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ELKO, Nev. – Gerald Dixon has been selected as the new district manager for the Bureau of Land Management’s Elko District. His official start date is May 10.

Raised between Battle Mountain and Elko, Gerald is a Native Nevadan with a deep connection to the state. His father’s families came from the Big Smokey Valley area and the area north of Battle Mountain between Golconda and Tuscarora. His Western Shoshone family settled on the outskirts of Battle Mountain around 1917 and in the 1960s, his mother’s family settled in Antelope Valley south of Battle Mountain. Originally belonging to the old “Tosawihi” or “White Knife” Band, he is now formally enrolled with the more recent Elko Band of the Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone. 

“Gerald's career experience has given him a broad and deep knowledge of the landscapes, resources, and people of northern Nevada,” said Jon Raby, BLM Nevada State Director. “He has worked in three Field Manager positions in two Districts and for two federal land management agencies. His experience at the field office, district, and forest levels, in both operations and policy, will be invaluable to him as the District Manager, and to BLM Nevada.”

After graduating from Elko High School where he played football and baseball, Gerald attended Utah State University, Great Basin College and Eastern Oregon University, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology/Cultural Anthropology.

Dixon began his federal career as an engine captain on the Elko District before going on to serve as the Native American Coordinator for the Elko and Battle Mountain Districts. In 2011 he became the Assistant Field Manager for Non-Renewable Resources in Elko before taking the Black Rock Field Manager position on the Winnemucca District. In 2013, he moved to Oregon as the Vegetation Management Staff Officer for the Malhuer National Forest in John Day, Oregon before returning to Elko and the BLM as the Wells Field Manager in 2019.

Although his mother’s family members were exceptional musicians and his grandfather won fiddle contests with instruments he made, Gerald says those skills skipped his generation. Instead, he spends his off time in the sun on mountain tops and under Nevada’s blue sky and with his wife, Teresa, who is the Forest Archaeologist for the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. He also gets his hunting and fishing licenses every year and, like many Nevadans, eagerly awaits the results of the hunting tag draw.

“In this part of the country, where local economies and industries are very dependent on natural resources, successes are often born from a certain amount of complexity with, at times, a mix of controversy,” Dixon says. “I believe I bring a somewhat unique perspective to land and natural resources management given my long-standing historic background and respect for local knowledge.”

Gerald replaces Jill Silvey, who served as the Elko District Manager for seven years before becoming a Senior Advisor to the State Director on Employee Engagement and Development.

-BLM-