Board and Staff
Russell Kuhlman
Executive Director
Russell was born and raised in Upstate New York and started hunting and fishing at a very early age. He received a bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Science from SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY. After college, Russell travelled to Morocco to serve as an Environmental Educator with the United States Peace Corps. Upon his return, he headed west to start his career in the wildlife field. While exploring the West, he discovered the need to protect our wild public lands and wildlife. In his spare time Russell enjoys fly fishing in alpine lakes and exploring our backcountry public lands.
Brett K. Jefferson
Chair
Brett K. Jefferson grew up in the small town of Boulder City, Nevada. His family enjoyed outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, fishing, and shooting sports. He attended University of California, Fresno’s Surveying Engineering Program and is a licensed Professional Land Surveyor
Brett became involved as a volunteer for Nevada Bighorns Unlimited (NBU) and served on the NBU Board for five years where he participated in water development, capture and release, and habitat seeding projects. Brett was elected to the Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) Board of Directors in 2013 and served nine years, including three years as Secretary/Treasurer and three years as Chairman of the Board before terming out. He has served on many committees including conservation, legislative affairs, budget & finance, and executive. Brett was involved and contributed to establish a WSF conservation footprint in Central Asia for Caprinae Species. Lastly, he served on the Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn Board of Directors for ten years, and as President for three years. Brett was the recipient of the 2018 Nevada Department of Wildlife Wayne E. Kirch Conservationist of the Year award for his contributions to wildlife conservation in Nevada.Raul Morales
Vice-Chair
Raul has loved the outdoors and wildlife all his life. He has lived across the country, born in Louisiana, moved to Delaware and then to New Mexico. Raul graduated from New Mexico State University with a degree in Wildlife Science and started his career with the Bureau of Land Management in Boise, ID. From there Raul's career w/BLM took him to Eugene, OR, Grand Junction Colorado, Washington D.C. and finally to Reno Nevada where he retired from BLM as the Deputy State Director for Resources, Lands and Planning. Raul's interest in wildlife and habitat management led to being selected to our Board in 2022. Raul and his wife Melissa have been enjoying overlanding on our Public Lands with their Jeep and off-road teardrop trailer.
Jeff Bryant
Treasurer
Jeff is a recognized nonprofit leader in northern Nevada with over fifteen years of experience focused on conservation efforts and habitat restoration, agricultural education and research, and national service initiatives. During this time, Jeff has founded and built multiple successful nonprofits, developed and executed dynamic strategies with high-impact results, and led high-stakes negotiations resulting in historic conservation victories.
Jeff grew up in rural Nevada and learned to love and appreciate public lands at a young age. You might run into him with a line in the waters of the Walker River, on a dusty dirt road for some epic rockhounding, or walking his pups on a lonely trail.Carrisa Tashiro
Secretary
Originally from Northern California, Carrisa fell in love with Nevada’s wild spaces as a teenager during an impromptu trip to Fallon to rockhound for Nevada Wonderstone.
After completing her undergraduate degree at the University of California, Davis and earning a J.D. and certificate in Public Law & Policy from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, Carrisa and her husband moved to Reno where they enjoyed trail running, mountain biking, hiking, and camping in the surrounding mountains. Carrisa’s legal career took her to New Mexico for several years before she and her family came back “home” to Nevada, this time settling on a 68-acre ranch in Central Nevada’s Big Smoky Valley. Along with her love for the outdoors, Carrisa brings her 12 years of legal practice and experience with nonprofit management and systemic advocacy to the Nevada Wildlife Federation.Grace Palermo
Director
Grace is the Southern Nevada Programs Director at Friends of Nevada Wilderness, based in Las Vegas, where she has worked since 2015. She and her staff develop passionate volunteers, build strong relationships with land managers and community partners to reach new audiences, and find ways to uplift each other’s work. Before becoming a Nevadan, Grace lived on the Oregon coast for a few years where she served an AmeriCorps term with the Bureau of Land Management and met her husband. Grace grew up in Duluth, Minnesota where she was always jumping in lakes and earned bachelor’s degrees in biology and philosophy. She also has an Outdoor Industry Business Certificate from Western Colorado University.
Nick Lewis
Director
Nick was born and raised in north-central Ohio and grew up hunting whitetail and small game on his family’s farm and fishing for perch and walleye on Lake Erie. He holds his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Mississippi. While living in Mississippi, he became an avid waterfowl hunter and turkey hunter. Nick has worked at the intersection of politics and policy during his career. He has worked for two governors, a sportsmen’s advocacy group, and several political campaigns. Nick moved to Nevada in 2022 and fell in love with the state. His work took him to all 17 counties in Nevada, where he gained an appreciation for the true wilderness and biodiversity in the state.
Nick and his wife, Anya, briefly moved away from Nevada before realizing that Home Means Nevada. Upon his return to the state, he wanted to put his professional skills to work protecting Nevada’s wild places to ensure future generations have the same opportunities he has, which led him to the Nevada Wildlife Federation Board. Nick and his wife live in Las Vegas with their black lab and part-time waterfowl hunter, Nero, and their cat, Rebel. They enjoy backpacking, hunting, and fishing, and they feel most at home in the mountains of Elko and White Pine counties. His favorite non-outdoor activities are watching Formula 1 and cheering on the Cleveland sports teams and Ole Miss Rebels.Garrett Hammack
Director
A proud Las Vegas native, brings deep-rooted passion and extensive experience to the Nevada Wild Federation’s Board of Directors. A lifelong outdoorsman, Garrett is an avid conservationist, hunter, and fisherman with a particular love for the rugged landscapes of the American West. Whether pursuing waterfowl and upland game birds alongside his loyal black lab, Boomer, or tracking Mule Deer and Desert Bighorn Sheep across Nevada’s backcountry with friends and family, Garrett’s commitment to wildlife and habitat conservation is personal and profound.
Garrett holds both a bachelor's and a master's degree in Accounting from the University of Utah. His professional journey has been closely tied to conservation efforts, having managed the accounting for the Mule Deer Foundation for four years and later as the Controller for the Southern Nevada Conservancy. Over the years, he has contributed to countless wildlife conservation projects, combining his financial expertise with his dedication to preserving Nevada’s natural heritage. When he's not in the field, Garrett treasures time with his beautiful wife and their two young children, passing along his love for the outdoors to the next generation.