Roper to head Nevada Division of Forestry

CARSON CITY — Bob Roper has been named as the new administrator of the Nevada Division of Forestry (NDF) in the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Roper brings to the position extensive leadership experience and proven management capability. He will join the Division on Feb. 2.

Roper, current chairman — beginning in 2004 – of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) Wildland Fire Policy Committee, was Fire Chief for Ventura County, Calif., for 15 years prior to his retirement in 2012. He worked his way up through the county organization beginning in 1980 as a firefighter.

“Bob Roper is a strategic thinker who believes in teamwork, setting and achieving goals and facilitating organizational development that includes preparing a diverse workforce for the future,” said Leo Drozdoff, director of the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

“Bob was extremely successful in leading a very large government organization in the successful delivery of services to both urban and rural constituencies and he looks forward to helping NDF build even more on its success to date.”

As administrator, Roper will serve the state as its State Forester Firewarden. Together with a team of NDF experts in the areas of Resources, Fire and Conservation Camps, and complemented by a vast array of support services, Roper will lead the agency to new levels of internal coordination as NDF embraces its core year-round mission of natural resource and emergency responsibilities including resource health, prevention and pre-suppression; initial attack and wildfire suppression; and resource rehabilitation and restoration.

“I am extremely pleased to have been offered the opportunity to take the helm of NDF,” said Roper. “All aspects of this critical State of Nevada agency are equally important and valuable to meeting its mission.

“I look forward to working with NDF staff, and the agency’s many external partners, to maximize services and set the organization on a clear and shared path for current and future success.”

Roper is a Harvard Fellowship Alumni, holds Executive Fire Officer Certification from the National Fire Academy and has a bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of Redlands.

NDF Deputy Administrator Dave Prather is currently the Acting Administrator for the agency following the retirement of State Forester Firewarden Pete Anderson. He will continue in this role until Roper’s arrival.