Kim LaFleur was sworn in as NACD President. She has served in several leadership roles at NACD since 2007, including as a board member, executive board member, and most recently as an officer as NACD’s First Vice President and President-Elect. She also serves as the Board Chair of the Plymouth County Conservation District. LaFleur is the State Advisor and Program Director for the Massachusetts FFA Association, which is part of the nation’s largest agricultural youth leadership development organization. 

President LaFleur is the first woman to serve as NACD President, saying in her opening address, "I am not the first woman qualified to do this job, I am just the first one given the opportunity."

The NACD Board of Directors also voted to elect the other members of the leadership team. Gary Blair of Mississippi was elected as First Vice President, and Bill Simshauser of Kansas, was elected as Second Vice President. Mark Masters of Georgia, a graduate of the National Conservation Foundation's Next Generation Leadership Institute (NGLI) inaugural 2020 cohort, was elected to serve as Secretary-Treasurer. Immediate Past President Michael Crowder of Washington, and NACD Chief Executive Officer Jeremy Peters round out the national association’s officer team.

These district officials join re-elected Southeast Region Representative Franklin Williams of North Carolina in rounding out regional representation on NACD’s Executive Board.

Tuesday morning’s General Session of the 2023 NACD Annual Meeting featured keynotes and panels with a variety of conservation and natural resources experts. The session was presided over by Second Vice President Ian Cunningham, and speakers included private and federal partners important to the conservation movement in addition to two panel discussions.

Addressing the importance of partnerships in her keynote address, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams highlighted the need for collaborative approaches to implementing conservation and natural resource management.

Following the opening keynote, the first panel of the general session discussed governance, social, and environmental issues and was moderated by Agri-Pulse Communications Managing Editor Spencer Chase. Panelists included Steven Wall with Sygenta, Brooke Wynn with Smithfield Foods, and Robert Zemenchik. This was followed by a panel focusing on collaborative approaches to natural resource stewardship and included Martha Williams with Fish and Wildlife Service, Kristin Thomasgard with the Department of Defense, Deputy Under Secretary Gloria Montaño Greene, and Charles Sutcliffe with the Louisiana Governor's Office as panelists. Each panelist shared their unique experiences, perspectives, and insights with the audience.

During the NACD Appreciation Banquet, the leaders of National Conservation Planning Partnership presented the first ever Rich Duesterhaus Lifetime Achievement Award to its namesake, NACD Senior Advisor Rich Duesterhaus. This award recognizes exceptional dedication and commitment to a career serving with the conservation partnership. 

Leadership from the conservation partnership; NACD, the National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA), the National Association of State Conservation Agencies (NASCA), the National Association of RC&D Councils (NARC&DC), the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) created this award to honor the more than 6 decades Rich Duesterhaus has spent supporting conservation.

Additional information can be found in the programs and meeting app.

Read the full press release here.

During the Tuesday lunch session, attendees viewed the "Wings Over Water Film" and heard from a panel abut the creation of the film and the importance of conservation to managing for wildlife habitat.

The panel was moderated by Will Primos, founder of Primos Hunting, with NACD Past President Michael Crowder, Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation President and CEO Charles Potter, Audubon Chief Conservation Officer Marshall Johnson, and Ducks Unlimited Chief Operating Officer Nick Wiley as panelists.

Don't miss the mobile Annual Meeting app hosted by Sched! The app allows you to see the full event schedule, session descriptions, speaker profiles, and more. After you've set up a public profile, you will be able to create a personalized schedule and you can message and network with other attendees right from the app.

To download it, you can scan or click the QR code, or download the Sched app (Apple) (Android) and search NACD to join the event.

Have you been taking photos during the 2023 NACD Annual Meeting? We want to see them!

Email them to us at nacdnews@nacdnet.org, tag us at @NACDConserve, or use #NACD2023 on social media to submit your photos to our Smiling Faces Reel. Some photos will be displayed during Tuesday evening's Appreciation Banquet!

Check out all of our photos from the week here.

The registration desk is open in the Preservation Hall Foyer from 7:00 to 10:00 a.m. today. Stop by for questions, tickets, and more!