Oregon/Washington State Leadership Team

The members of the Bureau of Land Management Oregon/Washington State Leadership Team bring a combination of innovation and experience to the organization. Together, leaders and employees work side-by-side to manage 16.1 million acres of public lands across Oregon and Washington. Our multiple-use mandate ensures healthy, productive public lands for current and future generations. Learn more about leadership below.

State Office Leadership

State Director

Barry Bushue

Barry Bushue became the BLM’s State Director for Oregon and Washington after working for the Oregon Farm Service Agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where he served as the State Executive Director.

He has been a leader and advocate for natural resource communities for over 25 years. Throughout his career, he has represented the state and its farming communities, fostering collaborative relationships with numerous stakeholders. In addition, Bushue served as President of the Oregon Farm Bureau for nearly 20 years, where he advocated on behalf of the bureau’s farming and ranching members. He also served as the Vice President of the American Farm Bureau Federation, based in Washington, DC.

His family-owned farm is located east of Portland and currently operated by his wife Helen. Bushue has a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Oregon State University.

 

 

 

Associate State Director

Anita Bilbao

Anita Bilbao has been the Associate State Director BLM OR/WA since May 2023. She came to Federal service through the Student Temporary Employment Program, joining the BLM OR/WA in 1999 to work on the interagency Willamette Restoration Initiative.

Over the next 14 years, Anita played several natural resource specialist and advisor roles within the Oregon State Office, as well as short term field-based roles as Acting Deputy District Manager (Vale and Prineville) and Acting District Manager (Prineville).

In 2013, Anita went on to serve in BLM Headquarters as a Branch Chief within the Division of Decision Support, Planning, and NEPA, and in 2015 as the Chief of Staff for the Bureau. Working in this capacity within the Office of the Director is a career highlight for Anita because of the wide breadth of issues she touched and the interface she had with many talented colleagues throughout the Bureau and Department.

In 2017, Anita moved back west as the Associate State Director for BLM Utah where she applied lessons learned from her time in Headquarters. Anita is particularly proud of her time working in Washington, D.C., and Salt Lake City where she brought teams of people together to achieve the Bureau’s mission during times of change and transition.

Anita was raised in a strong Basque family in Boise, Idaho. The daughter of a schoolteacher/smokejumper and a school nurse, Anita was naturally drawn to public service and enjoys solving problems together. Anita attended Lewis & Clark College and Portland State University and respectively holds the degrees of Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Master of Public Administration.

Deputy State Director for Communications

Don Manuszewski

Don Manuszewski has been the BLM OR/WA Deputy State Director, Communications since September 2019.

Don has spent his career devoted to public service and particularly enjoys providing factual, timely information to the American people regarding BLM OR/WA actions.

Before coming to the BLM, Don served in various roles with the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs at the VA Medical Center in Pittsburgh, PA. He is particularly proud of professionalizing the communications activities in every organization he works.

Originally from Buffalo, NY, he was drawn to public service due to his core value of service before self, and the example set by his father, an Army veteran, and mother a lifelong nurse. A United States Air Force retiree, he is a graduate of the University of Washington, Seattle.

 

 

 

Deputy State Director for Resources, Lands, and Minerals

Todd Curtis

Todd Curtis began his career with the BLM in 2003. He is both proud and grateful to have had the opportunity to serve at the District, State, and National levels in various capacities that include engineering, resources, and advisor roles at the Director’s office in Washington, D.C.

Todd’s first position with the BLM was in the Vale District, where he served six years as a civil engineer before moving to Burns as the District Engineer. From Burns, he moved to the Oregon/Washington State Office in Portland, first as a staff engineer, then as the senior engineer. In 2017, Todd was selected to serve as the OR/WA Branch Chief of Planning, Monitoring, and Social Science, and served for five years before being promoted in 2021 to his current position.

Todd has a Bachelor of Science in Biological Systems Engineering from Washington State University and is registered in the state of Oregon as a Professional Civil Engineer with emphasis on Water and Environmental Engineering.

In their free time, Todd and wife Ana enjoy travel, family, and cooking.

 

Deputy State Director for Management Services

Jon LeBaron

Jon LeBaron has been the Deputy State Director for Management Services since 2018. He has been with the BLM since 2012.

Jon has spent his career devoted to providing the best possible support to district and division employees.

Before coming to the BLM, Jon served in the US Navy. He is particularly proud of his twenty-year active-duty military service providing engineering, facilities management, and construction contracting.

Originally from Logan, Utah, he was drawn to public service due to his passion for the environment and natural resources. He attended the U.S. Naval Academy and Oregon State University and holds a Bachelor of Science in Naval Architecture and an Master of Science in Civil Engineering.

 

 

 

 

Equal Employment Opportunity Manager

Markie Warren

Markie Warren has been the EEO Manager since May 2023 and served as an EEO Specialist since 1999.

Markie has spent her career at the forefront of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) initiatives. She is a seasoned manager known for her unwavering dedication to creating a diverse and respectful workplace. Throughout her career, Markie has been a driving force behind innovative DEIA strategies. She has designed and implemented comprehensive EEO training programs, policies, and practices that have empowered employees to embrace diversity and champion equity. She has been instrumental in building partnerships with community organizations, schools, and industry leaders, thus furthering the reach of DEIA initiatives. She is passionate about advocating for underrepresented groups and connecting with individuals from all backgrounds.

Before becoming the EEO Manager for the BLM, Markie served in all capacities of the EEO Program, including participating in the Student Career Experience Program (SCEP).

A native Oregonian, she attended Portland State University and holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and psychology.

State Fire Management Officer

Jeff Fedrizzi

Jeff Fedrizzi has been the State Fire Management Officer since 2012.  He has been with the BLM since 1995.

Jeff has spent his career devoted to challenging and modernizing past models and making the BLM Fire an employer of choice through effective recruitment, college education, diverse training, planned career succession, and retention of our valued employees.

Before coming to the BLM, Jeff served as the BLM Wyoming State Fire Management Officer for five years, BLM Winnemucca District Fire Management Officer, BLM Cedar City District Assistant Fire Management Officer, Eagle County Fire and Emergency Management Officer, and many more career and seasonal positions within the BLM and other federal agencies across seven states. Jeff is particularly proud of being the first and only BLM employee to complete the four-year U.S. Fire Administration’s Executive Fire Officer Program in Emmetsburg, Maryland that teaches the exercise of leadership in crafting bold and imaginative public policy solutions that keep communities safe and make them resilient.

Originally from Eagle, Colorado, he was drawn to public service due to growing up and recreating in public lands with his extended family. He attended the University of Idaho and received a master’s degree in wildlife management with an emphasis in fire management and fire ecology, and earned a bachelor’s degree in environment biology as a student-athlete from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado.

Tribal Liaison

Heather Ulrich

Heather Ulrich has been the BLM OR/WA State Office Tribal Liaison since January 2024 and has been with the BLM since 2007.

Heather’s career in western Oregon has primarily focused on cultural resources management and Tribal relations. As a district archaeologist and later as the State Office Cultural and Paleontological Resources Program Lead, she has been dedicated to building a solid cultural resources program. She is devoted to fostering meaningful relationships with the internal teams, other agencies, and Tribes.

Heather was drawn to public land management first while serving as a volunteer and a Student Temporary Experience Program employee for the Willamette National Forest. Working in the forests of western Oregon felt like a dream job. Learning that there was an opportunity for a career in federal cultural resources management, she set her sights on a graduate degree. During graduate school, a door opened with the BLM to work as a Student Career Experience Program employee with the Salem District archaeologist.

Heather grew up in Tillamook, Oregon, and is a member of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. She moved to Eugene, Oregon in 1997 where she studied at the University of Oregon and received her B.A. in Anthropology and her M.S. in Anthropology with a focus on Archaeology. Heather’s favorite place to be is on the Oregon coast with her family. In her free time, she enjoys baking, crocheting, and learning to bead and weave.

State Chief Ranger

Mike Roop

Mike Roop has been the Oregon/Washington State Chief Ranger for the past 14 years and has been with the BLM for a total of 22 years.

Mike has spent his career devoted to law enforcement and the protection of public lands. His law enforcement career started with the US Army as Military Police and then as a Military Police Investigator. Mike started his BLM career in Salem Oregon as a Field Staff Ranger in the Cascades Field Office. After a short time, Mike was selected to be a K9 officer and worked his dual purpose (patrol/narcotics) K9 "Gunner" for 4 years. During that time, he became the lead Ranger for the Salem District and joined the BLM Law Enforcement Honor Guard. Mike promoted to the State Chief Ranger of Oregon/Washington in 2009 and is currently still in the position. He has been the detailed in as the acting Region 2 Special Agent in Charge twice and has served as the acting Policy and Programs Chief for OLES at the National Office. He is currently the Honor Guard Commander for the BLM Law Enforcement Honor Guard and is the Chairperson for the Ranger Leadership Team.

Mike was drawn to public service due to both of his grandparents being in law enforcement. While attending a career fair he was introduced to BLM law enforcement and its mission to protect public lands. This was a great fit being in law enforcement and having an outdoor setting for an office.

District Managers

Burns District Manager

Jeff Rose

Jeff Rose has been the Burns District Manager since 2016. He has been with the BLM since 1999.

Jeff began his BLM career as a Fire Ecologist for the Burns District and has also served as the Healthy Land Initiative Coordinator for Oregon/Washington and Associate District Manager for the Burns District. Through his career, Jeff has enjoyed working on several different resource issues facing the BLM and its partners related to the ecology and management of the Sagebrush Steppe and Great Basin ecosystems. He was a member of the first BLM team to develop national guidance for sage-grouse management, been a member of instructor cadres at the BLM National Training Center and Forest Service National Advanced Fire and Resources Institute developing and delivering class related to management and restoration of sagebrush steppe. Most recently he is a founding member of the Harney County Wildfire Collaborative. The collaborative is a diverse group of public and private land managers, conservation groups, local governments and other interested people dedicated to understanding and working to reduce the occurrence and effects of extremely large wildfires on public and private lands is SE Oregon.

Before coming to the BLM, Jeff served as Research Associate for the Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center. While working at EOARC, Jeff had the opportunity to work on a wide variety of research and was integrally involved with early research related to western juniper and cheatgrass expansion.

Originally from Monroe, Connecticut, Jeff was drawn to vast open spaces and diverse landscape in the western U.S. Jeff has a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Yankton College (South Dakota) and a Master of Science in Range Ecology from Oregon State University. He joined the BLM to actively apply knowledge gained through his time at EOARC to address current and future resource challenges facing the BLM in Oregon.

More info on Burns District

Coos Bay District Manager

Steven Lydick

Steven Lydick has been the Coos Bay District Manager since July of 2020. He has been with the BLM since 2006, and with the federal government since 1996.

Over the course of Steven’s career in federal service, he has had opportunities to serve in a variety of roles and program areas, and appreciates the broad view that this has afforded him of the BLM’s mission and challenges. He particularly values the opportunity he had to serve as the 2009 BLM Legislative Fellow on the staff of then Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Before coming to the BLM, Steven served as a fisheries biologist and a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and in the private sector. He is particularly proud of his work advancing efforts to conserve the federally endangered pallid sturgeon.

Originally from Nebraska, he was drawn to public service as a way to merge his interest in fisheries biology with his desire to help people navigate difficult issues and resolve challenges. He attended Long Island University and holds bachelor’s degrees in biology and education.

More info on Coos Bay District

Lakeview District Manager

Todd Forbes

Todd Forbes has been the Lakeview District Manager since 2018. He has been with the BLM since January 2000. He has served as a Wildlife Biologist, Assistant Field Manager, and Field Manager with BLM prior to serving in his current role.

Todd has spent his career devoted to serving the American people and being a steward of public lands. He has had the opportunity to conduct research on sage-grouse, pygmy rabbits, and a variety of other species on BLM managed lands. He is particularly proud of the habitat restoration projects that have been conducted on the Lakeview District since 2010.

Before coming to the BLM, Todd served as a wildlife biologist for the U.S. Forest Service in central Oregon. He is particularly proud of his work during this time on Oregon Spotted Frogs and American Martens.

Originally from Coquille, Oregon, he was drawn to public service due to seeing how public lands in Oregon were managed and wanting to improve that management for conservation. He attended Oregon State University and holds a degree in wildlife science.

More info on Lakeview District

Medford District Manager

Elizabeth Burghard

Elizabeth Burghard has been the Medford District Manager since 2016. She has been with the BLM since 2000.

Elizabeth has spent her career in diverse settings in Wyoming, Utah, and Oregon. She views her role in the BLM mission as “caring for the land and helping people use it in a responsible way.” Elizabeth was recruited to the BLM as an archaeologist following her time at the University of Wyoming. She has also served state government with the Wyoming State Historic Preservation office, and the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Elizabeth grew up in Missouri and wanted to be an archaeologist from an early age. While working for the BLM she was enthralled at the opportunity to use her education in an applied setting on public lands and has never looked back. Elizabeth has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Anthropology from St. Olaf College in Minnesota, and a Master of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Wyoming.

More info on Medford District

 

 

Northwest Oregon District Manager

Dennis Teitzel

Dennis Teitzel has been the Northwest Oregon District Manager for since 2022. He has been with the BLM since 2007.

Dennis Teitzel has spent his career devoted to helping the public and developing employees, working with the public in developing land use that fulfills the BLM mission of multiple use with sustained yield.

Before coming to the BLM, Dennis served in the United States Marine Corps for 30 years as both an Officer and Enlisted Marine. There he gained his appreciation for Land Management when he served as the Range Management Officer for the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in 29 Palms California over 2 separate tours.

Originally from California, he was drawn to continue his career in public service with the BLM due to a love for nature and enjoyment of public lands. Dennis has a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis in Adult Education from National University.

More info on Northwest Oregon District

 

 

Prineville District Manager

Amanda Roberts

Amanda Roberts has been the Prineville District Manager since March of 2023.  She has been with the BLM since 2017.  

Amanda has spent her career devoted to youth, fire, public lands, and employee development.

Amanda has spent her career devoted to elevating the role public lands play in the lives of everyday Americans. To meet BLM’s multiple use mission, Amanda acknowledges that management of public lands is dependent on the success of BLM’s incredible workforce. Therefore, in addition to keeping public lands thoughtfully managed and accessible to the public, she is devoted to supporting the BLM’s professionals in their learning, development and devotion to meeting BLM’s mission.

Before her role as a District Manager in Prineville, Amanda was the Field Manager for the Central Oregon Field Office. She started her federal career as a hotshot, wildland firefighter with the Forest Service. Throughout her career in federal service and in the non-profit sector, Amanda has worked in Alaska, Arizona, Oregon, and Maine. She has experience working with the BLM, Student Conservation Association, Alaska Geographic, Forest Service, and the Department of the Interior. Amanda holds a Master of Business Administration in Organizational Development from Georgetown University. She also earned a Bachelor of Arts in Community Education from Bates College.

When not leading the Prineville District, Amanda can be found mentoring new Agency Administrators, teaching Federal Resume Writing, or instructing Line Officer Training. She lives in Central Oregon with a large garden, many pairs of skis, a spouse, and two small boys interchangeably nicknamed Chaos and Joy. Ask Amanda about Employee Engagement or homemade soups.

More info on Prineville District

Roseburg District Manager

Heather Whitman

Heather Whitman has been the district manager of the Roseburg District for nearly seven years and has been with the BLM for approximately 14 years. Heather has spent her career devoted to leading and mentoring employees and inspiring people to discover public lands. Heather strives to bring out the best in people and enjoys seeing others succeed. Her goal is to continue to coach and develop people both within and outside of the BLM.

Before coming to the BLM, Heather served as an administrative operations chief, city program manager, human resources officer, and budget analyst with the National Park Service. She worked at Yellowstone National Park, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Amistad National Recreation Area, and Yosemite National Park before joining the BLM with the Lakeview District. Heather is particularly proud of creating a successful watershed protection program, with funding from the City and County of San Francisco, for managing and protecting the largest unfiltered municipal water supply in the United States that happens to have its source in Yosemite National Park.

Originally from Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming, Heather was drawn to public service, specifically in public lands management, due to wanting to educate, protect, preserve, and conserve our public lands for future generations. Heather attended Metropolitan State College and Colorado State University.

More info on Roseburg District

Spokane District Manager

Steve Small

Steve Small returned to the BLM as Spokane District Manager in October 2023. Prior to his return, Steve spent over four years with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Mountain Prairie Region as the Assistant Regional Director for Ecological Services. Throughout his BLM career, Steve spent five years at BLM headquarters as the Division Chief for Fish and Wildlife Conservation, National Sage Grouse Coordinator, and Threatened and Endangered Species Lead; and two years at the National Operations Center as the Division Chief for Resource Services. Other BLM positions Steve has held include Tillamook Field Manager, Tillamook Natural Resource Staff Administrator, and Wildlife Biologist in Cedar City, UT and Medford, OR.

Before coming to the BLM Steve spent five years researching Northern Spotted Owls in southern Oregon with Oregon State University, and one year as a Biologist for a private timber company.

Steve has worked as a professional in the field of natural resource management for over 30 years, almost 23 of them with the Bureau of Land Management. Throughout his career, Steve’s emphasis has been on finding solutions to complex resource challenges through collaboration, developing and maintaining important relationships, building trust, and demonstrating success through action.

Steve was born near Southampton, England, and moved to the United States when he was 12. Steve became a U.S. citizen in 1996, the same year he joined the BLM. Steve’s introduction to the BLM and the potential for career in public service and natural resource management came about through a Student Conservation Association internship in 1988 while attending Adrian College in southern Michigan. Steve graduated from Adrian College in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology.

More info on Spokane District

Vale District Manager

Shane DeForest

Shane DeForest has been the District Manager for the Vale District since October 2023. Prior to that he had been the Deputy District Manager in Vale since 2015. Shane has been with the BLM since 1991.

Before coming to BLM OR/WA, Shane worked as a field Manager in Wyoming and California. He also served in Nevada as an associate field manager, and worked in the fuels, wildlife, weeds, and wild horse and burro programs.

Shane has spent his career learning the BLM and celebrating its public service commitment and public lands management mission. Shane is drawn to and is most proud of projects which apply the hard-earned experiences and lessons in resource management for the betterment of the public lands.

Shane grew up in Nevada and lived in Ely and Carson City. He was drawn to a BLM career after working as a student biological aide in the Carson City District as a high school junior in 1986. He attended the University of Nevada-Reno and has a degree in integrated natural resource management.

More info on Vale District