Chad Ellis - On Leadership, Building Relationships, and Working for the Greater Good

Mountain & Prairie with Ed Roberson

Chad Ellis is the CEO of the Texas Agricultural Land Trust (TALT), which is one of the nation’s leading ag-focused conservation organizations. TALT’s mission is “to conserve the Texas heritage of agricultural lands, wildlife habitats, and natural resources,” but at its core, TALT’s work is built on the foundation of long-term, trusting, mutually respectful relationships.

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Given the small proportion of public lands in Texas compared to other western states, much of the responsibility for landscape-scale ecological health falls on the shoulders of private landowners. And since 2007, TALT has helped these landowners find ways to not only protect their family legacies, but to improve the overall quality of grasslands, water, air, and wildlife for all Texans.

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Chad was raised in rural Texas, and from a very early age, he felt a deep connection to land, agriculture, and wildlife. While his entire career has been devoted to thoughtfully and effectively stewarding natural resources, you’ll quickly realize that at his core, Chad is a relationship builder. During his tenures at the NRSC, the Noble Research Institute, and now as the leader of TALT, Chad has implemented many cutting-edge conservation solutions– but, as you’ll hear him explain, none of these projects would be successful without solid, trusting relationships between all stakeholders.

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Longtime listeners will recognize Chad from an earlier appearance on Mountain & Prairie– back in 2023, he was one of the panelists in an episode called “Landscape-Scale Management in a Private Land State,” which was recorded live at the Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society’s annual meeting. In this episode, we dig more into Chad’s personal and professional journey in conservation– why he has devoted his career to such a challenging-yet-critical cause, and how he approaches his work from both practical and philosophical perspectives. We discuss his love of entrepreneurial approaches, his leadership style, mentors, the storied legacy of TALT’s founder Blair Fitzsimons, supporting the next generation of conservationists, his favorite books, and much more.

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If you haven’t already, I’d encourage you to check out TALT’s website and follow its work on social media– TALT is a constant source of inspiration for me and all of the Western conservation community. Thanks for listening!

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• Texas Agricultural Land Trust
• Chad on LinkedIn
• Chad's first M&P appearance: Landscape-Scale Management in a Private Land State
• TALT on Instagram
• Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/chad-ellis/
• Ed's upcoming Rogue River Trip

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TOPICS DISCUSSED:

4:30 - Where Chad grew up

7:45 - Chad’s work with PERC

10:15 - Where Chad’s entrepreneurial background came from

16:15 - How Chad moved up in the NRCS ranks

18:45 - Chad’s time with Mobil Foundation

21:45 - Chad’s personal vision

24:30 - Chad’s motivation to strengthen people’s connection to the land, instead of just supporting the land itself

27:15 - How Chad hires for a passionate team

29:15 - Chad’s work securing federal funding

32:45 - How Chad thinks about failure

34:45 - How Chad presented his vision for TALT to an already accomplished director, Blair Fitzsimons

40:30 - Chad’s goal to support the next generation of conservationists

44:30 - How Chad interprets the threats facing conservation in Texas

51:30 - How Chad prioritizes his allocation of resources

58:45 - Exploring Chad’s level of patience, as well as the various ways that people learn and work

1:03:30 - The importance of relationships

1:07:45 - Chad’s book recommendations

1:09:15 - Chad’s parting words of advice

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