2023 Board Nominations
Melissa Clary - Director Nominee
I grew up on a small farm and ranching operation in South Texas as the 5th generation to call this place home. From a young age I learned how to work hard under the hot sun for a challenging livelihood. With grit and determination, I developed an appreciation for native rangelands even before I understood the big picture of land stewardship. While pursuing my bachelor’s degree at Angelo State, this spark of passion became a fire. With the leadership and guidance of Dr. Cody Scot, I pursued a career in range management. I graduated in 2009 with a degree in Animal Science and emphasis on Range and Wildlife Management. I began my career with NRCS as a range management specialist. NRCS has taken me to diverse eco-regions across the state. Today, I am the District Conservationist for the Big Spring NRCS Office. My best days are the days spent outdoors on a ranch working through a forage inventory, or consulting with a landowner who is genuinely interested in long term sustainability of their land. I have been a member of the Texas Section for several years and currently serve as a member on the Grassroots Committee.
I see my involvement with SRM not only on a professional level but also on a personal level. On a professional level, SRM is a great networking tool to meet like-minded range professionals who are collaborating to reach similar goals. The contacts I’ve made through SRM might not have been possible were I not encouraged to join the society as a young professional. I truly believe that we should be a go-to resource for information. My professional goal for SRM is to ignite that fire of passion for anyone wanting to learn more about range management. I would like to see the Texas Section become more accessible to reach individuals who may not have the resources I had, and to aid in mentorship to expand our bandwidth in the society.
On a personal level, when I’m not busy with NRCS I continue to help with the family ranch I grew up on. Range management is not just a job; it’s a big part of who I am. I am a mother of two young daughters, and my deepest passion that drives me is Legacy: to see the land in which I grew up return to a healthy and well-managed state for my daughters to inherit. I am one person who may only make a small impact in whatever I do, but my goal for SRM on a personal level is to strive to keep rangelands agriculturally productive and intact in a sustainable, responsible manner for our future generations.
If I were a Director on the Board for Texas SRM, I see my personal and professional views as being two-fold in making an impact for the future of rangelands. My professional knowledge and experience on the job are married with personal experiences of working with ranching mindsets and ranching for a livelihood. I have understood and lived daily the many hardships that farmers and ranchers face but have also put into practice the successes of sound management through mindfulness and making a few simple adjustments. My objectives with my SRM involvement are to prove that principles I’ve learned on the job can successfully be put into practice for profit and growth. Through TSSRM I hope to continue to grow in my career and know that the guidance and solid knowledge base I receive will help me achieve that goal.
I am truly humbled to be nominated for this position and would like to thank you all for your consideration.
Rider Combs - Director Nominee
Rider Combs has been an active member of the Texas Section Society for Range Management since 2015. He started as a student on the Texas A&M University Plant ID Team and then as a graduate student he coached the Texas A&M University-Kingsville Rangeland Plant ID Team from 2019 to 2021. He is an active member of the Young Professionals Committee, participated in the 2023 Youth Range Workshop and currently serves as the Committee Chair for the College Activities Committee. Rider’s dedication to education, research, and rangeland stewardship is illustrated in his professional position as the property manager at Texas A&M University’s Ecology and Natural Resources Teaching Area. He manages the daily operations, as well as facilities and land management, on the more than 900-acre facility. He also oversees the teaching, research, and outreach opportunities that take place on the property. Rider brings a wealth of experience in rangeland and ranch management, as well as special skills in native plant restoration, rangeland plant identification, unmanned aerial vehicle operation, and ArcGIS
Ryan Kennedy - Director Nominee
Ryan Kennedy currently lives in Midland, TX where he is working as a Range Conservationist and Energy Representative for University Lands. He provides operational oversight and guidance on Permanent University Fund (PUF) lands across six (6) counties in the Edwards Plateau. He is currently a Co-Coordinator for YRW and Chair of the TSSRM Awards Committee. He is also a member of TSCRA. Ryan is a two-time graduate of Angelo State University where he earned a B.S. degree in Natural Resource Management and a M.S. degree in Animal Science with a concentration in Range & Wildlife Management. He also earned a certification in Ranch Management and Beef Industry Leadership while attending ASU. During his time at ASU he completed two research projects looking at implementing natural remediation methods to reclaim brine/produced water impacted rangelands. He has a passion for Christian theology, geology, soil science, range management, and ranch management. He carries that passion with him into both his professional and personal life.
Sawyer Warick - Director Nominee
Completed a bachelor’s degree in Natural Resource Management at Angelo State University. While attending Angelo State University, I began my career with USDA- NRCS through the pathway’s internship program. Throughout my career with NRCS, I have had the privilege of working with land managers in the Coastal Prairie, Blackland Prairie, Southern High Plains, and Edwards Plateau. My current position as Zone Rangeland Management Specialist for Zone 2 allows me to provide support on rangeland practices to 51 counties in the southwestern portion of Texas. I have been a member of the Texas Section Society for Range Management since 2014 and have served as the Grassroots Committee co-chair since 2020.
My vision for TSSRM is for the society to serve as the leader of science-based rangeland stewardship principles. The amount of knowledge that the society’s leaders and members contain is unmatched. However, it is my belief that the society must take this information and educate the everyday land manager. Knowledge must be put into practice to become valuable, and I truly believe TSSRM has the ability to educate land managers in making valuable management decisions.
Carrie Seiler - 2nd VP Nominee
Carrie Seiler is a Resource Team Leader for the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) in the Uvalde Service Center. Her team includes Medina, Uvalde, Kinney, and Eagle Pass Counties. She has been employed with NRCS for 14 years and has worked with numerous farm and ranchers in West Texas, Central and South-Central Texas throughout her career. She works with closely with multiple partners including AgriLife, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), Pheasants Forever/Quail Forever, just to name a few.
Carrie has a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science from Angelo State University where she studied livestock production and livestock and range management. She took on an officer role for the Block and Bridle Club on campus and was on the Livestock Judging team. Carrie has a Master of Science degree in Natural Resource Management from Sul Ross State University. Her thesis focused on black bear habitat suitability in the Davis Mountains, but her studies included both rangeland and wildlife management. She volunteered by helping with other Master research projects focusing on elk, mule deer, and quail, and worked closely with TPWD with annual mule deer spotlight counts, and pronghorn antelope research projects.
Carrie grew up on a ranch near Comfort where she learned the importance of livestock grazing, being a good steward of the land, and running a successful cow-calf operation and a small farming operation. Growing up, she was involved in many 4-H and FSA projects including wool and land judging and raising show turkeys and hogs. She has found memories of love for the land, culture and family that drove her passion for the outdoors and its natural resources. Today, she still helps her family with the farming and ranching operation.
Carrie has been a member of the Society for Rangeland Management (SRM) and Texas Section for the Society for Rangeland Management (TSSRM) for 14 years. TSSRM has been an invaluable asset in her career through its members and networking, and she would like to pay it forward. Carrie has served by heading the Ranger Relay (2011), served on the Mentor/Mentee committee (2013-2014), Members Photo Contest chair (2010-present, served as the social admin chair and is one of the admins for the TSSRM Facebook (2017-present) and LinkedIn page (2022-present), and TSSRM Director (2021-2023).
The strength of TSSRM is based on the diversity of members that are built on the same basic principles. Carrie’s professional objective with the society includes finding ways to recruit, support and educate young, and young at heart. She would like to see TSSRM become a greater source of training and outreach for range professionals. Carrie is honored to be considered to serve as the next TSSRM 2nd Vice President and will work hard to implement the vision, goals, and objectives of the TSSRM.
Matthew Coffman - 2nd VP Nominee
Education:
B.S. Angelo State University 2007 – Animal Science and Range & Wildlife Management
M.S. Angelo State University 2009 - Animal Science and Range & Wildlife Management
Range Related Work History:
Have worked in numerous range and wildlife related positions. These include being a wildlife technician for Texas AgriLife Extension, a Range Technician for the USDA-Agricultural Research Service and I have worked as a Rangeland Management Specialist for the NRCS in the High Plains of the Texas Panhandle and Rolling Plains. I currently serve as the NRCS Grazing Land Specialist and Rangeland Management Specialist for the Southern Rolling Plains region based out of Snyder, Texas.
Society for Rangeland Management Activities:
I have been a member of SRM since 2010. In that time, I have served in numerous committee positions. In 2011 I served as the membership committee chair for TSSRM. From 2015 – 2018, I served as the Young Professionals Committee chair. Here I recognized the importance of member recruitment and retention as key to the long-term sustainability of the organization and learned a lot about the inner workings of the society. During this time, I also served as a liaison to the National SRM Young Professionals Conclave for the Texas Section. I served on the publications committee from 2016 – 2018. In 2018 I also served on the planning committee for the TSSRM annual meeting in Lubbock, Texas where I learned volumes on the logistics, budgeting and networking involved in what it takes to host our meetings every year. I also served as an instructor for TSSRM’s Youth Range Workshop in 2019, 2021 and 2023.
My Hopes for the Texas Section:
The network that is the Texas Section of the Society for Rangeland Management never ceases to amaze me. The professionals that I interact with on a daily basis are foundation that prop up my career, and give me the motivation needed to keep doing the job, and keep trying to spread the word about the importance of rangelands and the need for their conservation and sound management. The pursuit of the mastery of this trade we call rangeland management is one that will never cease for those of us that realize its importance. Texas SRM is the front runner in this pursuit for me, and I am humbled by the consideration for nomination for the Second Vice President. A long line of professionals I hold in the highest respect has gone ahead of me in this role, and it is my hope that I can serve in some capacity the way they did to keep providing that foundation for a solid career in rangeland management for many professionals in the future.
I appreciate this nomination for Second Vice President for the Texas Section of the Society for Rangeland Management.