Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever Staff Promoted to Positions in Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky

Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever is pleased to announce the promotion of several longtime Farm Bill biologists – Erin Holmes, Brady Wooten, and Brandon Beltz – to new positions within “The Habitat Organization.” Holmes has been appointed as the Illinois State Coordinator and is tasked with forming new partnerships that will benefit the organization’s wildlife habitat conservation efforts. Wooten and Beltz now serve Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever as Regional Wildlife Biologists in Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky, providing vital chapter services and fundraising expertise to more than 80 local chapters in their respective regions.

“We’re thrilled to be promoting some of the best and brightest minds that Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever has to offer,” stated Tim Caughran, director of field operations for Quail Forever. “Erin, Brady, and Brandon have served the organization as true professionals during their tenure as Farm Bill biologists, and their talents will help move the organization in new and exciting directions over the coming year and beyond.”

Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever Field Promotions

Erin Holmes – Hired as the new Illinois State Coordinator, Erin Holmes is responsible for oversight of Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever staff throughout the state, with an overarching obligation to create and nurture new partnerships in Illinois conducive to the organization’s mission of wildlife habitat conservation. Holmes attended Auburn University and earned a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Wildlife Sciences, and a second degree in Animal Sciences. Her previous employment includes working for the Wisconsin DNR, Wisconsin NRCS and most recently, more than five years employed as a senior Farm Bill wildlife biologist with Pheasants Forever in Wisconsin. For more information about Pheasants Forever in Illinois or opportunities to partner on wildlife habitat conservation projects, contact Erin Holmes at EHolmes@pheasantsforever.org or (608) 658-0969.

Brady Wooten – Serving in his new role of Regional Wildlife Biologist for southern Illinois and Kentucky, Wooten will work with Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever chapters in his region to raise and expend funds on wildlife habitat projects and conservation education. Growing up on a rural farm in southern Illinois, Wooten developed an innate passion for wildlife and conservation which eventually led him to attain a Bachelor’s of Science Degree from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. His previous employment includes working for the Lawrence County Soil and Water District as a resource conservationist and most recently, more than six years employed as a Farm Bill wildlife biologist with Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever in southern Illinois. For more information about Pheasants Forever or Quail Forever chapters in southern Illinois or Kentucky, contact Brady Wooten at BWooten@quailforever.org or (618) 383-1350.

Brandon Beltz – Promoted to his new position of Regional Wildlife Biologist for central Illinois and Indiana, Beltz will work with Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever chapters in his region to raise and expend funds on wildlife habitat projects and conservation education. Beltz attended Southern Illinois University-Carbondale where he earned a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Zoology. Following his higher education, Beltz worked as both a wildlife habitat specialist and resource conservationist in the states of Iowa and Illinois before being employed in 2010 as a Farm Bill biologist with Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever in his home state of Illinois. Beltz looks forward to utilizing his knowledge of wildlife habitat and landowner relationships to help local chapters of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever complete meaningful wildlife habitat conservation projects in his region. For more information about Pheasants Forever or Quail Forever chapters in central Illinois or Indiana, contact Brandon Beltz at BBeltz@pheasantsforever.org or (217) 254-3424.

About Pheasants Forever
 
Pheasants Forever, including its quail conservation division, Quail Forever, is the nation's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever have more than 149,000 members and 700 local chapters across the United States and Canada. Chapters are empowered to determine how 100 percent of their locally raised conservation funds are spent; the only national conservation organization that operates through this truly grassroots structure. Since creation in 1982, Pheasants Forever has spent $634 million on 502,000 habitat projects benefiting 14.1 million acres nationwide.

Media Contact
Jared Wiklund
(651) 209-4953
jwiklund@pheasantsforever.org