Our Staff

Ted Koch, Executive Director

Ted recently retired as an Endangered Species Biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and resides in Garden Valley, ID. He received a B.S. in Biology from Southern Connecticut State University and an M.S. in Zoology from Idaho State University. He spent 30 years working as an Endangered Species Biologist for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service throughout the West. In the last third of his career, he worked on sage grouse and lesser prairie chicken conservation, learning just how imperiled prairie and sagebrush ecosystems are. While ready to retire from federal service, he still wanted to contribute to grasslands and prairie grouse conservation, so became Executive Director of NAGP in 2019.

Jim Inglis, Policy Director

Jim has been involved in conservation of private and public lands for over 30 years. In 2024, he retired from a 23-year career with Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever. For the last 12 of those years, he served as the Director of Government Affairs where he worked on agriculture and conservation policy at the federal and state levels. He is a native of the Finger Lakes region of NY where he grew up on a family dairy farm and developed his interest in agriculture, forestry, hunting, fishing, and natural resources. He completed his B.S. degree in forestry and wildlife at The College of Environmental Science and Forestry, at Syracuse University, and obtained his MS degree in wildlife and forestry from Mississippi State University. He is also a professional member of the Boone and Crockett Club.  You will often find Jim assisting farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners implementing conservation practices or promoting hunting and conservation at the state and national levels.

Terry Riley, PhD, Rangeland Health Coordinator

Terry is a Certified Wildlife Biologist, hunter, angler, private pilot, and amateur vintner. Terry served in the U.S. Air Force right out of high school, including a year in Vietnam.  He is semi-retired, but his wife Nancy, also a wildlife biologist, and he own a consulting business and he collaborates with scientists at Colorado State University on research projects.  Previous work includes coordinator for the Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, vice-president of policy for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, board member of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation and the North American Grouse Partnership, conservation director and Midwest field representative for the Wildlife Management Institute, upland wildlife research biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and wildlife biologist for the U.S. Forest Service.  Terry has a Bachelor’s degree in Fish and Wildlife Biology from Kansas State University, a Master’s degree in Wildlife Science from New Mexico State University (where he studied the ecology of lesser prairie-chickens), and a Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Zoology from The Ohio State University, where he studied the ecology of wetland invertebrates and waterfowl.  Terry and Nancy live near Fort Collins, CO with their horses and dogs and have 3 adult children. 

Taylor Linder, Lesser Prairie-Chicken Landowner Alliance Coordinator  

Taylor is an avid hunter, angler, and passionate advocate for private landowners and wildlife, and aspires to build a career helping bridge the gap between production and wildlife habitat. His educational background includes a B.S. from South Dakota State University, a M.S. from the University of Arkansas at Monticello, and is currently finishing his Ph.D. at the University of North Dakota. His research interests over the course of his graduate career have focused primarily on private lands conservation, helping NGOs find the best path forward for private lands conservation programming, and broadening our understanding of how and why ranchers make decisions. His research has also included studies on the impacts of rotational grazing on reproduction efforts of grassland nesting birds. His recent PhD work made him an ideal candidate for his position with the NAGP, empowering ranchers to get paid a fair market value because when our ranchers are successful, conservation follows. When Taylor is not working and conversing with nearly anyone that will give him a minute of their time, he is frequently chasing waterfowl or other upland game birds in his current home state of South Dakota.  

Jodie Provost, Communications Director

Jodie is a Certified Wildlife Biologist, hunter, birder, horse rider, wife, grandma, and appreciator of wide open, wild spaces. She hails from North Dakota, graduating from North Dakota State University with a B.S. in Zoology and University of North Dakota with an M.S. in Biology. She worked 30 years for Minnesota Department of Natural Resources as an Assistant Wildlife Manager, Wildlife Resource Assessment Specialist, and Private Land Biologist. Her management experience includes prairie, savanna, shrubland, wetland, and forest. Jodie’s volunteerism includes many years with the Minnesota Sharp-tailed Grouse Society and is ongoing with The Wildlife Society from the local to national levels. She is grateful to serve the North American Grouse Partnership!