District Staff
District Manager – Siobhan Nishida
Siobhan serves the Clinch Valley SWCD team as the District Manager. She previously worked in a range of positions including landscape architect, wetland environmental consultant, and project manager with a sheep livestock vegetation management company. As the mother of two elementary age children, Siobhan has found a great joy in working with children while helping them explore and answer questions about environmental principles. Siobhan and her husband enjoy teaching their children through the experiences of gardening, hiking, and visiting our National Parks. She believes it is great to visit places far and near, but is very happy to become part of the Southwest Virginia community!
Siobhan is also our acting FOIA Officer and Record Retention Officer.
Conservation Specialist/Equipment Manager – Brandon Blevins
Brandon serves the district as the Conservation Specialist and Equipment Manager for Clinch Valley SWCD. A native to Russell County and Department of Geology graduate from Radford University, he has worked in the private engineering and surveying industry primarily in the coalfields of Southwest Virginia. There, he has been an Environmental Scientist studying everything from geology to wetlands and the “wee-beasties” that live in Virginia’s freshwater streams. He is proud to call Southwest Virginia home as well as his new office. He looks forward to helping the people and places of this beloved region and being part of the community.
Education Specialist – Hannah Rexrode
Hannah signed on as the district’s Education Specialist in spring 2022. Before joining the Clinch Valley team, she worked as an educator in museums and parks across Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. She is a Certified Interpretive Guide (CIG) through the National Association for Interpretation and has received recognition for her fun and engaging educational programs for both students and the public. A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Hannah has a fondness for Appalachian history and landscapes as well as a deep appreciation of the Clinch River. She is thrilled to be working alongside Russell County educators to help provide local students with an understanding of the amazing natural resources that this region has to offer.
Conservation Specialist- Jeff Mutter
Jeff joined the Clinch Valley SWCD staff in March 2023 as the second Conservation Specialist for the District. He is a native to Russell County, specifically the Belfast area where he was raised on his family’s cattle farm. During college, Jeff volunteered and interned with Clinch Valley SWCD before he graduated from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Science in Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation. Since graduating college in 2019, Jeff has worked as the Conservation Technician for Mountain Castles SWCD in Botetourt and Craig Counties. He and his wife, Cayla, are very excited to be back home in Russell County. They both look forward to reconnecting with the SWVA community they love so much and hope to play a positive role in its future.
Board of Directors
Clinch Valley SWCD is also served by an elected or appointed board of dedicated farmers and conservationists. If you would like to contact any of them, just give us a call.
Zac Ketron – Chair
Kelly Gilmer – Vice Chair
Jason Bush – Treasurer
Andy Smith – Director
Scott Jessee, VT Coop Ext. Appointee
Mike Altizer – Director Emeritus
Gary Breeding – Associate Director
Bill Worrell – Associate Director, VT Coop Ext. Forestry
