Matt Hough is from a small town in eastern Oklahoma called Oktaha in Muskogee County where he grew up on a small beef cattle ranch. He graduated from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor’s in Plant and Soil Science and minor in Range Management. He then graduated from OSU with a Master’s in Wetland Ecology where he studied NRCS’s Wetland Reserve Program wetlands and their functions as compared to reference sites. In 2011, after completing graduate school, he went on to work in southern Idaho on the Silver Creek Preserve with The Nature Conservancy as the assistant manager. That winter he started with Ducks Unlimited as a biologist. Out of the Grand Island, Nebraska field office, he has worked with both public and private land wetland projects. He has been aggressive with obtaining various grants and private philanthropy for work in both Nebraska and Kansas. In 2017, he was promoted to Manager of Conservation Programs for Kansas where he covers the DU conservation program for the state, supervising wildlife biology staff and overseeing DU’s state budget and fundraising. Matt works with various partners in Kansas to deliver a diverse program of restoration, enhancement, protection, and acquisition projects. He serves on both the Playa Lake Joint Venture and Kansas Alliance for Wetlands and Streams boards. He has also been active in DU’s growing Ecosystem Services working group, especially focused on wetlands and their role in groundwater recharge and water efficiency. In his spare time, Matt enjoys hunting including waterfowl and upland birds. He and his partner, Ele Nugent, reside in Grand Island, NE with their new Pudelpointer puppy, Penny, and cat, Mia, where they enjoy entertaining friends, cooking, and fun in the outdoors. They also enjoy hosting an eclectic array of musicians through their House Concert series titled “The Lair of the Swampfox”.
