Our Team

Youth Activities Committee Co-Chairs

Vassel Tompkins V (Jr)

Committee Co-Chair

An El Campo native, Vassel "Jr." Tompkins V turned a childhood spent hunting and fishing into a career dedicated to Texas rangelands. After earning his B.S. in Range and Wildlife Management from Texas A&M - Kingsville, Jr. served as the Range Coordinator and head hunting guide for a private lease on the historic King Ranch.

Currently the NRCS District Conservationist for Jackson County, Jr. brings years of technical and field experience to the TSSRM community. Since joining the YRW volunteer team in 2025, he has been passionate about mentoring the next generation of land stewards and sharing the expertise he gained across Calhoun and Jackson counties. I'm excited to be serving as a co-chair for the Youth Activities Committee starting in 2026.

Doriann Damerau (Dori)

Committee Co-Chair

Dori's passion for range management began early through 4-H and FFA, where she engaged in activities like range evaluation, plant identification, and educational presentations. Her commitment to conservation was strongly influenced by her family, particularly her late grandfather, a long-serving Soil and Water Conservation District board member. Dori's trail with the Texas Section Society for Range Management (TSSRM) began in 2015 at the Youth Range Workshop. Following YRW, she was selected as a delegate for the 2016 High School Youth Forum at the Society for Range Management (SRM) Meeting held in Corpus Christi, Texas. As Dori continued her education, she participated in collegiate contests, including plant identification and the Undergraduate Range Management Exam (URME) through TSSRM, SRM, and the Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society. She became chair of the TSSRM Young Professionals Committee in 2024, leading for two years and significantly contributing to its success with the help of a great team. Dori's passion for range extends beyond state boundaries. She actively participates in National Young Pro Conclave monthly calls and consistently attends the National SRM Annual Meeting. In 2024, Dori returned to the YRW as a cabin director, taking on a more hands-on role in guiding and mentoring the next generation of range management enthusiasts. At the 2025 TSSRM Annual Meeting in Alpine, Texas she was greatly honored to receive one of the Charlie Hart Rangeland Improvement Awards. By 2026, she took on the role of Co-Chair of the Youth Activities Committee, further solidifying her influence and commitment to youth involvement in the field.

Coordinators

Dandy Kothmann

coordinator

Dandy Kothmann earned her B.S. in Rangeland Ecology and Management from Texas A&M. She has worked for the NRCS for more than 20 years and currently serves as the Resource Team Leader in the Mason Field Office. Dandy serves a four-county area, supervising operations in Blanco, Gillespie, Llano and Mason Counties. She lives in Menard County, where she and her husband Curtis run an Angus cow/calf operation on the Forked Lightning Ranch. They are proud to be the 5th generation to continue her family's legacy on this ranch. She is a past President of the Texas Section Society for Range Management.

Rider Combs

coordinator

Rider grew up in Cypress, Texas, and then attended Texas A&M University in College Station. During his undergraduate career, he was a competitive member of the Plant ID Team at TAMU.

After obtaining a B.S. degree in Rangeland Ecology and Management, he earned an M.S. degree in Range and Wildlife Management from Texas A&M University–Kingsville in the fall of 2021. While working on his master’s, he served as the coach of the Rangeland Plant ID Team and as a Teaching Assistant for the Rangeland Plants class.

He now serves as the committee chair for the TSSRM College Activities Committee, is a member of the TSSRM Board of Directors, and is the property manager for the Ecology and Natural Resources Teaching Area at Texas A&M University in College Station. Rider is also working toward his doctoral degree at Texas A&M University and helps coach the Plant ID Team. He’s excited for another year volunteering at YRW to share his passion for rangeland management!

Daphne Kast

coordinator

Daphne Kast graduated from Texas A&M University in 2022, with a BS in Rangeland Ecology and Management. While at A&M, she competed on the Plant ID and Undergraduate Range Management Exam team. She now works as a rangeland management specialist for NRCS along the Texas and Oklahoma border. She is actively involved in helping manage the Kast Ranch in Gillespie County, and is excited to share her passion for range management with today's youth!

Ryan Kennedy

Financial Coordinator

Ryan Kennedy lives in Midland, TX where he is working as a Range Conservationist and Energy Representative for University Lands. He provides oversight and guidance on rangelands across 6 counties in the Edwards Plateau. Ryan is a two-time graduate of Angelo State University where he earned a B.S. degree in Natural Resource Management, M.S. degree in Animal Science with a concentration in Range & Wildlife Management and a certification in Ranch Management and Beef Industry Leadership. He also completed two research projects looking at natural remediation methods for brine water impacted rangelands. June 2024 will be his third year volunteering at Youth Range Workshop and his first year as a Coordinator.

Directors

Lee Knox

Director

Lee A. Knox holds the Houston Stockshow and Rodeo Endowed Professorship in Ranch Management within TCU’s Ranch Management Program, where he mentors future leaders in agriculture and ranching. Before assuming his current role, he had an impressive career spanning over 20 years with the USDA-NRCS and Texas A&M Agrilife Extension. Lee holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Range Management from Texas A&M University and New Mexico State University, respectively. Lee and his wife, along with their daughter, currently manage an 8-section ranch near Abilene. A passionate advocate for range management since attending the Youth Range Workshop in 1990, Lee continues to influence the field through his academic and practical contributions.

Shiner Webb

Director

Shiner Webb grew up on her family’s cattle ranch in the Texas Panhandle, where she developed a love for wide open spaces and land stewardship. In 2020, she received a B.S. in Rangeland Ecology & Management - Ranch Management from Texas A&M University, where she enjoyed being part of the TAMU Range Club and Plant ID team. Shiner went on to spend a year working as a Range Management Specialist for USDA-NRCS in Paducah, Tx. She then moved to Wyoming to work as a cattle ranch intern before returning home to the ranch she grew up on, where she worked alongside her father and brother for a couple of years and hopes to return soon. Currently, she is working for the Texas Grazing Land Coalition as a technical assistance specialist.

Rode Mills

director

Rode Mills is from Fort Stockton, Texas and a graduate of Angelo State University with a B.S. degree in Animal Science with a minor in Range and Wildlife Management. He is currently a Grazing Lands Specialist with NRCS covering the Trans-Pecos Region of Texas. His passion is working with landowners to improve the natural resources on their rangeland. He carries that passion forward when working with and educating the youth at Youth Range Workshop.

Jenny Pluhar

Director

Jenny Pluhar has been involved with YRW since 1988. She serves as Executive Director of the Texas Grazing Land Coalition and manages three ranches in the Texas Panhandle. She is past president of both TSSRM and SRM and recipient of the TSSRM Outstanding Contribution to Range Management and SRM's WR Chapline Award for Land Stewardship. She is most proud of recognition for Outstanding Rangeland Management for her work on the Taylor Ranch in Gray County, Texas.

Cabin Directors

Hannah Pepper

Cabin Director

Hannah Pepper is currently majoring in Wildlife, Sustainability, and Ecosystem Science at Tarleton State University with a concentration in Natural Resource Ecology. She was a camper at Youth Range Workshop in 2021, and on her high school Range FFA team, and is now competing in intercollegiate plant ID. This summer she is looking forward to working on her undergraduate research project looking at soil disturbance effects on woody encroached grasslands, as well as a field technician for a riparian mitigation project. Hannah is also very involved in her university’s Student Chapter of the Wildlife Society and serves as Secretary and Education and Outreach Chair.

Jonathan "JB" Bartek

Cabin Director

Jonathan "JB" Bartek is from Goldthwaite, Texas. He is currently attending Tarleton State University and majoring in Ag Mechanics. He has attended Youth Range Workshop before as a camper, Jr. Director, and Director. He currently manages Robitaille Ranch in Stephenville, Texas and Pigfoot Ranch LLC. in Goldthwaite, Texas.

Garrett Purcell

Cabin Director

Hanna Hardt

Cabin Director

Hanna Hardt is from Eagle Pass, Texas, and is currently attending Texas A&M University where she is majoring in Rangeland, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management. She enjoys being actively

involved on campus as a member of the TAMU Range Club and Plant ID Team, including competing on the National Plant ID Team that placed 5th internationally at the Society for Range Management Annual Meeting in 2025. Hanna has attended YRW since 2021, serving as a two-time camper, junior director, and cabin director. She has also participated in the second YRW 2 Workshop hosted in Decatur, Texas.

Gracie Gelber

Cabin Director

Gracie Gelber is from Fort Worth, Texas and is currently attending Tarrant County College pursuing a degree in Horticulture, with plans to continue her education at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas to earn a degree in Range and Ranch Management. She works as a student worker in the TCC Horticulture Department, where she helps manage three greenhouses, an outdoor vegetable farm, and a native plant pollinator garden. Her responsibilities include plant propagation and potting, irrigation management, pest control and environmental monitoring.

In addition to her horticulture experience she has volunteered as a ranch hand at JM Beef, assisting with daily cattle care, such as feeding, working heifers and cows and reproductive management, and she is Artificial Insemination certified. As a former Texas FFA Ambassador she is passionate about agricultural advocacy, sustainable land and livestock management, and educating future generations about the importance of agriculture.

Jake Chapman

Cabin Director

Jake Chapman was raised in West Kerr County in the town of Hunt, Texas. His love for the outdoors began early, sparked by hunting and fishing trips with his father. In high school, he deepened that connection through the 4‑H Plant Identification Team, Texas Brigades camps, and various ranch jobs around his community.

Since then, Jake has worked on ranches across diverse landscapes—from spraying mesquite on the South Texas Sand Sheet to riding the cattle ranges of the San Juan Mountains in Colorado as a hired cowboy. For the past two and a half years, he has managed a small‑acreage cattle operation in College Station while pursuing his degree in range management. During his time as a full‑time student, he has been an active member of the Range Club, the Plant Identification Team, and the Undergraduate Range Management Examination Team.

Join us in June!

Are you a high school student 14-18 years old? Lucky you! You are eligible to be a part of Youth Range Workshop! We'll be at Junction, Texas at the Texas Tech University Center June 21–26, 2026. Apply today! We can help you with who to contact for possible sponsorships!

Email

tssrmyrw@gmail.com

Phone

Dorian Damerau: 830-387-8429
Jr. Tompkins: 979-541-3411

Apply Now

Fill out your application here.