WASHINGTON, DC (January 9, 2026) — The Foundation for America’s Public Lands, the official charitable partner of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), appointed three new members to its National Leadership Council: Jessica Leary of The Ball Foundation, Blake McKinlay of ZOMALAB, and Brian Steed of Utah State University’s Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water, and Air. These leaders bring decades of experience and a passion for stewardship that will help ensure future generations have access to healthy lands and waters.
The National Leadership Council helps shape the Foundation’s work by guiding priorities, building partnerships, raising awareness and driving private investment in BLM-managed lands and waters. Council members come from a range of backgrounds, industries and regions, reflecting the many ways Americans use, rely on and care for public lands. Their perspectives help ensure the Foundation remains connected to the communities and working places the BLM serves.
“I am excited to welcome these outstanding leaders to the Foundation’s National Leadership Council,” said I Ling Thompson, CEO of the Foundation for America’s Public Lands. “We are grateful for their leadership and their shared commitment to setting the biggest table possible for the future of America’s public lands.”
“Our National Leadership Council reflects the many ways Americans connect to and rely on public lands,” said Laurel Sayer, chair of the Foundation’s board. “Jessica, Blake and Brian bring valuable experience and a shared commitment to stewardship that will help advance the BLM’s mission and the future of these hardworking places.”
Jessica Leary is the Executive Director of The Ball Foundation and Sr. Manager of Global Community Relations for Ball Corporation, with a career at the company spanning 14 years. Ball is the world’s leading manufacturer of innovative, sustainable aluminum packaging. The Ball Foundation’s goal is to unite employees, connect businesses and support local communities in a shared global mission to give back and to elevate the importance of recycling access and education.
Blake McKinlay is the Director of Programs for ZOMALAB, where he leads the philanthropic strategy and ZOMA Foundation. He specializes in designing and executing strategies, financing tools, and cross-sector partnerships that drive lasting community impact. Blake brings expertise across the spectrum of philanthropic capital, from grants and recoverable grants to program-related and mission-related investments. He has experience mobilizing funding through fiscal sponsors, donor-advised funds, private foundations, and direct investments. His background spans education and workforce development, community economic development, natural resource conservation, energy, and agriculture. Before joining ZOMALAB, McKinlay spent more than a decade working at the intersection of strategy, social enterprise and international development.
Brian Steed is the Executive Director of Utah State University’s Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water, and Air and the Inaugural Great Salt Lake (GSL) Commissioner appointed by Governor Spencer J. Cox. Brian. As GSL Commissioner, Brian serves the governor and state of Utah in conjunction with his position at the institute. Prior to his current roles, Brian served as the Executive Director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources, heading that agency after his appointment by former Governor Gary Herbert. Brian also served as the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s deputy director for policy and programs and exercised authority of the director.
Learn more about the Foundation’s National Leadership Council here: https://americaslands.org/leadership/
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