National Association of Conservation Districts

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CONSERVATION
DISTRICTS NAMES NEW CEO

WASHINGTON, D.C.—July 8, 2009—Today the National Association of Conservation Districts announced that Doug Loudenslager will be the Association’s new Chief Executive Officer, effective July 13, 2009.

“We are very fortunate to have Doug joining us as CEO of the National Association of Conservation Districts. We are certain that he has the experience, vision and energy needed to lead NACD and represent the nation’s 3,000 conservation districts,” said NACD President Steve Robinson, a producer from Marysville, Ohio.

Loudenslager brings extensive association and financial management experience to the table. He most recently served as the Chief Operating Officer for the National FFA Organization and National FFA Foundation in Indianapolis, Ind. During Loudenslager's tenure, the FFA served as a catalyst for a 10x15 Long Range Strategic Goal for Agricultural Education, attained significant growth in its Foundation and approached an all-time membership high.

Prior to his time at FFA, Loudenslager had a 17-year career in sales, management and training for Edward Jones Investments. He also served as Executive Director of the Ohio Soybean Association and was a high school vocational agriculture educator.

“Doug’s background and passion make him the candidate we want to lead NACD into the future,” added Robinson. “We expect he will bring new direction to the Association, providing strengthened services to our members while continuing to serve as America’s voice for conservation.”

“These are exciting times for conservation in this country. NACD has a long tradition of providing national leadership and a unified voice for natural resource conservation. Landowners will be looking to their local conservation district even more to provide the technical expertise and support in meeting the conservation and natural resource challenges ahead,” says Loudenslager. “The perspective of the men and women who serve as directors of the 3,000 local conservation districts must be heard in the development of future conservation policy. I am excited to have the opportunity to join the NACD team in making sure their story is understood by national policy makers."

Loudenslager was raised as part of a conservation-minded family on a crop and swine operation in central Ohio. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Education from The Ohio State University and a master's in Business Administration from Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.

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The National Association of Conservation Districts is the non-profit organization that represents the nation’s 3,000 conservation districts and 17,000 men and women who serve on their governing boards. For almost 70 years, local conservation districts have worked with cooperating landowners and managers of private working lands to help them plan and apply effective conservation practices. NACD’s website is at www.nacdnet.org.