Meet the Team

Ed has been serving our state for more than three decades as a University of Arizona faculty member, Extension specialist and county- and state-level administrator.

Martin leads our 500+ team members and plays a pivotal role in collaborating with our scores of partners. With a strong focus on water and a background in irrigation research, he aligns with Arizona's most pressing concerns and ensures that Extension remains agile to adapt to evolving community needs. ecmartin@arizona.edu

John is the director of the Global Mining Law Center and professor of practice at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law where he teaches courses related to the international mining industry. Lacy is a shareholder in the firm DeConcini, McDonald, Yetwin, & Lacy P.C., where his practice has focused on mining and natural resource law. 
jlacy@arizona.edu

George is a Professor Emeritus who worked as an Extension Specialist in the University of Arizona School of Natural Resources and the Environment and as co-director for NRULPC and continues to hold the Marley Endowed Chair for Sustainable Rangeland Stewardship. Ruyle is an internationally renowned expert on appropriate and rational long-term natural resource use specializing in collaborative and adaptive rangeland livestock management. 
gruyle@arizona.edu

Stewardship of Public Lands Video

Colin is a law fellow at the Center, focusing on groundwater governance​, mining law and policy​, and rural natural resource issues​ through interdisciplinary engagement. He is currently active in supporting the NRULPC-affiliated Natural Resource Use & Management Clinic at the College of Law, as well as the College's Global Mining Law Center (collaboration with the University School of Mining and Mineral Resources). In these roles, Colin draws on prior experience as a groundwater hydrologist​, with significant experience in mining hydrogeology in Arizona and Chile. He serves, too, as a Trustee at MOCA Tucson. 
cpmckenz@arizona.edu

Taylor is a proud UofA Alumni. She previously worked for the Arizona Farm Bureau and the Office of U.S. Senator Mark Kelly's Office. She is the Agriculture Policy Outreach Manager for the Natural Resource Users Law and Policy Center. She is in charge of the Regulatory Round Up, the policy internship program, and outreach to agricultural stakeholders. tjrogers@arizona.edu

Sheila helps with publishing the quarterly newsletter, maintaining the Center’s website, and managing listservs. She prepares progress reports, organizes Advisory Board activities, develops marketing materials and provides meeting reports. merrigan@arizona.edu

Before joining the faculty at the law school, John was an attorney in private practice in Tucson for 10 years, where he focused on litigation, particularly in matters related to commercial contracts, real estate and natural resources.  He has also worked in the nonprofit world in both Illinois and Arizona, focusing on environmental arts, education, threatened rangeland and conservation. barrettj@arizona.edu

Courtney Duchardt is an Extension Specialist and Assistant Professor in The School of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Arizona. Her research and extension programs focus on finding the balance between management of rangeland wildlife and the wide array of land uses in Arizona and across the US, including livestock grazing, energy production, and recreation. 

George Frisvold is the Bartley P. Cardon Chair of Agribusiness Economics and Policy in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at the University of Arizona. His experience includes serving as Chief of the Resource Policy Branch at USDA's Economic Research Service and as a Senior Economist for the President's Council of Economic Advisers. He is also an Extension Specialist, focusing on regional economic development as well as the economics of regulating biotechnology, pesticides, land and water.  frisvold@ag.arizona.edu 

Jacob Hennig is an Assistant Professor and Cooperative Extension Specialist with the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Arizona. His research and extension programs focus on ensuring the long-term sustainability of the multiple uses on federal public lands including livestock production, recreation, wild horse and burro populations, and wildlife habitat.

Aaron Lien is an Assistant Professor of Rangeland Ecology and Adaptive Management and Director of the Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center at the University of Arizona. In these roles, he works with ranchers, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations to find solutions to emerging natural resource management and conservation challenges on Arizona’s rangelands and forests. Examples include working with ranchers and the US Fish and Wildlife Service to find common ground on endangered species management, helping ranchers and land managers test the effectiveness of virtual cattle fencing for adaptive management, and assisting the US Forest Service with cooperative rangeland monitoring and adaptive management programs. alien@arizona.edu 

Jamie McEvoy is the Associate Director of the University of Arizona’s Water Resources Research Center and Associate Extension Specialist in the Department of Environmental Science. She’s a proud alum of UofA’s School of Geography, Development, and Environment (2008-2013). Prior to returning to Tucson in 2024, she was an Associate Professor of Geography at Montana State University (2013-2024). Her work focuses on water governance, participatory water planning, ecological drought, flood risk communication, desalination, climate adaptation, and nature-based strategies. The cornerstone of her research and extension activities is building relationships with interested partners to collaboratively address water issues. jmcevoy@arizona.edu 

Marc Miller served as Dean of the James E. Rogers College of Law between 2012 and 2025. His scholarship focused on the regulation of public actors — including police and prosecutors — and public lands and resources.  He is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School (JD) and Pomona College (BA).

Michael is a member of the Hopi Tribe in northern Arizona whose research focuses on Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Land Use Management schemes related to food, energy, conservation and water. He is also a traditional Hopi dryland farmer and has given extensive talks on the subject. His scholarly works are published in academic peer reviewed journals as well as featured articles. He currently is an Assistant Specialist of Indigenous Resiliency with the University of Arizona School of Natural Resources and the Environment, Cooperative Extension, and the Indigenous Resilience Center.  kotutwa@arizona.edu

Prior to his appointment at Cl Poly Pomona, Ethan was University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Associate Director for Agriculture and Natural Resources and Economic Development. He was a faculty member in the Department of Agricultural Education, Technology & Innovation and the School of Government and Public Policy. He oversaw the $62 million Water Irrigation Efficiency Program and was active in programing which addressed forest health, watershed management, soil health, irrigated systems, business development and crop production.

Jennifer directs the Arizona Adjudications Project within the Natural Resource Use and Management Clinic. The Project represents claimants with small water rights in Arizona’s general stream adjudications. Before joining the clinic, Jennifer worked as an Attorney-Advisor for the Office of the Solicitor, Department of the Interior, focusing on environmental, land use, and water matters. Prior to that, Jennifer worked as a Deputy Attorney General in the Idaho Attorney General’s Office where she represented the Idaho Department of Water Resources in the state’s general stream adjudications. jenniferwendel@arizona.edu