Dr. Hickman Installed as Society for Range Management’s President

SPARKS, NEVADA –  At the Society for Range Management’s 77^th Annual Meeting in Sparks, Nevada last week, Dr. Karen Hickman was installed as the Society’s President.  Dr. Hickman is a professor and Director of the Environmental Science program in the Ferguson College of Agriculture at Oklahoma State University, and serves as the Director of Undergraduate Research, Honors and Academic Assessment for Ferguson College of Ag.  She also farms and ranches on her family’s land in northwest Oklahoma with her nephew.

“It is an honor to serve as the SRM President for 2024 and I look forward to maintaining the momentum we have in addressing several issues within the rangeland profession,” she said.  “One of my priorities will be to work with our fellow land management agencies to identify opportunities for us to increase the number of graduates meeting the requirements for rangeland management specialists.  Also, I look forward to championing the UN’s International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists coming up in 2026.  My goal is for ‘rangelands’ to be a household phrase.”

Dr. Hickman has been a SRM member since 1996 and served on the Board of Directors from 2017 through 2019.  Over the past 25 years, she has attended nearly every Annual Meeting and countless field tours where she met ranchers, land managers, scientists, agency personnel, educators, young professionals, students, SRM lifetime members, and many others engaged in promoting the Society.  

“Through these experiences, I became aware of how important and influential our organization is in national and global landscapes,” Dr. Hickman said.  “SRM must continue to be ever-present and involved in issues that at times are controversial, yet essential to bring reliable science and on-the-ground experience to the management and promotion of rangelands.”

Dr. Hickman said she also looks forward to focusing energy on continuing to support rangeland students and facilitating their transition into active SRM members, growing the membership of the organization.  She said her passion for rangelands and dedication to science will drive her in her leadership role.

“It is my vision that rangeland professionals consider SRM as their ‘community’ and are driven to contribute in their own unique way to the stewardship of rangelands,” she concluded.