Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board elects new leaders

The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB) held a board meeting on Thursday, May 18, 2017. During the meeting action was taken to elect a chairman and vice chairman of the board.
José Dodier, Jr. of Zapata was elected as chairman. He has served as vice chairman for the past two years. Dodier also served three years as president and immediate past president of the Association of Texas Soil and Water Conservation Districts (ATSWCD). Dodier is also chairman of the Zapata Soil and Water Conservation District and has been a member of the board for 25 years.
Dodier, who has been a member of the TSSWCB since May of 2005, is a partner in the Don José Land & Cattle Company in Zapata County, which the Dodier family has been operating for 83 years. The ranching enterprise is a conservation-driven, cow-calf operation that produces commercial Charbray cattle. He is also a member of the class of 1971 from the University of North Texas.
“I am honored to serve Texas landowners and to keep conservation a priority to protect our natural resources in this leadership role,” said Dodier.
Barry Mahler of Iowa Park was elected as vice chairman. Mahler, who has been a member of the TSSWCB since May of 2007, is a businessman as well as a cotton and wheat farmer. Mahler also serves Precinct 3 on the Wichita County Commissioner’s Court and is a reporter for Farm Bureau Roundup, a weekly farm radio program produced by The Farm Bureau.
Mahler has been a district director on the Wichita Soil and Water Conservation District for the past 34 years. He has previously served as president of the Association of Texas Soil and Water Conservation Districts and a former alternate director of the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) board of directors.
Joining Dodier and Mahler on the TSSWCB are Scott Buckles of Stratford, Marty H. Graham of Rocksprings, Jerry D. Nichols of Nacogdoches, Larry D. Jacobs of Montgomery, and Joe L. Ward of Telephone. The board acts for the agency on matters relating to the state legislature and the landowners of Texas.
The TSSWCB consists of five elected members and two governor-appointed members who must be actively engaged in farming or ranching. The five members are chosen in an election by Soil and Water Conservation District directors in the state district in which the TSSWCB member resides.