Rich is entering his 11th year at The Nature Conservancy (TNC). As Director of Conservation for the Nebraska program, he oversees TNC-owned lands, land protection program, sustainable grazing lands (SGL) strategy, freshwater riverine projects, and representation of TNC in numerous statewide partnerships. Rich has led large-scale collaborative partnerships that implement conservation management actions on private lands. As SGL implementation manager, he assists in developing and implementing SGL strategies. Rich serves on the Governance Committee for the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program, representing the environmental interests of the Platte River. The Program is focused on implementing a shared vision for creating and maintaining habitats on the Platte River with a focus on environmental water flows. Rich also is on the board of the Rainwater Basin Joint Venture. Before joining TNC, Rich worked as a private and public land manager and waterfowl biologist at the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Rich holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in wildlife biology from the University of Nebraska at Kearney.