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  5. Kristin Thomasgard

Kristin Thomasgard

Ms. Thomasgard is currently serving as the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Environmental Management and Restoration (DASW(EMR)).  In this position, she shapes and executes policy, governance, and management for the Department of War (DoW) environmental programs and resources that directly affect readiness including compliance, management of natural and cultural resources, environmental issues at overseas bases, and cleanup of contaminated sites.

Since 2013, Ms. Thomasgard has also served as Program Director for the Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program, established under the FY 2003 National Defense Authorization Act.  The REPI Program leverages 10 U.S. Code § 2684a to address land-use changes and other incompatible development that threaten the DoW’s ability to conduct testing, training, and operational activities essential to national defense.  To date, REPI partnerships have permanently secured over 1.4 million acres across 141 installations in 41 states and territories, protecting key operational assets and capabilities essential to national defense.

Ms. Thomasgard also serves as the Federal chair of the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership, founded in 2013 by the U.S. Department of War, Department of Agriculture, and Department of the Interior.  Authorized by 10 U.S. Code §2693, the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership is a coalition of Federal agencies, state and local governments, and private organizations that work with willing landowners and land managers to advance mutually beneficial land-use goals that reinforce and sustain military readiness in sentinel landscapes.  Today, the partnership spans 19 designated landscapes across 17 states and one insular territory, encompassing more than 60 military installations and ranges whose training and operational missions depend on compatible land uses and resilient landscapes.

Prior to her current role, Ms. Thomasgard led training land management and environmental integration programs at Army Headquarters, Training Directorate, and served for 8 years in the Army National Guard. Ms. Thomasgard has a BS in Political Science and Public Administration from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and an MBA from the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School.