Howard Gross
Assistant Commissioner for Surface Resources
Howard Gross has spent the last 30 years immersed in Western natural resources and public lands work. He has a diverse background including field research related to hydrology and aquatic resources, natural resource management and policy, wildlife monitoring, outdoor recreation, organizational leadership, philanthropy, collaboration, and communications.
Howard has lived in New Mexico since 2006. Before coming to the State Land Office, he worked for nearly 10 years as a Senior Program Manager at the Western Conservation Foundation, which works to build leaders for the West’s land, air, and water. Prior to that, Howard served as the Executive Director of the Forest Stewards Guild, a national professional membership organization that promotes Excellent Forestry. He also spent four years representing the National Parks Conservation Association in the California Desert, working with desert community leaders and stakeholders.
Howard also spent 11 years in Utah where he worked as the Executive Director of HawkWatch International, an organization that monitors and protects birds of prey and their habitats, and also as an ecologist for SWCA Environmental Consultants, primarily managing Great Salt Lake wetland mitigation, enhancement, and planning projects.
Howard received an M.S. in Watershed Science from Utah State University in 1995 and a B.S. in Mathematical Sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1984. He is the lead author or co-author of 13 peer-reviewed journal articles and has presented at scientific conferences on a wide range of topics.
Dana Vackar Strang, Director for Surface Resources
Dana has over a decade of leadership experience as a manager and educator developing and implementing statewide programs emphasizing natural resource conservation and sustainability.
During her career she has held several positions within the Surface Resources Division at the Land Office, including the Assistant Division Director of southeast New Mexico.
Dana gained experience managing grant projects for riparian and range restoration at the Land Office, advancing into a management role before joining Audubon New Mexico as the Director of Education. She returned to the land office in 2014 as an Assistant Division Director and then as Director.
She currently oversees more than 30 staff positions responsible for agency land management which includes the Agricultural Leasing bureau, Field Operations, Environmental and Cultural Protections and Recreational Access.
Dana was raised near Glenwood, NM on a small ranch then went on to earn her B.A. in Political Science with an emphasis in Environmental Issues from Colorado College and later an M.A. from the University of New Mexico in Parks, Recreation and Environmental Education with an emphasis in Administration. Dana enjoys the outdoors with her family and is proud to work for the beneficiaries of the New Mexico State Land Office, alongside a talented and dedicated staff.
