Board

EBID Board of Directors

The EBID Board of Directors meets monthly. Board meetings are generally scheduled on the second Wednesday of each month beginning at 9:00 AM unless the meeting would conflict with another event. Occasionally, special board meetings are conducted to transact important business that cannot wait until the next regular meeting. If you need additional information on Board meetings or to confirm dates, please click one of the buttons below.

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Duane Gillis

Precinct 1

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Duane Gillis is a 4th generation farmer who has been farming all his life. He and his wife Cheryl, as well as his brother and sister, farm Gillis Farms and incorporated it in 2000. He says that they come from a long line of chile growers in the Hatch Valley. His entire family is involved in agriculture, with son Darren now a 5th generation farmer and heavily involved in the farm and daughter Amanda living on a ranch in Hachita.

Chile is the Gillis’ specialty but they also grow onions, pecans, alfalfa, and corn. The farm has earned awards for conserving water in the Hatch Valley. He hopes to see more people coming back to farm.

Joe Paul Lack

Precinct 2

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Joe Paul Lack was born in 1955 in Las Cruces and has been in agriculture ever since. He has operated a custom hay business and after marrying his wife Rosie, the couple began farming in Hatch in the late 70s.

His agriculture degree from NMSU has been put to good use with his extensive farming operations stretching from Caballo down to Rincon. He has branched out from hay to include cotton, corn, chile, pecans and a registered Brangus cow calf operation.

He feels water is the lifeline of the Ag community and that’s a large part of why he is serving on the EBID board.

Steve Lyles

Precinct 3

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Steve Lyles grew up on a family farm in Hagerman. After earning a crop science degree at NMSU he returned to Hagerman to farm. He then spent three years in California working for a large corporate farm before returning to New Mexico in ’85. He has been farming a wide variety of vegetable crops in the Mesilla Valley since ’90.

He and his wife have five children.

Greg Daviet

Precinct 4

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Greg Daviet came to Las Cruces in 1994 to run his family’s pecan farm and has been in production agriculture for over 20 years now. He earned a degree in Ag Economics in 1996 from NMSU.

Greg has been an active leader in the Ag community volunteering in many positions and boards over the years. He is currently a board member of Elephant Butte Irrigation District, Dona Ana County Farm Bureau, and Western Pecan Growers Association.

Greg has been a long-time believer that if farmers can get the water right, the rest becomes easier. In keeping with that, he has devoted significant personal time and energy into this topic, including developing his own software program to schedule his pecan irrigations. He strives to continue to learn more every day.

sam salopek

Secretary - Precinct 5

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Sam Salopek was born and raised on the farm and is a third generation farmer in the Mesilla Valley. He has produced a variety of crops over his long farming career but is now focused primarily on pecans.

Recognizing the vital importance of agriculture he wants to do his share to help. He is part of the family owned and operated New Mexico Pecan Company and he and his wife Kathy have two boys.

bobby sloan

Vice President - Precinct 6

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Robert Sloan is a 4th generation farmer in the Mesilla Valley. Bobby is a graduate from New Mexico State University with a degree in Agronomy and is married with two children.

james salopek

Precinct 7

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James Salopek has been a resident of Las Cruces, New Mexico his entire life. He is a third generation farmer who graduated from Las Cruces High School and attended NMSU.

James lists his occupation as a full time farmer in the business of raising pecans. James comes from a long line of Salopeks who have been farming in the Mesilla Valley for 70 years. James succeeded his Uncle John Salopek on the EBID Board of Directors.

James has two sons, Anton and Rett who both farm with their father. In his spare time, James enjoys fishing, hunting and being the boss of a stock car racing team.

mike mcnamee

President - Precinct 8

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Mike McNamee was born January 19, 1945. His father was in the Navy and moved the family to Albuquerque, eventually settling in El Paso, Texas. Mike is a graduate of Texas Western College and is also a commercial pilot.

He became interested in farming right out of high school and worked in agriculture in the Fabens Valley. He is a Vietnam veteran and after returning from service he took a job working on a friend’s Mesilla Valley farm and feedlot with nothing more than a wife, a used pickup and one child. For 22 years he raised a wide variety of vegetable crops and that business was very good to him. Then, in 1976 he planted his first pecan trees and today he has 1500 acres of pecans.

He is married to Marcia and they have five children, Tommy, Kenny, Rebecca, Michelle and Kyle, and ten grandchildren. He is blessed to have a great family and is glad the good Lord made him a farmer.

keith deputy

Precinct 9

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Keith Deputy is part of a multi-generational farming family dating back to the early 30s. He joined his father in about ’71 and is now farming with his son, Jack.

He’s grown a variety of crops over the years, including corn, alfalfa, onions and pecans, but his primary focus is on Pima cotton. This does well in the south valley soils where his farming operation is the final one in the District.

Keith and his wife Allison have been married 40 years and have three children, Lauren, Kenda and Jack. Farming is a way of life to him.

Gary Esslinger

Treasurer - Manager

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Gary L. Esslinger is the Treasurer-Manager of the Elephant Butte Irrigation District. He is a third generation member of a pioneer farming family living in the Mesilla Valley. His grandfather, J. L. Esslinger, Sr., settled in La Mesa in 1913 prior to the completion of the Elephant Butte Dam. Gary’s father, J. L. Esslinger, Jr., also farmed for over fifty years and is now retired. Gary has also kept his roots in farming as well as other agricultural based industry.

After receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Northern Arizona University in 1973, Gary worked six years in Los Angeles for a large west coast flour milling corporation as office manager. After becoming tired of city life, Gary returned to the Mesilla Valley and began working for EBID in 1978.

Gary began his District career as Purchasing Agent and has held other organizational positions of Maintenance Chief and Assistant Manager. Gary is the District’s Treasurer/Manager.

Gary lives in La Mesa on the family farm with his wife, Tina. Gary and Tina have three daughters, Tiffany, Trisha and Tryna.

Elephant Butte Irrigation District

EBID Board of Directors

Questions?

Duane Gillis

Precinct 1

Joe Paul Lack

Precinct 2

Steve Lyles

Precinct 3

Greg Daviet

Precinct 4

sam salopek

Secretary - Precinct 5

bobby sloan

Vice President - Precinct 6

james salopek

Precinct 7

mike mcnamee

President - Precinct 8

keith deputy

Precinct 9

Gary Esslinger

Treasurer - Manager

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