Our Team

Sara Tucker

Managing Partner

  • Sara joined Natural Resource Results in September 2014 after serving as a Senior Professional Staff Member on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. She worked for three consecutive Chairs – Senator Bingaman, Senator Wyden and Senator Landrieu.

    Sara’s portfolio included public lands and water issues and she was the lead staff for the Water and Power Subcommittee first under the leadership of Senator Shaheen and subsequently Senator Schatz. Sara was responsible for covering the Bureau of Reclamation’s budget, policies and programs. Sara also staffed the National Parks Subcommittee under the leadership of Senator Mark Udall.

    Prior to joining the Committee, Sara served as the Director of Government Affairs at Trout Unlimited where she worked on western water issues and public lands conservation.

    She received her master’s in environmental policy from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s of science from Cornell University. She is originally from Philadelphia and now lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband and children.

David Anderson

Partner

  • A lifetime conservationist, David founded Natural Resource Results in 2007 where he works with municipalities, companies, conservation organizations and sportsmen groups on natural resources issues.

    Prior to moving back to the private sector in 2007, David served as the Associate Director for Natural Resource, Energy, and Science for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) where he developed budgets for 8 federal organizations, including the EPA and the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior. At OMB, he worked with Congress to develop the Conservation Title in the 2007 Farm Bill, among other issues.

    Prior to OMB, in 2005, David assumed the role Senior Policy Advisor to the Secretary of Commerce with responsibility for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) portfolio. From August 2001 to May 2005, David was the Associate Director for Natural Resources for the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

    Prior to government service, David was the Senior Council and Director of Federal Affairs for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and also was a Partner with the law firm Wiley, Rein & Fielding in Washington, DC. David has a JD from Harvard Law School and a BS from Duke University.

Mitch Butler

Partner

  • Since 2008, Mitch has been a partner at Natural Resource Results where he advises clients on governmental affairs with an emphasis on natural resources conservation, sportsmen’s issues, historic preservation, federal firearms industry issues and public lands.

    Prior to Natural Resource Results, he served as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior where he was responsible for policy development, management and oversight of the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. From 2004 to 2007, Mitch was an Associate Director and Attorney Advisor for the White House Council on Environmental Quality where he was responsible for the development of natural resources conservation and historic preservation policy.

    Prior to the White House, Mitch served as Senior Legislative Assistant to Congressman Scott McInnis, past Chairman of the House Resources Forests Subcommittee.

    An avid hunter and fisherman, Mitch spent six summers as a fishing guide in Alaska. Mitch has a JD from the University of Denver College of Law and a BA from The University of Vermont.

Michael Powelson

Senior Policy Advisor

  • Michael has an extensive background in federal natural resources conservation, mitigation and energy policy, with a long history of working with federal, state and local governments and a broad array of stakeholders, focused primarily on conservation of public lands, energy development and species and habitat conservation.

    Previously, Michael served as the North America Director of Energy Programs for The Nature Conservancy, creating the first comprehensive energy program for the organization. Within this role he served as the Conservancy’s lead on federal policies and legislation focused on energy development and mitigation – oil & gas, renewables, and transmission – across North America, and especially on public lands. Michael also worked as the Conservancy’s Director of Government Relations for the western United States and Director of Agency Relations for its Northwest and then Pacific & Rocky Mountain regions.

    Prior to the Conservancy, Michael worked as Fish & Wildlife Policy Analyst for the NW Power Planning Council and the Oregon Governor’s Natural Resources Office, working across Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana to address the impacts of the federal Columbia River hydropower system. Michael is a native Oregonian, attended the University of Oregon and the University of California at Berkeley, and is an avid outdoorsman and fly fisherman

Garrett Durst

Partner

  • Garrett joined Natural Resource Results as a Senior Associate after serving as Deputy Chief of Staff and Legislative Director for Congressman John Garamendi.

    While working for the Congressman, Garrett earned a reputation as an effective and outcome-oriented senior advisor. Well versed in policy and congressional procedure, Garrett played a key role in helping Congressman Garamendi achieve multiple victories on natural resources issues important to California’s 3rd Congressional District.

    For example, Garrett developed a strong background in the complexities surrounding California water policy. Among other achievements, he was intimately involved in the development and enactment of legislation that made significant enhancements to the way the federal government addresses water operations in California and other Western states.

    Prior to serving on Congressman Garamendi’s team, Garrett worked on his family’s farm in California’s Sacramento Valley. This first-hand experience uniquely positioned him to effectively assist the Congressman in addressing the challenges facing California’s agricultural producers.

    An avid hunter and angler, Garrett currently spends his free time fly-fishing the waters surrounding Washington DC and elsewhere. He earned a BA in sustainability from Arizona State University.

Jaken Swanson

Associate

  • Jake joined Natural Resource Results in July 2022 after serving as a Senior Program Coordinator for the U.S. Energy Association (USEA).

    While working at USEA, Jake planned and implemented partnership activities in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United States on clean energy and sustainable development for USAID’s Energy Utility Partnership Program. Throughout his tenure, Jake established relationships with colleagues from the energy industry, U.S. government, overseas missions, and non-profits to improve energy utilities in USAID‑assisted countries.

    Jake holds a B.A. in Political Science and Environmental Studies from American University and an M.S. in Energy Policy and Climate from Johns Hopkins University. In his free time, Jake enjoys camping and kayaking.

David Brooks

Senior Policy Advisor

  • David Brooks joined Natural Resource Results in September following a 38-year career on Capitol Hill.  For the past 36 years David has staffed public land issues on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, including the past 12 years as Democratic General Counsel. During his career David worked for nine different Democratic Chairmen or Ranking Members.

    David was the lead Senate Democratic committee staff for public land-related legislation and issues, including National Park Service designations, Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management wilderness and other conservation designations, wild and scenic river and national trail designations, historic preservation, national heritage areas, and recreational use issues. 

    His committee responsibilities included organizing and coordinating committee and subcommittee hearings, providing recommendations to committee members, negotiating and drafting bills and amendments for committee and Senate floor votes, and negotiating and drafting final bill text with other Senate and House offices, and the Administration. During his career, David has worked on several hundred bills which were enacted into law, including the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 and the 2019 additions to that Act; the Great American Outdoors Act, which included permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund; and several comprehensive multi-bill public land packages.

    A native of Tucson, Arizona, David received his law degree and undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona.  He lives in McLean, Virginia with his wife and son.