Meet The Speaker: Amanda Mathis

We are excited to introduce Amanda Mathis as one of our speakers for the 2026 Arkansas Soil and Water Education Conference and Irrigation EXPO.

Mathis began volunteering with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in 2004 and quickly learned the agency was a perfect fit for her agriculture and conservation passion. In 2005, she joined the agency full time and served as a soil conservationist and district conservationist in counties throughout Arkansas.

In 2015, Mathis was selected as the first Arkansas assistant state conservationist for partnerships. In this role, she works with a broad conservation network to enhance collaborative efforts to achieve NRCS’s conservation mission. She also leads the state’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) and the Mississippi River Basin Initiative. Additionally, Mathis oversees a $93 million portfolio of conservation partner-focused grants and agreements.

Mathis served as acting state conservationist in Louisiana and Oklahoma and provided expertise for several national teams, most recently assisting the NRCS effort to streamline and simplify RCPP. This effort was designed to ease the workload burden on employees and partners and help maximize flexibility for partners seeking to participate in the program.

During her career, Mathis has led producers and conservation partners through developing and implementing site-specific conservation plans, managed Farm Bill programs, and developed and conducted outreach for conservation services and programs.

She grew up on a cattle operation in northwest Arkansas and holds a deep love for agriculture and a belief in the power of great partnerships and voluntary, locally led conservation efforts.

Mathis holds a Bachelor of Science in Conservation and Wildlife Management from the College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri, and a Master of Science in Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.

She and her husband Kevin reside on their cow-calf operation and enjoy the company of their five rescue dogs.

Come see her presentation, Arkansas NRCS report on Soil Health Initiatives, at the Arkansas Soil and Water Education Conference and Irrigation EXPO at the Arkansas State University Student Union on January 14.