(Ankeny, Iowa – September 11, 2020) The Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) has elected new officers to lead its Board of Directors, the Society’s governing body. Additionally, three new members have been added to the Board.
Assuming the role of Board chair is Dale Threatt-Taylor, the SWCS Southeast Region director and executive director of The Nature Conservancy South Carolina Chapter. Known within her region as the “conservation evangelist,” Threatt-Taylor brings more than 25 years of conservation experience to the Society, including previous positions as director of the Wake County Soil and Water Conservation District in Raleigh, North Carolina, and as a soil conservationist for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. She holds a bachelor’s degree in conservation with a concentration in soil science from North Carolina State University and a master’s degree in environmental management from Duke University.
"I have worked with Dale since 2017 and have considered her a source of inspiration and a leadership mentor,” says SWCS CEO Clare Lindahl. “I look forward to the momentum her spirited leadership will bring to SWCS over the coming year."
Rebecca Power, SWCS North Central Region director and director of the North Central Region Water Network will serve as vice-chair, while Jane Hardisty, SWCS At-Large director and retired USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Indiana state conservationist, will serve as secretary. SWCS Past-Chair Rex Martin will continue his Board service as treasurer.
The following conservation leaders will also contribute expertise and guidance to SWCS:
- Keith Berns, Nebraksa farmer and co-owner and operator of Green Cover Seed, serves the Board as the newly elected Northwest Region director. Berns is an acclaimed cover crop and soil health advocate and educator. He was honored as a 2016 White House Champion of Change for Sustainable and Climate-Smart Agriculture and currently serves as chair of the Nebraska Healthy Soils Task Force.
- Ellen Gilinsky joins the Board as representative of the Northeast Region. Gilinsky is president of Ellen Gilinsky, LLC, which she launched in 2017 to work with government, industry, and private sector on identifying environmental solutions to water challenges. She previously served as Associate Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water at the US Environmental Protection Agency from 2011 through 2016 and as director of the Water Division at the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.
- Jerry Hatfield has been appointed as At-Large director. Hatfield is the retired director of the USDA Agricultural Research Service National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment in Ames, Iowa. With 498 peer-reviewed publications and 18 monographs, Hatfield is regarded an expert is the evaluation of farming systems and their response to water and nitrogen interactions across soils. His goals include helping producers increase production efficiency, increase soil health, and develop resilience to weather and climate variation.
Each Board of Directors member serves a three-year term.
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About SWCS
For seventy-five years, the Soil and Water Conservation Society has been the premier international organization for professionals who practice and advance the science and art of natural resource conservation. We believe sustainable land and water management is essential to the continued security of the earth and its people. Our goal is to cultivate an organization of informed, dynamic individuals whose contributions create a bright future for agriculture, the environment, and society. The Soil and Water Conservation Society is headquartered in Ankeny, Iowa, with chapters across the United States and Canada.
For More Information:
Clare Lindahl, CEO
Soil and Water Conservation Society
clare.lindahl@swcs.org
515-289-2331, ext.113