Steve is a gubernatorial appointment to the KNB Board of Directors​. He is one of the leading attorneys in the Midwest in the areas of natural resources and environmental law, solid waste law, water law, and agricultural law. When not in the office or spending time with his three daughters, Steve enjoys spending time outdoors running, hunting and fishing.  He also enjoys politics and public policy, literature, University of Nebraska athletics, and current events.

“I first became involved with KNB because of a desire to enact positive change on the environment I call home. I see the organization as being a cornerstone for environmental education in Nebraska, and I am thankful for the opportunity to help expand our programs. I am very excited about our new newly recognized “Keep Nebraska Beautiful Day” on June 25th as I hope it encourages people to get out and beautify their communities.”

Cisney, an alumnus of UNL in Agriculture, Agronomy and Natural Resources, is from Ogallala, Nebraska. He has been active in Nebraska Range Youth Camp, Citizens’ Advisory Board – UNL Center for Grassland Studies, and president of the Keep Keith County Beautiful Board of Directors. Daryl has received an Alumni Achievement Award from the Association of UNL -College of Agricultural Science and Natural Resource Alumni, and a Sustained Lifetime Achievement Award from Society for Range Management International. Daryl’s long list of service and achievements shows that he is an enthusiast for Nebraska’s natural resources improvement.

A lifelong Nebraskan with a deep appreciation for the state’s natural beauty, Julie holds degrees from UNO and UNL and has spent over a decade at UNMC advancing science and sustainability. She serves on the Executive Sustainability Council and is passionate about conservation both locally and globally—previously working as an eXXpedition ambassador and with Friends of Roatan on waste reduction efforts. A dedicated camper and explorer of Nebraska’s parks, she and her husband are raising their three children to love the outdoors as much as they do. She’s excited to support local impact through her service on the board.

David is an avid outdoors enthusiast, conservationist and a lifelong resident of the State of Nebraska.  He has spent 17 years volunteering for various organization including the Boy Scouts of America, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and has had several leadership roles in other community based non-profit organizations. David joined the KNB board to become more involved in an organization that manages programs that have a beneficial impact on Nebraska. The school chemical cleanout is his favorite KNB program. Professionally, he manages the engineering department for a renewable plastics manufacturer.

Bartels is a writer, photographer, gardener, student of nature, father, chronic volunteer, and wanderer.His award-winning children’s book, What’s Going Down in Prairie Dog Town? was published in 2018 and includes a foreword by primatologist Jane Goodall. His photograph of a Blanding’s turtle (photographed in the Nebraska Sandhills) appeared in the March 2020 issue of National Geographic Magazine. Bartels was previously named Conservation Educator of the Year by the Nebraska Wildlife Federation. Bartels and friends remove litter from a 2-mile stretch of highway near Calamus Reservoir.

“My favorite program is the School Chemical Cleanout. There’s a real need there, and I’m glad we are able to help fill it. My personal commitment to sustainability centers around the potential opportunities that re-purpose everything you can in manufacturing. I’ve had tremendous success by finding the value in wastes and finding things to do with them other than landfill them.”

“My employer, Chief, has been a long term supporter of KNB. Through the years Chief has participated in KNB events and had a person on the board. I got involved through the annual golf fundraiser a number of years ago and more so when I began serving on the board in 2017.  I like all the KNB programs, but the ones that stand out to me are the School Chemical Cleanout, used oil, and the Materials Exchange.”

Eric is the Assistant Principal at Duchesne Academy in Omaha where he also serves as Sustainability Coordinator. Under his leadership Duchesne became the first school in Omaha to implement composting and install solar panels. Duchesne was recognized as a US Department of Education “Green Ribbon School” in 2020 and in November 2022 achieved its goal of becoming “Zero Waste.” Eric is passionate about helping schools achieve their sustainability goals and enjoys his family, baseball, reading, and being in the great outdoors.

Adam was looking to get more involved in non-profits and had a client suggest KNB to him.  “It is an organization I believe in and I’m happy to be a part of. I really am proud of the work KNB does with schools to help inform the next generation of the mission to keep Nebraska beautiful.” Personally he works to keep nature as good or in most cases better than he found it and is working to pass that message on to his children!

“I had a friend (Matthew Gutzmann) who was appointed to the board. After he had been on the board a little while he contacted me and said, ‘this is right up your alley’. I investigated and discovered that it did indeed align with my way of thinking and shortly thereafter I was nominated to join.” Personally, he is the Director of Operations for a company that makes polylactic acid(PLA) plastic from corn. “The plastic we produce has a much lower carbon footprint than plastics produced from oil and is recyclable and can be compostable.”

“Nebraska is a very special place to me and I wanted to give something back, because I want it to stay beautiful for future generations. We all have an ethical responsibility to help where we can and I wanted to contribute to something I believe in. KNB allows me to put my time and environmental stewardship passion into a statewide organization that supports numerous beneficial programs revolving around a central goal.”

Originally from Northern Michigan, Dana’s path to conservation started early by picking up bottles and cans to earn money for her horses and college fund. A college environmental science class sparked a deeper passion for sustainability, and soon she had her entire family, including her 90-year-old grandmother, recycling. After earning a teaching degree, she moved to Kansas and unexpectedly began a six-year career in conservation. In 2018, after relocating to Nebraska, she connected with Keep Cass County Beautiful, where she went from board member to Assistant Director, and now serves as Director. She’s especially passionate about zero waste, composting, and believes in reducing consumption first before recycling. Outside of her work with KCCB, she’s a lifelong dog rescuer (currently mom to four rescue dogs and a horse), has hosted seven international exchange students, and loves to travel—having explored all 50 U.S. states and 32 countries. One of her guiding inspirations is Jane Goodall, whose words she lives by: “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”