Mark Fox, Chair
Raised on Hawaiʻi island, Mark’s background includes Honolulu law practice, staff for U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye working on agricultural and environmental issues, handling government affairs for The Nature Conservancy’s Hawaiʻi program, and, most recently, working on Pacific fisheries management for the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Steph Dunbar-Co, Vice Chair
Born on Kaua‘i and raised on the east end of Molokai, Steph’s upbringing fostered a love of Hawai‘i’s natural places and native species. Her background and interests led her to receive MS and PhD degrees in Botany and a career focused on caring for Hawaiʻi’s native ecosystems. As a fifth-generation landowner, Steph has spent a lifetime in land management, having worked on ecosystem restoration, conservation easements, fishpond restoration, ranching and forestry. She has held fellowships with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, worked for the State’s Plant Extinction Prevention Program, and operated an environmental consulting company. Steph joined The Nature Conservancy in 2014 to lead the expansion of watershed protection and community engagement in East Molokai. Between 2020-2022, she led the Hawaiʻi and Palmyra chapter’s Climate and Protection programs, responsible for managing land acquisitions, developing the chapter’s Climate strategy, and managing their first forest carbon project. She, her husband, and their two children split time between O’ahu and Molokai.
Doug Beaton, Board Member
J. Douglas Beaton is the owner and operator of Puuwai Ranch and Nursery and a seed stock producer of Red Angus cattle focusing on intensive grazing to minimize impact on native ecosystems. Doug has severed as Hamakua Soil and Water Conservation District chair, Hawaii Grazing Land Coalition chair, Hawaii Cattlemen’s Association president, and Hawaii Beef Industry Council vice president. Doug works as a real estate agent and land management consultant. Helping people obtain agricultural land and managing those lands is a passion of his.
Leah Bremer, Board Member
Leah was born and raised on Oʻahu, and returned to work at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in 2017 after a decade of working on watershed management and conservation in the Andes. She has a interdisciplinary research position with the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization and the Water Resources Research Center and is also cooperating faculty with the Departments of Geography and Environment and Natural Resources and Environmental Management and the Biocultural Initiative of the Pacific. As a Geographer by training, she views environmental and social issues as intricately connected and her current work focuses on on a variety of collaborative projects focused on sustainable land and water management in Hawaiʻi. She has a BA in Psychology, and MS in Conservation Biology, and a PhD in Geography. In her free time she loves trail running, swimming, surfing, yoga, and exploring with her rapidly growing 9-month old.
Jordan Jokiel, Board Member
Jordan Jokiel, Vice President and Land Manager for Haleakalā Ranch Company, oversees the company’s Conservation, Invasive species, and Forestry programs. Jokiel has more than 20 years of experience in land and wildlife conservation. He most recently served as program manager for the Leeward Haleakalā Restoration Partnership, a coalition of 11 major landowners, including Haleakalā Ranch. There, he managed more than 40,000 acres of watershed lands on the leeward side of Haleakalā. Prior to that, Jokiel served as access and acquisitions program coordinator for the State of Hawaiʻi’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife. He is also the former director of the Palmyra Program for The Nature Conservancy of Hawai‘i and program manager for East Maui Watershed Partnership. Jokiel grew up in Kaneohe, and attended Kaleaheo Highschool. Jokiel graduated from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa with a degree in Environmental Studies. He is married to Maui-born Abigail Romanchak, and is the proud father of two beautiful young children, Kaniau and Kawena.
Keith Unger, Board Member
Keith F. Unger was born and raised on the Big Island of Hawaii and is 4th generation kama’aina. He and his wife Cynda live in South Kona on McCandless Ranch. Keith has had the privilege of managing McCandless Ranch for the past 34 years. He has served on numerous Boards and Commissions at both the County and State level. In addition to the Hawaii Rangeland Stewardship Foundation Board, Keith currently serves on the County of Hawaii Board of Water Supply.
Kristina Lyons, Board Member
Kristina grew up at the heart of Haleakalā Ranch in Makawao, Maui. From an early age, she fostered a deep connection to the land, families, and animals of the Ranch. Kristina has served as a Board Member for Haleakalā Ranch since 2014, representing seven generations of family ownership and commitment to community and stewardship. Her professional background includes non-profit fund development, governance and strategic planning, having worked for the Maui Arts & Cultural Center, Haleakalā Waldorf School and other organizations. Kristina enjoys serving on several non-profit boards and is the President of the Fred Baldwin Memorial Foundation and Trustee of another statewide granting organization. She received a BA from Colorado College in 1992. She and her husband have two adult daughters and a teenage son, along with many animals and live in the house built by her great-grandparents on the property where she grew up.
Jimmy Greenwell, Immediate Past Chair
Jimmy Greenwell is a respected member of the cattle industry and the community at large and has served in several leadership roles, including President of the Hawaiʻi Cattlemen’s Council and the Hawaiʻi Cattle Producer’s Cooperative. He also served as President of the Hawaiʻi Leeward Planning Conference. He retired in 2012 as the President of Lanihau Properties LLC and Palani Ranch Company, Inc, and remains active on both boards today. Jimmy has been a member of the Parker Ranch Board of Directors, Hawaiʻi Preparatory Academy Board of Trustees, and the Seabury Hall Board of Trustees. His vision for the Hawaiʻi Rangeland Stewardship Foundation as a means to include the wider community in rangeland management guides the organization forward.
Nicole Galase, Supporting Staff
Nicole is the Managing Director of the Hawaii Rangeland Stewardship Foundation, Hawaii Cattlemen's Council, and Hawaii Beef Industry Council. In 2021, she was nominated by her organization's board members and recognized as a Pacific Business News 40 Under 40 Honoree. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management from UH Manoa's Shidler College of Business, and a Master of Marine Conservation from Victoria University of Wellington. Nicole started her career working for various agencies on Midway Atoll, Kure Atoll, and French Frigate Shoals, then went on to study the endangered Band-rumped on the Island of Hawaii. She is a founding member and current Chair of the Friends of Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge. Her goal is to highlight the overlapping goals of cattlemen and conservation to foster closer collaboration between the communities.
Alexis Camara, Supporting Staff
Alexis Camara is the Program Coordinator for the Hawaii Cattlemen's Association, Hawaii Rangeland Stewardship Foundation, and Hawaii Beef Industry Council. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from West Texas A&M University and is completing a Master of Agriculture Education with an emphasis in Extension at the same university. Raised on a ranch on Maui, Alexis developed a lifelong passion for agriculture through her family's ranch and 4-H. After beginning her career as an intern with the Hawaii Cattlemen's Association, she is excited to return home to support Hawaii's ranchers through education, outreach, and stewardship. Her goal is to strengthen connections between producers and consumers while supporting the future of Hawaii's agricultural community.
Sharlei Iranon, Supporting Staff
Sharlei is the Admin and Program Coordinator for the Hawaii Cattlemen's Association, Hawaii Rangeland Stewardship Foundation, and Hawaii Beef Industry Council. She is a third generation rancher on the Big Island and recently graduated with Bachelor of Science in Tropical Agroecology from University of Hawaii at Hilo. Sharlei is passionate about preserving Hawaii's ranching traditions and perpetuating the legacy of paniolo for generations to come.
