Jamey McClinton named Administrator of Nevada Division of Natural Heritage

The Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (NDCNR) is pleased to announce that Jamey McClinton, M.S., has been appointed by NDCNR Director James Settelmeyer to serve as Administrator of the Nevada Division of Natural Heritage (NDNH). McClinton succeeds Kristin Szabo, who dedicated 14 years of service to NDNH, with 8 of those years spent as the Division’s Administrator. In her role as Administrator, McClinton will lead NDNH’s efforts to support the needs of diverse planning, conservation management, research, education, and economic development activities by maintaining biodiversity data for Nevada’s at-risk plants, animals, and ecological communities. 

McClinton has served as the Supervisory Botanist and Deputy Administrator at NDNH since 2022. During this tenure, her accomplishments include securing over half a million dollars in grant funds to support expanded monitoring and seed collection by utilizing her published research on the threats faced by Nevada's critically endangered rare plants. Moreover, her extensive expertise in biological surveying and research, acquired through ten years of work in botany and ecology, has supported updated monitoring surveys for dozens of rare plants in Nevada, many of which had not been surveyed for more than a decade. 

McClinton holds a B.S. in Ecological Management and Restoration from the University of California, Davis, an M.S. in Natural Resources and Environmental Science from the University of Nevada, Reno, and has authored several peer-reviewed publications. Her contributions extend beyond her professional role, as she actively participates as the Rare Plant Workshop Chair for the Nevada Native Plant Society and has volunteered as a botanist for the Global Observation and Research Initiative in Alpine Plants- Great Basin chapter. 

“I am thrilled to see Jamey McClinton at the helm of the Nevada Division of Natural Heritage,” said NDCNR Director James Settelmeyer. “Her profound commitment, backed by years of extensive scientific expertise, is crucial to the division's continuous success in safeguarding Nevada's rare and endangered species through advanced monitoring and data development." 

Learn more about NDNH at ndnh.nv.gov. 

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