NACD Applauds Confirmation of Homer Wilkes as Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment 02/09/2022
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 9, 2022 |
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NACD Applauds Confirmation of Homer
Wilkes as Under Secretary for
Natural Resources and Environment
WASHINGTON – Today, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) applauded the U.S. Senate’s confirmation of Homer Wilkes as U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary of Natural Resources and Environment. As Under Secretary, Wilkes will oversee the U.S. Forest Service and several USDA conservation programs.
Throughout his 41-year career with USDA, Wilkes has continually demonstrated his commitment to working with local communities to implement conservation practices. During his Senate confirmation hearing, Wilkes indicated that his priorities include wildfire management and prevention, providing an inclusive work environment, addressing forest sustainability, and supporting and creating markets for wood products. He pointed to the Good Neighbor Authority, which can be used to increase collaboration with state forestry agencies.
“NACD applauds the administration for nominating Homer Wilkes and the Senate for confirming him for the position of Undersecretary of Natural Resources and Environment,” said NACD President Michael Crowder. “Homer has always had a close working relationship with conservation districts and he brings a very valuable perspective to the Natural Resources and Environment Mission Area. He understands that voluntary, incentive-based conservation and forestry yield productive outcomes for producers and working lands. NACD is thrilled to see him continue to build on that history and trust as he moves into this role. I am confident in the knowledge and experience that Homer Wilkes brings to this work, and NACD looks forward to working closely with him on forestry and conservation programs in the future.”
Wilkes is originally from the state of Mississippi and has spent more than four decades working with USDA in a variety of roles. Prior to his appointment to Under Secretary, Wilkes served as the director for the Natural Resource Conservation Service Gulf of Mexico Ecosystem Restoration Division. He has also worked as the state conservationist for Mississippi and acting chief of NRCS. Wilkes has a history of directing engineering, natural resource, and watershed projects and was integral in supporting the restoration of the ecosystem of the Gulf Coast after the oil spill in 2010. Wilkes holds an MBA and a PhD from Jackson University.
About the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD)
The National Association of Conservation Districts is the nonprofit organization that represents the nearly 3,000 conservation districts across the United States, their state and territory associations, and the 17,000 men and women who serve on their governing boards. For more than 75 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.