Meet Your Platte River Chapter Board Members

Shane Westcott
Holdrege

President

I own and operate a diversified farming operation in Holdrege, Nebraska, and manage my family’s ranch near Valentine. My wife, Lacie, is the chief experience officer at Phelps Memorial Health Center. We have two children, Addison and Gavin.

I have been hunting and fishing my entire life -- everything from small game in the fields of Nebraska to North American big game to the plains of Africa. My father instilled a love of the outdoors in me at a young age which Lacie and I are passing on to our children. Marv Westcott, my father, helped found the original Nebraska Chapter of SCI, and my mother, Vicki, was the education representative for the chapter for 20 years. Our roots run deep within the SCI organization and we hope to continue this legacy for years to come.   

I was born in North Dakota but moved to central Nebraska shortly after. As one of four girls in my family, I grew up with a father who loved to pheasant-hunt. But after a funny (in retrospect) mishap with my oldest sister while hunting, my father decided he wouldn’t take girls hunting ever again. I have three grown sons I devoted my time to and let them be the hunters. I love to fish but I have never hunted -- only because I supported my children’s hunting dreams first and foremost. I love to cook and try new recipes with wild game and am known for my duck gumbo among our hunting friends.

I got involved with SCI 12 years ago when I started a new job at a family-owned construction business. The family is a tremendous supporter of SCI and all that it stands for. They “adopted” me into their hunting family and introduced me to SCI shortly after I was hired. I have assisted with SCI functions for several years. I feel it is important to keep SCI going to protect hunters’ rights, not only for us but for our children, our grandchildren, and all who follow.

Nate Fox
Oxford

Board Member

I’m a lifelong Nebraska resident, having spent most of that time living in the Republican River Valley in the south-central part of the state. I grew up with a passion for the outdoors and enjoyed chasing pheasant, quail, turkeys, deer, antelope, ducks, geese and predators all across the state.  Western big game is now my passion and Alaska has become my favorite hunting destination. 

My wife and I live in Oxford where I own and manage Fox Insurance Services. We have one son who already seems to have inherited the hunter gene. I serve as president of the Southern Valley Scholarship Foundation, Granada Theater Board, and HOPE Board and am a member of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Mule Deer Foundation and Ducks Unlimited, as well as SCI.

I feel SCI’s mission is critical to providing my son and future generations the opportunity to pursue the passion we’ve all been fortunate to enjoy.  I’m excited to be a part of the Platte River Chapter and look forward to meeting and working with SCI members across our state and country.

Neil was born in Cape Town, South Africa, to an American mother and South African father. He relocated to the United States in 1986 and graduated from high school in Ogallala, Nebraska. He is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Kearney and served as both an enlisted man and a commissioned officer in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Following his service in the Marines, Neil took a position at Hornady Manufacturing Company in Grand Island in 2004 where he still works today as the marketing director.

Educating the public about wildlife conservation through hunting is of paramount importance to Neil. “Sustainable use hunting -- by harvesting the biological surplus -- helps sustain all levels of biodiversity in an ecosystem. In addition, hunting provides an important financial contribution to local communities in the United States and throughout the world. This financial contribution provides value to wildlife. Without financial worth, many game animals would be eliminated from their indigenous habitat as they compete with domestic animals for grazing and the ever-present threat of human encroachment.”

Neil is a member of numerous conservation/advocacy organizations, including SCI and the Dallas Safari Club, Ducks Unlimited, Delta Waterfowl, Pheasants Forever, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the United States Practical Shooting Association, Precision Rifle Series and National Rifle League Hunter Series (NRL Hunter).

Neil and his wife Jodi have three adult children. When he’s not working, Neil pursues his passion for hunting and fishing around the world and competes in local and national level shooting competitions.

John M. Hoggatt
Kearney

Board Member

John Hoggatt is the Kearney Market President for Pinnacle Bank, Nebraska and has worked in the banking industry for nearly 40 years. He started his career with First National Bank of Kearney and has held various positions with banks with locations in Kearney and Grand Island.

John is a 1985 graduate of the University of Nebraska at Kearney, with a degree in business administration/finance. He also is a 1997 graduate of the Graduate School of Banking in Boulder, Colorado. He is married to Melissa Hoggatt. Their family consists of son Matthew and his wife Elizabeth and their three children; and daughter Jennifer Hoggatt-Reeves and her two children.

John is an active outdoorsman and conservationist, with hunting, fishing and AKC Retriever Trials being the primary passions he pursues. For the past five years, he has served as District 4 commissioner on the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. “Agricultural production and conservation go hand-in-hand with being an outdoor enthusiast,” he said.