A Conversation on “Halt the Heist”
David Willms
Associate Vice President for Public Lands
Tara Castelucci
Director of Philanthropy
Published May 29, 2025.
Join the Federation’s David Willms and Tara Castelucci as they discuss details about recent alarming developments in the public lands space and how the Federation is building broad-scale support to ensure these threats are stopped. Why are public lands so important? And what can supporters do to Halt the Heist and keep public lands in public hands?
INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE?
Check out these additional resources about the latest on the public lands front:
ABOUT DAVID
David Willms is the National Wildlife Federation’s Associate Vice President for Public Lands. Before joining the Federation, David served as a natural resources policy advisor to Wyoming Governor Matthew H. Mead, and a natural resource attorney in both the public and private sector. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Wyoming’s Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources where he teaches graduate courses on the Endangered Species Act and Wildlife Law.
David received a B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology and Management and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Wyoming. He is also a Robert W. Wilson fellow in Environmental Leadership through the University of Cambridge Judge Business School. David lives in Cheyenne, Wyoming, with his wife and three children.
ABOUT TARA
Tara Castelucci serves as Director of Philanthropy for the National Wildlife Federation. Before joining the Federation, Tara worked in sales, international business and as a fundraiser for Yellowstone National Park. Tara holds degrees in Communications and Psychology from Ohio University, and after college she spent a life-changing summer working in Glacier National Park, where she fell in love with the West. Tara enjoys channeling her commitment to conservation into fostering relationships and opportunities to help protect our country’s magnificent wildlife and wild places. Tara lives in Missoula, MT and enjoys hiking, traveling, and reading.
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Are you interested in learning more about All Access or the work of the National Wildlife Federation? We would love to hear your feedback or questions. Please reach out to our team at [email protected].
