MOC Board of Directors

Officers of the Board, 2024-2026

**Lucas Bond, President**
Lucas is the statewide News Services Coordinator for the Missouri Department of Conservation. Lucas was born and raised in the Jefferson City area and earned a degree in Broadcast Journalism from Missouri State University. Lucas is happily married with two children and a third on the way. When not working, Lucas loves spending time with his family and friends and enjoying the great outdoors that God has blessed us with. Lucas also is a member of Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA) and the Association of Conservation Information (ACI).

**Scott Pauley, Vice President**
Scott is an outdoor ambassador for the Missouri Division of Tourism, a position he has held for over 27 years. As part of his job, Pauley travels the country (and the world) promoting the myriad outdoor opportunities available in the great state of Missouri. Pauley retired from the Missouri Highway Patrol in 2013 after 33 years of service. Pauley also has been a successful tournament angler since 1982.

Neima Shahdadi,
Scholarship Chair
Neima Shahdadi is an academic advisor at the University of Missouri Honors College in Columbia, Mo. Originally from Jefferson City, his love for fishing, camping, hiking, floating and exploring Missouri's outdoors developed at an early age. Neima earned a degree in English from the University of Missouri and enjoys fishing, hiking, cooking, running, watching Cardinals baseball and spending time with his wife and daughter.

Kyle Stewart,
Executive Director
Email Kyle
Kyle is a freelance outdoor/ adventure/ travel writer hailing from the center of the state. His work has appeared in Terrain Magazine, Rural Missouri, The Conservationist, Conservation Federation, Outdoor Guide, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Springfield News-Leader, Edwardsville Intelligencer, and the Columbia Missourian, among other outlets.
Kyle also is a member of the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers, Conservation Federation of Missouri, Trout Unlimited, and the Ozark Riverways Foundation.

Board Members

**Francis Skalicky, 2026**
Francis has been the southwest regional media specialist for MDC since 1996. In that role, he coordinates media coverage for the 17-county region and assists with media coverage elsewhere in the state. He has periodically written articles for the MDC monthly magazine, “The Missouri Conservationist,” and pens columns promoting the outdoors and good conservation practices for several southwest Missouri newspapers.
Francis was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame for his work as a conservation journalist in 2019.

Nathan “Shags” McLeod, 2027

Nathan “Shags” McLeod grew up in the Pacific Northwest fishing the Columbia River and its tributaries for Chinook Salmon, Steelhead, Cutthroat trout and Sturgeon. He’d spend the fall hunting the hills of the Oregon Coast for Blacktail Deer and Roosevelt Elk.

Shags is the co-host of the popular morning radio show "The Morning Shag" on 96.7 KCMQ, based out of Columbia, Mo.

In addition to his radio job, Shags is the co-host of the award-winning Driftwood Outdoors Podcast.

Shags currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Conservation Federation of Missouri, was a co-founder of Conservation Day at the Capitol and was recognized as the 2016 Conservation Federation Outdoor Communicator of the Year. He also is a member of the Lake Taneycomo Hall of Fame.

**Tisha Holden, 2028**
Tisha serves as Missouri State Parks’ division information officer. She provides media and public relations support for all 93 state parks and historic sites, in addition to writing magazine articles for Missouri Resources.
In her free time, Tisha enjoys riding her two horses, traveling (she marked Alaska off her bucket list last year!), photography and of course, visiting Missouri state parks.

**Jill Pritchard, 2026**
Jill Pritchard is the Statewide News Services Coordinator for the Missouri Department of Conservation. She also hosts MDC’s Nature Boost podcast, which features MDC experts and partners and highlights fun and creative ways to connect with the outdoors.
In her free time, Jill enjoys birdwatching, nature photography, and hiking with her dog, Moose.

Neima Shahdadi, 2027

Neima Shahdadi is an academic advisor at the University of Missouri Honors College in Columbia, Mo. Originally from Jefferson City, his love for fishing, camping, hiking, floating and exploring Missouri's outdoors developed at an early age.

Neima earned a degree in English from the University of Missouri and enjoys fishing, hiking, cooking, running, watching Cardinals baseball and spending time with his wife and daughter.

Neima also is a freelance writer with bylines in Terrain Magazine and The Conservationist.