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!
Contact Siobhan if you have any District questions. Siobhan is also our acting FOIA Officer and Record Retention Officer.
Conservation Specialist/ No-TILL Equipment Manager – Brandon Blevins
Brandon serves the District as a Conservation Specialist and No-Till Equipment Manager for Clinch Valley SWCD. A native to Russell County (Lebanon) 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 office. He looks forward to helping the people and places of this beloved region and being a trusted part of the community.
Contact Brandon if you are interested in any of our Agricultural Programs as well as our No-Till Equipment rental program.
Conservation Specialist/Lime Program Manager- Jeff Mutter
Jeff joined the Clinch Valley SWCD staff in March 2023 as a Conservation Specialist and Lime Program Manager 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.
Contact Jeff if you are interested in any of our Agricultural Programs as well as our Lime Cost Share and Lime Spreader rental program.
EDUCATION AND OUTREACH SPECIALIST – ALI REILLY
Ali Reilly is excited to serve Russell County in her role as Education Specialist for Clinch Valley SWCD. Ali originally hails from the valleys and pastures of Shenandoah County but found her heart belonged to Southwest Virginia after she graduated from Emory & Henry College in 2018. Her previous roles have included stewardship technician, garden manager, native landscaper, naturalist educator, and program coordinator, all with the common thread of reconnecting people to the land. Ali finds great joy in sharing her passions for the natural world with others, especially youth, and strives to spark a meaningful interest, appreciation, and respect for our environment in everyone she meets. Ali and her husband, Matt, are thrilled to raise their young son in the mountains, streams, and communities of their favorite place in the world–their home, Southwest Virginia.
Contact Ali is you have any questions regarding Clinch Valley’s Education and Outreach Program.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Clinch Valley SWCD is proudly served by an elected and appointed board of dedicated farmers and conservationists. If you would like to contact any of them, just give us a call. Our Board Meeting dates and times can be found here.
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
