MOC Board of Directors
Officers of the Board, 2023-2024
Gretchen Steele, President
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Gretchen Steele is an award-winning outdoor photographer and writer whose photo credits and bylines have appeared in numerous outdoor publications. Gretchen is a staff writer/ photographer and social media manager for Heartland Outdoors magazine, where she contributes features as well as a monthly column in the print edition. Steele also pens the blogs "Through the Lens" at Heartland's website, as well as her personal blog, "Walkin' with the Wild Woman." She also is a member of AGLOW, Hunting Retriever Club, Retrievers Unlimited, NWTF, Illinois Wheelin' Sportsmen, Bowfishing Association of America and Delta Waterfowl.
Lucas Bond, Vice President
Lucas is the statewide News Services Coordinator for the Missouri Department of Conservation. Lucas was born and raised in the Jefferson City area and earned a degree in Broadcast Journalism from Missouri State University. Lucas is happily married with two children and a third on the way. When not working, Lucas loves spending time with his family and friends and enjoying the great outdoors that God has blessed us with. Lucas also is a member of Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA) and the Association of Conservation Information (ACI).
Ryan Miloshewski, Secretary
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Ryan was born in St. Louis and has been fishing since he could first hold a rod. Ryan has always had a passion for the outdoors, which he inherited from his father and grandfather. Ryan graduated with a degree in Biology from Rockhurst University in Kansas City. Ryan was a co-founder of Mahoney Outdoors magazine and has had bylines in Missouri Game & Fish Magazine, Outdoor Guide Magazine, Conservation Federation Magazine among others.
Ryan also serves on the MOC “Buck” Rogers Scholarship committee.
Zach Smith, Treasurer
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Zach is a Field Editor for Rural Missouri magazine, a post he's held since 2016. Zach is originally from West Plains and received a degree in film production from Webster University and a master's in journalism from the University of Missouri. Smith previously worked as a staff writer for the West Plains Daily Quill and as a reporter and researcher for the Springfield Business Journal.
Zach served as MOC President from 2019 - 2022.
Neima Shahdadi,
Scholarship Chair
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Neima Shahdadi is an academic advisor at the University of Missouri Honors College in Columbia, Mo. Originally from Jefferson City, his love for fishing, camping, hiking, floating and exploring Missouri's outdoors developed at an early age. Neima earned a degree in English from the University of Missouri and enjoys fishing, hiking, cooking, running, watching Cardinals baseball and spending time with his wife and daughter.
Mike Capps,
Supporting Member Liaison
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As a life-long resident of Missouri and an avid outdoorsman, Mike learned to be a good steward of the land while growing up on a farm in the East-Central part of the state. His love for the outdoors led to a career in the hunting and shooting sports industry, representing a number of different companies.
He enjoys hunting, fishing, shooting and most anything outdoors.
Kyle Stewart, Executive Director
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In addition to being the Executive Director of MOC, Kyle is the Communications Manager for The Beenders Walker Group. Kyle is involved in all aspects of TBWG projects and publications including photography, writing, editing, web design and ad design. Prior to joining TBWG, Kyle worked for The Columbia Missourian newspaper where he researched, wrote, edited and photographed stories for daily publication. Kyle's stories have appeared in Outdoor Guide Magazine, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Springfield News-Leader, Chicago Journal-Topics and more. Stewart earned a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Missouri.
Board Members
Tyler Schwartze, 2024
Tyler is the Executive Director of the Conservation Federation of Missouri. He is also the Editor of the Conservation Federation magazine which is distributed across all of Missouri. Schwartze spent a decade in Missouri State Parks after graduating from University of Central Missouri. He is from Vienna Missouri, and currently resides in Tebbetts with his wife Michelle and their three children. He is an avid outdoorsman and has a deep passion in bowhunting and trapping.
Scott Pauley, 2024
Scott is an outdoor ambassador for the Missouri Division of Tourism, a position he has held for over 27 years. As part of his job, Pauley travels the country (and the world) promoting the myriad outdoor opportunities available in the great state of Missouri. Pauley retired from the Missouri Highway Patrol in 2013 after 33 years of service. Pauley also has been a successful tournament angler since 1982.
John Winkelman, 2025
A longtime member of MOC, John Winkelman is Marketing Director for Liguori Publications near Barnhart, Mo., the Associate Editor for Outdoor Guide Magazine and outdoor columnist for Leader Publications of Jefferson County.
John lives in Crystal City, Mo.
Mike Capps, 2025
As a life-long resident of Missouri and an avid outdoorsman, Mike learned to be a good steward of the land while growing up on a farm in the East-Central part of the state. His love for the outdoors led to a career in the hunting and shooting sports industry, representing a number of different companies.
He enjoys hunting, fishing, shooting and most anything outdoors.
Francis Skalicky, 2026
Francis has been the southwest regional media specialist for MDC since 1996. In that role, he coordinates media coverage for the 17-county region and assists with media coverage elsewhere in the state. He has periodically written articles for the MDC monthly magazine, “The Missouri Conservationist,” and pens columns promoting the outdoors and good conservation practices for several southwest Missouri newspapers.
Francis was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame for his work as a conservation journalist in 2019.
Jill Pritchard, 2026
Jill Pritchard is the Statewide News Services Coordinator for the Missouri Department of Conservation. She also hosts MDC’s Nature Boost podcast, which features MDC experts and partners and highlights fun and creative ways to connect with the outdoors.
In her free time, Jill enjoys birdwatching, nature photography, and hiking with her dog, Moose.