Board Members
Jennifer O’Neill President My first days on Leech were as a kid camping with my mom, dad and siblings at Stony Point, Chippewa National Forest Campground. My parents eventually bought one of the first lots at Agency Bay Estates and built a small garage/cabin. A few years later they bought a small rambler along Agency Narrows, where they retired. My husband Marty and I moved here full-time in September 2019. I felt I was coming home, and tracing my parents’ steps! I am excited to be LLA’s new president. I believe that through the power of our many collective voices, science-based knowledge, a caring spirit, and good individual actions we can preserve and protect this beautiful natural resource. |
Tom McGovern Vice President I’ve been a member of the Leech Lake Association board for about 10 years and am currently the vice-president. My wife, Mary, and I do the water sampling in Agency Bay. Mary and her family began vacationing on Leech Lake in 1955 at the resort that is now Red Wing Lodge on the main basin, and we love to continue making memories with our family at our seasonal cabin on Agency Bay. It’s been in our family for 56 years! It’s easy to fall in love with this beautiful lake and I’m honored to be a board member working together to preserve this treasure for generations to come. |
Sharyn Nepsha Secretary My husband and I have owned a lake home in the Cass County area since the early ‘80’s. We’ve always gravitated to Leech Lake for recreation. In 2009, we purchased our current place on Oak Point. We enjoy the boating, fishing, swimming, snowmobiling and hunting here. Our location between Walker and Bemidji makes it ideal. We both went to BSU and have always appreciated the many amenities the area has to offer. We have a local Oak Point Association and it’s important to be able to pass along pertinent information received from the Leech Lake Association and its contributors and participants. |
John Eaton Treasurer A native of Cincinnati, I graduated from Michigan State University, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. After grad school, I worked for a branch of the U.S. Public Health Service, which later became the Environmental Protection Agency. In 1968, I transferred to Duluth as a Fisheries Research Biologist at the Great Lakes Health and Environmental Effects Laboratory, studying effects of heavy metals, Hg, pesticides, acid rain, and climate change on aquatic organisms and ecosystems. After retirement in 1997, my wife, Barb, and I moved to Walker in 2009. I joined the Leech Lake Association to work to preserve or restore the health and integrity of Leech Lake and other aquatic ecosystems in northern Minnesota. |
Jeff Brockberg Director My first Leech Lake fishing trip vacation with our family was nearly 40 years ago Over those 40 years we have fished all seasons with many great experiences. We have traveled the Forest National Parks and visited many surrounding communities throughout the north country--also great experiences. We recently retired and living on Shingobee Bay. My goal with the Leech Lake Association is to diligently work toward preservation of those experiences for future generations of families. |
Mark Bovee Director As a board member of the Leech Lake Association, I attend the Cass County Planning Commission site visits and the public hearings for most variances, building permits, for new construction and remodels and land/property developments on Leech Lake. I attempt to keep the board up to date on what is going on at those monthly meetings. It has generated a much better understanding of the laws/best practices for waterfront development on Leech and waterfront development in general. It has been very rewarding to both better understand what Cass County resources are available and to meet the committed individuals that assist in ongoing development on Leech. |
Bob Gisvold Director My start as LLA president was in 2001, after picking up the reins from my father’s tenure on the board. I resigned to become a director in November 2025. My wife and I have enjoyed retreating to lake life at Breezy Point on Walker Bay, while also being residents of Wayzata. My time as president was interesting, at times challenging, and personally rewarding. Moments that stand out for me are the controversies about improving the fishery between 2005-2008, conducting lake safety and fishing classes for youth, and the preservation of shoreline and spawning areas at Five-Mile Point and Miller Bay. |
Barb Gorman Director I was born in New Hampton, Iowa and spent many of my childhood summers vacationing at Leech Lake, where I developed a lifelong love for the outdoors. I am married and proud to have a son who attends Bemidji State University. I stay active in my community by volunteering with WHA schools and serving as a musician at St. Agnes Parish. In my free time, I enjoy fishing, swimming, kayaking, and jet skiing whenever I can get out on the lake. Family, faith, and time outdoors continue to shape who I am today. |
Gary Trimble Director I was born and raised in Walker. My wife, Peggy, and I taught school for 38 years, the majority of those in Kimball, MN. In the summer I have been a fishing guide on Leech Lake since 1965. I am interested in keeping Leech Lake healthy as well as productive. |
Tanya Roerick Director Wildlife Program Director for the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Division of Resource Management. I have a Master’s degree in Wildlife Science and has 15 years of experience in the wildlife field. I oversee double-crested cormorant management on Leech Lake and can often times be found on the islands monitoring the waterbird species that make Leech Lake their home. Additionally, I manage various research and conservation projects on wolves, moose, snowshoe hare, and other wildlife. I also collaborate with other agencies on game harvest, wildlife habitat projects, and protection of threatened and endangered species. |
Jason Hauser Associate Director Lead Ranger, Leech Lake Dam and Recreation Area, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers I grew up in Caledonia in far southeastern Minnesota. Graduated from Mankato State University with a BS in Recreation, Parks and Leisure Services with an emphasis in Resource Management. I have worked for the Corps for almost 30 years, with about 22 of them being at Leech Lake. In addition to my normal duties of running the Dam and Recreation Area, I am a Contracting Officer Representative for small construction and service contracts within the Headwaters Project. I also serve as a Motorboat Operator Instructor for the St. Paul District and have deployed to numerous natural disasters throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico in response to hurricane, flood and wildfire relief efforts. I have a 17-year-old son and a 14-year-old daughter and live near Walker. |
Steve Henry Associate Director AIS Technical Specialist, Cass Co. My wife, three boys and I live in Nevis where my wife works at the school. After growing up in central Minnesota on lakes where quality was declining our family really appreciates northern Minnesota’s lakes. Before starting with Cass County, I worked for County Conservation Districts as a shoreland specialist and at a statewide water quality lab as a lake coordinator. |
Officers
Directors
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