BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Will Roger Peterson
President
Will Roger is currently a member of the board of directors of Black Rock City LLC (Burning Man) and on the board of the Black Rock Arts Foundation. He also serves on the Sierra Front - Northwest Great Basin Resource Advisory Council. Will's background in science, fine art, education and management support his broad interests that range from environmental issues to interactive public art. He splits his time between his studio in Oakland, CA and his outpost in Gerlach, NV. Will's other interests include motorcycle riding, sailing, wind surfing, hiking, underwater photography, aerial photography, astronomy, green and alternative energy and preserving Nevada's wilderness. Will is also a member of the NRA, ACLU and SAC.

James Kudrna
Secretary
James Kudrna is the manager of Kudrna Nevada LLC and owner of Soldier Meadows Ranch & Lodge. Jim retired in 2005 after over 30 years in the real estate industry as a broker, manager, marketer, CFO, dealer, portfolio acquisition specialist, and developer. Jim is experienced in the implementation of marketing, planning, organization financing and development of all types of communities and resources. He is an avid conservationist, friend of all wildlife, critic of waste, a minimalist, and now he is becoming a rancher at Soldier Meadows, a key destination along the Emigrant Trail. He loves to hunt chukkar (and doesn't much care if he gets any), fish, camp, explore, fix things, learn, teach, build consensus, travel, and make changes happen. Jim is married with two sons, and received his formal education in economic forecasting and business at Western Washington State University.

Lucy Moreton-Hall
Treasurer
Lucy has more than 30 years experience as a high-level escrow officer and has also processed loans, taught at a real estate school, worked in the banking industry, and has taken law classes. She has been the treasurer of the Sparks Elks lodge # 2397 for 3 years and was also Secretary of the Walnut Creek chapter of the Navy League. Lucy has lived in Nevada since 2002, recreated in Nevada since the 80's, and likes being close to the Black Rock.

Jeff Barker
Known as "JB" in the local circles, was raised in Washoe County, and manages the old Iveson Ranch, a short distance from Gerlach, where he and Sylvia are developing a Wildlife Conservation Ranch supported by Art Car Storage and Playa Base Camp, as well as the BarSyl Bazaar in Gerlach. Jeff has spent the majority of his life in and around the Black Rock High Desert Area. JB's lifelong background in sales and marketing with major international companies makes him an asset to any business, but his heart is here!

David Book
Self proclaimed Desert Rat David Book has been with Friends for nearly 10 years. Dave's been scouring the deserts of Arizona, California, and Nevada since the 1970's. He's an active member of Washoe Country Search & Rescue, Friends of Nevada Wilderness, Oregon California Trail Associatiion, Sierra Club member and trip leader, does amateur radio and has been a Burning Man attendee since 1993. Dave has also been a BLM volunteer since the mid 1990's. When he's not at meetings, he's out poking around in ghost towns, mining camps and deserted backroads. His favorite motto's: "I don't care where I go or what I do, Ijust want to go" and "When you're in the desert, you always have a view"

Wayne de Geere III
Wayne is a big guy who does everything on a large scale, especially when it comes to his Provost rolling palace. A long time desert dweller, he brings entrpreneurial vision and technical know-how to the organization. Wayne also has a lovely wife Breanna, and they have a young son, Wayne IV.

Dan O'Day
Dan lives in Incline Village, Nevada, and has spent many years exploring the Black Rock Desert. For the past several years, Dan has worked internationally as an ERP software consultant. Dan worked in the radio industry in Chicago prior to his move to Nevada in 1997. As an amateur astronomer, Dan also sits on the board of Space Science for Schools, an educational program that operates in partnership with Sierra Nevada College. He has also been on the board of Pet Network of North Lake Tahoe. Dan is generally a big history buff, a pretty serious amateur photographer, and also works on intellectual property violations for Burning Man.

Dennis Porter
Dennis has been involved in activities in the Black Rock / High Rock region sinde the late 1970's. He's a past Chairman of the Shasta County CA Air Resource Appeals Board and has been an attorney since 1975. Currently, Dennis is semi-retired and limits his practice to recreational access and environmental law. He also has been president of the High Rock Trekkers, a 4WD group formed over 20 years ago to work in partnership with the BLM to protect recreational access and the historical structures and pioneer trails in the region.

Debbie Smith
Debbie is a life time resident of Reno and a frequent visitor to the Black Rock Desert. She has worked in the not-for-profit sector for 25 years in various capacities including, crisis intervention, managing a shelter and providing technical assistance nationally to professionals addressing family violence issues. Debbie owns a small business as a massage therapist and volunteered for Washoe County Search & Rescue for 19 years. Recently she worked on the revitalization of the Wells Ave. area in Reno Nevada, co-chairing the Beautification Committee. Debbie is interested in balancing the wants of individuals to enjoy Nevada; the Black Rock Desert specifically, and preserving the natural beauty and uniqueness of the area.

Sam Stern
Sam has been in Nevada since 1975, after serving in the US Army as a field medic in South Korea. He worked as a district supervisor in Las Vegas and Reno for Nevada First Thrift, a state bank owned by his family with over 22 branch offices, and for Vassar Wells Music Hall in Reno as general manager and booking agent of a bar and restaurant. Sam has also worked for himself in the mortgage business in Las Vegas and Reno, and has been associated with "Your Front Porch Neighbors" as sales and operation manager for a local home magazine. He has a daughter attending the University of Colorado and a son graduating from Reno High School this year. Sam serves on the Diabetes Foundation Board in Reno and was appointed by the Governor to the Automobile Advisory Board in 2007. He spends his free time doing photography, hiking, and playing golf and tennis.

Arlo Stockham
Arlo is an experienced land use planner who works as an "in-house" project manager for the Jaksick family, the largest private landowner in northern Washoe County. He graduated with high honors from the University of Nevada, Reno with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography and minor in Geology. Arlo has also completed extensive post-graduate training in land use planning, public policy and environmental law. Before joining the Jaksick family team, Arlo worked as a planning consultant for a variety of private and public sector clients and as a staff member for several local, state and federal government agencies. Arlo is especially interested in protecting and enhancing the unique and scenic character of the Black Rock Desert region.

Elizabeth Margerum
Liz was born in eastern Nevada among beautiful mountains and marshes. Raised in Reno, she has worked as a professional photojournalist for 10 years and is happiest when she can use the skills of her trade in the Black Rock. She used to dislike the desert, but her passion for photography and camping changed her mind. She now believe it takes a special person to see the beauty in the desert, and doesn't mind that the Nevada wild is the best-kept secret in the world.

Lorraine Watson
Lorraine Watson is a tribal member and the Vice-Chairperson for the Summit Lake Paiute Tribe Council. The Summit Lake Reservation is the most remote Indian reservation in Nevada and is completely within the boundary of the Black Rock NCA. Lorraine has joined the board of Friends of Black Rock to make sure that the the perspective of the tribe is considered when making resource management decisions, and to increase the communication between the tribe and other interested groups in the Black Rock NCA.

STAFF

Matthew "Metric" Ebert
Executive Director
After his formative years near Washington, D.C., Matthew "Metric" Ebert headed west, a motorcycle beneath him and dreams in his head. After a year in the Trinity National Forest working a mineral rights claim, Metric moved to San Francisco to pursue higher education and other interests. There he developed a career in the arts, working with several bands and event production companies while pursuing a music business degree at San Francisco State. While this was often satisfying, it was rarely lucrative, and so Metric also worked for the Institute for Health Policy Studies at the UCSF School of Medicine as a research assistant. Ultimately, he decided to move to northern Nevada in 2000 and became the ranch manager for Burning Man, developing their rural property into a professional storage and production facility. Now Metric has settled in Gerlach, and serves the Gerlach Empire Citizen Advisory Board in addition to his work with the Friends of Black Rock.

Margie Reynolds -
Outreach Coordinator
Over 20 years in design and marketing enables Margie to doubly handle Outreach for Friends. She's worked with Visitor Bureaus in the Tahoe / Carson area and is currently active with the Lake Tahoe Earth Day Foundation. Her clients include the Nevada Museum of Art, UC Davis, and the BLM.

Margie's fist visit to the Black Rock region was in '92. Armed with a USGS geothermal map, a few hot springs books and a Gazetteer, she set off in search of a good soak. An outdoor-lover from Tahoe City, she feels fortunate to be able to spend her time soaking at both ends of the ancient Lahontan watershed. Zella doesn't mind either.

Michael "Crow" Black, Volunteer Coordinator

Bill Carson, IT Director Via Michigan, England, Idaho, and California, Bill has finally found a home in the Black Rock Desert. After visiting to launch rockets in 1997, he got stuck under a glorious electrical storm on the playa and been here ever since. Bringing a wealth of computing experience from his time at Pixar and The Exploratorium, rock collecting and his dogs keep him from being chained to the computer for too long.