HMI is excited to welcome two new Board of Directors who were voted in at HMI’s fall Board Meeting on October 17.
is the President and CEO of The Dixon Water Foundation – a foundation whose mission is healthy watersheds through good land management. They operate two research and demonstration ranches in Texas. Robert has been a long-time member of the Holistic Management network through his work with the Dixon Water Foundation. The Foundation practices and promotes holistic grazing management on their demonstration ranches. He lives in San Antonio and Fort Davis Texas with his wife, Lana. They have a 27-year-old daughter, Rebecca. Robert is excited about joining HMI’s Board to help influence the wider adoption of HMI programs as that in turn would further the Dixon Water Foundation mission.
is Director of Development for the Alumni and Advocacy University of Arizona (UA) in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He has worked in various jobs at UA for the past 11 years including the Arizona 4-H Foundation Executive Director, Major Gifts Development at UA Cancer Center, and UA Regional Development. Lee lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with his wife, Jill. They have four grown children. Twelve years ago they adopted their granddaughter and she just graduated from high school. Lee has been involved with HMI since 2002 when he was our Development Director. He has served on HMI’s Advisory Council and Board of Directors since then. He is excited about being back on HMI’s Board to help build sustainable relationships focused on successful major donor fundraising. Welcome, Robert and Lee! HMI would also like to thank outgoing Board members, Ben Bartlett and Laura Gill. Ben has served on our Board since 2005, including service as the Board Chair for a portion of that tenure. He retired from Michigan State University, where he served as an Extension Educator, but Ben continues, along with his wife, Denise, to raise a commercial flock of sheep and graze stocker cattle on their farm in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Ben firmly believes managing holistically is very important and wants to help spread the Holistic Management tool to people who manage landscapes. Laura has served on our Board since 2012. She came to Holistic Management as a participant in HMI’s Ranch and Rangeland Manager Training Program. As co-manager of the 32,000-acre Circle Ranch in Texas, she wanted to learn how to better manage the land to improve wildlife habitat. She has held numerous positions and memberships in a variety of organizations including Planned Parenthood, Texas and Southwest Cattle Raisers Association, Texas Bighorn Society, and Texas Wildlife Association. Because Laura has a strong interest in wildlife, she is concerned about how destocking practices on rangelands are creating havoc, reducing the health of wildlife habitat. She believes we need to get animals back to work on the landscape and believes HMI’s work on improving land health is critical work to share with others. Thank you, Ben & Laura, for all your hard work to lead and support HMI!