Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center - January 16 - January 20, 2023

I am retired from The Longleaf Alliance where I served as President from 2012 until 2020. Prior to my stint with the Longleaf Alliance, I was Director of Agency Programs with the National Wild Turkey Federation where I managed wild turkey restoration across the US and Canada. I have a BS from NC State in Wildlife Biology and a MS from LSU in Marine Science. With 46 years of wildlife and conservation related experience, I have worked all over the US and Canada on projects as varied as waterfowl and wetlands research, wild turkey restoration, and habitat restoration of wetlands and longleaf pine forests. I grew up in North Carolina hunting with my father, brother and cousins. I have been hunting since before i can remember although I did not start carrying a gun until I was 10. I am married and have a daughter and son, both of whom are avid hunters. My passions are my family, hunting (specifically turkey) and habitat restoration on our family farm in Duplin County North Carolina.

Amber Barrow has been working for the Department of Natural Resources since 2011 as an environmental educator at the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center in Mansfield, GA. She also is a hunter education instructor who teaches at day programs and overnight youth hunting events. She has a bachelor's degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Berry College. Amber grew up fishing with her family but started out learning about hunting at the age of 14. Her grandfather taught her about small game hunting for rabbits and squirrels. Later in college, her boyfriend (later to be husband) taught her about falconry and using hawks and other birds of prey to hunt squirrels, rabbits, and other small game. She fell in love with sport and continues to learn more each and every day about the hunting and its history. She loves to cook all kinds of wild game recipes and loves trying new things while outdoors. She currently goes small game and bird hunting with her husband, loves fly fishing and is licensed falconer in Georgia. She currently flies 3 harris hawks.

Gordon retired as Chief Wildlife Biologist for the State of New York in 2015 following a 35 year career as a wildlife biologist with New York, and now serves with the Northeast Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies as Executive Secretary. Gordon is also very active on various committees of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. An enthusiastic deer and turkey hunter, Gordon especially enjoys taking novice hunters afield, and teaching about our trapping and hunting heritage during the CLfT workshops.

I am the Chief Conservation Officer for the Mule Deer Foundation and owner/principal of Beartooth Strategies, a private environmental consulting business focusing on public policy, public lands, energy development and conservation of fish and wildlife resources. Previous positions include Executive Director for the North American Grouse Partnership, Partner in Conservation First Enterprises, Senior Energy Advisor for The High Lonesome Ranch, Senior Policy Advisor for the Mule Deer Foundation, and Director for the TRCP Center for Responsible Energy Development. I spent 16 years working for the BLM and Forest Service as a wildlife specialist in Wyoming, New Mexico, and Oregon.. I earned a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Wyoming emphasizing on environmental policy and B. S. degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from the Pennsylvania State University. I am a TWS Certified Wildlife Biologist, TWS Fellow, Past President of the TWS WY Chapter, and the past Chair of the Editorial Advisory Board for The Wildlife Society’s magazine, The Wildlife Professional. I am former board member of the North American Grouse Partnership and I am a fellow of the National Conservation Leadership Institute. I reside in Red Lodge, Montana with wife, 2 kids, and 1 lab.

Rob has been involved with CLfT since 2008 and continues to find it motivating, challenging and extremely satisfying. He has served on both the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board (Chairman) and the F&W Advisory Committee. A "student" of public regulation, he believes in the regulatory process works when all of the "players" understand and fulfill their obligations. Also, a current Trustee and President of the Barre Fish and Game Club, the largest private shooting and hunting club in Vermont. Other relevant credentials include Hunter Education Instructor (30 years), Range Safety Officer, NRA certified Shotgun Instructor and have conducted many education shooting programs for kids and women. Rob grew up in a hunting and fishing culture in Minnesota.
After graduating from college in Biology, he took a position as the Minnesota "Research Co-coordinator for Scientific and Natural Areas" . After 3 years, he when back to school and became a Chiropractic Physician, moved to Vermont and has been in private practice since 1983. He owns and manages a 50 acre wood lot and spends as much time as possible outdoors.

Diane Eggeman was born and raised in Missouri, where she developed a love of the outdoors as a child. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Management from the University of Missouri and a Master’s degree from the University of Maine in Wildlife Biology. Diane retired in 2018 from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, where she worked from 1986-2018. She spent more than 20 years managing waterfowl and waterfowl hunting. In 2008, Diane became director of the Division of Hunting and Game Management. In this role, she became passionate about providing the public-trust benefits of wildlife management and conservation, including hunting and other recreation, for Florida’s citizens. Currently, Diane holds a part-time position under contract with Ducks Unlimited, Inc., serving as Integration Coordinator for the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP). Diane is a Fellow of the National Conservation Leadership Institute. Diane and her family are avid hunters and anglers and spend much of their free time outdoors.

Texas Game Warden July 1988-August 2019. Stationed on the lower Texas coast. Firearms Instructor, Hunter Education Instructor, Marine Safety Enforcement Officer Instructor. I have been hunting creeks and fishing since a child with my grandpa and father. I enjoy migratory game bird and waterfowl hunting. I also enjoy cooking. Married to Jill Flores. We have 27 year old twins. A speech pathologist and wildlife biologist. My family and I take every opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. Living on the coast provides almost all season opportunities to fish and hunt. I have been able to pass on my knowledge to CLFT workshop students as to the roles of law enforcement in regards to wildlife conservation. I also provide preparation and cooking information of wild game meals for CLFT programs. Retired and living the dream. Enjoying organizing and assisting with youth hunting opportunities and summer wildlife programs.

Rusty Garrison served as the Director of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division from 2016-2020.
Rusty was with DNR for 20 years having served most recently as the manager of the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center in Mansfield, Georgia. He served in numerous other capacities, including Assistant Chief of Game Management, State Coordinator of Project WILD, and Chief of the DNR Mountain Search and Rescue Team. Before his career with DNR, Rusty worked for the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service for nearly nine years.
Rusty has served as a CLfT instructor since 2012. He has assists with classes mostly at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center in Georgia; but also teaches at Max McGraw in Illinois and at facilities in Colorado and Idaho.
Rusty holds the degrees of Bachelor of Science in Animal Sciences and a Master of Science in Wildlife Biology, both from the University of Georgia. He is active in his local community, having previously volunteered as a fire fighter and first responder for his county EMS. Rusty has traveled to over 75 countries while on mission trips and remains active in his local church. He is married to his wife Sue, has three daughters, and is a proud grandfather.

Dr. Ryan S. Luna is a Research Scientist with Borderlands Research Institute, Chair of the Natural Sciences Department, and Professor of Wildlife Management at Sul Ross State University. He teaches curriculum associated with the Wildlife Management program, and is a faculty advisor to the Range and Wildlife Club. Ryan’s interests focus on habitat use and foraging ecology. His primary research pertains to game bird ecology and management, control techniques for feral hogs, and mule deer population characteristics and habitat use.

Prior to joining BRI, Ryan obtained a PhD at Texas State University. While at Texas State, he was a Doctoral NSF Fellow working in a GK-12 program. When not in middle school classrooms getting students interested in science, Ryan was working on his dissertation which focused on body size, rumen-reticulum functions, and dietary nutrition of white-tailed deer. Prior to his doctoral work, he earned an MS from the University of Texas at San Antonio. During this period he worked for the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio performing behavioral assays on Rhesus Macaques. After receiving his bachelor’s degree from Texas Tech University, Ryan worked as a Game Warden for New Mexico Department of Game and Fish until he returned to Texas to begin his master’s and doctoral work.

Bruce Thomas has been with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GA-DNR) since August of 2019. He currently serves as the Hunting and Shooting Education Specialist for the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center (CEWC) in Mansfield, Georgia, the site of several CLfT workshops each year. He works with any and all programs related to hunting and shooting at CEWC, ranging from “Hunt and Learns” for new hunters, to Becoming an Outdoors Woman (BOW) activities to summer shooting sports camps. He became a CLfT instructor shortly after joining GA-DNR. He is a certified NRA Instructor for Rifle, Pistol, and Shotgun as well as a certified Hunter Safety Instructor for Georgia.

Prior to joining GA-DNR, Bruce enjoyed a 32-year career in public education, first as a county extension agent with the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service, followed by a stint as a high school agricultural education teacher and finally as K-8 school library media specialist. He earned his BSA and MS in Animal Science from the University of Georgia as well as an EDS in Agricultural Education.

He grew up on a small, diversified farm in Georgia and began hunting and shooting at a very early age. Some of his best hunting memories are chasing rabbits and squirrels with a single shot .410 shotgun when he was about 11 years old.