MEET
OUR LAND STEWARDS
On a daily basis our skills come together to manage and maintain our land.
Jim Selbert
Co-Founder
Jim does the financial planning and acquisition of the physical infrastructure that supports the ranch’s holistic land management practices. Jim co-founded Warren & Selbert Inc., a software firm that specializes in the financial modeling of renewable energy projects. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Direct Relief, a nonprofit humanitarian organization that provides emergency medical assistance and disaster relief in the United States and internationally. Jim holds an MS degree in Finance from the Sloan School of Management at MIT and a BA in Economics from the University of Cincinnati.
Patricia Selbert
Co-Founder
Patricia Selbert manages Las Cumbres Ranch. While researching best practices for the management of the ranch, she became interested in regenerative agriculture and holistic land management. She found Rodger Savory’s holistic management plan the most effective and continues to consult with him to date.
Patricia continues to educate herself on soil health, animal welfare and holistic approaches to a healthy environment. She holds a PhD in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. Patricia is a recognized equestrian who has competed at the Pan American Games and the World Equestrian Games and is an award winning author.
Stefan Selbert
Ranch Manager
Stefan Selbert was introduced to regenerative agriculture by Rodger Savory in 2019, and was immediately drawn to the idea of positive environmental change. He is head cowboy of Las Cumbres Ranch focusing on low stress cattle handling, soil health and rotational grazing management, design and maintenance of solar power and electric fencing, events coordinator and public speaker. Stefan is also a co-owner of Harvest Sound Studios / Harvest Events in Los Angeles, and holds a B.A. with honors in Film and Electronic Music from UCSC.
Erika Romer
Administration
Erika Romer offers administrative support in the areas of procurement, marketing, records and research. She has worked in hospitality, nonprofit, natural foods, wellness and publishing, in different capacities, and in different parts of the world. Erika is interested in learning more about ways that humans can live in greater harmony with the environment and one another. She lives in Santa Barbara with her family and is excited about the opportunity to work at Las Cumbres Ranch where learning from nature is a way of life.
Christian Lyles
Operations
Christian Lyles has a bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of North Florida, and is a former Reconnaissance Marine (0321) with 1st Recon Battalion, USMC. Christian is our in house photo-videographer and editor at Las Cumbres Ranch, and works with our ranch operations team part time. He looks forward to building his knowledge of all things ranching. His favorite quote is, “courage is the strength to overcome fear” but can’t remember where he heard it first.
IN THE
NEWS
NOOZHAWK: Combining community with regenerative agriculture.
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