Board of Supervisors
Dallas Diehl
Chairman
Dallas joined the Broadwater Board of Supervisors in 2018 as an associate and currently serves as the Board Chairman. He was born and raised in Townsend. He still resides in his family home that his parents purchased in 1966. He has been a producer since 2012 but grew up on his family farm. Dallas has been married for 22 years and has 5 children. On his farm he produces an assortment of crops including alfalfa, wheat, barley, and peas. He also raises sheep and a few cattle.
Kelly Ingalls
Vice Chair
Kelly works on his family’s ranch with his wife, Kay and his brother, John. They raise cattle, sheep, hay, and grain. Kelly and Kay have two children. Ellie and Louis, who help out on the ranch. Kelly has been a member of the district since 2000 and is a pleasure to have around.
Darrell Baum
Treasurer
Darrell is a fourth generation rancher and currently lives on the family ranch in Winston where they raise Angus cattle and all of their own feed. He worked on three different ranches raising malt barley and cattle before returning to the home ranch in 1993. Darrell has three children, five grandchildren, and two great grand children. Darrell has been a member of the board since 1995 and Board Chair for 3 years. We are so lucky here at the Broadwater Conservation District to have such a remarkable supervisor.
Greg Field
Member of Board of Supervisors
Greg joined the Broadwater Board of Supervisors in 2019 as a supervisor. Currently, he also serves on the Board Finance Committee. He has been a Townsend community member since 1970 and has worked full time for 40 years as a rancher. He is a 3rd generation rancher and raises black angus cattle. He and his wife have been married since 1981 and they have 3 daughters.
Rick VanDyken
Member of Board of Supervisors
Rick and his wife, Halane, live south of Toston on a ranch with their two sons, Kyle and Andy. They raise hay, grain, corn silage, and have registered Angus cattle. Rick and Halane have a grandson, Jackson, who was given to them by Andy and his wife, Kindle. They also have one daughter, a son in law, and a grandson that live in Toston. Rick has served on the board since 2009. We are lucky to have him!
Associate Supervisor
Jim Beck
Jim moved to Broadwater County from eastern Montana 35 year ago. He has been a part of the Broadwater Conservation District since 1991 helping with stream monitoring, Townsend school’s Stream Team, and many other various activities and tasks. He is a great help to us, and we are happy to call him a part of our team. Jim is proud to say that the District has given him an opportunity to work with many great Broadwater County residents.
Herb Argabright
Herb has served as an associate on the board since 2011. He also has served on the County Planning Board. Herb is a cow/calf and forage producer in Broadwater County. He is always fun to have in the meetings, and quotes he is “ornery always”.
Daniel Davis
Associate Supervisor
Staff
District Administrator - Denise Donnelly
Denise has lived in Townsend since 2005. She is new to the conservation part of the job but has extensive experience in administration. I am excited to learn more about how the Broadwater Conservation District can work with local producers and landowners to have a positive impact.
Shayla Utzinger
Big Sky Watershed Corps Member
Shayla joins us from Virginia, where she grew up in Appalachia and earned a degree in Environmental and Water Resource Engineering from the University of Virginia. After graduating, Shayla sought more hands-on conservation experience and moved to Bryce Canyon National Park to serve as an AmeriCorps member on a chainsaw crew doing wildland fire fuels reduction. She loved her time there and, eager to explore more of the West, applied for the Big Sky Watershed Corps program. This led to her placement with the Broadwater Conservation District. Shayla is excited to learn more about the intersection of agriculture and watershed restoration, along with all things related to bugs and fish. Outside of work, you’ll likely find her on an adventure—skiing, exploring streams and rivers, soaking up the spring sunshine, or, more recently, riding the newly snow-free trails on her mountain bike.
Hannah Overby
Project Coordinator
Hannah started with BCD in October 2024 as a Working Lands Conservation Corps Member. In light of the new administration, Hannah was hired onto the Broadwater Conservation District Team in March of 2025. While working as a Working Lands Climate Corps Member, her main focus was on Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry. Now as the Project Coordinator, Hannah will be focusing on all endeavors conservation related as well as continuing to focus on Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry. Hannah is originally from a small town called Auburn in Northern California. She completed 3 years of schooling with a focus on Sustainable Agriculture and Ag Business. She loves anything and everything outdoors which is what led her to her love of agriculture and contributing to the protection of the lifestyle that is the agriculture industry as well as protecting the lands natural resources.
Denise Thompson
Project Consultant
Denise Thompson began working at the Broadwater Conservation District as District Administrator back in October of 2010, when Charlotte Lewis retired. She had a steep learning curve when she stepped into this position, but she had wonderful mentors to help her. She has strong aspirations to serve Broadwater County and this great state of Montana in the name of conservation. Because of this deep desire to help serve and protect the natural resources of The Last Best Place, she spent 7 years as the Broadwater Conservation District Administrator, eventually transitioning to the Program Coordinator position focusing on specific projects and grants. Today, she continues to serve the community of Broadwater County by doing contract work for the Board of Supervisors as well as assisting the District Administrator, Denise Donnelly, in any capacity she and the Board requests of her.
Denise and her husband, Vince Thompson, were born and raised in Townsend and have been married for almost 42 years. They have 4 adult children and six grandchildren and take every opportunity they have to spend time with them. With having such strong agriculture roots, they love to serve this special community through Rodeo Club and assisting neighbors with ranch work. They enjoy making improvements to their small acreage farm, doing anything ranch related including having a small beef operation selling direct to their faithful customers, and continuing to create anew. She loves riding horses with her husband, exploring new mountain territory, hiking with her dog, sharing experiences with her family and friends, and enjoys writing. Denise is a strong advocate for agriculture and currently writes a weekly agricultural-ish column for the local newspaper, MT43NEWS, called Ya Reckon.
Advisory to the District
