Our Team

Coordinators

Austin Kelly

Coordinator

Austin R. Kelly is currently working on his Ph.D. in Ecology and Conservation Biology at Texas A&M University where he received double B.S. degrees in Rangeland Ecology & Management and Ecological Restoration. He is also the coach for the Texas A&M Collegiate Plant I.D. Team. Austin has worked as a field botanist/environmental consultant for several years and has taught several plant and rangeland related courses at A&M. As a former YRW camper, Austin is excited to return for his 7th year involved with and 3rd year leading the YRW to share his passion and knowledge of plants and the rangelands they grow on! For more see: AustinRKelly.com.

Rode Mills

Coordinator

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.

Deann Burson

Coordinator

Deann Burson is a native of Tuscola, Texas. She received her B.S. in Animal Science from Texas Tech University and her M.S. at Angelo State University. She is currently a Ph.D. student in the Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management Department at Texas A&M University. Her main research interests include ruminant diet selection, brush management, and prescribed fire. Deann enjoys working with the next generation of land managers and assisting with photography at YRW each year.

Ryan Kennedy

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 2023 will be his second time volunteering at Youth Range Workshop and his first year as a Coordinator.

Directors

Lee Knox

Director

Lee A. Knox has been with USDA-NRCS for 20 years. Prior to that he worked as a County Extension Agent for Texas A&M Agrilife Extension. Lee received a BS in Range from Texas A&M University and an M.S., also in Range, from New Mexico State University. Lee currently ranches on 8 sections near Abilene with his wife and daughter. He is a 1990 alumni of Youth Range Workshop.

Dandy Kothmann

Director

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.

Hoyt Seidensticker

Director

Hoyt Seidensticker attended Angelo State University and received a B.S. degree in Rangeland Ecology and Management from Texas A&M University in 1991. He currently runs a ranch and wildlife operation in the Boerne, Texas area. He runs a commercial cow-calf operation and a wildlife hunting program. He owns Land Stewardship Services LLC, and provides consulting services on wildlife management plans, prescribed burns, ranch management plans, and septic systems. He has been involved with the TSSRM Youth Range Workshop since 1995 and the High School Youth Forum since 2000. He enjoys sharing his knowledge and experience with the next generation of land managers.

Paul V. Loeffler

Director

Paul V. Loeffler is a native of Junction, TX and earned a BS in Range Science from Texas A&M in 1979. He worked for USDA-Soil Conservation Service for three years before having a 28 year career with the Texas General Land Office where he managed rangelands throughout west Texas. He is currently a Certified Real Estate Appraiser and a Certified Professional in Range Management. He owns and operates Superior Land Services, an appraisal firm in Alpine, TX and a ranch operation in Kimble County, TX. A former president of Texas Section SRM, he has been involved with YRW for more than 30 years.

Matt Coffman

Director

Matt Coffman was raised on small family operation outside Benjamin, TX. He received a B.S. and M.S. degree from Angelo State University in Animal Science and Range and Wildlife Management. While in college he worked in varied positions including Research Technician with Texas AgriLife, Range Technician with ARS, farm and ranch hand, and farrier. Matt began his career with NRCS as a Rangeland Management Specialist where he worked in Dumas and Roby, Texas. He is currently headquartered in Snyder and is a regional Grazing Land Specialist serving a multi-county area in the Rolling Plains.

John Sackett

Director

John Sackett is a Soil Scientist with USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Weatherford, Texas. He grew up in Liberty County, Texas. He attended Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Agronomy and Range Management and a Master’s Degree in Agriculture with an emphasis in Soil Science. He has been with the NRCS as a soil scientist for 18 years, and his favorite part of the job is working with people to help them better understand Soil Health and the relationship between soils, plants, and animals.

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

Camille Carey

Cabin Director

Camille Carey is from Weatherford, Texas. She received a BS degree from Tarleton State University in Horticulture with a minor in Biology. She was selected to be a Noble Scholar in Agriculture at the Noble Research Institute in Ardmore, Oklahoma during the summer of 2019. She went to Oklahoma State University where she earned her M.S. degree in Entomology. While in graduate school she was a lab technician at the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Stillwater, Oklahoma. She plans to pursue her PhD in Range Ecosystems Interactions at Texas A&M University

Chase Brooke

Cabin Director

Chase Brooke is a Small Acreage Extension Program Specialist with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. A graduate of Texas A&M University, he received his BS in Spatial Science, and MS in Ecosystem Science and Management. Chase has served as a YRW cabin director since 2021 and enjoys teaching upcoming youth about the importance of rangelands and conservation.

Virgil Epperson

Cabin Director

Virgil Epperson is from Rocksprings, Texas. He is currently attending Texas Tech University majoring in Agribusiness. He has always enjoyed prescribed burning, hunting, learning native plants and their uses. In general, he just enjoys being outdoors. Virgil has attended Youth Range Workshop five times. In 2019, he was a delegate to the High School Youth Forum at the TSSRM Annual Meeting in St. Paul, Minnesota. In 2022, he participated in the first YRW 2 Workshop hosted in Decatur, Texas.

Coleman Anthony

Cabin Director

Coleman Anthony, a native of Roanoke, Texas, is currently studying at Texas Wesleyan University with plans to transfer to Texas Christian University to major in Ranch Management and Marketing. He is an ardent supporter of agricultural education and emphasizes the significance of grasping the industry's business opportunities. In his quest for knowledge, Coleman attended the Youth Range Workshop in 2021, focusing on sustainable land management. His love for nature and dedication to environmentally responsible practices are evident in his outdoor pursuits and his efforts to advance sustainable agriculture.

Erika Sullivan

Cabin Director

Erika Sullivan, from Katy, Texas, is a current MS student at Texas A&M University in the Rangeland Wildlife and Fisheries Management Department working with AgriLife Extension as part of The Prairie Project. She earned her BS from Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, in Ecological Restoration where she was secretary of the Ecological Restoration club. Erika’s main research interests include prescribed fire, multi-species grazing, and brush management. Upon completion of her Master's degree in December 2023 Erika plans to continue working for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension as an Extension agent where she can continue to teach and inform the public on the latest science and management techniques in rangeland management.

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.

Jessica Sebastian

Cabin Director

Jessica Sebastian is from Eagle Pass, Texas. She is currently attending Texas A&M University in College Station, TX, with the intentions of attaining a B.S. in Range, Wildlife and Fisheries Management- Natural Resources Management and Policy Track. Jessica has been attending Youth Range Workshop since 2019 and will attend the 70th annual YRW as a Cabin Director.

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.

Shiner Webb

Cabin Director

Millie 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 a 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 an intern for the Paint Rock Canyon Ranch. Currently, Shiner is back home at the Seven Cross Ranch working to manage and grow the operation alongside her father and brother.

Rider Combs

Cabin Director

Rider grew up in Cypress, Texas and then attended Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. During his undergraduate career, he was a Ranch Intern for the East Foundation and a competitive member of the Plant ID Team at TAMU. After obtaining a B.S. degree in Rangeland Ecology and Management, he was an Intern at the AgriLife Research Station in Sonora, Texas.

In the fall of 2021, Rider obtained a M.S. degree in Range and Wildlife Management from Texas A&M University-Kingsville. While working on his masters he was the coach of the Rangeland Plant ID Team and Teaching Assistant for the Rangeland Plants class. He now serves as the committee chair for the TSSRM College Activities Committee and the Research Associate for Texas Native Seeds in Kingsville, Texas. June in 2023 with be his first year volunteering at YRW and he is excited to share his passion for rangeland management!

Shannon Sullivan

Cabin Director

Shannon Sullivan currently works as an Assistant Extension Agent in Agriculture and Natural Resources and Horticulture in Harris County. She got her degree from Texas A&M University in Ecological Restoration and plans to go back for her Masters in Natural Resources. Her passion for Rangeland Science grew tremendously through her university education and has made her a strong an advocate for land and water stewardship, prescribed fire, multi species grazing, and invasive species management. This is will be her first time in her role as a cabin director and she is looking forward to this experience.

Jake Bonnell

Cabin Director

Jake Bonnell currently serves as the Ranch Manager of the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch. Prior to this position he served as a Rangeland Management specialist for the NRCS in Victoria county. He graduated from Texas A&M University in 2019 with a Rangeland Ecology and Management degree and Renewable Natural Resource degree. While there, he participated in the Rangeclub, URME and Plant ID 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 18-23, 2023. Apply today! We can help you with who to contact for possible sponsorships!

Email

tssrmyrw@gmail.com

Phone

Rode Mills: 432-923-2734
Austin Kelly: 254-477-3213

Apply Now

Fill out your application here.