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Staff
ONDA Staff
Brent Fenty
Executive Director
bfenty@onda.org
Brent is a native Central Oregonian who first worked for ONDA as a Wildlands Coordinator from 2000-2003 and returned in 2007 to serve as the organization’s Executive Director. During his time with ONDA, Brent has worked on a number of projects including the implementation of the Steens Mountain Wilderness, a citizen’s wilderness inventory of millions of acres of unprotected wilderness, and efforts to designate the Badlands and Spring Basin as Oregon's newest desert Wilderness areas.
His life and work experiences have included working as a research assistant at the United Nations, hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, working as a community development coordinator at Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council, and volunteering for the Peace Corps in Mali, West Africa. Prior to returning to ONDA in 2007, Brent worked as an Environmental Scientist on various water quality, fisheries, and aquatic restoration projects.
Brent received his undergraduate degree in International Studies and Environmental Science from Willamette University and a Master’s of Environmental Science from Alaska Pacific University.
Bill Marlett
Senior Conservation Advisor
bmarlett@onda.org
Bill has been with ONDA since its inception in 1989. A born and bred cheesehead from Wisconsin, he graduated from the U of WI - Madison, School of Agriculture, with a major in Soil Science, where he solidified his aversion for the bovine species. He then spent the next seven years working for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in floodplain and shoreland management.
Bill then moved to Bend, OR in 1984, having been hired by the county to stop a spate of hydroelectric projects proposed on the Deschutes River, which successfully culminated with a state scenic waterway designation. In 1987, he initiated and led a statewide ballot measure protecting an additional dozen rivers under the Oregon scenic waterway program. In 1989, he subsequently founded and directed the Central Oregon Environmental Center, an umbrella organization made up of two dozen environmental groups to provide support to local conservation efforts.
Initially on ONDA's board, Bill was eventually hired as ONDA's first executive director in 1993. Since then, Bill has helped ONDA evolve into one of the most effective grassroots groups in the West. Under his guidance, ONDA has taken on a leadership role in Oregon's desert wilderness campaign and national efforts to end public lands grazing.
WendyKay Gewiss
Development Director
wendykay@onda.org
In January 2008 WendyKay joined ONDA as the Development Director.
WendyKay grew up in Corbett Oregon and spent many years vacationing in and around Bend. After moving to Central Oregon in 1995, she fell in love with the high desert. Working as an account manager for a local company gave her the opportunity to travel to all corners of Central Oregon. Community participation has always been a priority, whether participating in the Pole Pedal Paddle or volunteering for trail restoration projects.
In 2003 she and her husband moved to the San Juan Islands where she managed the Vacation Rental Department for Windermere. Being immersed in the tourism industry gave her the opportunity to see both sides of the debate over growth and conservation. After enjoying two years of the quiet and secluded island lifestyle and occasional ferry delay (breakdown), they decided to make their way back to Bend.
She and her husband are very excited to be back “home”. They look forward to skiing, camping, fishing and hiking in all of their favorite places. In her opinion, Central Oregon is simply the most special place on earth.
Barksdale Brown
General Manager
hbbrown@onda.org
Bark joined ONDA shortly after moving with his family to Bend from Bologna Italy. While Bark was born in Ohio, he grew up in Albuquerque New Mexico. His time in New Mexico was interrupted by a four year stint in Haiti where his parents worked at a local hospital.
He holds a B.A. in communications from the University of Colorado and a law degree from the San Francisco Law School. He also holds a Masters in Taxation from Golden Gate University. After practicing law in the Bay Area for seven years, he moved with his family to Perth Australia where he worked for an Internet service company for four years.
After a short stint back in Albuquerque, the Brown family moved to Italy for two years where they attempted to master Italian. While living in Italy, Bark took a job as a trustee with a Baltimore based family trust.
The Browns enjoy hiking, biking and skiing, thus making Bend the ideal spot to settle down in the U.S. Bark is looking forward to exploring central Oregon and skiing Mount Bachelor.
Devon Batley
Membership CoordinatorDevon joined ONDA in September 2007 as the membership coordinator.
Devon was born in Northern California before migrating to Oregon with her dad in 1990. She lived in Bend before moving to London. Devon stayed in England for 10 years where she completed high school and received a BSc in Biology from Liverpool JM University. After graduation she traveled the world and volunteered at wildlife sanctuaries in Thailand and Bolivia. From there she returned to the US where she became enamored with raptors and other winged creatures. Devon worked for Hawkwatch International for many seasons as an educator and a bander. Her favorite hawk is the desert dwelling Ferruginous hawk. Besides bird watching Devon loves to fish, though she is not very good at it, hike and enjoy the fresh air. Devon is excited to join ONDA as the new membership coordinator.
Craig Miller
GIS Specialist
Craig Revere Miller
Born 13 January 1950
Education: Biophysics (Bachelor of Science); Pacific Union College 1973 Medicine (M.D.); Loma Linda University 1977 Emergency Medicine; Wright State University 1980 Board Certified 1981; Central Oregon Community College 2000 Geographic Information Systems (Associate of Science)
Career: Emergency Medicine at St. Charles Medical Center 1981 – 1998
Family and Interests: Married on top of Steens Mountain to Marilyn on August 24, 1999 . Children limited to a challenging male goose and two cats. An avid outdoorsman, he has extensive experience in bird identification, backpacking, mountaineering, rock climbing, and search and rescue.
Summary: Craig has been an environmental advocate for most of his life. Multiple backpacking trips in the Sierra Nevada during his high school years provided a strong appreciation for wilderness and the out-of-doors. Once finished with his residency in Emergency Medicine in 1980 he moved to Bend, Oregon where he has lived ever since. During that time, he became active in local environmental issues, particularly desert wilderness designation and fighting livestock grazing abuses. He has been a member of ONDA since its inception, and has served on the board from the beginning. He also served several years as a board member of the Oregon Natural Resources Council. He continued his practice in emergency medicine until 1998 when he changed careers in order to devote more time to environmental protection. Craig completed an Associates Degree in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in 2000 and is now putting his skills to work for ONDA and the Deschutes Basin Land Trust.
Gena Goodman-Campbell
Wilderness Coordinator
Gena joined ONDA as the Wilderness Coordinator in spring 2007. She is focusing her time with ONDA primarily on the Badlands Wilderness Campaign, coordinating with local businesses, shareholders and community members who are invested in protecting this unique area.
Growing up in Portland, Oregon, Gena enjoyed exploring the wetlands and rivers around her home. She graduated with a BA in Political Science from Colorado College where she furthered her passion for all mountain-related activities, and could not resist the opportunity to return to Oregon upon graduation to work with the Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group (OSPIRG) at Central Oregon Community College. After organizing voter mobilization campaigns, petition drives and wilderness hikes with the wonderful COCC students, Gena made the move onto ONDA’s staff to focus her energy on protecting the wild deserts she has grown to love.
When she’s not playing outside, Gena enjoys working on a variety of unfinished art projects, watching and playing soccer and cooking.
Jefferson Jacobs
Outreach Coordinator
Jeff joined ONDA as the new Outreach Coordinator in January of 2008. Originally from Maine, Jeff graduated from the University of Maine with a degree in Wildlife Ecology, a concentration in International Conservation and a minor in Spanish. Jeff worked through school conducting GIS research on the impacts of forestry practices, and also for four seasons as a river ranger for the BLM on a Wild and Scenic river in interior Alaska. After earning his Masters studying Peregrine Falcons in Alaska, Jeff worked as the Biological Inventory Coordinator for the National Park Service where he helped organize and finalize the vertebrate and plant inventories of over 19 million acres of Arctic Parklands. Most recently Jeff worked in Hawaii for two years where he conducted surveys, monitoring and the management of native plants, Nene, Io and Hawaiian hoary bats. Jeff and his wife were drawn to Bend by its proximity to numerous wilderness areas and the wide variety of outdoor activities available.
Kate Martin
Bridge Creek Watershed Coordinator
Kate joined ONDA in February 2008, and will coordinate the restoration
and monitoring efforts in the Bridge Creek watershed by working with government agencies, landowners and non-profit groups active in the John Day basin.
Originally from Kansas, Kate was first lured westward by the mountains and beautiful landscape of Northern Arizona. She gradually migrated north, and earned a degree in wildlife biology at the University of Montana. During the summers and after graduation, Kate conducted field research for universities and government agencies on a whole spectrum of wildlife species, from marine invertebrates to waterfowl. This work allowed her to explore incredible parts of the West from Baja to north of the Arctic Circle. Most recently, she earned a Master’s degree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks by studying waterfowl ecology on the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge in interior Alaska.
Kate lives and works in Prineville, and loves the town’s proximity to the Ochoco mountains and the fish-filled rivers of central and Eastern Oregon. In her spare time, Kate can be found running, gardening, and taking rafting, hunting, and backpacking trips with her husband and their brown dog.
Mac Lacy
Senior Attorney
Academic Credentials
J.D., cum laude, 2001, Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College
M.S., 1998, University of Wisconsin-Madison (Geography)
B.A., 1996, Washington and Lee University (Geology and Anthropology)
Professional Background
Mac joined ONDA in the fall of 2001 as staff attorney. His cases focus on wilderness, grazing, and OHV issues on eastern Oregon's public lands, and generally involve claims under the National Environmental Policy Act, Federal Land Policy and Management Act, National Forest Management Act, Taylor Grazing Act, Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and others. He also handles ONDA's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) litigation.
Mac has published articles addressing water pollution from grazing under the Clean Water Act; advocating for a comprehensive public lands soil protection law; and controlling water spreading with Bureau of Reclamation water via the Endangered Species Act in order to protect threatened and endangered fish species. As a student at NWSL, Mac received several awards, including the Bernard O’Rourke Award for published work and induction into the Cornelius Honor Society.
In his Masters thesis, Mac explored the late Quaternary geomorphic and pedologic history of a region of currently stabilized sand dunes in central Wisconsin. He finally made his way west and attended NWSL for his J.D., graduating in May 2001.
David Becker
Staff Attorney
Dave joined ONDA in January 2008 as staff attorney. He earned an LL.M. summa cum laude from the Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College in 2006, becoming the first LL.M. student inducted into the Cornelius Honor Society and sharing the Bernard O’Rourke Award for his article on the upcoming removal of Condit Dam and the restoration of the White Salmon River. During his year at Lewis & Clark, Dave worked with ONDA on an appeal of two district court cases involving grazing in the Malheur National Forest, successfully arguing ONDA’s case before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He resumes work on behalf of Oregon’s high desert after a year in Utah as staff attorney for Western Resource Advocates.
Dave grew up exploring the forests and gorges of Western New York and received his J.D. summa cum laude from Cornell Law School in 1999. While at Cornell he served on the Board of Directors of the Finger Lakes Land Trust and volunteered with a variety of local non-profit groups. Dave has clerked for federal judges on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and in the District of Oregon, and, before moving west, he practiced environmental law for five years in the private sector with Sidley & Austin and Latham & Watkins. He has published articles on the Roadless Rule and other administrative law topics, tribal reserved water rights, and the pedagogic history of natural resources law. Dave also holds an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, an M.A. in international relations from the Australian National University, and an A.B. in international affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University.
Aaron Killgore
John Day Coordinator
Aaron began working with ONDA in March 2008 as 
the John Day
Coordinator. He brings to this position experience
working with landowners on grazing issues in Africa, South
America, and the U.S.
Aaron was born and raised on the Kansas prairies, where the deer and the antelope play. Prior to graduation from the University of Kansas (B.A. Biology), he spent two years at the Universidad de Costa Rica, concentrating on management issues in artesian fisheries, coral reef ecology, and identifying medicinal uses of tropical plants. After several years of field projects in the Southern U.S., Chile, and Alaska, he received his M.Sc. (Fisheries and Wildlife Science) from New Mexico State University. His thesis topic focused on how mammal disturbances influence semi-arid grassland soil heterogeneity and their implications for rangeland restoration. After graduation, he was awarded a NSEP David L Boren graduate fellowship for research in South Africa. As part of his work there, he formed strong relationships to previously disadvantaged landowners in the Western Cape and disseminated techniques and information about rangeland monitoring and assessment.