Find Out Who We Are

Board

Members



Staff

Executive Director: Jeremy Vesbach

2610 San Mateo Blvd. NE; Suite A
Albuquerque, NM 87110
505-299-5404
jeremy@nmwildlife.org

Jeremy was born in Fairbanks, Alaska and grew up in Hardin, Montana, a small town located at the junction of the Bighorn and Little Bighorn Rivers on the border of the Crow Indian Reservation. Nearly every free moment growing up was spent outdoors. Jeremy graduated from the University of Wisconsin—Madison in a program called “Biological Aspects of Conservation”—-which is a field of study designed by New Mexico Wildlife Federation founder, Aldo Leopold. Jeremy moved to Albuquerque in 2002, after several years of working as a journalist and volunteering with conservation causes in Montana and Oregon. Because wildlife and the outdoors have so enriched his life, Jeremy feels privileged to be able to devote his working life to passing on and improving these opportunities for future generations.


Membership Director: Greg Miliatis

2610 San Mateo Blvd. NE; Suite A
Albuquerque, NM 87110
505-299-5404
greg@nmwildlife.org

Originally from Michigan, Greg spent much of his childhood outdoors, exploring the woods, streams, and marshes near his home. While living in Chicago, he worked as an environmental educator, as well as a conservation program coordinator with The Nature Conservancy. Greg has lived in New Mexico since 1998, and since then, has written articles for Backpacker Magazine and New Mexico Magazine, and has earned a Master's degree in Recreation from the University of New Mexico. Greg loves spending time outdoors with his family, and exploring the diverse landscapes of New Mexico.


Development Director: Michelle Briscoe

2610 San Mateo Blvd. NE; Suite A
Albuquerque, NM 87110
505-299-5404
michelle@nmwildlife.org

Michelle grew up exploring her family’s small tract of virgin timber on the Cedar River in central Iowa. She learned from her grandfather and father at a very early age the responsibility she and every person has to protect wildlife so it may be enjoyed by future generations of hunters, anglers, photographers, and observers. After graduating from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio with business marketing degree and a focus in environmental science, she worked with a variety of non-profits in the Washington, DC area. Michelle moved to New Mexico in 2003 in search of a lot less concrete and is thrilled by the opportunity to once again be working to preserve the responsible use of wild lands.


Field Biologist: Leon Fager

Leon holds degrees in Wildlife and Range Management as well as Public Natural Resource Policy, and has worked for the Nevada Game and Fish Department, the Soil Conservation Service, and the U.S. Forest Service. His work experience has included wildlife habitat improvements such as streams and lakes restoration for fish habitat, and big game habitat management such as prescribed burns and browse release. He also served as the Regional Wildlife and Threatened and Endangered Species Program Manager for the Southwest Region of the Forest Service, Albuquerque Office.


Rio Grande Program Director: Alan Hamilton
alan@nmwildlife.org

A native of Colorado, Alan has lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico since 1981 with his wife Sarah and daughters Emma and Laura. Along with his family, the cultures and landscapes of New Mexico have become primary sources of inspiration which motivates and informs his work. Dr. Hamilton is presently working as a psychologist in private practice and concurrently as the Rio Grande Program Director for the New Mexico Wildlife Federation. He is also the executive director of BackTalk, a community based therapy program for adolescents, and a board member of several organizations including: Conservation Voters New Mexico, The New Mexico Water Dialogue, and the S.B. Foundation.


National Wildlife Federation Regional Representative: John Gale
galej@nwf.org

After growing up in Idaho and working for the state senate while feeding an outdoors addiction as a whitewater river guide and ranger, John received degrees in Natural Resource Management from the University of Idaho. John later moved to Washington D.C. to direct a variety of grassroots conservation programs for Trout Unlimited. At the end of 2005, John returned to the West, working for the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) in Boulder, Colorado. As NWF's Regional Representative for NM, AZ, UT, and NV, John oversees and collaborates wildlife conservation efforts in those states. His primary goals for state development include building resources that will help NWF and its affiliates grow bigger, stronger, and more financially prepared to face the challenges of wildlife conservation—it’s also nice when he gets to go hunting, fishing, and exploring to appreciate the conservation work that ties him to the office.