At the last board of directors meeting, Tennessee Wildlife Federation welcomed a new chairman and thanked former chairman, Mr. Bruce Fox of Knoxville, for his years of leadership and continued service to the organization.
Mr. Fox has been a board member since 2014 and served as chairman for the past three years. Under his leadership, the Federation grew significantly and made great impacts on Tennessee’s landscapes—our team restored nearly 2,500 acres of habitat, planted more than 184,000 trees across the state, provided more than 1.6 million servings of venison protein to Tennesseans in need, and introduced more than 14,000 youth and adults to the wonders of outdoor recreation.
The impact of Mr. Fox’s leadership and passion for improving Tennessee’s communities and natural resources is highly regarded among the Federation’s staff and board. As Mr. Fox returns as a board member, Mr. Allen Carter of Athens is stepping into the role of chairman.
Mr. Carter has been a member of the Federation’s Board of Directors for eight years and was Vice Chairman for the past three years. He owns a highly regarded insurance company, Athens Insurance, and is well known in his community and beyond.
Mr. Carter grew up on his family’s 280-acre cattle farm in Athens, Tennessee, a place that has always been special to him. After going to college at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, Mr. Carter knew he wanted to return to Athens and the land that was an important part of his life. He has since bought several properties around the farm, now more than 1,600 contiguous acres, with full trust from his neighbors that he would keep the land as it stood and not build on it.
For Mr. Carter, conserving habitat for wildlife is a priority. His family’s cattle operation is still running on the farm, but most of the land is there to be maintained as wildlife habitat. He has also purchased a tract of land on the Tennessee River to expand his efforts of habitat conservation in the region.
He was first introduced to Tennessee Wildlife Federation through Allen Corey, a Federation Board member since 2009, at a dove hunting fundraiser for the Baylor School in Chattanooga. After just one conversation about the Federation and its mission, Mr. Carter knew it was an organization he wanted to get involved with.
Mr. Carter is passionate about connecting Tennesseans of all ages to outdoor opportunities, a sentiment shared by Tennessee Wildlife Federation. He is especially proud of the Federation’s Hunters for the Hungry program because it combines the hunting tradition with meeting a very real need for hunger relief in Tennessee’s communities. He also enjoys seeing how the TN Scholastic Clay Target Program gives the next generation opportunities for outdoor recreation they might not otherwise have access to.
As chairman of the board, Mr. Carter is looking forward to working with the Federation’s executives and other board members to continue growing the organization. He sees the need for an organization like Tennessee Wildlife Federation to exist, and wants to grow the organization’s funding base so it can sustain itself for the next hundred years.
“The best way to promote is to get more people involved who care about what we’re doing and what the mission is,” said Mr. Carter. “There’s going to be a lot of pressure over the next 50 years on how we fight for outdoorsmen and women in Tennessee. With what we do and the way we lobby and the relationships we have with our legislators and the governor, we can really protect these traditions we’ve had for years.”
The Federation’s board of directors oversees the organization and ensures its goals and mission are met each year. Board members also serve as vital connection points to potential partners and donors within Tennessee communities.