EDGEFIELD, S.C. — Becky Humphries, the new CEO of the National Wild Turkey Federation, announced Mandy Harling as the director of Hunting Heritage Programs.
In her new role, Harling will supervise the staff and programming for hunting heritage, the NWTF Winchester Museum and education and outreach on the NWTF’s Hunting Heritage Center in Edgefield.
“The NWTF has a deep tradition of creating outdoor opportunities through the efforts of our passionate volunteers and generous partners. I’m honored to be entrusted with leading our R3 (Recruitment, Retention and Reactivation) efforts and confident that our work to save the hunt will help preserve the tradition of hunting and shooting,” said Harling.
Since being name the acting director last year, Harling has taken the program to new levels with the integration of R3 into the NWTF’s hunting heritage programs. Harling’s strategic vision, keen ability to manage programs and her networking skills within the R3 community have set up the department to reach the hunter recruitment goal of Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. well ahead of schedule.
“It is my pleasure to elevate Mandy to the role of director of Hunting Heritage Programs,” Humphries said. “Her passion for conservation and our hunting heritage is just one small part of what makes her perfect for this role within the organization”
Harling brings tremendous experience to the director’s role. She has worked with the NWTF in various roles for the past 13 years, including manager of the hunting heritage programs. She also served on the Development Workgroup for the National Hunting and Shooting Action Plan and was instrumental in writing the national R3 plan, which has been adopted by state wildlife agencies and other conservation organizations.
“The NWTF has a tremendous asset in Mandy Harling,” said John Frampton, president and CEO of the Council to Advance Hunting and Shooting Sports. “During the two years of plan [National Hunting and Shooting Action Plan] development, I was especially impressed by her enthusiasm, commitment and the realization that conservation successes, today, are dependent on partnerships and a shared spirit of cooperation.”
Prior to her career at the NWTF, Harling worked as a human resources representative at Fujifilm, where she developed her personnel management skills. Harling holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Winthrop University and is a fellow of the National Conservation Leadership Institute.
About the National Wild Turkey Federation
When the National Wild Turkey Federation was founded in 1973, there were about 1.5 million wild turkeys in North America. After decades of work, that number hit an historic high of almost 7 million turkeys. To succeed, the NWTF stood behind science-based conservation and hunters’ rights. Thanks to the efforts of dedicated volunteers, professional staff and committed partners, the NWTF has facilitated the investment of $488 million in wildlife conservation and the preservation of North America’s hunting heritage.
About Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt.
The NWTF has improved more than 17 million acres of wildlife habitat and introduce 100,000 people to the outdoors each year. The NWTF Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. initiative is a charge that mobilizes science, fundraising and devoted volunteers to raise $1.2 billion to conserve and enhance more than 4 million acres of essential wildlife habitat, recruit at least 1.5 million hunters and open access to 500,000 acres for hunting. For more information, visit NWTF.org.
— National Wild Turkey Federation
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