Bill Harty serves as the executive vice chair of the High Desert Council. He served theYucca Council, prior to the recent merger with Great Southwest, as its treasurer foraround 15 years. His board service began as a youth member in 1975, was a councilparaprofessional for four years, and has worn many hats in Scouting.Bill is a retired CPA and university administrator. In mid-July, he will reach his thirty-seventh wedding anniversary with Jennifer Munson, an attorney representing the rightsof abused and neglected children; they have one adult daughter.Bill received the National Outstanding Eagle Scout Award earlier this year, has been aSilver Beaver for forty years, and has served the Gila Lodge of the OA as chief, staffadvisor, and lodge advisor.

Dale Balmer is currently serving as an Assistant Council Commissioner for theHigh Desert Council's North Area. Before that he served as the CouncilCommissioner for the Great Southwest Council for seven years.  In his 35+ yearsas an adult Scouter, Dale has served as a District Commissioner, UnitCommissioner, Scoutmaster, Cubmaster, Webelos Den Leader, Committee Chairand Committee Member, among other positions.  Dale's also been a Wood BadgeCourse Director, and attended the 1997 and 2001 National Jamborees with hisEagle Scout sons.

Jeff Duer
I have been involved in Scouting since I was in second grade. I earned my Eagle Scout in 1993 from the Denver Area Council, then became an Assistant Scoutmaster in Troop 13 with the Longs Peak Council. Scouting can be credited for bringing me out of my shell and providing both fundamental life skills and tremendous leadership opportunities. The best summers of my life were spent working at Peaceful Valley Scout Ranch, serving in almost every position from Counselor-in-Training to Camp Director. I earned my Vigil honor in 2024.I have worked professionally for scouting for over 20 years. I started as a District Executive in the Denver Area Council. After serving in five different roles in Denver, I was promoted to Field Director in the Orange County Council in California. After that I was promoted to Assistant Scout Executive in the Pacific Skyline Council, which is headquartered in Foster City, CA. I am blessed to currently serve as the Scout Executive for the High Desert Council.In my spare time, my wife, Michelle, and I enjoy traveling. I enjoy pickleball, racquetball, riding my electric bike, swimming, jet skiing, and walking. I have both an undergraduate and a graduate degree from the University of Northern Colorado. I grew up as a die-hard Broncos fan.

Jim Libbin recently completed serving Yucca Council as Council President and CouncilAdvancement Chair. Jim, who was a Cub Scout and Boy Scout as a youth, rejoined Scouting when his son joined Tiger Cubs. Jim was his Den Leader from 1989 until 1995, and later crossed over to be Scoutmaster from 1995 to 2002. He has served as Committee Chair for that boys’ troop since 2002 and volunteered to be Committee Chair for a Cub Scout Pack when it reorganized in 2016 and a girls’ troop when it formed in 2019.Jim is a Vigil Member of the Gila Lodge, Order of the Arrow. He has been awarded the District Award of Merit, Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope, Silver Buffalo, Distinguished Commissioner Service Award, the James E. West Fellowship Award, William D. Boyce New-Unit Organizer Award, and several training awards.Jim retired from New Mexico State University in 2017 after a 40-year career as Professor ofAgricultural Economics and Agricultural Business and Extension Farm Management Specialist; he also served seven years as Associate Dean and Director of Academic Programs in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.Jim is married to Gail; they have four children and three grandchildren. His son, Zack, is an active Scouter and earned his Eagle in Troop 66 in 1999. Jim lives in Las Cruces, New Mexico and has been a member of the Die-Hard Chicago Cub Fan Club long enough to know better.​​

Chris Sandberg serves as the Chair of the Council’s Executive Board. Prior to the merger, he was Great Southwest’s Executive Vice President. Chris has worn the CSP of six different Councils in his Scouting career. As a youth, he was a Cub Scout, Scout, and Explorer, earned the Arrow of Light and Eagle rank, was inducted into the Ti’ak OA Lodge, and attended the XII World Jamboree in a Region V contingent. As an adult, Chris has been a Scoutmaster, Post Advisor, Crew Advisor, District Commissioner and Chair, Exploring Committee Chair, COPE Committee Chair, Venturing Committee Chair, and Vice President of District Operations. He has taught at the Philmont Training Center three times, and at Universities of Scouting for five Councils. He took a Central Regioncontinent to the XX World Jamboree in Thailand in 2003, and has been on staff at five National Jamborees and the XXIV World Jamboree. He has received the District Award of Merit (twice), National Scoutmaster’s Award of Merit. the Exploring Achievement Award (Council), the Silver Beaver, and the Venturing Leadership Award (Council, Area, Territory, and Region.) He is also a Vigil Honor member of the Order of the Arrow. Chris lives in Rio Rancho, NM, with his wife Carolyn.

Jack Hess has been involved with Scouting almost continually since being a CubScout in the 1950s. He is a Past-President of the Longs Peak Council and currently serves as Vice Chair for Finance and Administration for the High Desert Council. Additionally, he serves on the National Finance and Fund Development Committee. Past National service includes the Order of the Arrow National Committee, the National NCAP Committee, and five Jamboree staffs. He is a recipient of the Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope, and Silver Buffalo Awards. He is a Distinguished Eagle Scout, Order of the Arrow Vigil Honor Member and Order of the Arrow Distinguished Service Award recipient. Dr. Hess retired as President of the Geological Society of America Foundation in Boulder, CO in June 2020. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2015, he served as the Executive Director of the Geological Society of America (GSA) for 13 years. Before joining GSA in 2001, he was Executive Director of the Division of Hydrologic Sciences and Vice President for Academic Affairs at the Desert Research Institute (DRI) in Nevada. During histenure with DRI, he also served on the faculty at the University of Nevada, Reno and theUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas where he taught courses in hydrogeology and low temperature aqueous geochemistry. In 2000-2001, Hess served as a Congressional Science Fellow in the office of Senator Harry Reid (D-NV). He holds a bachelor’s and doctorate in geology from The Pennsylvania State University and attended the Stanford Executive Program, Stanford University. Jack lives in Santa Fe, NM with his wife Letitia. They have two Eagle Scout sons.

Robert Heimer
I am delighted to be serving as the Director of Customer Care at El Paso Electric since 2022. In my role, I oversee a variety of customer service operations, including our call center, billing, payment, collections, and quality management teams. With over 18 years of leadership experience, I am committed to ensuring that we provide the best possible service to our customers. A little bit about myself – I was born and raised right here in El Paso, Texas, and I am proud to call this city my home. I am a graduate of Hanks High School and have pursued higher education with a Bachelor of Science in Technical Management from DeVry University in Phoenix, Arizona, and an MBA from West Texas A&M University. Additionally, I am a certified Project Manager Professional (PMP). On a personal note, I am married and have a wonderful child. In my spare time, I enjoy spending quality moments with my son and am excited to watch him grow up and thrive in the scouts.

Don Miller
My Scouting experience began in 1953 in Pack 305 in Marquette, MI where I achieved WEBELOS status before joining Troop 305, earning the God and Country Award, Eagle Scout, two palms, and the VIgil Honor, while serving as OA lodge secretary and vice-chief, before joining Post 309 where I served as Post President and was a Junior Assistant Scoutmaster for the 50th Anniversary (1960) National Jamboree in Colorado Springs, CO, and has continued (sometimes peripherally, having raised four daughters before girls were allowed in the program, and a career involving frequent travel) through our most recent Autumn Adventure at Philmont. As an adult I have served on five council executive boards: Hiawathaland, (2008 - 2013, Council President, 2009 - 2013), Bay-Lakes, (2012 - 2016, Advisory Council 2017 -2024), Mount Baker, 2017 - 2020, Great Southwest, 2022 - 2024, and High Desert 2024 - present. Additionally I've served on the staff of national jamborees in 2010, 2023, 2026, and NOAC 2024. Prior to a career in sales I earned a BS, Bus. Ad. from Ferris State University, an MBA from Central MIchigan University, was a Legal Clerk in the US Army, and served as a trustee of the Northern MIchigan University Foundation. 

Michael C. Maurer
Mike has been involved in scouting in Albuquerque for about 25 years, he served as Cub Scout Den Leader, Assistant Scoutmaster and Eagle Advisor for Pack and Troop 409. He has been member of the GSWC board for about 13 years and is currently serving as a Board Member. His past board positions include serving as the Council President, Executive VP, and VP for Finance. He is a Camp Master for Gorham. He has lead a number of Council teams and helped secure over $115,000 in grants.
Mike has been to Philmont over a dozen times and hiked close to 300 miles. He has been to NorthernTier and Sea Base with his boys. He was an Aquatics instructor at the 2005 National Jamboree.
One of the things he really enjoys about his involvement with scouts is teaching the scouts new skills and watching them become fine young men and women.
In addition to volunteering with Scouting, Mike served on the Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity for six years, served as their president for two years.
Mike met his wife, Barbara, in elementary school and they have been married for 42 years. They have two sons: Matt, an Eagle Scout, and Steve who achieved the rank of Life Scout.
Mike has a BS in Engineering Science and MBA with a concentration in Materials and Logistics Management from Michigan State. Mike retired after 31 year from Sandia Labs. His last job was the Senior Manager for Business Operations for Sandia’s Science and Technology Division.

Jim Mayo
Jim is a Professor Emeritus from the University of Kansas where he taught architecture and
urban planning for forty years and served as a Department Chair. He has been a Scoutmaster, District Commissioner, Council Vice-President for Endowment, and is currently our council’s Committee Chair for Investments. He has served in positions related to finance at the territorial, regional, and national level. Jim conducts research on national council finance, and he has developed the Council Endowment Management Portfolio, which is available on the Scouting America national website. As a youth, he grew up in West Texas and became an Eagle Scout, received the Exploring Silver Award as well as attending national jamborees at Valley Forge and Colorado Springs. As an adult, Dr. Mayo has been honored with the District Award of Merit, the Distinguished Commissioner Service Award, the Doctorate of Commissioner Science, the Winthrop Rockefeller Award, and the Silver Beaver Award. Jim is a Vigil Honor member of the Order of the Arrow and a Sachem in the Tribe of Mic-O-Say, which he received in the Heart of America Council. He is James E. West Diamond Member and a Legacy Member of the Second Century Society. His hometown honored him as a Distinguished Former Odessan and was inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society at KU for his scholarly awards and contributions.

Steve Wells has recently served as the 17 th President of New Mexico Institute of Mining
and Technology (New Mexico Tech), a public academic and research university granting
undergraduate and graduate degrees in science, engineering, technology and
mathematics. He served as President of the Desert Research Institute (DRI) of the
Nevada System of Higher Education from 1999 to 2016, overseeing one of the world's
largest multidisciplinary environmental research organizations with approximately 500
scientists, technologists, students, and other support staff. Steve was Professor of
Geomorphology and Chair of the Graduate Program in the Department of Earth
Sciences at the University of California, Riverside, and began his academic career at
the University of New Mexico in 1976 and ultimately served as Chair of the Department
of Geology from 1989 to 1991. He has held visiting appointments with the U.S. Air
Force Office of Research, U.S. Geological Survey, and Los Alamos National Laboratory,
and consulted with numerous federal agencies and private companies including the
U.S. Department of Justice, Sandia National Laboratories, and environmental and
geotechnical firms in the western U.S. He received his B.S. degree in Geology from
Indiana University as well as a M.S. and Ph.D. in Geology from the University of
Cincinnati. After serving 24 years as a leader in higher education, he is deeply
committed to the mission of Scouting America which helps shape the future of New
Mexico through building leadership skills in our youth. He proudly serves on the Board
and Executive Committee of the Higher Desert Council.

Alecia Evans
I have been involved in scouting for around 7 years now. I am currently serving as the 2025 Yah-Tah-Hey-Si-Kess Lodge Chief. I was inducted into the Order of the arrow in 2022 and have since served as the Lodge Vice Chief (2024), the Lodge Ceremonies Committee Chair (2023 to now), and a few other chapter roles. The Order of the Arrow has brought so many people into my life and has cultivated my passion for being a leader. I have been on 2 Philmont Treks, staffed Brownsea in 2024 and 2025, and attended the National Order of the Arrow Conference in 2024. I have been invited back to be the SPL of Brownsea in 2026. I earned the rank of Eagle on October 15th, 2025 with Troop 1395. Some of my other passions include Marching band, in which I play the French horn, my job as a lifeguard at Sandia Pool. My future plans include attending the University of New Mexico to study Civil Engineering, and continuing my scouting career in the Order of the Arrow.”

Horacio serves as Treasurer of the High Desert Council, having served Yucca Council as a board member before the merger.   He served as a Cub Scout Leader and Cubmaster of Pack 86 for 5 years and as Scoutmaster of Troop 187 for 13 years.  A point of pride for him: Troop 187, in its 14 years, has attended 22 summer camps, of which he has led them at 14 camps.  Plus, he spent 5 years as a youth in Boy Scout Troop 391 out of El Paso, TX where he attended summer camp at CDR for 4 years, spent 1 summer as a CIT, and went to Philmont!  Horacio served as an ASM to the 2013 Yucca Council Jamboree Contingent.  In subsequent Jamborees he served as a  Jamboree Committee member and Committee Chair.  Horacio is a founder of the Unidos Prosperamos program, served as the Yucca Council Endowment Committee Chair, served on Wood Badge Staff for 8 years and was Course Director in 2019.   He recently passed the leadership of Troop 187 to a new Scoutmaster and now serves as Scoutmaster Emeritus in addition to serving his 15th year as a Council Board Member.  He has been honored with the Scoutmaster of the Year, the District Award of Merit, Vale La Pena, and Silver Beaver awards plus the Marvin M. Lewis Award for Scouting from Elks National.  Horacio has been a self-employed Financial Counselor for 33 years having earned his bachelor's degree in Finance at UTEP and his MBA at Webster University.  He previously served as the Board Chair of El Paso Elks Lodge 187.  Horacio will soon celebrate his 30th wedding anniversary to Isela and is the proud father of Ian, an Eagle Scout who is currently a Veterinary Medicine Student in England.

Bruce Koehler is an experienced trial attorney and is Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law (Texas). He is an Eagle Scout and recipient of the Silver Beaver Award. He has served in leadership roles in many charitable and professional organization and is the past president of the following organizations:
El Paso Bar Association; El Paso Young Lawyers Association; American Board of Trial Advocates (El Paso Chapter); and Yucca Council (B.S.A.). He has received the William Duncan - George McAlmon Civility Award (ABOTA), the Duane A. Baker Professionalism Award (EPBA), and the Milton C. Colia Professionalism and Ethics Award (American Inns of Court). He has been recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer since 2007 and Best Lawyers in America since 2010. 

Morris Brown is a High Desert Council Board member. Starting in Montana as a Cub Scout in 1952 he earned Eagle Scout ten years later. He has server many leadership positions: Yellowstone Valley Council Montana Summer Camp staff in 1963, Scoutmaster in Chapel Hill, NC for your years. After relocating to El Paso, he has served as Cub Master and began an enduring Scout troop in 2010. He started a Venturing Crew for his twin girls and served as Advisor. He is an Order of the Arrow Vigil member and past Gila Lodge Advisor for two years. He has served the Yucca Council as Council Commissioner (4 years) and Chancelor of the Tri-Council College of Commissioner Science (3 years). As a longtime Board member, he helped join of the Great Southwest and Yucca Councils and mastered the new CSP for this merger. He designed and supervised Scouts in creating three Thanksgiving Day parade floats honoring Scouting, Eagle Scouts and 100 years of Scouting. He completed advanced training courses in Wood Badge and Powder Horn. He served five years as Woodbadge Assistant Cpirse Director and is a member of the Scouting Alumni Committee. He has received the, Silver Beaver Award, Doctorate of the College of
Commissioner Science, Arrowhead Honor, District Award of Merit, James E. West Fellow, William Boyce New Unit Organizer Award, Venturing Leadership Award, İScouting! Vale La Pena Premio National, Philmont Master’s Track Award, National Elk’s Marvin M. Lewis Award, Community Organizer Award, National Speaker Bank, Scouter’s Key, Alumni Award, and Leader Training Award. Morris lives in El Paso with his wife Sonia.

Michelle Wilson-Stecher is a native El Pasoan and earned her bachelor’s degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. She began her professional career as a journalist for a small newspaper in the Dallas–Fort Worth area before returning to the Southwest to be closer to family and launch her own business in the property and casualty insurance industry. A resident of Las Cruces, Michelle is an active member of Morning Star United Methodist Church and is deeply engaged in the local community. She participates in numerous civic and professional initiatives, including collaborating with Las Cruces–area realtors and mortgage lenders, participating in the Las Cruces Think Tank, and supporting Sophia.org through its One Huge Fiesta outreach.
Michelle has worked alongside the Arrowhead Center and WESST to assist start-up businesses with risk management and the challenges associated with new business development. She works primarily with the Farmers Insurance Group of Companies and has been an appointed agent for more than 18 years in both Texas and New Mexico. Throughout her tenure, she has been invited to serve on multiple company
focus groups. In addition to her professional and community involvement, Michelle is a member of the Wild Women’s Group through the former Yucca Council. She has served as a fully trained Cub Scout den leader with Las Cruces Pack 179 and currently serves as Assistant Scoutmaster for Troop 64. Her Cub Scout dens received the Sunshine District’s Den of the Year Award in 2020, and she was honored with the Silver Roadrunner Award for her service to the district. Michelle was awarded the Siler Beaver in 2026 for her work as the Vice President of Programs for the former Yucca Council as well as the current High Desert Council.  Outside of her professional and volunteer work, Michelle enjoys backpacking, hiking, hunting, and fishing. She is a member of the La Pandilla Feliz Salsa-Casino dance group and has competed in the Next Level Dance Challenge, earning a Bronze II level achievement in Waltz and Rumba. She has also earned first-place awards in five different ballroom dance styles at the Rio Grande Invitational. Michelle is the proud mother of her son, Joseph.

Lois Caipen
I was lucky that my hometown, Englewood, FL, had a Girl Scout Troop.  My best friend and I did every troop event right through to our Gold Awards.  Scouting reinforced my family and church values of giving back to our community and provided leadership opportunities seldom available for girls in the 1960’s.  I earned a B.S. in Accounting but really got to demonstrate my values through lifelong volunteering and in my career as an Occupational Therapy Assistant in Ohio and Albuquerque.  The USAF sent our young family to the UK, NM, Iceland, CO, IN and OH.  I am very grateful for the opportunities to volunteer with Boy Scouts/Scouting America, Girl Scouts, Community Education in Alamogordo, Adult Literacy in Suffolk England, churches, school PTOs and PTAs, and youth teams (Jujitsu, softball, soccer, dance, debate, cheerleading, gymnastics, swimming).  I’ve gotten to attend, serve and learn as a Committee Member (units, districts, and councils), Powwows, IOLS, ASM, COR, Unit & District Commissioner in Rio Grande and Unit/Mentor Commissioner in San Juan Mountain, Commissioner Colleges, Rio Grande District and Council Advancement Chair, OA Cherokee Chapter Advisor Yah Tah Hey Si Kess, LLDs, NOAC x2, Jambo 3rd in 2026, PTC x5 (District Key 3, Adaptive Special Needs, National Outdoor Conference, Safety Conference, Psychology of Scouting, and Chart, Lead, Explore for older youth), RSO and the Boundary Waters!  I encourage you to take advantage of every Scouting opportunity that interests you.  Each one helped me grow and allowed me to better serve the youth and adults I am honored to work with.  These amazing young people will positively impact our world long after we are dust.

Dave Bregar
 I have been active in scouting from the unit to Nation level for over 40 years, starting as a Cub Scout in the Kit Carson Counsel in the Early 1960's.  Currently Scoutmaster of Troop 324 in Bloomfield, NM, Council COPE and climbing Chair, member of the Council Camping Committee, and on the Executive Board.  We have two sons,  both grown, with one obtaining his Eagle rank in 1991, and one reaching Life Rank and he was very active in the Order of the Arrow. I've been married to Beth for over 49 years, and she has been involved from unit to professional levels, including being the District Executive for Northern NM and Southern CO.

Bob Longoria
Bob has devoted more than 41 years of service as an adult Scouter, serving at the unit level as a Den Leader, Cubmaster, and Scoutmaster. He is a Vigil Honor member of Yah-Tah-Hey-Si-Kess Lodge of the Order of the Arrow and has served as the lodge’s OA Lodge Advisor. Within the Great Southwest Council, he has held numerous leadership roles, including Sandia District Chairman, Vice President of Relationships, Vice President for District Operations, and Council Commissioner. He currently serves as a Member-at-Large on the council’s Executive Board. At the regional level, he served in the Western Region as Area 6 Assistant Commissioner and Area 6 Vice President for Outdoor Adventures.
Nationally, Bob has served as an NCAP Authorization Reviewer and currently serves as an
NCAP Authorization Coordinator on the NCAP National Committee. He was a member of the Boy Scouts of America National Training Task Force and served on the National Council’s Literature Review Committees for the 11th and 12th editions of the Boy Scout Handbook. He also chaired the National Council’s Literature Committee for the 2008 printing of the Patrol Leader’s Handbook.
Bob has extensive experience at Philmont Scout Ranch, where he worked seasonally as a camp director, commissary driver, commissary manager, and backcountry warehouse manager. He served on the staff of seven Walking Wood Badge courses at Philmont and directed the final Walking Wood Badge course in 1994. He also served for several years on the staff of the National Junior Leader Instructor Course (NJLIC), including serving as National Coordinator for its final year in 2006. He was a member of the development task force for the National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience (NAYLE) and served as National Coordinator for that program in 2007 and 2008. In recognition of his longstanding service to Philmont, he was the recipient for Philmont Training Center’s inaugural Trailblazer Award. He is also a recipient of the Silver Beaver and Silver Antelope Awards.
Professionally, Bob spent 30 years at Sandia National Laboratories as an electrical engineer, including 15 years as Manager of the Instrumentation Development Department. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from California State University, Northridge, and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. Active in amateur radio, Bob serves as trustee of the amateur radio station at the Raymond G. Murphy VA Medical Center. He is Communications Coordinator for both the Run for the Zoo and the Tour of the Rio Grande bicycle ride, and he served in 2024 and 2025 as Vice President of New Mexico Hamventions, Inc., a nonprofit organization that conducts amateur radio festivals throughout the state.
Bob lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with his wife, Sharon. They have two daughters and seven grandchildren, all of whom also reside in Albuquerque.