising.  Mr. Heiniger recently served on a Governor appointed task force in Minnesota, which examined the environment and natural resources trust fund governance model and made recommendations on improving expenditures.   His areas of interest include breeding and migrating waterfowl biology and wetland ecology. 

Joseph A. Satrom
Director of Public Policy
B.S., North Dakota State University, Fargo

Mr. Satrom is responsible for directing public policy work in the eight-state Great Plains Region. Prior to his current position with DU, Satrom ran unsuccessfully for governor of North Dakota in 2004, directed the land protection program in the region (1999-2004) and was state director and vice president of the Dakotas program of The Nature Conservancy (1991 to 1999). Satrom served on the Prairie Pothole Joint Venture Management Board, the Dakotas Resource Advisory Board of the Bureau of Land Management, numerous public and private boards and spent 10 years as a member of the North Dakota state senate (1982-1991). He also has expertise in real estate issues related to conservation and agricultural lands, federal, state and local government public policy, small business, travel and tourism and plains history and culture.

Blake Vander Vorst
Agronomist
M.S., University of Nebraska, Lincoln
B.S., North Dakota State University

Before coming to DU, Mr. Vander Vorst worked as the executive secretary for North Dakota state soil conservation committee for more than a decade, directing the staff, programs and budget, including map finishing and digitizing soil survey information. Mr. Vander Vorst also served as president of the Natural Association of State Conservation Agencies. AGvantage Consulting, an agricultural consulting firm, was started by Mr. Vander Vorst and continues to operate. In addition, he has worked as an extension agronomist and Walsh County extension agent for North Dakota State University for seven years, SCS area resource conservationist for three years, and has owned a farm since 1981 and operated it for 13 of those years. In his current position, Mr. Vander Vorst draws on his experience to provide crop production information to farmers, while coordinating and managing an extensive winter cereal program in the Dakotas being implemented by DU. 


Dr. Scott Stephens
Director of Conservation Planning
Ph.D., Montana State University
M.S., Mississippi State University
B.S., Northwest Missouri State University

Dr. Stephens' research career has focused on understanding relationships between duck population dynamics and habitat/landscape characteristics. For the past five years, his research has focused on long-term research on duck nesting success in the prairies of North and South Dakota. Additionally, his current research examines native grassland loss rates and landscape factors influencing risk of native grassland conversion. In combination, this suite of ongoing research helps to ensure DU's conservation programs in the Prairie Pothole Region are achieving maximal impact for waterfowl populations.

Roger Smith
Director of Conservation Services GPRO
B.S., North Dakota State University

The majority of Mr. Smith's professional career has been spent at Ducks Unlimited, starting as a regional engineer in 1984. Along with his directorial duties, he remains the engineer for Montana and both Dakotas, working with DU biologists on wetland restoration projects. He oversees DU engineering, accounting and contract compliance personnel in the eight-state region.

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Washington , D.C. Regional Office
1301 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Suite 402
Washington, D.C. 20004
Phone: (202) 347-1530

Scott Sutherland
Director of Governmental Affairs
B.A., University of Washington

Mr. Sutherland's responsibilities include leading DU's efforts to encourage the U.S. government to more fully implement the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, an international strategy for the full recovery of continental waterfowl populations through habitat protection. He leads a team of professionals advocating for a wide variety of programs and policies to increase waterfowl populations. Sutherland has been with DU since 1990, previously serving on the White House staff of two presidents and as a member of both congressional and state legislative staffs.

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