Mr. Leyba Works as an Outdoor Recreation Planner for the Rio Puerco Field Office (RPFO) Recreation Program that includes over 750,000 acres of public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management, RPFO. Mr. Leyba has worked for the BLM for over 24 years. For 5 years, Mr. Leyba managed Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument and worked in close cooperation with numerous partners to conserve, protect, enhance, and restore the geologic, cultural, and biological objects of interest for which the Monument was proclaimed.

Prior to working at the Monument, Mr. Leyba worked as a Captain in the BLM New Mexico’s Fire Management Program. Mr. Leyba attended Humboldt State University through the Technical Fire Management Program and served as a Incident Commander, Task Force Leader and Engine, Firing, and Felling Boss across the United States for 13 years. Currently, he works alongside partners from tribal governments, non-profit organizations, private corporations, state and federal agencies, and numerous non-governmental organizations. He works diligently with various communities to identify, name, and frame local issues, creating alignment, to achieve mutual goals and objectives through deliberative dialogue and civic engagement. He leverages tactics he developed using his partnership engagement model named Engagement Centered Community Organization (ECCO).

Over the past eight years, Jackie has lead the Hazardous Materials Program for the RPFO and partnered with numerous tribal, municipal, federal and NGOs to reclaim over 4 million pounds of illegally dumped refuse on BLM public lands. This includes the reclamation of numerous abandoned vehicles, oil and gas buildings, industrial equipment and hazardous materials such as arsenic, asbestos, lead, and thorium. In 2014, Mr. Leyba was the winner of the BLM’s Trailblazer Award for Excellence in Interpretation, Education, and Youth Engagement for his Community Enrichment Project (CEP). In 2015, he was awarded the Excellence in Public Service Award by New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich. In 2014, he was nominated for the Excellence in Interpretation Award by Carl Roundtree, former BLM Assistant Director of the National Landscape Conservation System and Community Partnerships.