Western Organization of Resource Councils
Board of Directors 2012

Dakota Resource Council
Verle Reinicke – A retired pastor, Verle has lived in western North Dakota for 39 years and is a member of the church committee that provided a portion of seed money to start DRC. Verle is the Chair of DRC.

Dean Hulse – Dean is a writer living in Fargo, North Dakota. He and his wife, Nicki, still own his family’s farm in Bottineau County, a source for much of Dean’s motivation concerning land use, renewable energy and sustainable agriculture. Dean is the Vice-Chair of  WORC.

Dakota Rural Action
Jim Buchholz – Jim is a former chairman of Dakota Rural Action. He grew up on a South Dakota dairy farm and graduated from the North Dakota College of Science. He worked as a commercial and industrial electrician for 40 years. Jim and wife, Diana, live in Estelline, SD.

Nancy Hartenhoff-Crooks – Nancy has been a member of Dakota Rural Action for close to twenty years. She is co-chair of the DRA Small Farms committee. Nancy and her husband live on a small acreage on the edge of Toronto, SD. Nancy is the coordinator of disability services at South Dakota State University.

Idaho Rural Council
K. C. Duerig – K.C. and his wife, Bev, live in King Hill, Idaho. K.C. is an artist and publisher of the Non-Consumer Digest. He is the President of Idaho Rural Council.

Northern Plains Resource Council
Julia Page – Julia is a long-time activist from Gardiner, Montana, where she owned and operated a small business for many years. Julia's interest in water issues started in the late 1980's when gold mining threatened several tributaries of the Yellowstone River.

Lana Sangmeister – A native Montanan, Lana and her husband, Charles, live in Nye, Montana. They are active in their local affiliate, which is involved with the Good Neighbor Agreement with Stillwater Mine. Lana is on the Board of Northern Plains and a member of its Operations and Finance Task Force. Lana is WORC's Chair.

Oregon Rural Action
Steve Bartell – Steve is a member of the Blue Mountain Chapter of ORA. He lives in Imbler.

Peter Maille – Peter was born and raised in Erie, Pennsylvania. After Peace Corp service, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Resources Management and Master’s in Forestry. His fields of study were environmental economics and development economics. Eastern Oregon University was looking for someone with his background at just the right time, and Peter is now an assistant professor of economics in La Grande. When not in class, he is often fishing the rivers and reservoirs of northeast Oregon.

Powder River Basin Resource Council
Bernie Barlow – Bernie is a long-time member and former Chair of the Powder River Basin Resource Council. She ranches near Gillette, Wyoming.

Bob LeResche – Bob and his wife, Carol, own a ranch near Clearmont, Wyoming, and they produce organic heirloom produce for a Community Supported Agriculture group of 60 families. Bob spent more than 40 years in Alaska as a wildlife biologist, State Government Policy and Planning Director, Director of Habitat Protection, Commissioner of Natural Resources, Executive Director of the Alaska Energy Authority, and Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Coordinator.

Western Colorado Congress
Monica Wiitanen – Monica grew up thinking that working to leave the world a better place for "the youth in the distant tomorrows" was what adults did. With her husband, Wayne, Monica runs Small Potatoes Farm near Paonia, Colorado. She served as WORC's Chair in 2011.

Claudette Konola – Claudette comes from a family of miners and ranchers in western South Dakota. She now lives in Western Colorado where she works to protect the land and water for future generations.