Assistant Commissioner of Surface Resources

Dana Vackar Strang is the Assistant Commissioner of Surface Resources at the New Mexico State Land Office. Dana has a B.A. in Political Science with an emphasis in Environmental Issues from Colorado College and an M.A. from the University of New Mexico in Parks, Recreation and Environmental Education with an emphasis on Administration. She has extensive experience as a manager and educator. Dana currently oversees the Surface Resources Division which manages complex and dynamic programs that focus on watershed health, site remediation, illegal dumping, biological resources and investigations/compliance in addition to site investigation related to leasing across 9 million acres of state trust land. The Division also houses the Agricultural Leasing Bureau that is responsible for the management of over 3,500 active agricultural leases. The Division’s staff is comprised of a total of 38 positions in Santa Fe and state wide.

Previously Dana was Director of Education for Audubon New Mexico and the Randall Davey Audubon Center for six years where she oversaw Audubon’s education department, including volunteers at the Randall Davey Audubon Center, as well as Audubon’s statewide education programs. Audubon’s conservation education programs connected students of all ages with nature to better understand it and become stewards of the world around them. These initiatives included classroom activities, outdoor science field studies statewide, and Randall Davey Audubon Center summer day camps.

Prior to Audubon, Dana was with the New Mexico State Land Office where she worked her way up to an Assistant Director in the Field Operations Division after holding several other positions at the Agency. As Assistant Division Director Dana gained experience as a manager and educator, developing and implementing statewide programs emphasizing natural resource conservation and sustainability. She is the former President and board member of the Environmental Education Association of New Mexico, the former Chair of the Youth Conservation Corps Commission, and a former statewide coordinator, facilitator and teacher trainer for the national curriculum, Leopold Education Project (LEP). Dana is a mother and wife, and enjoys horses, birding, hiking, and mountain biking.