NEWS RELEASE

Georgia’s Mark Masters Elected as NACD President-Elect 

San Antonio, TX – Yesterday, the National Association of Conservation Districts’ (NACD) Board of Directors elected Mark Masters of southwest Georgia, to serve as the association’s President-Elect. He will serve a one-year term as President-Elect alongside current NACD President Gary Blair and will assume the role of NACD President in 2027. 

“I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside Mark for the past few years,” said NACD President Gary Blair. “Mark brings dedication to locally led conservation, and the knowledge and leadership needed to help NACD achieve bold, new horizons.” 

Masters has served NACD in a number of roles since 2021, including as a Chair of the Water and Climate Subcommittee, as an officer in the role of Secretary-Treasurer, and most recently as NACD’s First Vice President. He also served as a President of the Georgia Association of Conservation Districts and is a supervisor at his local conservation district, the Lower Chattahoochee River Soil and Water Conservation District.  

As Executive Director of the Georgia Water Planning and Policy Center, Masters leverages his wealth of knowledge on issues related to water use and management and supports conservation research and outreach across the country. He is also involved in numerous local, state, and national advisory boards.  

Masters is a proud graduate of the National Conservation Foundation’s inaugural Next Generation Leadership Institute Cohort and has been honored as Georgia’s Supervisor of the Year and a Georgia “Clean Water Hero.” He operates a beef cow and timber farm with his family and has three children with his wife, Amy.  

“I am honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve NACD and the thousands of conservation leaders across the country in this new role,” said President-Elect Masters. “It is a joy to work alongside such a dedicated team of staff and volunteers to address the evolving nature and magnitude of resource concerns through the local delivery of conservation policy and practices.”  

Masters will be sworn in as President in February 2027 at NACD’s 81st Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada.  

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About the National Association of Conservation Districts: 

The National Association of Conservation Districts is the nonprofit organization that represents the nation’s 3,000 conservation districts, their state and territory associations and the 17,000 individuals who serve on their governing boards. For 90 years, local conservation districts have worked with cooperating landowners and managers of private working lands to help them plan and apply effective conservation practices. For more information about NACD, visit: www.nacdnet.org.