< All Press Releases

An experienced leader has returned on a temporary basis to serve as the acting state director of the Montana/Dakotas State Office of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).Aden Seidlitz, a Chester, Mont., native and Montana Tech graduate, is filling in for Montana/Dakotas State Director Jamie Connell. Connell is also on temporary assignment as the acting state director for BLM Oregon/Washington."Aden is skilled manager who is dedicated to the mission of the BLM and who truly enjoys working with the people we serve," said Connell. "The Montana/Dakotas are in great hands while I'm away."Seidlitz began his BLM career in Worland, Wyo., in 1983 as a petroleum engineer, followed by an eight year stint in Anchorage, Alaska. He then made the move back to his home state and worked for the BLM in Great Falls and Miles City from 1992 to 2002. While in Montana, he worked in a variety of positions including as a supervisory petroleum engineer, associate field manager and acting field manager.After leaving Montana, Seidlitz was the field manager of the Richfield Field Office in Utah. Later on in his BLM career, Seidlitz served as the BLM's chief for fire planning and fuels management at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise and later as the Boise district manager. He was appointed to the post of New Mexico associate state director in 2012.As Acting State Director, Seidlitz oversees the BLM's operations for Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota, which manages 8.3 million acres of federal lands and over 47 million acres of federal mineral estate. Seidlitz, his wife CJ, and daughter Carlea, are looking forward to enjoying the region's scenery and hospitality and spending time with extended family before returning to New Mexico in May.