LINCOLN, Nebraska – The voting members of the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts (NARD) Board of Directors elected new officers during their board meeting March 9, 2020.

The NARD Board consists of representation from each of the Nebraska’s 23 Natural Resources Districts (NRDs). The board meets five times throughout the year and helps guide the association and NRDs in decision making that protects lives, property and the future of Nebraska’s natural resources. The NARD Risk Pool Board governs the health insurance program for NRD employees. Since its inception in 2007, the program has held the average annual cost increases for health premium rates below 4.5 percent.

Jim Eschliman, NARD President (Ericson, Nebraska)
Jim Eschliman from the Lower Loup NRD was elected president of the NARD Board and NARD Risk Pool Board. He has served as vice president since 2018 and has been on the boards since 2016. Eschliman has served on the Lower Loup NRD Board 15 years, is the current vice-chairman, and has also served on the program and projects committee. Eschliman is also serves on his local co-op board and the Cattleman’s Beef Board. After selling his dairy cows in 2018, he considers himself retired and resides near Ericson with his wife, Deb.

Milt Schmidt, NARD Vice President (Lincoln, Nebraska)
The NARD Board and NARD Risk Pool Board elected Milt Schmidt from the Lower Platte South NRD as vice president. He previously held the position of secretary-treasurer since 2018 and has been on the boards since 2016. Schmidt also served as an alternate NARD board member from 2014-2016. He was elected to the Lower Platte South NRD board in 2012 and has served in several leadership roles for the district including: two years as chairman of the Recreation, Forestry & Wildlife Sub-committee and two years as chairman of the Platte River Sub-committee. Schmidt also served two years as secretary for the district. After 35 years with Goodyear, Schmidt retired and went on to work five years for United Way in Lincoln. He continues to volunteer his time for many charities in the Lincoln community.

Marty Graff, NARD Secretary-Treasurer (Ainsworth, Nebraska)
Marty Graff of the Middle Niobrara NRD was elected as secretary-treasurer of the NARD Board and NARD Risk Pool Board. Graff has served on the Middle Niobrara NRD Board 25 years and on the NARD boards since 2018. He farms with his wife, Brenda, and sons near Ainsworth. Off the farm, Graff serves on the East Woodlawn Cemetery Board (Johnstown, Nebraska) and is active in the Elks Club helping with youth baseball and wrestling.

Larry Reynolds, NARD Past President (Lexington, Nebraska)
Larry Reynolds of the Tri-Basin NRD will remain on the executive committee as the NARD Board past president. He has been on the NARD boards eight years, serving as NARD secretary-treasurer from 2014-2016, vice president from 2016-2018 and president from 2018-2020. Reynolds has been a member of the Tri-Basin NRD Board for 35 years. He served in the U.S. Air Force eight years and in the Nebraska Air National Guard 18 years. Reynolds currently farms and helps manage the family’s cow-calf operation near Lexington.

In addition to the president, vice president, secretary-treasurer and past president, the NARD Board executive committee includes Jim Meismer, Legislative Committee chair representing the Twin Platte NRD, and Jim Johnson, Information and Education Committee chair representing the South Platte NRD.

Nebraska Natural Resources Districts Managers Committee
On March 4, NRD Managers elected Annette Sudbeck, general manager of the Lewis & Clark NRD, as chair of the Managers Committee; and Paul Zillig, general manager of the Lower Platte South NRD, as vice-chair of the Managers Committee.

The Managers Committee includes managers from all 23 Natural Resources Districts. The committee meets five times a year to coordinate NRD activities with state and federal agencies, conservation partners and other parties to protect Nebraska’s natural resources.

The Nebraska Association of Resources Districts (NARD), the trade association for Nebraska's 23 Natural Resources Districts (NRD), works with individual districts to protect lives, property and the future of Nebraska’s natural resources. NRDs are unique to Nebraska, and act as local government entities with broad responsibilities to protect Nebraska’s natural resources. Major Nebraska river basins form the boundaries of the 23 NRDs, enabling districts to respond to local conservation and resource management needs. Learn more about Nebraska’s NRDs at www.nrdnet.org.