Meet Our Board Officers & Directors

David Lansford, President of the Ogallala Land & Water Conservancy Board of Directors, was born and raised in Clovis, NM. He comes to the Conservancy with 40 years of pharmacy practice experience, including 22 years as Principal Owner and President of Roden-Smith Pharmacy (1997 - 2018).  During his 20-year tenure as the Mayor of Clovis, he proved to be a visionary leader for water resilience, playing a central role in the first Eastern New Mexico Water Summit (2016), serving as the Chairman of the Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority (2016-2020), and encouraging and supporting the creation of the Master Water Assurance Plan (2017).

Mark Carpenter, a highly-respected business owner and citizen of Clovis, is the President of Mark Carpenter Plumbing. He has 48 years of experience as a plumbing contractor in Clovis. For more than 20 years, Mark Carpenter Plumbing, Heating & Air, a family-owned and operated business, has been the trusted name in home services serving Clovis, Portales, and the surrounding areas. His business success and background of experience make Mark well-suited to lead and advise the Conservancy as its Vice President. 

​

​

Ronnie Montague comes to the Conservancy with 45 years in agriculture. As a landowner, Ronnie has engaged in ranching, along with crop production to feed his cattle. He has ranched in 11 different New Mexico counties over his career, spending most of his time in the northeast quadrant. Since 2008, he has run a mother cow operation in Oklahoma. As a 2nd generation rancher and farmer, he has vastly expanded what his father began and is proud of how all three of his children are carrying on ranching and a love of the land. Ronnie is currently attending U.S. Congressional meetings to provide vital input in the crafting of the 2023 Farm Bill, which sets farm policy.

As the Mayor of Clovis since 2020, Mike Morris leads the city on many fronts. One of them is ensuring a robust water portfolio exists, including agricultural groundwater, to support current and future water needs. He has played a central role in advancing the ENMRWS Ute Pipeline Project, which the Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority (ENMWUA) has identified as the key to water sustainability for Clovis, Cannon AFB, and three other communities. Mike serves as the Chairman of the ENMWUA and oversees the implementation of the City's Master Water Assurance Plan. He has also been a self-employed State Farm Insurance Owner/Agent since 2005.

Spencer Pipkin, a fourth generation farmer and ag business resident of New Mexico, graduated from New Mexico State University in 1976 with a Bachelor of Science in Ag Economics. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Central Curry Soil & Water Conservation District and as a member of the Advisory Board of the NMSU Ag Science Center in Clovis. He is a past member of the New Mexico Soil & Water Conservation Commission. Spencer and the Central Curry SWCD Board procured professional services from the OLWC through County and City funding to execute their obligation to implement the REPI agricultural groundwater project for Cannon AFB. 

Robert Thornton, a second-term county commissioner and former chairman of the Curry County Commission, comes to the Conservancy with a strong background in water, He has served as a Production Foreman at New Mexico American Water (currently EPCOR), as a member of the ENMWUA Board, and as a member of the City of Clovis Water Policy Strategic Planning Team to create the Master Water Assurance Plan. Robert has long-held a vision for securing agricultural groundwater as a supplemental water supply for Clovis, Curry County, and Cannon AFB. He is committed to seeing that vision come to fruition.  

Ladona Clayton, a 32-year veteran in educational leadership, made a career transition to lead the OLWC, beginning in October 2021.  Experiences that prepared her for this move include serving on and chairing the City of Clovis Water Policy Advisory Board, serving as the Facilitator of the first Eastern New Mexico Water Summit, chairing the City of Clovis Water Policy Strategic Planning Team to create the Master Water Assurance Plan, and serving as a member of the ENMWUA Board and as a Clovis City Commissioner. In the summer of 2022, she was appointed to serve as a Water Ambassador on the Governor's New Mexico Water Policy & Infrastructure Task Force.