Board of Directors
Our dedicated voluntary Board and Advisory members provide thoughtful guidance and generous support to ensure that the mission and vision of Friends of Black Rock-High Rock remain focused on preserving this National Conservation Area for current and future generations.
Board of Directors
Jeffrey S. Rosenfeld
President
Raised in New England he learned his appreciation for the outdoors in the White Mountains. After earning degrees in Environmental Management from RIT and Business Administration from Northeastern he spent decades working in Biotechnology, Environmental Restoration, Green Technology, and Healthcare acquiring certification as a LEED-AP, Lean Six-Sigma Blackbelt, and PMP along the way.
Prior to joining Friends of Black Rock High Rock, Jeff founded the Wildwood Open Lands Foundation with the vision of creating an organization whose mission was to promote the conservation of natural and cultural resources. The efforts of FBRHR and WOLF dovetail towards the preservation of this unique region.
He now lives with his wife and children on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe. The family has a passion for travel and feels drawn to open spaces. When not exploring the desert Jeff can often be found skiing, hiking, mountain biking, fishing, and paddling in the Sierra Nevada backcountry.
Marnee Benson
Vice President
Marnee holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics from San Diego State University, a Master’s Degree in Environmental Policy and a Master’s Degree in Environmental Science & Natural Resource Management, both from the University of Nevada. From 2014 to the present, she has served as the Director of Government Affairs for the Burning Man Project. From 2009 to 2013, she served as the Deputy Director at Black Rock Solar. From 2004 to 2009, she worked as a Communications & Environmental Campaign strategist, produced numerous events, and worked as an art and environment journalist.
Lisa Nash
Treasurer
Lisa moved to Gerlach in 2014 and previously managed the year-round activities of Burning Man’s northern Nevada properties. She now works as a land use planner based out of Reno and volunteers with art projects in northern Nevada. She has been coming out to the Black Rock Desert for over 18 years and fell in love with the desert on her first trip. She has a BS in Geological Engineering from NM Tech and has been active with conservation and environmental groups and projects for her entire career. Lisa is currently on the Economic Development Committee and Gerlach Fire Department.
Chanda Keefe
Secretary
Chanda is a dynamic business leader and collaborative community builder with 15+ years experience implementing enterprise-wide solutions for large financial services companies. She’s an expert problem solver and strategic thinker able to leverage a broad base of technical and business management skills to deliver value added solutions. Her extensive non-profit experience assists in community development at both local and global levels and she’s an accomplished event planner and fundraiser, skilled at motivating volunteers and logistical coordination of large-scale events.
Tom Clark
Immediate Past President
For more than 20 years, Tom has provided non-legal government and public affairs services on behalf of his clients before federal, state, and local governments and regulatory agencies. He represents a variety of interests including but not limited to; renewable energy, energy, mining, mortgage professionals, insurance, gaming, emergency medical services, telecommunications and land development.
As the owner of Tom Clark Solutions, he provides the full spectrum of services to assist clients in achieving their business and political goals. Tom understands how to build relationships and devise strategies to get companies the results they seek whether it’s project permitting, legislative, local government or regulatory changes, business-to-business networking or political and community support for a business, project or campaigns. Tom also provides expert public relations services for clients and strategic consulting for community education campaigns as well as state and local political campaigns.
Dave Cooper
Dave came to the Black Rock Desert in 2001 as the first BLM Manager for the Black Rock Desert – High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area and 10 associated wilderness areas. He led the effort to develop the first award-winning collaborative Resource Management Plan for the 1.2 million acres of public lands that make up the NCA and wilderness areas. He also authorized special recreation permits for numerous activities and events that take place in the Black Rock country such as Rocket Launches, Land Sailing, and the annual Burning Man event. Dave retired in 2009 after 33 ½ years of federal government service and providing visitor services to the public in Illinois, Idaho, Oregon, Colorado and finally Nevada. Dave still provides logistical support for large wildfires throughout the United States. He is on the Board of Directors for the Friends of Black Rock High Rock and now makes his home in the tiny town of Gerlach NV, the gateway to the Black Rock Desert.
“Now I have time to explore this vast remote region, hike the canyons, traverse the mountain ranges, enjoy the solitude, watch the dark skies at night, learn more of the emigrant trail history, soak in the hot springs, and continue to provide visitor services”.
Shelley Fallon
After graduating from UMass Dartmouth with a BFA, Shelley moved to the area in 1988. She fell in love with the Black Rock Desert after taking a road trip with a friend in the early 1990s. Shelley has owned Fallon Multimedia for over 20 years, working as a creative, focusing her talents as a graphic designer, illustrator, and planner through interpretive planning and design. She has worked on interpretive projects with organizations including the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, Nevada Department of Wildlife, State of Nevada, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Tahoe Fund, and several counties in both Nevada and California. Her main goal is promoting stewardship and a connection to our natural resources and cultural history through interpretive education. She is a 25-year Burning Man participant.
and has been involved in running theme camps and creating art for the event. Shelley is a fine artist, musician, and equestrian who enjoys riding in the local wilds. She has a 16-year old daughter, and they enjoy camping, hiking, rockhounding, fossil hunting, and always searching for the best views they can find.
Rebecca Gasca
Rebecca Gasca is a veteran Burner who fell in love with the Black Rock Desert while working on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada to engage with law enforcement at Burning Man. She is the founder and CEO of Pistil + Stigma, a boutique consulting firm focused at the intersection of government, regulatory, and community relations for bleeding edge policy issues, and co-founder and managing partner of Greenlight Drafts, a product-driven company providing cannabis compliance standard operating procedures, plans, and policies for responsible operators in the emerging medical marijuana industry.
As the former lobbyist for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Nevada, Ms. Gasca was well noted for refreshing multi-partisan coalition building approaches and commitment to data-driven policy restructuring. Stemming from her experience with the ACLU, Ms. Gasca established Pistil + Stigma’s work stretching from energy policy and juvenile justice to national health care policies, as well as economic and business development.
Kurstin Graham
Kurstin was raised overseas as the son of international educators. He finished his education in California before making his home in Nevada. He was on the board of Biggest Little Trail Stewardship and worked for the Reno Bike Project before coming to Friends. He has an inordinate fondness for bicycles, adventure touring, and public lands. It only makes sense that he lands on the board of the Friends of Black Rock High Rock. His goal is to foster stewardship through non-motorized recreation.
Jerry Snyder
Jerry is an attorney by day, a notorious bon vivant come nightfall, and an experienced leader of abstractly defined, multi-faceted adventures. Jerry has been practicing law for nearly two decades in California and Northern Nevada, both in private and government practice. Jerry focuses on litigation in areas of construction law, water law, corporate governance, real property law, business torts, and intellectual property.
Jerry is active in the Reno community. In addition to FBRHR, he is a board member of Black Rock Labs, a non-profit that provides solar arrays for underserved communities; The Generator, a free community maker space; and the Western Folklife Center.
When Jerry is not practicing law, he makes art, listens to music, cooks, and camps, sometimes all at once. Jerry created the Ichthyosaur Puppet Project, a large-scale, public sculpture permanently installed in the Terry Lee Wells Nevada Discovery Museum.