Chris is an ardent supporter of family farms and ranches and strongly believes they are critical for healthy rural communities and landscape conservation. These values are in his blood, having spent chunks of his formative years on his family's fourth generation farm and ranch near Minot, North Dakota. Prior to his role as Administrative Director with Old Salt Co-op, Chris has experience as a real estate broker, a water rights consultant with HydroSolutions, a grant manager with Montana DNRC, and an AmeriCorps member with the Beaverhead Conservation District.  He holds an M.S. in Natural Resources Science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a B.S. in Atmospheric Sciences from Creighton University and certificates in Project Management and Geographic Information Systems from Carroll College. Chris is livin' the dream with his brilliant and beautiful wife, Autumn. His hope and joy are personified in his daughter, Nelli, and his son, Bennett. His failure and disappointment are personified annually in his favorite sports teams, the Denver Broncos and the Denver Nuggets.