The Skinwalker Ranch Researchers
Meet the crew who have been spending the most time, in recent history, on Skinwalker Ranch.
Want to learn more about Skinwalker Ranch and connect with the team? Join Insider today and get access to more data, behind-the-scenes look at the on-going investigation, live Q&A’s and much more! Become a member of the team today and start investigating.

Brandon Fugal
Owner
Brandon Fugal is the owner of Skinwalker Ranch. As the Chairman of Colliers International in Utah, Brandon is one of the most prominent businessmen and real estate developers in the Intermountain West. From an early age, he also has been fascinated with the mysteries of our universe and the question of whether or not we are alone. In 2016, Brandon purchased Skinwalker Ranch from aerospace tycoon, Robert Bigelow, in order to investigate and study the strange and unexplained phenomena.

Erik Bard
Principal Scientific Investigator
As the Principal Scientific Investigator on Skinwalker Ranch, Erik Bard has not only installed a cutting-edge surveillance system that constantly monitors the entire property, but also heads all investigations. Having worked alongside Brandon on various scientific endeavors for the last decade, Erik brings a vast wealth of knowledge and his intense curiosity to the study of the strange phenomena reported on Skinwalker Ranch.

Thomas Winterton
Manager, Skinwalker Ranch
Thomas Winterton is the Manager of Skinwalker Ranch, overseeing the maintenance of the property, its facilities and equipment, as well as overseeing ranching activities and assisting in investigations. A native of the Uintah Basin, Thomas is the founder and operator of multiple businesses. His unique background and experience give him in-depth insight into the UFO phenomena at Skinwalker Ranch and the surrounding area – especially his incredible experiences that have taken place there.

Bryant Arnold
Head of Security and Safety Officer
Commonly known by his codename “Dragon”, Bryant Arnold is the Head of Security and Safety Officer on Skinwalker Ranch. As a trusted friend and advisor to Brandon Fugal for over 25 years, Bryant is a vital part of the day-to-day operations on the ranch. He prevents any and all who may unwisely attempt to trespass on the grounds and assists the investigations to ensure safety at all times. Bryant is a licensed, armed private security officer in the state of Utah, and is recognized as an expert marksman.

Dr. Travis Taylor
Senior Science Advisor
Travis is an engineer and best-selling author who holds PhD’s in Optical Science and Engineering and Aerospace Engineering, as well as a Masters degrees in Physics and Astronomy. For the past twenty-five years, Dr. Taylor has worked on various high-tech programs for the Department of Defense and NASA

Kaleb Bench
Security
Kaleb Bench comes from Southeast Idaho. He is a father, a husband and a brother-in-law to Thomas Winterton. Kaleb has provided private security services and consultation at Skinwalker Ranch since late 2017. Kaleb served six years in the United States Marine Corps as a M1A1 Tank Crewman, receiving an Honorable Discharge. Kaleb has served as a Sheriff’s Deputy and is now actively serving as a Police Officer for Roosevelt City Police. With a combined 10 years of Law Enforcement and military experience Kaleb brings a wealth of knowledge to support the on going experiments and security operations to Skinwalker Ranch.

Jim Morse
Community Outreach Director
Jim Morse is the Community Outreach Director for Skinwalker Ranch. A successful and celebrated real estate developer and entrepreneur, Jim has also dedicated more than twenty-five years to the Native American communities in the Intermountain West, creating scholarship funds for their youth and fostering programs for American Indians.

Kandus and Tom
Ranch Caretakers
Kandus Linde is a well-known and published Anthropologist who serves as one of the caretakers on Skinwalker Ranch. She and Tom Lewis, a Technologist/Graphic Artist, currently live in the ranch house known as Homestead One. In addition to assisting with different experiments, they are responsible for the day-to-day operations of the ranch and also providing security.

William
Ranch Dog
As the ranch dog, William sees and hears it all. He knows exactly where the portals are and can appear or disappear with mystical powers. He serves as a guard, pet and guide to all things on Skinwalker Ranch. He’s a bad-ass.
Want to learn more about Skinwalker Ranch and connect with the team? Join Insider today and get access to more data, behind-the-scenes look at the on-going investigation, live Q&A’s and much more! Become a member of the team today and start investigating.
Distinguished Contributors and Guests

Pete Kelsey
Owner, VCTO Labs
Pete has been working on a project to map/model Skinwalker Ranch. He provides state-of-the-art technology to assist in our storytelling. VCTO uses sUAS drones for data capture and analysis; LiDAR, SONAR, and GPR allow for measurements to model and manage any physical thing. VCTO’s LiDAR scans revealed the dark mass at Homestead Two. Pete also utilizes Photogrammetry, a very valuable tool which produces 3-D images for analyses.

Jim Segala
Dr. Jim Segala holds a PhD in Physics as well as advanced degrees in engineering and is a scientific contributor at Skinwalker Ranch. He has over 30 years of experience designing and building complex experimental systems. For over nine years, Segala was an active researcher at the Institute for Advanced Studies at Austin, where he performed experiments in the area of quantum entanglement, quantum optics, vacuum polarization and neurobiology, and has investigated several UFO medical injury cases.

Larry Cesspooch
Larry is one of the Ute Indian tribe’s spiritual leaders. Growing up in the Ft. Duchesne area, the cliffs around Meyers Ranch were his and his cousin’s stomping grounds. In fact, one of Larry’s jobs in High School was hauling hay for the original owners. The Ute people have always just accepted the mysterious circumstances that occur there and on the reservation. They believe these things are a part of the broader expanse of the universe.

Ryan Skinner
Ryan began his research into the phenomena at Skinwalker Ranch in 2006. Since the events chronicled in his books, he has returned numerous times each year to Utah’s Unitah Basin to conduct field investigations. While there, he spends his nights alone in the mysterious Utah desert trying to find answers to whatever creatures lurk in the nearby mesas and valleys.

Dr. Christopher Lee
After some team members were exposed to high levels of radiation, Dr. Lee, a radiation oncology specialist, had been asked to come to the Ranch to help monitor radiation levels of the SWR team as they conducted research.

Casey Smith
Director, Qal-Tek Associates
Qal-Tek provides expertise in managing programs including training, compliance, and operations. Casey oversaw the excavation of various parts of Skinwalker Ranch as well as various scientific experiments to provide radiological compliance and safely monitor radiation levels of the team.

Gov. Gary Herbert
Governor Herbert served 12 years as Governor of Utah and has been very supportive of Brandon Fugals’ research of Skinwalker Ranch.

Jeff Fitzmayer
Geologist/Hydrogeolist
Jeff’s team at Semper Environmental have helped Skinwalker Ranch scientists investigate the ground to better understand what lies beneath The Ranch.

Jonathan Dover
Navajo Nation Dept. of Resource Management
Jonathan was trained in Criminal Investigations and was an Archaeological Resource Crime Investigator. He is a veteran law enforcement officer. He worked with the City of Winslow Arizona Police Department, The National Park Service, Navajo Historic Preservation Dept. and the Navajo Nation Rangers. He retired from active duty as a Lieutenant in 2011 after 31 years.

Michael Anderson
Entertainment Attorney
Michael is the leader of Parr Brown’s Entertainment practice and has worked very closely with Brandon supporting his media investments with Skinwalker Ranch.

Steve Lindsey
CTO/CIO, LiveView Technologies
LiveView Technologies has provided on demand, rapidly deployed surveillance to the largest companies in the world. Steve and his team supply the surveillance network on Skinwalker Ranch, allowing our scientists to record and study anomalies while staying safe and secure.

Dr. Matt Turner
Dr. Turner, a friend and colleague of Dr. Travis Taylor as well as an aerospace engineer, came to Skinwalker Ranch to be part of a research team participating in experiments utilizing weather balloons to measure electromagnetic anomalies.

Peter Donaldson
Shareholder, Denton
Peter, a shareholder with Dentons, the world’s largest law firm, works with Brandon and his team on all real estate business matters for Colliers.