At-Large Directors

Nominations Invited For Federation Directorships

Contributing members of the Louisiana Wildlife Federation in districts 2, 4, 6 & 8 (election held in even-numbered years) and districts 1, 3, 5, 7 & 9 (election held in odd-numbered years) are invited to run for positions on the Federation's Board of Directors.  Eligibility for election to the board is simple.  A nominee must: (1) be a resident of or work in the Federation district he/she will represent on the board (refer to district map), and (2) have maintained membership in the Louisiana Wildlife Federation for the previous full year.  While serving on the board, a director must keep his/her LWF membership current.  The term for these board positions is 2 years.  Members are welcome to contact the LWF office if they have questions about their eligibility.

The Federation's Board of Directors is the chief administrative authority of the organization, and along with the delegates to LWF's annual meeting, establishes direction and policy on conservation issues.  The board elects from its members the LWF's executive officers and oversees the development and implementation of Federation policy and programs.

Board members can be extremely influential in conservation matters through their association and cooperation with fellow board members and LWF affiliates and through participation on standing and ad hoc committees.  They are also eligible to run for president and other executive offices, providing an even greater opportunity for leadership, involvement and recognition.

Not everyone is ready to be a Louisiana Wildlife Federation Director.  There is a modest commitment of time and financial resources to attend the three meetings held each year -- one in the Spring and one in the Fall, traditionally held in Central Louisiana, and the LWF's annual meeting, a weekend conference held in February or March in a different region of the state each year.  But the opportunities are many -- to serve as a Federation spokesperson on behalf of habitat conservation, environmental quality and fish and wildlife resources, to meet and join with others concerned about conservation and the environment, and to develop and implement strategies to help insure a bright future for our natural resources so that, along with us, the next generations can continue to enjoy them.

Interested Federation members should not hesitate to nominate themselves or provide background information to other members who may wish to nominate them. A nomination form and sample resume outline can be downloaded as a pdf file here. Nominations must be faxed or mailed in to the LWF office by December 15th.  Directors will be selected by members from their district via mailed ballot after the nominations deadline.

Current LWF At-Large Directors

District 1
James B. (Jimmy) Johnston, PhD of Slidell and Andrew P. Mayer, MD of New Orleans represent LWF individual contributing members in District 1 which includes the parishes of St. Tammany, Orleans, St. Bernard and Plaquemines.

Jimmy Johnston

Dr. Johnston is retired from the U.S. Geological Survey National Wetlands Research Center in Lafayette where he served as Chief of the Spatial (Habitat) Analysis Branch and Coordinator for Louisiana Coastal Ecosystems. After retirement from USGS, Dr. Johnston was involved in the private sector for three years and for two years with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Engineer Research and Development Center's Environmental Laboratory (USACE-ERDC/EL). He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation and is active in other coastal advocacy and professional and volunteer wildlife organizations. For 30+ years, his professional career has involved providing information and data on wetlands and fish and wildlife resources to decision makers and resource managers. In particular, he has been involved with monitoring, mapping, analyzing and predicting wetland changes, coastal restoration projects, and fish and wildlife resources for coastal Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico region. He has served on the LWF Board of Directors since March of 2006, and is currently LWF's District 1 Vice President. Dr. Johnston's hobbies include volunteer work, jogging, travel, outdoor activities and missions.

Dr. Mayer is an emergency physician who earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from the LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans in 1986. He has served as president, vice president and secretary/treasurer of the Louisiana Chapter of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine and is a member of the Jefferson Parish Medical Society, Sons of the American Revolution, Round Table Club and Nature Conservancy. He is currently on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Mayer's hobbies include fishing, hunting, gardening, hiking, travel and Genealogy. He has served on the LWF Board of Directors since January of 2006. His conservation interests include wetlands restoration and endangered species. He says the outdoors of Louisiana will always have a special place in his heart, having grown up on the bayous and bays of South Louisiana. With billions of dollars to be spent in the coming decades to protect our environment, Dr. Mayer believes he and the LWF can play a crucial role by helping direct this effort.

District 2
The two at-large director seats for District 2 which includes Jefferson, Lafourche, St. Charles, St. James, and St. John the Baptist Parishes are currently vacant and will remain so until the next election or until filled by appointment of the LWF Board of Directors.

District 3
Robert E. Stewart, PhD of Lafayette represents the contributing members of District 3 which includes Lafayette, Vermilion, St. Martin, Terrebonne, Iberia, St. Mary, Iberville, and Assumption Parishes. .

Dr. Stewart is an experienced wetland ecologist, wildlife biologist, research administrator, program developer and manager, and environmental policy analyst. In 2010, he retired from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette where he served as Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies for five years. In 2005, he retired from the USGS in the Department of the Interior, where he served as Director of the National Wetlands Research Center in Lafayette, LA for 27 years. He also served as the Congressional Services Director for the Office of Biological Services in Washington, DC, and as the Department of the Interior’s Oil Spill Research Coordinator for five years following the passage of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. Dr. Stewart has a long history of involvement in coastal issues in the US. In Louisiana he has served as a member of the Governor’s Advisory Commission for Coastal Restoration and Protection for over eight years, and he served on the Board of Directors for the Louisiana University Marine Consortium. He has a second home on Grand Isle, LA and played a lead role in establishing a non-profit, charitable organization called Friends of Grand Isle, Inc., to assist the people, and businesses of Grand Isle recover from hurricanes and other disasters like the BP oil spill. He was responsible for the development of over 10,000 coastal maps and over a thousand publications on coastal ecology, management, and issues affecting the coastal areas of the US, particularly the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

The other at-large director's seat in District 3 is currently vacant and will remain so until the next election or until filled by appointment of the LWF Board of Directors. 

District 4
The two at-large director seats for District 4 which includes Caddo, Bossier, Webster, Claiborne, Lincoln, Bienville, and Jackson Parishes are currently vacant and will remain so until the next election or until filled by appointment of the LWF Board of Directors.

District 5
The two at-large director seats for District 5 which includes Union, Morehouse, East Carroll, West Carroll, Ouachita, Richland, Madison, Caldwell, Franklin, and Tensas Parishes are currently vacant and will remain so until the next election or until filled by appointment of the LWF Board of Directors. 

District 6
Gregory B. Lacy of Baton Rouge and Warren L. Singer of Prairieville represent District 6 contributing members.  District 6 includes Washington, Tangipahoa, St. Helena, Livingston, Ascension, East Feliciana, West Feliciana, East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge and Pointe Coupee Parishes.

Mr. Lacy’s professional career has included work conducting biological and endangered species surveys on the White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) and as a wildlife manager for the WSMR Environmental Group where he contributed to NEPA documentation for missions conducted at the range. He served as a project manager for the Gulf South Research Corporation where he conducted Environmental Assessments. He established Global Ecotec LLC in 2008 to provide environmental services such as wetland delineations and transaction screenings for local banks/developers as well as wildlife consulting and humane nuisance wildlife (e.g., bee colony, small mammal, and snake) removals. With earnings from his business, Mr. Lacy is funding the acquisition of undeveloped property on which to conduct classes in conservation, to educate students and others about what cannot be taught in the classroom but only learned through field experience. Thus far he has acquired a 200-acre parcel of pine plantation with scattered remnants of old hardwood to use as a field course site. He is a member of the Society for the Study of Reptiles and Amphibians, The Wildlife Society, Louisiana Gulf Coast Herpetological Society, Louisiana Wildlife Federation and National Rifle Association. He is very interested in conservation education and would like to develop new ways to educate the public as well as see habitats preserved for educational as well as traditional game-related recreational activities. His hobbies include freshwater fishing, canoeing, hunting, range shooting, and coin collecting.

Mr. Singer owns several businesses and is active in local business and community affairs. He is a life member of the Louisiana Wildlife Federation (LWF) and longtime member of the East Ascension Sportsman’s League (EASL). He currently serves as LWF's President. He is a member of the Quality Deer Management Association and a Life Member of the NRA. With a second home on Grand Isle, he has seen first hand the effects of coastal erosion, the closing of waters to the public, and overfishing in some coastal areas. Mr. Singer supports the LWF’s efforts to restore and maintain public access to public waters, fund coastal restoration, and other endeavors such as the initiative of LWF and EASL to reopen Elmer’s Island for the enjoyment of the public. He and wife, Jodie, have raised their children to be outdoorsmen with sound conservation ethics and are pleased to see their children share their outdoor values and experiences with their friends. Mr. Singer has attended all but one of the LWF annual conventions over the past 20 years and has participated in the convention conservation committees. He runs a hunting club where he requires a sustainable harvest based on sound biology and teaches the members to be good stewards of the land and the resources. Mr. Singer is working to more effectively spread the message of the Federation to attract new members and the financial support needed to sustain the organization and expand its conservation work. His hobbies include hunting, fishing, travel and reading.

District 7
Fred J. Borel, Jr. of Lake Charles represents LWF contributing members from District 7 on the Federation Board.  District 7 includes Acadia, Jefferson Davis, Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes. 

Fred Borel

Mr. Borel is a retired chemical worker. He has served on the LWF Board of Directors since 2007, and is currently LWF's District 7 Vice President. He is interested in learning more about conservation laws and regulations, particularly wildlife habitat management to encourage landowners to manage their land for wildlife. He sponsored the first Quail Forever Chapter in Opelousas to help it get started in the state, and is a member of numerous other conservation organizations including the Ruffed Grouse Society, Pheasants Forever, Ducks Unlimited, Delta Waterfowl, Wild Turkey Federation, Quail Unlimited, National Wildlife Federation, life member of the North American Hunting Club, Southwest Louisiana Rifle and Pistol Club, Coastal Conservation Association, and endowment member of the National Rifle Association. Mr. Borel's outdoor interests include hunting, fishing and jogging.

The other at-large director's seat in District 7 is currently vacant and will remain so until the next election or until filled by appointment of the LWF Board of Directors. 

District 8
Ken Dancak, PhD of Pineville and Joe McPherson of Woodworth represent District 8 (Grant, LaSalle, Catahoula, Concordia, Rapides, Avoyelles, Evangeline, and St. Landry Parishes) members on the Federation Board.  

Ken Dancak

Dr. Dancak, a wildlife biologist, retired from the US Forest Service in September 2011. He was involved with the daily management of wildlife resources on all districts of the Kisatchie National Forest, including game, non-game and threatened and endangered species, and coordination of management efforts with other natural resource management agencies. He is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. He currently serves on LWF's executive committee as the immediate past president. He has served as an at-large director on LWF's board representing District 8 since 1999. He is an advocate of increasing biodiversity in the state and his hobbies include photography, woodworking, outdoor cooking and travel. 

 

Mr. McPherson is a self-employed businessman who has been involved in numerous conservation and habitat restoration efforts over the past 25 years including the restoration of Buhlow Lake and the Saline-Larto Lake complex. 

Joe McPherson

As a member of the Louisiana State Senate where he had served for 20+ years, he authored key legislation to protect the state's Conservation Fund and the freedom of Louisiana citizens to hunt, fish and trap. He authored legislation that created the Acadiana Conservation Corridor and Beauregard Wildlife Management Areas and added acreage to the Dewey Wills WMA. He co-chaired the Louisiana Legislative Sportsman's Caucus.  McPherson is a recipient of the Ducks Unlimited "Helping Hand Award" and has been recognized by the National Rifle Association for his legislative accomplishments in support of the freedom to own and lawfully possess and use firearms. In 2008 he was named Legislator of the Year by Safari Club International. McPherson has been recognized three times as the Legislative Conservationist of the Year by the Louisiana Wildlife Federation and received the "Governor's Award" as the 2005 Conservationist of the Year. He has been a member of the LWF for over 30 years and has served on the LWF Board of Directors representing affiliates in his area.  McPherson continues to work on issues such as quality deer management, insuring public access to state waterbottoms while recognizing private property rights, protecting the public’s interest in securing compatible conservation management and public use of lands that are created or come available to the state through the coastal protection and restoration program, expanding the state WMA system and working with private land owners to provide incentives for forest lands to remain available for use by the general public.  His outdoor interests include hunting and fishing.

District 9
Virginia Burkett, PhD of Many serves on the LWF Board representing contributing members from District 9 which includes Vernon, Sabine, Desoto, Red River, Natchitoches and Winn Parishes. Dr. Burkett is a research scientist at the National Wetlands Research Center. 

Virginia Burkett

She has 30 years professional experience in wildlife and fisheries management and research, including serving as deputy secretary and secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.  She has also served on the Louisiana Forestry Commission, the Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council, and national and international panels on climate change.  Dr. Burkett has published extensively on the topics of sea level rise, climate change, coastal impacts, and coastal management.  She has been involved in Louisiana Wildlife Federation activities for over 20 years and has a high regard for the LWF's democratic decision-making structure.  She believes that the LWF is the most effective statewide conservation oganizationin Louisiana and is currently seving as LWF 2nd Vice President.  Her hobbies include hiking, hunting and fishing.

The other at-large director's seat in District 9 is currently vacant and will remain so until the next election or until filled by appointment of the LWF Board of Directors.  

The next elections for at-large directors will be held in December. Click here for a nomination form. The deadline for nominations is December 15th.