2026 MNAFS Officer Voting

Voting closes one hour prior to the MNAFS annual business meeting.

Elections are being held for the following MNAFS Officer and Executive Committee positions:

President Elect
MNDNR
Open

For more information, please contact our Nominations Committee Chair Jessie Koehle (jkoehle.mnafs@gmail.com).

Candidate Bios:

2026 President Elect

Calub Shavlik, MNDNR

Hi! I would love to become Chapter President of Minnesota Chapter of AFS for 2027. I have been involved with the American Fisheries Society (AFS) since 1998 and became a member of the Minnesota chapter in 2000. I received my B.S. degree in Aquatic Biology from Bemidji State University in 1995. After graduating, I worked in both the fisheries field and the chemistry field until an opportunity came up to go back to school and get my graduate degree in 1998. I completed my M.S. degree in Fisheries Science from Texas Tech University in 2000. I started my professional fisheries career in 2001 at Minnesota DNR’s Eden Prairie Fisheries office working for the “Fishing in the Neighborhood” program. In 2002, I transferred to the Walker Fisheries office as a fisheries specialist. In 2012, I took a promotion to become the Assistant Area Supervisor at Park Rapids and have been there since. I live in Nevis, MN and enjoy hosting family gatherings at my house, hunting, fishing, seeing live music, and playing hockey.

I have served as secretary/treasurer for the Minnesota Chapter of AFS from 2007 to 2025, and the Membership committee chair since 2003. Duties of these positions have included keeping meeting notes for executive committee meetings and other gatherings, maintaining membership records, and managing the chapter’s budget. I have worked with the previous chapter presidents to set the operating budget for the chapter each year and manage incoming funds from membership and fundraising to ensure that our chapter is fiscally sound. I have also worked with the parent society on management of funds set aside for future parent society meetings and investment opportunities. I have helped plan our chapter’s annual meetings, including organizing all the registration information and merchandise sales. My love of spreadsheets and skills with Microsoft Access have been put to great use through the Minnesota Chapter of AFS! I received special recognition awards in 2010, 2017, 2023 and 2025 for my contributions to the Minnesota Chapter of AFS. During my many years of experience with AFS, I have seen the importance of getting to know other fisheries professionals. The Minnesota Chapter of AFS has a diverse group of members, representing academia, federal, state, and private fisheries professionals. Networking and connecting with members have been extremely valuable for me during my career, and I’m thankful for the friendships I’ve developed through AFS. I enjoy sharing my AFS experiences and encourage others to become members. As I begin to look towards the latter part of my fisheries professional career, I would love to top it off with the opportunity to serve as President-elect for Minnesota Chapter of AFS in 2026 and become the President in 2027.

2026 MNDNR Representative

Matt Ward, MNDNR

I completed undergrad at UW-Stevens Point and grad school at South Dakota State University. Over the past 20+ years, I have worked for the MNDNR in Duluth, Lake Superior, Walker, Grand Rapids, and Hinckley Area Fisheries in various roles. I also spent 2001-02 based out of the Glenwood MNDNR office for the grad school project I worked on. I became the Hinckley Area Fisheries Supervisor in August of 2023.

I have been a member of the American Fisheries Society (AFS) either as a Student or Professional since 1994. I served as Secretary and President of the UW-Stevens Point Student Chapter of AFS. I am a Certified Fisheries Professional (AFS) and have represented AFS in numerous regional and state Science Fairs as a judge and prize coordinator. I have served as an officer on the MNAFS Executive Committee as the DNR Representative from 2024-25. I have also presented numerous presentations and posters at MNAFS meetings over the years and often serve as a judge for presentations and posters.

I have two daughters, Emma (15) and Lily (10). My wife Angela and our family enjoy camping at state parks, visiting National Parks, hiking, riding bikes, and fishing.

In my free time, I take turns driving my two daughters in circles between gymnastics, theater, choir, and church youth group activities. I am also one of the church youth group and AWANA leaders. I enjoy family time, fishing, looking for shed antlers, and bow hunting.

2026 Open Representative

Nathan Mielke, MNPCA

My name is Nate Mielke and I’m excited to be running for re-election as the “open representative” on the executive committee. I currently work as an Environmental Specialist (stream fish biologist) for the North Biological Monitoring Unit of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). Since joining the agency in 2010, my primary focus has been assessing water quality based on biological parameters (fish & macroinvertebrate communities). Before coming to the MPCA, I attended Saint Cloud State University where I received a Bachelor of Science in ecology. In addition, I have also taught ichthyology as an adjunct instructor at Central Lakes College.

My wife, Molly, and I live in Breezy Point with our two children, Luella (9) and Henry (5), and we are excited to welcome our third child in April. As a family, we enjoy fishing, camping, and traveling together. In my free time, I also pursue my passion for archery hunting.