Sagebrush Ecosystem Council Members

Chris MacKenzie, a fourth generation Nevadan, grew up enjoying the bounty that the Nevada outdoors offers—with work experience as a ranch-hand, fishing guide, bar bouncer and other seasonal jobs—until going astray by attending law school after graduating with a finance degree from the University of Nevada, Reno. Today, MacKenzie is a partner in the law firm of Allison, MacKenzie, Pavlakis, Wright & Fagan, Ltd., in Carson City.  His areas of focus include business, administrative, estate, real property, and water law. MacKenzie served on the Wildlife Commission from 2001-2007 (Chairman, 2005-2007), and active member and Vice Chairman of the Nevada Dream Tags Advisory Board since its inception.

A native Nevadan, Steve Boies is a rancher and cattleman with operations near Wells in the far northeastern corner of the state.  Boies understands the issues family-run cattle ranches face today. In addition to representing ranching on the Sagebrush Ecosystem Council, he serves as N-1 and central Committee Chair for the state Grazing Board.  He has been an active participant in industry and resource issues during the past several decades.  Boies attended Universityof Nevada, Reno, where he studied Agricultural Sciences.

Kyle Davis is a Partner at Pinyon Public Affairs, a full-service strategic communications firm. He is an experienced lobbyist and political strategist working at all levels of government in Nevada. Kyle has successfully navigated difficult issues through the Nevada Legislature, including landmark legislation dealing with energy, public lands, transportation, wildlife, land-use planning, water, and public health. He regularly works with a broad set of stakeholders to bring disparate interests together for common sense solutions. Kyle is a third-generation Nevadan, raised in the rural town of Lovelock. He lives in Reno with his wife and two children.

Bevan Lister manages his family's farming operations raising Alfalfa hay and beef cattle.  Lister is an experienced water driller and contractor.  He has served on boards and commissions dealing with natural resources, including 11 years as a volunteer leader with the Farm Bureau.  Lister holds a Bachelor’s degree in Irrigation Engineering from Utah State University.     

William Molini is retired from the Nevada Department of Wildlife, where he worked for thirty years and served as the Director from 1982 to 1998. Mr. Molini presently serves as President of the Nevada Waterfowl Association and President of the Great Basin Bird Observatory. Mr. Molini also serves on the Board of the Coalition for Nevada Wildlife and is a member of the Sierra Forest Northwestern Great Basin Resource Advisory Council for the Bureau of Land Management. Mr. Molini, a Reno native, attended Utah State University on a football scholarship where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Wildlife Management.

Dr. Sherm Swanson is a range and riparian specialist for the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Service and associate professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science at the University of Nevada, Reno. Swanson holds a Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Resources from the University of Idaho, and earned his Master’s and Ph.D. in Resource Geography and Rangeland Resources from Oregon State University.

Mathew (Matt) Johns serves as Vice President, Environmental Services and Land Management for NV Energy. He is responsible for all federal, state, and local permitting, environmental compliance, and lands for NV Energy. Prior to joining NV Energy in 2015, Matt work 20 years as an environmental consultant for industrial clients and federal agencies. Matt holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from University of Colorado and Master of Science in Agricultural Engineering from Texas A&M University.

Jake Tibbitts was born and raised in Blackfoot, Idaho on a family farm and ranch and has lived in Nevada for 15 years. He has a B.S. in Biology and M.S. in Geographic Information Science with emphasis in geo-spatial rangeland science, both from Idaho State University. He is the Eureka County Natural Resource Manager (since July 2008) where he manages the County’s natural resources and keeps the County leaders involved and engaged on natural resource issues of importance to the County.  Jake serves on many boards and commissions related to natural resources and land management including current chairman of the Nevada State Land Use Planning Advisory Council, commissioner on the Nevada State Conservation Commission, supervisor on the Eureka County Conservation District, board member of the Nevada Association of Conservation Districts, member of the Rural Nevada US Forest Service Resource Advisory Committee, and Nevada Delegate on the Council for Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching (CARET). He has a deep interest in sustainable natural resource use and management and preservation and enhancement of rural communities and working landscapes.  

 

 

 

 

 

Jon Raby began service as the Nevada State BLM Director in March, 2019. Jon’s career in federal service began in 1990 and includes over 20 years with the BLM in Oregon, Montana and Washington D.C. In addition to the BLM, Jon has also worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Forest Service. Jon has also held several important assignments including BLM Liaison to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Land and Minerals Management and as Chief of Staff in the BLM Director’s Office in Washington, D.C. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from Ohio Northern University where he also played defensive back for the Polar Bears.Jon leads the management of 48 million acres of public land in Nevada and 59 million acres of Federal mineral resources. The State Office oversees six district offices in Carson City, Winnemucca, Battle Mountain, Elko, Ely and Las Vegas.