Lieutenant General Jeff Buchanan, U.S. Army (Ret.), serves as Chair of Veterans for Public Lands, bringing veterans and military families together to defend the public lands we served to protect.
Jeff has devoted his life to service, conservation, and the outdoors. He earned his bachelor’s degree in wildlife ecology from the University of Arizona and remains an avid hunter, angler, and outdoorsman. After retiring from the Army, Jeff returned home to Patagonia, Arizona. He served as a commissioner for the Arizona Game and Fish Department, as a board member for Arizona State Parks and Trails, and Hummingbird Conservation Networks. He also belongs to numerous conservation and outdoor organizations, including the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Arizona Antelope Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, Tucson Bird Alliance, and the National Parks Conservation Association.
Jeff retired from active duty in 2019 after 37 years of service. He commanded soldiers at every level, from platoon to theater army, culminating in his command of U.S. Army North (Fifth Army). He completed four combat tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan and led complex humanitarian and disaster-response operations across the United States and its territories. From 2016 to 2019, he directed military support for major hurricanes, wildland firefighting, and other domestic emergencies while building partnerships among federal, state, local, military, and civilian organizations.
Throughout his career, Jeff has united people across institutions, communities, and perspectives around a shared mission. He believes service does not end when veterans take off the uniform. As Chair, he brings his leadership, experience, and trusted nonpartisan voice to a growing national community of veterans working to keep America’s public lands protected, accessible, and thriving for generations to come.
