CAHSS Team

The staff at the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports are passionate about shooting sports, wildlife conservation and wild places and are driven to preserve the relevancy of these activities as part of our proud American heritage.

Steven Leath, PhD

Executive Director

sleath@cahss.org
(336) 982-2207

Dr. Steven Leath is the Executive Director for the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports. A member of the National Science Board and Board of Directors for the Boone and Crockett Club, he has a rich background as a former federal scientist, professor and university president. Dr. Leath is an experienced outdoorsman, avid hunter, and committed conservationist.

Charles ‘Swanny’ Evans

Director of Research & Partnerships

swanny@cahss.org
(404) 421-2786

As the Director of Research and Partnerships for the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports, Charles ‘Swanny’ Evans is helping to advance national R3 efforts with a focus on serving industry, non-profit, and state partners. In previous roles, he has worked in eight states and overseas, focusing on everything from forest management plans to non-native ungulate eradication, and was the first state-level R3 Coordinator position developed under the direction of the National Hunting and Shooting Sports Action Plan. Swanny attended the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia where he earned his B.S. and M.S. in Wildlife Sciences and Forest Resources. He is a is a Certified Wildlife Biologist®.

Taniya Bethke

Director of Operations

taniya@cahss.org

Taniya Bethke has a background in wildlife and conservation biology, environmental education, and community outreach. She actively builds relationships between people and the natural world in order to enhance understanding, change attitudes, increase appreciation, and overcome barriers and contributes to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the conservation community to ensure that all people not only feel they belong in wild spaces, but are welcomed there by others. Taniya is the Director of Operations for the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports.

Lance Cherry

Communications & Marketing Manager

lance@cahss.org
(505) 620-6883

Lance Cherry has more than three decades of advertising, marketing and media experience and is a national award-winning news editor, photographer and graphic designer. He has spent the last two decades in the natural resources industry, directing and leading media relations and conservation education efforts in New Mexico. In early 2022, Lance joined the team at the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports as their Communications and Marketing Manager. Lance attended New Mexico Highlands University where he earned his B.F.A. in Communication Arts with an emphasis in Visual Communications.

Amanda Pitman

Program Associate

amanda@cahss.org
(210) 379-2166

Amanda Pitman serves as the Program Associate for the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports. A lifelong outdoors enthusiast, her passion for public lands, hunting, and fishing grew exponentially once she moved to New Mexico. With an education and background in arts, photography, and writing from Texas State University and the University of Oklahoma, she looks forward to combining her passions to advance the Council’s initiatives and to promote hunters and shooters as conservation contributors.

Board of Directors

The Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports Board of Directors is composed of leaders in the Conservation community. The board is focused on the business of recruiting, retaining and reactivating hunters and shooters and the development of new and sustainable strategies and tactics to solicit, engage and support these participants so vital to Conservation and American way of life.