President Obama this week announced his intent to nominate Melissa Savage and C. Kenneth Smith to two of the three empty seats on the nine-member Board of Trustees of the Valles Caldera National Preserve. The board now consists of four members appointed by George W. Bush, two members appointed by Obama, two ex-officio members, and one vacant seat.
This news comes ten months after it was first reported by the Los Alamos Monitor that Savage and Smith were recommended by Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) to Obama to fill these two seats. One additional individual that the Monitor last year reported had been endorsed by Bingaman to join the board, Ray Powell, did not end up being nominated. This is almost certainly because Powell, the former executive director of the Valles Caldera National Preserve, is now running for New Mexico Commissioner for Public Lands (an office he had previously held for two terms). Consequently, one seat on the board will remain empty until Obama appoints someone to fill the vacancy.
According to Smith, no Senate confirmation is needed for himself and Savage to assume their places on the board — just a presidential nomination.
Below is the official announcement from the White House:
Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key administration posts:
…
Melissa Savage, Appointee for Member, Board of Directors of the Valles Caldera Trust — Dr. Melissa Savage is the director of the Four Corners Institute, a nonprofit organization that provides scientific advice to communities restoring their natural environments. She is also a forest geographer with a specialty in fire ecology and the southwestern conifer ecosystems. Dr. Savage is an Emerita Professor of Geography at the University of California, Los Angeles and is now an adjunct professor at the University of New Mexico. Dr. Savage holds a M.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and a Ph.D in Geography from the University of Colorado.C. Kenneth Smith, Appointee for Member, Board of Directors of the Valles Caldera Trust — Dr. C. Kenneth Smith is an associate professor of Forestry and Geology at the University of the South in Tennessee. He is active in regional water issues and serves on the board of the Sewanee Utility District. Dr. Smith previously served as the director of New Mexico’s Forest and Watershed Restoration Institute at Highlands University in Las Vegas, NM. He also spent three years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guinea, West Africa, conducting forest research and management projects. Dr. Smith received his Ph.D. and M.S. from the University of Florida, and his B.S. from Colorado State University.
